Word, Excel, and Access assignment.

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CMAP120

[today’s date]

Automatic Text Generators for Designers

Introduction

Practically since the introduction of the moveable type printing press, designers have been looking for text to put into their papers and manuscripts to design and adjust the layout for maximum impact. Rather than be distracted by real text, or fake text that just repeats one or two words over and over again, designers use “dummy text” to fill the space that will later be occupied by the actual content. This content was originally a series of Latin words, but has evolved into English, and some very specific topics of interest. This paper will look at just a few of the options for automatically generating text to assists with layout and design.

Classic Generators

The first text used to fill an available space appeared to be a random scramble of Latin words until researchers discovered it was actually based on “The Extremes of Good and Evil” by Cicero, written in 45 BC. The next two paragraphs show what the text looks like when generated from http://www.lipsum.com.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque vel ante eu felis mollis pharetra nec at libero. Duis egestas justo ut lorem laoreet faucibus. Praesent hendrerit, purus in lobortis congue, est leo placerat sapien, pulvinar placerat mi elit a ipsum. Fusce quam mauris, accumsan eget purus sit amet, porta sodales enim. Duis imperdiet, justo eget eleifend lacinia, urna metus pulvinar massa, id porttitor felis lorem sed augue. Nulla accumsan rutrum enim. Donec sapien purus, maximus eu posuere vitae, vehicula at elit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur nec odio ipsum. Integer magna felis, faucibus at dolor ut, viverra maximus leo. Etiam vel neque metus. Aliquam erat volutpat. Mauris hendrerit quam ut libero tincidunt viverra.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word™ also has an automatic text generator built into the software. Although not documented or widely known about, it is possible to generate text using the text “=rand()” as a new paragraph and hitting [ENTER] immediately following the closing parenthesis. The default amount of text is five paragraphs, but any number can be typed into the parenthesis. Numbers less than five will show that many paragraphs of text, while numbers over five will repeat the first five paragraphs to achieve the requested number of paragraphs. The sample below shows the results of typing “=rand(3)” (without the quotation marks) as a new blank paragraph.

Video provides a powerful way to help you prove your point. When you click Online Video, you can paste in the embed code for the video you want to add. You can also type a keyword to search online for the video that best fits your document.

To make your document look professionally produced, Word provides header, footer, cover page, and text box designs that complement each other. For example, you can add a matching cover page, header, and sidebar. Click Insert and then choose the elements you want from the different galleries.

Themes and styles also help keep your document coordinated. When you click Design and choose a new Theme, the pictures, charts, and SmartArt graphics change to match your new theme. When you apply styles, your headings change to match the new theme.

Modern Variations

With the easy accesibility of web programming and design, more and more artists are collaborating on random text generators to suit their particular interests or needs. The following text generators are a small sampling of what is available to someone looking for dummy text to fill their design with real looking content.

Bacon Ipsum

This text generator is designed for the inner-carnivore in all of us. The words are real, and available at http://baconipsum.com. He calls it a “Meatier Lorem Ipsum Generator.” Below are three paragraphs created by his generator.

Bacon ipsum dolor amet picanha boudin sausage shoulder spare ribs porchetta flank brisket ball tip cow chicken tongue kielbasa kevin ribeye. Pig doner flank spare ribs leberkas, fatback kevin. Pork jowl flank, meatloaf venison tongue jerky porchetta tri-tip rump. Biltong pork salami capicola, chicken prosciutto pork belly venison chuck ham flank. Picanha beef ribs ham hock, corned beef short loin prosciutto short ribs ribeye. Meatball spare ribs t-bone turducken, pork belly ground round landjaeger hamburger rump fatback brisket venison shank beef leberkas. Venison cow corned beef, porchetta fatback alcatra bresaola prosciutto shankle swine jowl kevin. Brisket turducken biltong, cupim pork chop andouille sausage. Shank pork chop tail venison, pig kevin flank jowl meatloaf turducken porchetta picanha spare ribs. Hamburger cupim jerky strip steak beef sausage shankle pork chop corned beef meatball.

Veggie Ipsum

For the vegetarian designers, there is also a text generator that will use only vegetables. The site automatically provides eight paragraphs of text full of the names of vegetables, allowing the use to select as much or as little text as they need. The site is at http://veggieipsum.com/ and displays text that matches the next three paragraphs.

Veggies es bonus vobis, proinde vos postulo essum magis kohlrabi welsh onion daikon amaranth tatsoi tomatillo melon azuki bean garlic.

Gumbo beet greens corn soko endive gumbo gourd. Parsley shallot courgette tatsoi pea sprouts fava bean collard greens dandelion okra wakame tomato. Dandelion cucumber earthnut pea peanut soko zucchini. Turnip greens yarrow ricebean rutabaga endive cauliflower sea lettuce kohlrabi amaranth water spinach avocado daikon napa cabbage asparagus winter purslane kale. Celery potato scallion desert raisin horseradish spinach carrot soko.

Hipster ipsum

The final text generator examined in the paper is not food related, rather they describe themselves as “Artisanal filler text for your site or project.” An example is: Austin swag ramps, knausgaard pour-over vice craft beer pork belly kitsch. Whatever leggings you probably haven't heard of them small batch actually. Everyday carry lumbersexual mustache pitchfork pug, selvage cronut offal iPhone paleo quinoa kombucha bespoke meggings. Blue bottle tousled gentrify beard fingerstache. Tumblr typewriter salvia cornhole sriracha, mumblecore banjo man braid church-key paleo. Seitan kinfolk 3 wolf moon swag gentrify master cleanse. Gentrify chambray iPhone disrupt fap venmo, blue bottle cornhole forage.

Shoreditch +1 truffaut, franzen kale chips selvage paleo 8-bit ramps. Crucifix iPhone tilde, single-origin coffee humblebrag messenger bag kickstarter bitters keytar aesthetic cronut twee bushwick shoreditch. Chartreuse flexitarian everyday carry post-ironic, vegan mlkshk kombucha schlitz whatever neutra tilde kale chips. PBR&B bespoke ethical +1 chillwave direct trade, wolf mixtape church-key single-origin coffee selvage whatever bitters. YOLO drinking vinegar skateboard franzen, thundercats chartreuse pitchfork ethical normcore flannel mustache locavore. Scenester chillwave squid YOLO, neutra hammock bushwick art party locavore put a bird on it artisan meh XOXO typewriter. Humblebrag street art PBR&B VHS.

Conclusion

Many alternatives exist for generating text in a quantity and on a topic desired by most designers. The dummy text will eventually be replaced by real content, but for the designer’s amusement while they wait for finished copy, they can fill their publications with many different types of text.