Ortelius Macintosh Map Making Software by Mapdiva, LLC

Adding lists and tables to your map layout is easy-breezy in Ortelius. Simply copy and paste from other source documents or create lists and tables from scratch. Here’s how…

Copy and pasting a list into a text box works seamlessly, retaining most formatting from the source document. For example, this list is cut and pasted directly from the geography.about.com website and pasted into Ortelius. Use the Text Box tool to add the text to your layout. With the text box selected, simply paste in your content (use the keyboard shortcut CMND-V or choose Edit > Paste from the main menu). Using the handles on the text box, resize it to fit your text (or right-click to use the context menu Fit To Text command). Note that Ortelius retains the numbered list settings.

List settings are fully editable by choosing Text > List from the main menu. A List menu appears enabling a variety of bullet and numbering options.

To create a new list from scratch, begin by adding a text box. Next, type text into the text box, using the keyboard shortcut SHIFT-RETURN (or OPT-RETURN) to insert manual line breaks. The Return key used alone ends the text box entry. As needed, use the handles on the text box to resize it to fit your text. Select the text and choose Text > List from the main menu to choose your list settings. Backspacing can be used to remove individual bullets.

Copy and pasting a table into a text box works seamlessly, retaining most formatting from the source document. For example, this table is cut and pasted directly from a spreadsheet application and pasted into Ortelius. Start by using the Text Box tool to add a text box to your layout. With the text box selected, simply paste in your content (use the keyboard shortcut CMND-V or choose Edit > Paste from the main menu). Using the handles on the text box, resize it to fit your text (or right-click to use the context menu Fit To Text command). Note that Ortelius retains the table settings, including merged cells.

Table settings are fully editable by choosing Text > Table from the main menu. A Table menu appears enabling a variety of settings for rows, merge and split cells, alignment, borders, and background.

To create a new table from scratch, begin by adding a text box. Next, choose Text > Table from the main menu and add the desired number of rows and columns. Adjust the settings for alignment, borders, and background. Note that Ortelius supports merged cells as well as nested tables. Drag column and row borders to adjust width and height. Click within a cell and begin typing your content. All font settings can be finely adjusted using the Fonts palette. As needed, use the handles on the text box to resize it to fit your text.

Images can be inserted into list and tables, for example when creating a map legend. To add images, first make sure your preferences enable images within your text box by choosing Ortelius > Preferences – Editing and check “Allow in-line images in text boxes.” Place a text box and add a list or table with your desired settings. Copy and paste symbols from your map into the text box. Note, you cannot place symbols using the Symbol Stamp tool directly into the text box or table.

HINT: Choose View > Show Rulers from the main menu to make alignment settings quickly accessible from above the rulers when making adjustments to the text box layout.