Using the Text Editor Toolbar

The text editor toolbar is found throughout Community and is used to add and format text, images, links, and tables within resources and activities such as Pages, Topic Summaries, Forums, Assignments, Wikis, etc.

Notes: Click and drag the bottom right corner to increase the size of the text box. 

• Adding/Editing Text
• Pasting as Text
• Adding an Image
• Adding Tables
• Adding Links to Web Pages or Files
• Adding Short Audio/Video Recording
• Accessing/Editing HTML
• Clearing Formatting
• Reviewing your Content

Adding/Editing Text

1. Either type your text directly into the text area or copy and paste your text into the text area.
   • To paste: copy from source and then click Edit on the top of the toolbar and then Paste.
2. Your Editing icons:
   1. Undo or redo
   2. Bold or Italic
   3. Align text left, center, or right
   4. Increase or decrease indent
   5. Add bullet list or numbered list
   6. Equation editor
3. These are the editing options available not as icons on the toolbar, but through the dropdown menus along the top of the toolbar:
   • Edit: Cut, Copy, Paste
   • Insert: Special character, Emojis
   • Format: Underline, Strikethrough, Superscript, Subscript, Code, Paragraph Styles, Line Height

Pasting as Text

If your source text has formatting or code you do not want to bring over, you will want to paste as text which will preserve the text and strip out the code (including the formatting).

1. Click on Edit in the top toolbar menu. From the dropdown menu, choose "Paste as text."
2. Copy your text from the source.
3. Paste into the text area.
4. Once finished pasting, click Edit, and select "Paste as text" again to turn off this feature. 

Adding an Image

1. To add an image, in the text area click where you want the image to appear.
2. Click the image icon (photograph) in the toolbar or choose Insert from the top toolbar and then Image from the dropdown menu.
3. In the "Insert image" pop-up window, either drag and drop your image into the designated box or click in the center to select from your computer.
4. Enter a description of the image into the designated text box. If the image is purely decorative, check the box "This image is decorative only."
5. Optional: set the size of the image.
6. Click Save in the lower right of the pop-up window.
7. Your picture will be displayed in the text area.

Adding/Editing Tables

1. Choose Table from the top toolbar and then Table from the dropdown menu.
2. Use your cursor to indicate how many columns and rows you want the table to have and click to add the table to the text area.
3. Enter your content in the cells.
4. To edit: click on the table and then either use the icons or the Table dropdown menu to edit table properties, delete table, insert row, delete row, insert column, or delete column. 

Adding Links to Web Pages or Files

1. Highlight the text that will become the link.
2. Click the link icon in the toolbar or choose Insert from the top toolbar and then Link from the dropdown menu.
3. A pop-up window will open. Paste your URL in the "Enter a URL" box. 
4. Optional: check the box to have your URL open in a new window.
5. Click "Create link."

Adding short audio/video recording

You can record a short (2 min or less) audio or video message.

To record audio:

1. Click the record audio icon (microphone) from the toolbar or choose Insert from the top toolbar and then Record audio from the dropdown menu.
2. Your browser will likely prompt you to give permission to the browser to access your microphone(s). Choose the appropriate microphone (if more than one) and click Allow.
3. When ready, click Start Recording in the pop-up window to being recording.
4. The timer will count down from 2 minutes. When finished, click "Stop recording."
5. Listen to your recording. If you wish to re-record, click "Record again." If you are happy with your recording, click "Attach recording."
6. An audio player will appear in your text area.

To record video

1. Click the record video icon (camera) from the toolbar or choose Insert from the top toolbar and then Record video from the dropdown menu.
2. Your browser will likely prompt you to give permission to the browser to access your microphone(s) and camera(s). Choose the appropriate microphone and camera (if more than one) and click Allow.
3. When ready, click Start Recording in the pop-up window to being recording.
4. The timer will count down from 2 minutes. When finished, click "Stop recording."
5. Watch your recording. If you wish to re-record, click "Record again." If you are happy with your recording, click "Attach recording."
6. A video player will appear in your text area.

Accessing/Editing HTML

1. To access the HTML code for your content (to troubleshoot an issue, embed a video using the embed code, etc.), choose Tools from the toolbar and then Source Code from the dropdown menu.
2. A pop-up window will appear with the source code.
3. To return to normal view, click Cancel or Save in the lower right of the pop-up window.

Clear Formatting

 Sometimes the formatting of text can be off, especially if you are pasting from various sources.

1. Highlight the text that has the formatting you wish to clear.
2. Click Format in the top toolbar menu and then "Clear formatting" at the bottom of the dropdown menu.

Reviewing Your Content

• The total word count/character count is automatically displayed in the lower right. To perform a word/character count for just a highlighted portion of the text, highlight the text and click on Tools in the top toolbar and then Word Count from the dropdown menu.
• To see the invisible characters and paragraph styles, choose View in the top toolbar and then "Show invisible characters" and "Show paragraph styles" in the dropdown menu.
• To use the "find & replace" function, choose Edit in the top toolbar and then "Find and replace" in the dropdown menu.