Format text and more

Updated 30 Aug 2024

Open an item in the Simple Editor, then either place your cursor in a text box or select text to open the editing toolbar, right-click editing pop-up menu (may be the easiest), or toolbar menus to edit content.

Edit, Insert, Format, Table menus; Undo, Redo, TeX, Add variable, Bold, Italic, Underline, Bullet list, Numebred list, Insert/edit image, Insert/edit link, Show blocks, TinyMCE Help

Mastering's Simple Editor incorporates technology of the open source Javascript HTML WYSIWYG editor, TinyMCE.

You can edit text in the following areas of an item: Item title, Introduction, Description, Part, Hint, Transition, Wrong Answer Feedback, and Follow-Up text.

Some menu and toolbar options appear conditionally, depending on the text box. For example, these applicable options appear for a box that contains TeX.

TeX, Add Variable, Bold, Italic, TinyMCE Help

The editing toolbar usually looks like this, although it may contain less buttons depending on the context.

Undo, Redo, TeX, Add variable, Bold, Italic, Underline, Bullet list, Numbered list, Insert/edit image, Insert/edit link, Show blocks, TinyMCE Help

Format task Steps and any applicable keyboard shortcut

undo_redo

Undo or Redo the previous edit
  • Select Undo Undo to undo the most recent edit, such as entering, copying, pasting, or deleting text. You can continue to undo as long as the arrow is bold.
  • Select Redo Redo to repeat the most recent edit.

Keyboard shortcuts:

  • Windows — Undo: Ctrl+Z, Redo: Ctrl+Y
  • Mac OS — Undo: Command-Z, Redo:
    Command-Y


Insert or edit TeX or ChemTeX
  1. Either select the text to code or place the insertion point to add TeX code, then select TeX TeX from the toolbar.

    • Alternatively, right-click and select TeX from the editing pop-up menu.

    • A yellow box appears that says "Click to Enter TeX". Clicking in the box opens a popup.

  2. Place your cursor in the new box that says "Click to Enter TeX" and enter your TeX code. (Delete "Click to Enter TeX" by selecting it and pressing Backspace.) Choose apply.

    • The TeX code you added appears unrendered in a yellow box.

    • For more about TeX code, see Add and edit TeX.

  3. Choose Save & Preview to see the rendered TeX in Standard View.


Add a variable
  1. Enter a name for your new variable in the text box and select the text.
  2. Choose Add variable Add Variable. The variable name appears in a box.
  3. Place your cursor on the variable name and then choose the define link.

Format text as bold, italic, or underlined
  1. Either select the text to format or place the insertion point to enter new text.
  2. Choose the Bold, Italic, or Underline icon to format the text.

Keyboard shortcuts:

  • Windows — Bold: Ctrl+B, Italic: Ctrl+I, Underline: Ctrl+U
  • Mac OS — Bold: Command-B, Italic:
    Command-I, Underline: Command-U


Format as bullet list
  1. Either select the text to change or place the insertion point to enter new bullet text.
  2. Select the Bullet list menu, then choose from the following.
    Default — your browser's default style
    Circle — a hollow circle
    Disc — a filled circle
    Square — a filled square

Format as numbered list

 
  1. Either select the text to change or place the insertion point to enter new numbered text.
  2. Select the Numbered list menu, then choose from Default, Lower Alpha , Lower Greek, Lower Roman, Upper Alphaor Upper Roman.

Insert/edit an image
  • See Add and edit images for instructions.
  • Alternatively, right-click and select Insert image from the editing pop-up menu.
  • From your view of an item (not in the Simple Editor), you can also manage image assets by selecting Manage Assets from the top right menu.

To insert media (audio, video, or animation) — Select  Insert/edit link and provide a URL for the media to open in a new window or tab. See Add and edit links for more information.

Insert/edit a link, including to media (audio, video, or animation)

See Add and edit links for instructions.

You can insert a link in any of the following ways:

  • Select  Insert/edit link from the toolbar.
  • Select the Insert link from the Insert menu.
  • Right-click and select Insert link from the editing pop-up menu.
  • Enter a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+K (Windows), Command-K (Mac OS)

Note: You cannot use the Simple Editor to add or edit links to the eText. You can, however, delete an eText link in existing content.

Show blocks

Select Show blocks to see your content labeled by HTML block type. You can select Show blocks as you enter text or after you’ve entered it. To hide the block view, select the option again. Note that you cannot select a block type using this view feature.

  • P = paragraph
  • PRE = Pre
  • BLOCKQUOTE = block quote
  • OL = ordered list
  • UL = unordered list

Sample Show blocks view with tag name (top left) and broken line box for each block element.

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Open the Help for formatting
  1. To get more information about the editor while working, select  Help.
  2. To find topics containing specific terms, use the Search box.

 

When the cursor is in a text box, you can right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) to show the editing pop-up menu for common format options.

  •  Insert image — See Add and edit images for more information.
  •  Insert link (includes links to media) — See Add and edit links for more information.
  •  Insert variable — See Variables to vary item content for more information.
  • TeX — See Add and edit TeX for more information.
  • "" Insert table — See Add and edit tables for more information.
  • Cell — Cell properties, Merge cells, or Split cells
  • Row — Insert row before, Insert row after, Delete row, Row properties, Cut row, Copy row, Paste row before, or Paste row after
  • Column — Insert column before, Insert column after, or Delete column
  • Delete table

Editing toolbar menus

The Edit, Insert, Format, and Table toolbar menus provide editing options from the toolbar.

Edit, Insert, Format, Table menus; Undo, Redo, TeX, Add variable, Bold, Italic, Underline, Bullet list, Numebred list, Insert/edit image, Insert/edit link, Show blocks, TinyMCE Help

You're probably already familiar with the standard editing commands available from the Edit menu.

