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How do I add text to the Editor?

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You can add text to the HTML Editor by writing directly in the editor or by copying and pasting it from another document. The Editor also offers a wide arrange of formatting options. A lot of these options are quite similar to the options offered by other word processors like Word.

  1. From left to right you can:
    • choose the style of the text and whether it concerns a heading or a paragraph;
    • make the text bold, italic, or underlined. Click on the arrow to use other options;
    • change the colour of the text. In the window that opens you will be able to see whether the selected colour is legible for the visually impaired;
    • choose the alignment of the text;
    • have the text indent or create a list. Click the arrow for more options;
    • click Insert Stuff, Insert Quicklink and Insert Image. More elaborate manuals on these topics can be found in How do I add media to the Editor? and How do I add quicklinks to the Editor?;
    • add formulas and special characters;
    • add tables. Click the arrow to edit the table;
    • click the plus icon to add Attributes (HTML properties), Divider (horizontal line), Emoji and Symbols (special characters) to the text;
    • change the text font and font size. It is advised to use the Lato font as this is used throughout Brightspace.
  2.  Click the three dots on the right to fold out the menu to see more options:
    • Format painter: Use this feature to copy the current format (for example the font, font size, bold or italic text) and apply it to other parts of the text.
    • Accessibility Checker: Check whether there are any limitations in your text that might, for example, make it difficult for people with limited vision to read your text.
    • Word Count: Check the number of words, characters, and paragraphs in your text.
    • Preview: Preview of the text.
    • Source Code: Here you can view the source code of your file.
    • Undo and Redo: Undo or restore changes.
  3. Click Save and Close to publish the content and close the editor. 
  • If you copy a text from Word to the Editor, the layout of the text will not be transferred (e.g. font, size of letters, text color). The structure for headings, enumerations and tables will be copied.
  • The editor is the same on almost every page in Brightspace except for when you click on Create a File while in Content. This will offer you the extra option to Select a Document Template. This allows you to choose or create a template that you can use to format the text in the editor. If you want to add your own template (via Browse for a Template when you have selected Select a Document Template) you basically copy a previously created file in your course to this place. You can then add new content to the file without altering the original template.
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