Allow Rectangle Textbox to Grow/Shrink and Vertically Justify Text

[LucasMurray2]

Allow the rectangle textbox to grow or shrink based on the text within the box.  When creating data driven pages, I sometimes add long text to describe the data in the map.  If I size the textbox for the longest text and the text shrinks for one of the maps, I'm left with a large blank space between the bottom of the text and the bottom border of the box.

Also, within a rectangle textbox, allow me to control the vertical justification of the text.  Currently, it's only top justified.  I'd like the ability to make it center or bottom justifiy.

Thank you.

[AlderMaps]

I commented on the original question back in 2020 and came back to see if there was a workaround available yet, since the issue still exists in Pro 3.1. Adding my use case for this functionality here, in addition to the one I posted there.

I am automating standardized cartographic product production in Pro via a Python script. All maps will be exported from a single layout, which has a title and a date as shown below. Sometimes the map title will be longer; sometimes it will be shorter; in cases where it is longer I would like it to wrap multiple lines, so I'm using the rectangle (as opposed to straight) text element.

Emulating the layout for the manual process I am replacing, I would like the title arranged just above the date stamp below it (screenshot below), regardless of whether it wraps at 1, 2 or 3 lines. I could achieve this if I could vertically align the text at the bottom of my box. As it is, if the title is only 1 line, there will be a big gap between date and title (smaller gap if it is 2 lines), and if I don't implement a workaround I know the client will wonder why the layout looks awkward for short titles.

For the time being I will probably implement a two (or three) text element solution, pythonically checking the length of the title string for a given map and then toggling the appropriate element's visibility on and replacing the text for that element. Or guess I could just change a single text element's height pythonically too, depending on string length.

Hope this helps! Look forward to seeing this implemented in the future. I do understand that this is (probably in most cases) a minor cosmetic issue so may not be the highest priority. But glad it is on the list of fixes under consideration; I routinely encounter instances where it will be great to have available.

[AlderMaps]

@KennethKellett, @wayfaringrob, I feel like most if not all of the options in the snip from illustrator are available in the Element properties pane (or by using guides or snapping) in some form or another (the topic of this thread notwithstanding). I'm hyper-OCD and need everything in my layouts to be perfectly aligned, and I have very little reason to complain about the functionality of Pro layouts aside from the topic at hand.

@MarkJacobi1, I believe you could achieve the functionality you are looking for in your example with the straight text element vice the rectangle text element; straight text keeps the box exactly the size needed to contain the text in it (but will not wrap dynamically; it will only wrap if you explicitly insert a break in the text in the element pane): 

[MarkJacobi1]

Thanks AlderMaps!

I think that does the trick. I was working with maps converted from ArcMap and didn't realize what was happening. It seemed like there was a solution. I still miss Draft Mode but I have a new job where I mainly crunch data instead of making maps, so I don't miss it as much lately.  

[TravisWatters]

I am really trying to muster sympathy for the development team, here, in terms of understanding why it is difficult to permit vertical alignment in a rectangular textbox for the "text symbol." In other contexts - including the "straight text" context - the text symbol can be vertically centered. A meaningless option, it would seem, since in the "straight text" context, the vertical bounds of the text are entirely defined by the content of the element, so while the vertical alignment selections are available, they seemingly make no impact to the display of the text, regardless of which option is selected!  TomBole's explanation in the thread https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-questions/is-it-possible-to-vertically-center-text-in-a/td-... is that the text symbol doesn't know anything about the context in which it is being used...first of all, why not? Wouldn't that be useful for the text symbol to know? Secondly, this seems to be immediately contradicted by the statement "It does know how wide you initially drew the text element and this is why horizontal alignment works." So, why doesn't it know how tall I drew the text element?

ArcGIS Pro performs amazing things. But I have to explain to my bosses that it can't perform vertical centering inside a rectangular element. Wow. Even if there is an understandable explanation as to why this is hard...8 years since the original release? And ESRI just can't crack vertical centering?

I'd love to understand why this is so difficult. More than that, I would just love to have it fixed.

[wayfaringrob]

@TravisWattersI completely agree

[wayfaringrob]

This is from Excel, and it's all I need:

From a data visualization perspective, there's a big difference between this:

And this:

It's just so much more legible and user-friendly -- being able to make these tweaks quickly, easily, and precisely is something a GIS software giant ought to have an interest in... I echo the above sentiment about how unbelievable it is that we cannot do this seemingly basic function in ArcGIS "Pro."

[KFung_TLC]

I can't believe this issue has brought up since 2015 & we still need to talk about that......

My problem on that is when working with legends. Once we convert legends into graphics, the "text" portion is turned into "Rectangle Text" by default--which cannot be resized (Please don't hesitate to correct me if I am wrong). There is no other mechanism I can find to change from "Rectangle Text" into Straight Text, which can be resized.

So it turned out to be something like...this. This absolutely drive me nuts!

(Let's be honest to yourself--as I have mentioned before--converting legends into graphics is ALWAYS the better way to customize & resizing the legend portion of the map than the rigid, inflexible method DICTIATED under the legend function. Yes, ArcMap is FAR FAR superior in this regard).

Please listen to your constituents & take action!

[Public_HealthObservatory]

@KFung_TLC I came here looking for a solution (now that I am forcing myself into what is so far a painful transition into Pro) and this is the exact problem I am facing too. I cannot believe that we are where we are, and yet still cannot do something that could be done 20 years ago in ArcView.