--- title: "Objects" description: "Text, shapes, icons, pictures, tables, charts, buttons and input fields - how to put them on a slide, style and arrange them." canonical_url: "https://docs.ols.yonn.online/en/build/objects" --- # Objects > Text, shapes, icons, pictures, tables, charts, buttons and input fields - how to put them on a slide, style and arrange them. Everything on a slide is an **object**: a text box, a shape, a picture, a button, a table. You add objects from the **Insert** tab, select them on the slide and change them in the **Format** tab on the right. This page covers: - **Inserting** objects and which kinds there are. - **The Format tab**: position, size, colors and text. - **Kinds of objects** and their own options. - **Arranging**: selecting, aligning, grouping and locking. - **Accessibility**: so screen readers can describe your slides. ![The Insert tab with the groups Text, Graphics, Media, Interaction and Assessment](https://docs.ols.yonn.online/screenshots/en/objects-insert-tab.png) ## Insert an object in 3 steps ### Open the Insert tab Click **Insert** in the ribbon. The tools are sorted into groups: **Text**, **Graphics**, **Media**, **Interaction** and **Assessment**. ### Pick an object Click, for example, **Text box** or **Button**. Buttons with a small arrow, like **Shapes** or **Input**, open a list to choose from first. The object appears on the slide. ### Place and style it Drag the object where you want it and pull the handles to resize it. On the right, the **Format** tab shows all its settings. ## The Insert tab
Group Objects
Text Text box
Graphics Shapes , Lines (see Lines and polygons ), Icon , Chart , Progress , Table
Media Image , Video , Audio , Media library , Web object , Captions (see Media )
Interaction Button , Hotspot , Input , Marker , Scroll panel
Assessment Question , Results slide , Question banks (see Questions and results )
## The Format tab Select an object and the **Format** tab shows its settings, sorted into sections. The first sections are the same for almost every object. ![The Format tab of a button with the sections Object, Appearance and Text](https://docs.ols.yonn.online/screenshots/en/objects-format-panel.png)
Section What you set there
Object Name (shown in the timeline and in triggers), position X and Y , width W and height H in pixels. The chain icon locks the aspect ratio. Rotate and flip turns or mirrors the object. The lock icon locks it in place.
Appearance Opacity , Fill (none, color, gradient or image), Stroke ( None , Thin , Medium , Thick ), Corner radius and Shadow ( None , Soft , Hard ).
Text Font, weight, size, color, italic, underline, alignment (left to justified and top to bottom) and Padding , the space between border and text.
Type section Options only this kind of object has, for example the icon of a button or the rows of a table.
Accessibility Alt text and more, see below.
Changed colors by hand and want the course design back? Click the paintbrush icon next to **Appearance**, or right-click the object and choose **Reset to design**. Colors, font, stroke, shadow and rounding follow the design again. Size, text and position stay. ## Text Double-click a text box to type. A small toolbar appears above it.
Element What it does
Paragraph format Paragraph , Heading 1 to Heading 3 or Quote .
Bold , Italic , Underline Formats the selected words.
Bulleted list , Numbered list Turns paragraphs into a list.
Alignment, Font size , Text color Change the look of the text.
Insert link Links to a Website (http or https address, or an email address) or to another Slide of the course.
Insert variable Inserts a placeholder like %Score% . In the course, learners see the current value there.
The **Format painter** (paintbrush on the **Home** tab) copies the look of the selected object to the next object you click. cancels. With the keyboard: copies the format, pastes it. ## Kinds of objects
Object What it is and what you can set
Shapes Rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, triangle, diamond, pentagon, hexagon, star, arrows in four directions, line, speech bubble, heart and cloud. Shapes can hold text, so they also work as labels or simple buttons.
Icon A symbol from the built-in Lucide library. Search with English words, for example "arrow".
Chart Bar , Line , Pie or Donut . You enter categories and data series with names and colors. Pie and donut show only the first data series.
Progress A Bar or Ring that shows a number, by default the course progress ( Project.ProgressPercent ).
Table Set Rows , Columns , column widths ( Distribute evenly ), a Header row , its color and the Lines . Double-click a cell to type, jumps to the next cell.
Button Text with an optional icon ( Left , Right or Icon only ). Give it a trigger so it does something.
Hotspot An invisible click area: Rectangle , Ellipse or Freeform with your own points. Good for "click on the right spot in the picture".
Marker A small icon that opens a pop-up with a title and text when clicked.
Input Text input (stores what learners type in a variable), Checkbox , Radio button , Slider and Dial (both store a number).
Web object Shows a web page by its https address, in a protected Sandbox by default.
Scroll panel An area learners can scroll, with other objects inside.
A variable is a named box that stores a value while the course runs, for example a name, points or "chapter done". See [Triggers and variables](https://docs.ols.yonn.online/en/interact/triggers-and-variables). ## Select, arrange and align
What you want How
Select several objects Hold or and click, or drag a frame on an empty spot.
Move precisely Arrow keys move by 1 px, by 10 px.
Put in front or behind Order on the Home tab: Bring to front , Bring forward , Send backward , Send to back .
Line up several objects Align on the Home tab, or the six small align buttons next to it. Distribute spaces them evenly.
Group Select several and press . Ungroup with . A group moves and animates as one.
Lock Right-click and Lock . The object can no longer be moved by accident.
Hide until later Right-click and Hide at start . A trigger can show it later.
The right-click menu of an object also has **Cut**, **Copy**, **Paste**, **Duplicate**, **Delete**, **Move to layer**, **Reset to design** and **Add trigger**. ## Button set Objects with the same set name behave like radio buttons: clicking one selects it and deselects the others. You set it in the **Button set** section of the Format tab. Design the **Selected** state in the **States** tab so learners can see their choice. ## Accessibility Every object has an **Accessibility** section. It helps learners who use a screen reader (a program that reads the screen aloud).
Setting What it does
Alt text A short description that the screen reader reads aloud, for example "Chart: revenue grows by 12 % in 2024".
Decorative The screen reader skips the object. Use it for pure decoration.
Initially hidden The object is invisible at the start and only appears through a trigger.
Custom tab order Sets when the key reaches this object. Smaller numbers come first.
Pictures, icons and charts need an alt text or **Decorative**. The check before publishing reminds you. ## If something doesn't work
Problem What to do
I can't select or move an object It is locked. Right-click it and choose Unlock , or click the lock in its timeline row.
An object is hidden behind another one Select it in the timeline and use Order , Bring to front .
Colors don't follow the course design They were set by hand. Use Reset to design .
The web object stays empty Only https addresses load reliably. Some websites also refuse to be shown inside other pages.
The Format tab shows few options Several different kinds of objects are selected. Type options only show when all selected objects are of the same kind.
## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](https://docs.ols.yonn.online/sitemap.md) for all pages.