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Strategy: There is an extra step involved if your AutoShape can accept text.
1) Using the mouse, click on the AutoShape. If you immediately get nine resize handles, as shown in Fig. 1357, then your AutoShape does not accept text. Skip the next step.
However, if you click on the AutoShape and the shape is surrounded by diagonal lines, then you have a text-enabled AutoShape, as shown in Fig. 1358.
2) In text-enabled AutoShapes, the first click will put the shape in text-edit mode. This is represented by the diagonal lines in the border. In order to select the shape, you need to click again on the diagonal lines. This will change the diagonal lines to dotted lines, as shown in Fig. 1359.
3) After the shape is selected, select Draw – Change AutoShape from the Drawing toolbar and choose another AutoShape, as shown in Fig. 1360.
Additional Details: Using this technique, you can add text to any of the shapes that are usually not text-enabled. Add a regular textbox to the worksheet. Type the text. Select the textbox so that it is surrounded by dots. Use this technique to change the shape of the textbox to a basic shape, as shown in Fig. 1361.
Summary: You can change the shape of any AutoShape using the Draw dropdown on the Drawing toolbar.
Commands Discussed: Draw – Change AutoShape
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