Text

A basic content area for paragraphs, tables, and headings.

Understanding the Text component

Image example of the "Text" component

The Text component is the most fundamental building block for adding written content to a page. It supports rich text formatting, hyperlinks, tables, and small subheadings, making it the right choice for any general body content that does not need a more specialized component.

When to use the Text component

Reach for the Text component whenever you need to add written content that does not fit into a more specific component (like a Callout, Blockquote, or Accordion). Common use cases include:

  • Body paragraphs that make up the bulk of a page
  • Content broken up by smaller subheadings
  • Lists, including bulleted and numbered
  • Simple tables of information
  • A short standalone paragraph between two other components

If your content is just a single sentence or two of introductory text at the top of the page, the Intro component is usually a better fit. If your content is a prominent piece of information that should stand out, consider a Callout or Hero instead.

Text and other components work together

You can place multiple Text components on a single page, with other components stacked between them. There is no need to fit everything into one large Text block. Breaking content up into smaller Text components, separated by images, callouts, or other media, often makes a page easier to read and easier to edit later.

Adding and Modifying Text components

Text Heading (optional)

At the top of each Text component, you can add an optional heading that appears above the body content. This is useful when the section needs its own title (for example, "Admissions Requirements" or "What to Bring"). Leave it blank if the surrounding content already provides context, or if you want the text to flow as a continuation of what comes before it. The heading supports up to 120 characters, and is limited for readability purposes.

Text (required)

The Text field is where you write your main content. It uses CKEditor, a rich text editor with a toolbar of formatting options across the top:

  • Bold (B): Emphasize a word or phrase with bold text
  • Italic (I): Emphasize a word or phrase with italics
  • Link: Highlight text and click the link icon to add a hyperlink, either to another page on ithaca.edu or to an external site
  • Anchor (the flag icon): Create an in-page anchor that other links can jump to directly
  • Bulleted list: Create an unordered list. Use the dropdown arrow next to the icon to choose between bullet styles
  • Numbered list: Create an ordered list. Use the dropdown arrow next to the icon to choose between numbering styles
  • Paragraph (style dropdown): Switch between text styles. You will see two options here. "Paragraph" is standard body text, and is what you should use for most content. "Heading 4" creates a smaller subheading, sized one step below the heading that introduces each section of this page. Use Heading 4 to break up longer Text blocks into clearly labeled subsections
  • Table: Insert a table for tabular data. Use the dropdown arrow to access additional table options like adding rows, adding columns, or merging cells. More information on tables can be found below.
  • Source: Switch to raw HTML view to make precise edits. Only use this if you are comfortable with HTML, and need an advanced level of control.

Additional Information

The Table tool has several features to help you create and edit tables:

Create a table

Click the Table icon and enter the number of rows and columns in the Table Properties dialog. In that dialog, you can set table width/height, cell padding and spacing, border size, and alignment. You can also designate a header row or column (for table headers) and add a table caption or summary. (A caption/summary provides context for screen readers and improves accessibility. )

Edit table structure

After inserting a table, right-click inside it or use the table dropdown menu to quickly add or delete rows and columns. The context menu (from the Table Tools plugin) also lets you merge or split selected cells and adjust cell properties like alignment and styling. For example, use “Insert Row” or “Insert Column” to grow the table, or “Merge Cells” to combine adjacent cells horizontally or vertically.

Resize columns

If the Table Resize feature is enabled, you can adjust column widths by dragging. Hover the mouse over a column border until the resize cursor appears, then click and drag to set a new width.

Navigate cells

While in a table, pressing Tab moves the cursor to the next cell (creating a new row if you’re in the last cell), and Shift+Tab moves to the previous cell. Pressing Enter in a cell creates a new paragraph inside that cell (just like in normal text).

Accessibility tips

When building tables, be sure to check “Header Row” or “Header Column” in the Table Properties for tables that have column/row headings. Also fill in the Caption or Summary fields to describe the table’s content and purpose. This makes your table understandable for people using assistive technologies.

In addition to clicking toolbar buttons, CKEditor supports many keyboard shortcuts and handy tricks. Using shortcuts can greatly speed up editing. For example, pressing Ctrl+B applies bold and Ctrl+I applies italic (just like the B and I icons). 

Standard shortcuts work too: Ctrl+Z undoes, Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes, and Ctrl+X/C/V cuts, copies or pastes text (use Ctrl+Shift+V to paste without formatting). Use Ctrl+A to select all content in the editor. Inside lists, press Tab to indent an item or Shift+Tab to outdent. To insert a line break (soft return) without starting a new paragraph, press Shift+Enter.

Bold/Italic/Underline & Links: Use Ctrl+B/Ctrl+I/Ctrl+U to quickly apply bold, italic, or underline formatting. Press Ctrl+L (or Ctrl+K) to open the Link dialog and insert a hyperlink.

Undo/Redo: Ctrl+Z undoes your last change; Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes it.

Cut/Copy/Paste: Ctrl+X/C/V cuts, copies or pastes text. Use Ctrl+Shift+V to paste plain text without any original styling.

Select All: Press Ctrl+A to select all content in the editor area (useful for applying formatting to an entire section).

Lists: When editing a list, press Tab to indent the current item or Shift+Tab to outdent it. (This quickly creates sub-lists or moves items back out.)

Line Break: To insert a soft line break (for example in an address or a poem) without starting a new paragraph, press Shift+Enter.

Toolbar Navigation: Press Alt+F10 to move focus to the toolbar, then use arrow keys or Tab to navigate between buttons. Press Alt+0 to open the Accessibility Instructions dialog, which lists many of these shortcuts.

The Text component is available across all content types, including:

  • Sites,
  • academic programs,
  • academic departments,
  • topics,
  • pages,
  • categories,
  • blog posts,
  • custom landing pages,
  • IC View articles,
  • Intercom posts,
  • faculty/staff listings,
  • profiles,
  • person spotlights,
  • and news articles.