RedcrabX – LabelBox Guide

Compact captions, axis labels and live references  |  Version 1.0

← Back to Quick Start Guide

Table of Contents

• 1. Overview
• 2. Inserting a Label
• 3. Display Mode: Text vs. Reference
• 4. Font Family and Size
• 5. Rotation
• 6. Foreground and Background Color
• 7. Anchoring to Another Box
• 8. Moving and Resizing
• 9. Saving with the Worksheet
• 10. Tips and Best Practices

1. Overview

A LabelBox displays a short, single-line caption on the worksheet. It is intended for axis labels, callouts, titles next to MathBoxes, ImageBoxes or LabelBoxes, and for live numerical references that update automatically when the underlying value changes.

Compared to a TextBox, a LabelBox is lighter and more focused: one font, one size, one color, optional rotation, and an optional anchor that pins the label to another box so it follows along when that box is moved.

2. Inserting a Label

Insert a new LabelBox from the toolbar (Label button) or via the box menu. A new label is created with default font, size 14 and the placeholder text empty. Type into the Label text field in the status toolbar to set the caption.

3. Display Mode: Text vs. Reference

A LabelBox can show either literal text or a live reference to a result computed elsewhere on the worksheet.

Text mode

The caption you type is shown verbatim. Use this for static labels:

x-axis [m]
Voltage divider
Result:

Reference mode

Switch the mode combo to Referenz. The label text is then interpreted as the name of a result variable defined in a MathBox. The label automatically updates whenever the referenced value changes.

U_out
I_load
phi

Tip: Combine reference mode with anchoring (see section 7) to attach a live readout to a circuit element or plot.

4. Font Family and Size

Choose the font from the Font family combo — all installed system fonts are listed alphabetically. Set the size in the Font size field (positive number, in points). Press Enter or click outside the field to apply the new size.

Unlike a TextBox, the entire LabelBox uses a single font and size; there is no per-character formatting.

5. Rotation

The Rotation combo accepts the presets 90, 45, 0, -45, -90 or any custom angle in degrees. Type a value and press Enter to apply.

Rotation is useful for vertical y-axis labels, diagonal callouts and stamp-style annotations.

0     normal horizontal text
90    vertical text reading bottom-to-top
-90   vertical text reading top-to-bottom
45    diagonal label

6. Foreground and Background Color

Click the foreground color button to change the text color and the background color button to change the fill color. Both open a standard color picker.

The Transparent button toggles the background between the chosen color and full transparency. Use a transparent background when placing labels over images or plots.

7. Anchoring to Another Box

Click the anchor button (anchor icon) and then click any other box on the worksheet. The label remembers the offset between itself and the anchor target. From then on, when the target moves, the label moves along with it.

Click the anchor button again to detach the label. While anchored, the anchor button is highlighted in blue.

Note: Moving the label itself updates the stored offset, so you can still fine-tune the relative position of an anchored label without losing the anchor.

8. Moving and Resizing

Drag the title bar of the LabelBox to move it. Use the resize thumb in the lower-right corner to resize. The minimum size is 40 × 24 pixels.

Resizing affects only the box outline; the text always uses the configured font size and is centered vertically and wrapped if it does not fit on a single line.

9. Saving with the Worksheet

When the worksheet is saved, every LabelBox stores:

• position and size,
• text / reference name,
• display mode (Text or Referenz),
• font family and font size,
• rotation angle,
• foreground and background color, transparency flag,
• anchor target and anchor offset (if anchored).

All of these properties are restored when the worksheet is reopened, including the anchor link to the original target box.

10. Tips and Best Practices

• Use LabelBoxes for short captions; use a TextBox for paragraphs and rich formatting.
• For axis labels, set rotation to 90 or -90 and a transparent background.
• Reference mode is ideal for dashboards: place a label next to a plot to show the current value of a result variable.
• Anchor labels to MathBoxes or ImageBoxes so callouts stay in place when you rearrange the worksheet.
• Keep the font size consistent across labels of the same kind (axis labels, titles, callouts) for a clean layout.

← Back to Quick Start Guide