adjusting text underlines in Pages

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adjusting text underlines in Pages

With underlined text in Pages, there’s apparent no provision for adjusting either the weight of the underline itself or its distance below the text.

The alternative would seem, then, to be the use of under-rules, which can be any size, any weight and placed anywhere and at any angle on the page, including under a word or words to simulate underlined text but styled to suit the author.

That leaves the question: Is there any way to ensure that rules so placed will remain in position under the given words if subsequent editing moves those words?

Posted on Jun 2, 2021 8:02 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

VikingOSX

Community+ 2024

Level 10

117,329 points

Jun 2, 2021 8:38 AM in response to dougbale

An underline is a text attribute and moves wherever that text is moved. In Pages, underline thickness or placement is not user-configurable as a text item, but one can use the equation editor to shift the underline below character descenders where the first is the equation result, and the second is the normal attribute text underline. If we were using a full TeX/LaTeX implementation, one could manipulate the placement, thickness, and even color of the underline.

With the equation part looking like this, because it requires Math mode:

Pages does not use any manner of user configurable rules to govern its content.

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Answer 2

dougbale Author

Level 1

16 points

Jun 3, 2021 12:02 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks, Nancy. I’m reassured, somewhat, that the problem is solvable with Tex?LaTex and Math Mode (whatever those are), but it sounds like something unlikely ever to be within my scope.

I’m thinking that the solution for me lies in dragging lines down from the Shapes menu, turning them sideways and setting them at exactly the desired distance below the text, in whatever length, weight, color and so on. I’ve been doing that for a while, as a makeshift in lieu of the underline flexibility I was hoping for. If there were some way to anchor them to the particular bits of text, it would be better than makeshift. Any hope there?

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Answer 3

Jun 3, 2021 12:36 PM in response to dougbale

Nancy was a character descender example only.

Line shapes used under text, as a substitution for character attribute underline, will not hold their position when exporting to Word, whether object placement is set to move with text, or stay on page with the line shape locked, or with text wrap is none. Line shapes used in this manner are a train-wreck when exporting to EPUB too. No way to anchor line shapes to regular text, but you can group a line shape to the bottom of a text box — just not very practical in the overall flow of text.

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adjusting text underlines in Pages

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