Option Steps and more info

Undo
  • Select Edit, then Undo to undo your last editing action.
  • Keyboard shortcuts:

    Ctrl+Z (Windows) Command-Z (Mac OS)

Redo
  • Select Edit, then Redo to redo your last editing action.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Y (Windows) Command-Y (Mac OS)

Cut
  • Select Edit, then Cut to cut (delete) your selected text, table, image, or link.
  • Keyboard shortcuts:

    Ctrl+X (Windows) Command-X (Mac OS)

Copy
  • Select Edit then Copy to copy your selected text, table, image, or link.
  • Keyboard shortcuts for copying — Ctrl+C (Windows) Command-C (Mac OS)
  • Copy and paste content within an item or between items — You can copy and paste content (text, links, or tables) between text boxes in the same item or in different items. This includes items opened from different Mastering products, such as Mastering Biology and Mastering Microbiology.

Paste
  • Select Edit then Paste to paste text or any table, image, or link that you just copied.
  • Keyboard shortcuts for pasting —Ctrl+V (Windows) Command-V (Mac OS)
  • Copy and paste content within an item or between items — You can copy and paste content (text, links, or tables) between text boxes in the same item or in different items. This includes items opened from different Mastering products, such as Mastering Biology and Mastering A&P.

Select All
  • Select Edit and then Select all to make a selection before applying another editing action, like cutting.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+A (Windows) Command-A (Mac OS)

Find and replace
  1. Select Edit, then Find and replace. Or, enter a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+F (Windows), Command-F (Mac OS).
  2. In the Find box, enter the term(s) you want to find.
  3. In the Replace with box, enter the term(s) you want to use as a replacement.
  4. Choose whether to match the case or use whole words in your search. (Optional)

  5. To make replacement decisions one-by-one: Select Find and then choose either Replace or Next (to skip replacement).

    To replace all automatically: Select Replace all.

  6. When you're finished, select X to close the Find and replace window

 

Option Steps or more info

Insert image

See Add and edit images for instructions.

  • You can insert an image either by selecting Insert image from the Insert menu or by selecting the  Insert/edit image toolbar button.
  • To insert media (audio, video, or animation) — Select  Insert link from the Insert menu and provide a URL for the media to open in a new window or tab. See Add and edit links for more information.

Insert link

See Add and edit links for instructions.

You can insert a link in any of the following ways:

  • Select the Insert link from the Insert menu.
  • Select the  Insert/edit link toolbar button.
  • Select the Insert link option from the right-click menu.
  • Enter a keyboard shortcut:
    Ctrl+K (Windows), Command-K (Mac OS)

Insert variable
  1. Choose Insert variable and then select a variable name from the list of variables defined for the item.

If no variables have been defined yet — Select New, define the variable, and select OK. Then, follow step 1 above.

Special character
  1. Either select the text to change or place the insertion point to enter a special character.
  2. Select Insert, then  Special character.
  3. Select the special character from the provided characters. (As you mouse over a character, it appears enlarged in a viewer window.)
  4. Select OK or X to close the window.

Nonbreaking space
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter a nonbreaking space.
  2. Choose Insert, then  Nonbreaking space.

The nonbreaking space is a variant of the space character that prevents:

  • A line wrap at its position
  • The collapsing of multiple white space characters into a single space (used to insert additional visible space)

 

To get out of a format mode, like superscript, select the option again.

Option Steps


Bold
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter bold text.
  2. Select Format, then Bold.


Italic
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter italic text.
  2. Select Format then Italic.


Underline
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter underline text.
  2. Select Format then Underline.


Superscript
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter a new superscript.
  2. Select Format, then Superscript.


Subscript
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter a new subscript.
  2. Select Format, then Subscript.


Strikethrough
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to enter strikethrough text.
  2. Select Format, then Strikethrough.

Font family
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to format text in a particular font family style.
  2. Select Format, Font Family, and then select either Serif Font, Sans Serif Font, or Monospace Font.

Text size
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to format text in a different size.
  2. Select Format, Text Size, and then select either Small or Large.

Alignment
  1. Select the text that you want to align horizontally.
  2. Select Format, Alignment, and then select either Left, Center, Right, or Justify (align both left and right).

Blocks
  1. Select the text to change, or place the insertion point where you want to format text as a block.
  2. Select Format, Text Size, and then select either Paragraph, Pre, or Blockquote.

Inline
  1. Either select the text to change or place the insertion point where you want to format text as monospace (to indicate user keyboard input).
  2. Select Format, Inline, and then kbd.


Clear formatting

Select any specially formatted text (like bold, italic, superscript, etc.), then select Format and Clear formatting.

 

The Table menu commands you can choose from the editing toolbar are also available from the right-click editing pop-up menu.

Option Steps or more info

Insert table

Select Table, Insert table, and then use the provided grid to select number of table columns and rows. See Add and edit tables for detailed instructions.

Delete table
  • Select a table and then choose Table and Delete table.
  • Keyboard shortcuts — Ctrl+X (Windows), Command-X (Mac OS)

Cell

Select a cell and then choose Table, Cell, and an option.

  • Cell properties
  • Merge cells
  • Split cell

Row

Select a row and then choose Table, Row, and an option.

  • Insert row before
  • Insert row after
  • Delete row
  • Row properties
  • Cut row
  • Copy row
  • Paste row before
  • Paste row after

Column

Select a column and then choose Table, Column, and an option.

  • Insert column before
  • Insert column after
  • Delete column

 

 

See also:

What you can edit in an item | Add and edit links | Add and edit images | Add media | Add and edit tables | Add and edit TeX | Define variables to vary item content