Use floating objects

Designed Reporting features are a part of an extension that's available to all solutions. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager to get access.

Floating objects are text boxes, tables, images, charts, and shapes that you can freely move and position on the document page. The mobility of these objects increases the flexibility in the placement and position options of these objects. You can insert these floating objects in your file, move and format the objects, and update the Object Properties.

Here's an example of how you can use multiple floating objects together to create a highly stylized page:

Floating objects example 2.png

Insert a floating object

You can insert the following floating objects in your document: text box, table, image, chart, or shape.

To insert a text box in your file:

Navigate to the Edit tab and select Text box.
Click and drag to create your text box.
The text box is added to your document page.

To insert a floating table in your file:

Navigate to the Edit tab.
Select Table and choose Floating.
The floating table is added to your document page.

To insert a floating image in your file:

Navigate to the Edit tab.
Select Image and choose Floating.
Choose an image file and click Open.
The floating image is added to your document page.

To insert a floating chart in your file:

Navigate to the Edit tab.
Select Chart and choose Floating.
Select a chart type to add the floating chart to your document page.

To insert a floating shape in your file:

Navigate to the Edit tab.
Select Shape and choose a basic shape or line.
The shape is added to your document page.

Note: You can right-click on a shape or line to insert it multiple times in the document. Then press Esc on your keyboard to stop inserting.

Move floating objects

Each floating object is anchored to the nearest paragraph that the object is drawn or placed, which is indicated by the blue anchor in the top left corner of the object. You can also use guidelines to align objects on the page.

To move floating objects in your document:

Select the object you want to move, and hover over the edge until your cursor shows a double arrow.
Click and drag to move the object. You can also click and drag the anchor to move the object.

As the object is moved on the page, it will anchor to the nearest paragraph. The object will move with the paragraph text as it’s edited.
Use the orange guidelines to align the objects as you reposition them.

Note: You can hold down the Shift key to move the shape in a perfect vertical or horizontal line.

Select floating objects

You can select multiple floating objects in one click-and-drag using Object Select Mode for documents. By selecting multiple objects, you can easily move, resize, align, copy, and/or apply object settings at once.

To select floating objects:

Right-click on a floating object within your document.
In the menu, click Object Select Mode.
Click-and-drag your cursor on the page to select your objects.

To exit Object Select Mode, press Escape on your keyboard or right-click on a floating object and select Object Select Mode again.

Tip: To quickly enter and exit Object Select Mode, you can use a keyboard shortcut. Use CTRL+Shift+S (Windows) or Command+Shift+S (Mac).

Format a floating object

You can format the floating objects on the page by resizing, reordering, aligning, or distributing the objects.

Resize objects

After selecting an object, click and drag a corner or side to resize the object. For lines, click and drag an endpoint to resize. You can also enter a custom object size within the Object Properties.

Reorder objects

Under the Edit tab, use the following options to reorder the objects on the file page:

Move Forward
Move Back
Send to Front
Sent to Back

Align or distribute objects

With multiple objects selected, go to the Align/Distribute icon in the Edit tab. Objects can be aligned horizontally or vertically to the page or to a selected object. They can also be distributed evenly by clicking on the horizontal or vertical Distribute icons.

Update the Object Properties

When an object is selected, the Object Properties panel will appear, allowing you to update the following properties:

Text wrap - Style an object in front of or behind text, or to wrap around the file text.
Margins - Increase the left, right, top, and bottom margins around the outside of an object when Wrap Text is selected in the Style dropdown. file.
Size - Change the height and width of an object.
Position - Enter the X and Y position to update the object’s location on the page. You can also change the shape or line.
Padding - Inside a text box or shape, add padding to the left side, right side, top, or bottom.

Delete a floating object

To delete a floating object, select the object and click Backspace or Delete on your keyboard to remove it from the document page. If you select text or content in your document where a floating object is anchored, both the content and object will be deleted.

Truncated text indicator

When text is truncated within a shape or text box, an indicator will show up on the right side of the object to let you know that the text has been cut off.

To make sure that your text isn't truncated, resize the object by clicking and dragging its corner or go to Object Properties and increase the size.

Floating objects limitations

Using automated vs. manual footnotes with floating objects:
- Automated footnotes work for inline content.
- You can manually add footnotes to get a footnote reference number.
  - Add a floating textbox below the object that has the footnote. If it's a floating table, add a row at the end of the table for the footnote text. In the Edit toolbar use the superscript formatting to get the footnote reference number.
Floating content isn't currently equipped to contain or be tagged with XBRL facts.
- To learn more, read Designed Reporting - Floating Object and XBRL

Support

Community

Workiva Support Center