How do I put sub/superscript under a blank?

[Excel Noob]

I have seen things like the workbooks my students use which have blanks with
small script underneath, which is better for the students visually than
having it in parentheses behind the blank. Does anyone know how I would do
that?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

There are several ways this can be done, most of them way more trouble than
they're worth. But here are a few ideas:

1. Use text boxes (no line, no fill) placed just below the lines with the
desired text in a small type size. Be sure to position the text box (Format
| Text Box | Layout | Advanced | Picture Position) relative to the line, so
it will move with the underline.

2. Use an EQ \f field to create a "word fraction" (see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/CreateFraction.htm). To create the
blank underline, insert enough nonbreaking spaces (Ctrl+Shift+Space) to
create a line of the desired length; this will be the "numerator" of the
fraction. For the "denominator," type the text you want below the line.
There'll be a lot of trial and error involved, and you'll probably need to
select the entire field or parts of it and use Format | Font | Character
Spacing to lower it a good bit. In fact, in considerable experimentation, I
never was able to get the fraction line at the baseline of the rest of the
text without making the text below it much too low.

3. You can do the same thing (much more easily) with an Equation Editor
object, but it can't (apparently) be raised or lowered as long as it's
inline, and wrapping it will raise the same problems as using a text box.

4. You can alternate lines of text, placing the blank identifiers (in a
smaller font size) with center-aligned tab stops. This will cause a
nightmare if you have to edit the text.

 

[Bob Mathews]

Hey Noob, Suzanne had some good suggestions, but let me suggest this:

1. Download & install the MathType Evaluation from www.dessci.com

2. MathType is set up with various symbol palettes on the top row and
template palettes on the second row. In the second row, click on the
6th palette from the left. If you point to it, and before you click on
it, notice in the Status Bar (the bottom of the MathType window) -- it
tells you what it is you're pointing to, and it says "Underbar and
overbar templates".

3. After you click on that palette, notice in the second row, third
column, is the "Under-bar" template. Click on it.

4. Press tab. This will bring the insertion point (i.e., the cursor)
outside the Under-bar template.

5. In the second row, third column is the "Subscript and superscript
templates" palette. Click it.

6. The subscript template is in the top row, middle column. Click it.

7. Select the entire construction, either by dragging with the mouse,
or with the Ctrl+A shortcut. Drag it up to the "large tabbed" toolbar.
Now it's saved and you can use it as much as you want without building
it again.

To use it, just click on it. The insertion point will be in the
"underbar" section, so to go to the subscript section, just press Tab
and type in the subscript. If your subscript is always the same (like
if it's always "2"), type it in at the end of step 6 above.

Note that Equation Editor can do this too, except you can't save it to
the Equation Editor toolbar like you can with MathType.

--
Bob Mathews
Director of Training
Design Science, Inc.
bobm at dessci.com
http://www.dessci.com/free.asp?free=news
FREE fully-functional 30-day evaluation of MathType
MathType, WebEQ, MathPlayer, MathFlow, Equation Editor, TeXaide

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Bob, I think you've misunderstood what he wants to do. He wants a
fill-in-the-blanks line with a description (in small type) under it, such
as:

__________________________________________
Name

 

[Bob Mathews]

You're right, Suzanne. In that case, my instructions will still work
just as well, but with a little modification. Delete steps 5 & 6 all
together. Before step 3, first click the "Underscript (limit)"
template, which is in the third palette from the left in the row of
template palettes (the same palette as the superscripts & subscripts).
In that palette, it's in the third row, second column. Then continue
with step 3, which will place the under-bar in the top slot of the
underscript template. That results in a variable-sized line with a
text slot underneath. To expand the line to whatever size you want,
hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys until it gets to the proper size.

--
Bob Mathews
Director of Training
Design Science, Inc.
bobm at dessci.com
http://www.dessci.com/free.asp?free=news
FREE fully-functional 30-day evaluation of MathType
MathType, WebEQ, MathPlayer, MathFlow, Equation Editor, TeXaide

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Thanks, Bob. That works very well and does put the underbar pretty much at
the baseline of the other text. The only real drawback is that the
construction requires bizarre line spacing. If you use Single or Multiple
spacing, the spacing expands for the line containing the EE object, but if
you want to use Exactly spacing to make the spacing uniform throughout, the
amount required is insanely more than the effective spacing using
Single/Multiple (I can't see all of the "Name" line till I get to Exactly 60
points, and at that spacing the bottom of the object is still slightly
truncated). Moreover, if the spacing is changed from Single to Double, the
EE object expands the line more in Double spacing than required for Single.
It appears to help slightly if I format the spaces above the underbar as
Subscript size.