Shifting text

Frame offer three interesting MIF parameters that let you shift text around: FDX, FDY, and FDW (horizontal, vertical, and width). Width is available through the Character Designer, so I won't cover it here. The other two are not; however, you can add them to a character definition by editing the MIF. (And rest assured they are on my wish list.)

To see how it works, create a character tag called MyTag. Save the file as MIF and open it as text. Search for the string MyTag. As you look down the specification, you will see either FDW alone or all three, and they look like this:

<FDX  0.0%>
<FDY  0.0%>
<FDW  0.0%>

Over the years I've noticed that some versions or platforms include all three, and some, such as Macintosh 7, contain only the FDW. But no matter, as you can add or modify the FDX and FDY values by hand. Note that:

• Positive X shifts text right
• Negative X shifts text left
• Positive Y shifts text down
• Negative Y shifts text up
• There are two spaces between the terms

Caution: If you later edit the character tag via the Character Designer, the manually added X and Y shifts will be deleted.