Adding Padding to Text Boxes

You can add padding (i.e., extra space) between a text box's border and the text within it. 

How to Add Padding to Text Boxes

1. Open the stylesheet you want to modify or create a new one.

Complete one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether you want to use the Simplified view or Advanced view in the Stylesheet Editor.

• Simplified The Simplified view displays styles in a grid view and is often best for brand new users.

  This view provides an easy way to apply properties to styles, with format options available from a toolbar and dialogs (similar to the way one would use an interface such as Microsoft Word). In some cases, only the most common property options are available in the Simplified view (e.g., font, letter/word spacing, paragraph alignment/indentation, autonumbering format, borders, background). One advantage of the Simplified view is that you can apply a property to multiple styles at the same time. You can also click a check box to hide the properties in the editor, allowing you to see only the styles.

• Advanced The Advanced view displays styles in a tree structure, and despite the name, is user friendly for authors of all levels.

  For the properties, you can toggle between a grouped display and an alphabetical display. The Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor lets you edit more settings than are available in the Simplified view. In addition, the Advanced view lets you see and apply settings to multiple mediums and media queries at the same time.

If Using Simplified View

1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays (which means that the Simplified view is currently shown in the editor). If the button displays instead, then click it.
2. In the upper-left corner of the Stylesheet Editor, click in the drop-down field and select .
3. Select the appropriate div style. If you use the default style when inserting the text boxes, then select div. Otherwise, if you have used a class of that style that you created previously, then select it instead.
4. In the local toolbar of the editor, click . The Properties dialog opens.
5. Select the Borders tab.

6. Set the options in the Padding section. Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the padding. This adds extra space between a text box's border and the text within it. In the left side of the field, enter a number for the amount of padding. In the right side of the field, select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See Units of Measurement.

   If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the padding fields. When you click that down arrow, a small popup displays.

7. In the Properties dialog, click OK.

If Using Advanced View

1. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays . If the button displays instead, then click it.
2. In the upper-left corner of the Stylesheet Editor, click in the drop-down field and select .
3. Select the appropriate div style. If you use the default style when inserting the text boxes, then select div. Otherwise, if you have used a class of that style that you created previously, then select it instead.
4. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select .
5. (Optional) You can use the toggle button in the local toolbar to show properties below in a group view or an alphabetical view .
6. If you are using the group view, expand the Box group.
7. Locate and select the padding property that you want to change. Each side (bottom, left, right, top) has separate properties that you can set (e.g., padding-top). If you plan to have the same settings for all four sides, you can simply use the padding property.
8. The area to the right of the property is used for selecting and entering values. If you know how to enter the information correctly, you can click in the value field and type it directly. Otherwise, click the ellipsis button to the right of the property. Depending on the type of property, the appropriate controls and options display, allowing you to choose or enter values (e.g., select from a drop-down list, click a button, complete fields in a dialog or popup). If you completed values in a popup, click OK at the bottom of the box.
3. Click to save your work.