Powerful PowerPoint for Educators: Using Visual Basic for Applications to Make PowerPoint Interactive

Text for Buttons
In some cases, an icon is enough to let the user know what the but ton does,
but words are of ten clearer. Sometimes the best choice for a but ton is a “Cus-
tom” but ton (that’s the blank one with no icon) and some text. To add text to a
button, right-click on the but ton (con trol click on a Macintosh) and choose “Add
Text.” If the but ton al ready has text in it, you will have the op tion to “Edit Text”
instead. You should see the cur sor flashing in side your but ton waiting for you to
type whatever text you want to appear in the button. This text can be formatted
for font, size, style, and color, just like any text object.
If the text is too big to fit in the but ton, you can change the font size, or you
can change the size of the but ton by drag ging from the handles.
When a but ton has text, it is easy to change the ac tion set-
tings for the text in stead of the en tire but ton. Your clue that
you have done this is that the text will change color and be
underlined if it has ac tion set tings as sociated with it. Fig ure
2.12 (page 28) shows a menu but ton that has the link associ-
ated with the text, not the en tire but ton.
Text for Buttons 27
WARNING!

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Figure 2.12. But ton with Ac tion Set tings for the Text
The prob lem with this is that if a user clicks any place on the but ton ex cept
the text, the but ton will not work. This situation can be even worse, if the but ton
itself has ac tion settings to do one thing, and the text of the but ton has ac tion set-
tings to do something else. If this hap pens, high light the text in the but ton,
choose “Ac tion Set tings” from the Slide Show menu, and click “None” for the
action.
To be sure that you are setting your settings for the button it self and not just
the text, click once on the but ton. If you see a flashing cur sor in the text, click on
the but ton again, but be sure to click somewhere out side of the text. Watch the
shape of the cursor for the mouse. If it is the text cursor (known as the “I bar” be -
cause it looks like a capital I), then you are clicking in the text. Oth erwise you are
clicking out side of the text. Once you have selected the but ton, and not the text,
you can choose “Ac tion Set tings” from the Slide Show menu.