Manage Autofit Settings

By default, when you add a textbox, Microsoft PowerPoint uses the Resize shape to fix text setting for the textbox—it automatically resizes the textbox to ensure its text always fits into it.

textbox-in-powerpoint

  • When the text in the textbox becomes longer or bigger, PowerPoint automatically enlarges the textbox—increases its height—to allow it to hold more text.
  • When the text in the textbox becomes shorter or smaller, PowerPoint automatically reduces the textbox—decreases its height—to clear redundant space.

In PowerPoint, these are the 4 important parameters or options that control the autofit behavior for a textbox:

  • Do not Autofit
  • Shrink text on overflow
  • Resize shape to fit text
  • Wrap text in shape.

autofit-options-powerpoint

Aspose.Slides for Java provides similar options—some properties under the TextFrameFormat class—that allow you to control the autofit behavior for textboxes in presentations.

Resize Shape to Fit Text

If you want the text in a box to always fit into that box after changes are made to the text, you have to use the Resize shape to fix text option. To specify this setting, set the AutofitType property (from the TextFrameFormat class) to Shape.

alwaysfit-setting-powerpoint

This Java code shows you how to specify that a text must always fit into its box in a PowerPoint presentation:

Presentation pres = new Presentation();
try {
    ISlide slide = pres.getSlides().get_Item(0);
    IAutoShape autoShape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 30, 30, 350, 100);

    Portion portion = new Portion("lorem ipsum...");
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(Color.BLACK);
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid);
    autoShape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().add(portion);

    ITextFrameFormat textFrameFormat = autoShape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat();
    textFrameFormat.setAutofitType(TextAutofitType.Shape);

    pres.save("Output-presentation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx);
} finally {
    if (pres != null) pres.dispose();
}

If the text becomes longer or bigger, the textbox will be automatically resized (increase in height) to ensure all the text fits into it. If the text becomes shorter, the reverse occurs.

Do Not Autofit

If you want a textbox or shape to retain its dimensions no matter the changes made to the text it contains, you have to use the Do not Autofit option. To specify this setting, set the AutofitType property (from the TextFrameFormat class) to None.

donotautofit-setting-powerpoint

This Java code shows you how to specify that a textbox must always retain its dimensions in a PowerPoint presentation:

Presentation pres = new Presentation();
try {
    ISlide slide = pres.getSlides().get_Item(0);
    IAutoShape autoShape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 30, 30, 350, 100);
	
    Portion portion = new Portion("lorem ipsum...");
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(Color.BLACK);
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid);
    autoShape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().add(portion);
	
    ITextFrameFormat textFrameFormat = autoShape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat();
    textFrameFormat.setAutofitType(TextAutofitType.None);
	
    pres.save("Output-presentation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx);
} finally {
    if (pres != null) pres.dispose();
}

When the text becomes too long for its box, it spills out.

Shrink Text on Overflow

If a text becomes too long for its box, through the Shrink text on overflow option, you can specify that the text’s size and spacing must be reduced to make it fit into its box. To specify this setting, set the AutofitType property (from the TextFrameFormat class) to Normal.

shrinktextonoverflow-setting-powerpoint

This Java code shows you how to specify that a text must be shrunk on overflow in a PowerPoint presentation:

Presentation pres = new Presentation();
try {
    ISlide slide = pres.getSlides().get_Item(0);
    IAutoShape autoShape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 30, 30, 350, 100);
	
    Portion portion = new Portion("lorem ipsum...");
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(Color.BLACK);
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid);
    autoShape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().add(portion);
	
    ITextFrameFormat textFrameFormat = autoShape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat();
    textFrameFormat.setAutofitType(TextAutofitType.Normal);
	
    pres.save("Output-presentation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx);
} finally {
    if (pres != null) pres.dispose();
}

Wrap Text

If you want the text in a shape to get wrapped inside that shape when the text goes beyond the shape’s border (width only), you have to use the Wrap text in shape parameter. To specify this setting, you have to set the WrapText property (from the TextFrameFormat class) to true.

This Java code shows you how to use the Wrap Text setting in a PowerPoint presentation:

Presentation pres = new Presentation();
try {
    ISlide slide = pres.getSlides().get_Item(0);
    IAutoShape autoShape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 30, 30, 350, 100);

    Portion portion = new Portion("lorem ipsum...");
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().getSolidFillColor().setColor(Color.BLACK);
    portion.getPortionFormat().getFillFormat().setFillType(FillType.Solid);
    autoShape.getTextFrame().getParagraphs().get_Item(0).getPortions().add(portion);

    ITextFrameFormat textFrameFormat = autoShape.getTextFrame().getTextFrameFormat();
    textFrameFormat.setWrapText(NullableBool.True);

    pres.save("Output-presentation.pptx", SaveFormat.Pptx);
} finally {
    if (pres != null) pres.dispose();
}