a:txBody (Text Body)

Container for text content in DrawingML shapes, holding body properties and paragraphs.

Parent elements

Child elements

Description

a:txBody (Text Body) is the fundamental text container in DrawingML. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.2.6 and encapsulates all text content, formatting, and behavior for shapes, text boxes, placeholders, and other DrawingML objects.

Purpose and Scope

a:txBody serves three key functions:

Text Container — Holds one or more paragraphs (a:p) that represent logical text units within a shape.
Body Configuration — Via a:bodyPr, defines how text is rendered (wrapping, margins, rotation, anchoring, autofit).
List Style Definition — Via optional a:lstStyle, provides bullet/numbering formats and default run/paragraph properties for the entire text body.

Content Hierarchy

a:txBody
├─ a:bodyPr (required, 1) — Text rendering configuration
├─ a:lstStyle (optional, 0–1) — Bullet/list styles and defaults
└─ a:p (required, 1+) — Paragraphs with text content

Integration with Shapes

a:txBody appears in:

Text Shapes (a:txSp) — Text is the primary content.
Regular Shapes (a:sp) — Text is optional secondary content.
Connection Shapes (a:cxnSp) — Text labels along connectors.
Placeholders (in presentations) — Title, body, subtitle, note placeholders.

Content Model

a:txBody
├─ a:bodyPr (Text Body Properties, 1)
│  ├─ a:spAutoFit | a:noAutofit | a:normAutofit | a:shrinkTxtToFit
│  ├─ a:prstTxWarp (preset text warp)
│  └─ ... (anchor, rotation, margin properties)
├─ a:lstStyle (List Style, 0–1)
│  ├─ a:defPPr (default paragraph properties)
│  ├─ a:lvl1pPr (level 1 paragraph properties)
│  ├─ a:lvl2pPr (level 2 paragraph properties)
│  └─ ... (up to level 9)
└─ a:p (Paragraphs, 1+)
   ├─ a:pPr (paragraph properties)
   ├─ a:r (text runs)
   └─ a:br (line breaks)

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Default	Description
(none)	—	—	The `a:txBody` element has no attributes; all configuration is via child elements.

Child Elements

Element	Occurrence	Purpose
`a:bodyPr`	1 (required)	Controls text rendering: margins, wrapping, rotation, autofit, anchoring.
`a:lstStyle`	0–1 (optional)	Defines default bullet/numbering formats and style defaults for all levels.
`a:p`	1+ (required)	Paragraph elements containing actual text content and formatting.

a:bodyPr Child Elements

The a:bodyPr element can contain:

Element	Occurrence	Purpose
`a:spAutoFit`	0–1	Autofit: Resize shape to fit text (no wrapping).
`a:noAutofit`	0–1	No autofit: Overflow text is clipped or hidden.
`a:normAutofit`	0–1	Normal autofit: Word-wrap text; don’t resize shape.
`a:shrinkTxtToFit`	0–1	Shrink to fit: Reduce font size until text fits.
`a:prstTxWarp`	0–1	Preset text warp (curved, wavy, etc.).
`a:scene3d`	0–1	3D scene properties (extrusion, bevel).
`a:extLst`	0–1	Extension list.

a:lstStyle Child Elements

The a:lstStyle element contains:

Element	Occurrence	Purpose
`a:defPPr`	0–1	Default paragraph properties for all levels.
`a:lvl1pPr`–`a:lvl9pPr`	0–1 each	Paragraph properties for levels 1–9.
`a:defRPr`	0–1	Default run properties for all levels.
`a:extLst`	0–1	Extension list.

Examples

Minimal Text Body (Single Paragraph)

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr/>
  <a:p>
    <a:r>
      <a:t>Simple text content</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();
textBody.Append(new BodyProperties());

var para = new Paragraph(
  new Run(new Text("Simple text content")));
textBody.Append(para);

Text Body with Wrapping and Margins

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr wrap="square" lIns="91440" tIns="91440" rIns="91440" bIns="91440" anchor="ctr"/>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="ctr"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Centered text with margins, wrapped to shape width.</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();

var bodyPr = new BodyProperties 
{ 
  Wrap = TextWrappingTypeValues.Square,
  LeftInset = 91440,      // 0.1 inch
  TopInset = 91440,
  RightInset = 91440,
  BottomInset = 91440,
  Anchor = TextAnchoringTypeValues.Center
};
textBody.Append(bodyPr);

var para = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Center },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Centered text with margins, wrapped to shape width.")));

textBody.Append(para);

Text Body with Multiple Paragraphs

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr wrap="square"/>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="l"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400" b="1">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Paragraph 1: Bold heading</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="l"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2000">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Paragraph 2: Regular body text continues here with normal formatting.</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="ctr"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="1800" i="1">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Paragraph 3: Centered italics for emphasis</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();
textBody.Append(new BodyProperties { Wrap = TextWrappingTypeValues.Square });

// Paragraph 1
var p1 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Left },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400, Bold = true }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Paragraph 1: Bold heading")));
textBody.Append(p1);

// Paragraph 2
var p2 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Left },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2000 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Paragraph 2: Regular body text continues here with normal formatting.")));
textBody.Append(p2);

// Paragraph 3
var p3 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Center },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 1800, Italic = true }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Paragraph 3: Centered italics for emphasis")));
textBody.Append(p3);

Text Body with Bullet List and Style

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr wrap="square"/>
  <a:lstStyle/>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="0">
      <a:buChar char="•"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>First level bullet point</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="1">
      <a:buChar char="◦"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Second level sub-bullet</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr lvl="0">
      <a:buChar char="•"/>
      <a:buFont typeface="Arial"/>
    </a:pPr>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Back to first level</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();
textBody.Append(new BodyProperties { Wrap = TextWrappingTypeValues.Square });
textBody.Append(new ListStyle());

// Level 0 bullet
var p1 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 0 },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("First level bullet point")));
textBody.Append(p1);

// Level 1 bullet
var p2 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "◦" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 1 },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Second level sub-bullet")));
textBody.Append(p2);

// Back to level 0
var p3 = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties(
    new BulletCharacter { Char = "•" },
    new BulletFont { Typeface = "Arial" }
  ) { Level = 0 },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Back to first level")));
textBody.Append(p3);

Text Body with Autofit (No Wrapping)

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr wrap="none">
    <a:spAutoFit/>
  </a:bodyPr>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="l"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Text will resize the shape to fit; no wrapping.</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();

var bodyPr = new BodyProperties { Wrap = TextWrappingTypeValues.None };
bodyPr.Append(new ShapeAutoFit());
textBody.Append(bodyPr);

var para = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Left },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Text will resize the shape to fit; no wrapping.")));
textBody.Append(para);

Text Body with Rotation and Vertical Centering

<a:txBody>
  <a:bodyPr rot="2700000" anchor="ctr" anchorCtr="1"/>
  <a:p>
    <a:pPr algn="ctr"/>
    <a:r>
      <a:rPr lang="en-US" sz="2400">
        <a:latin typeface="Calibri"/>
      </a:rPr>
      <a:t>Rotated 90° and vertically centered</a:t>
    </a:r>
  </a:p>
</a:txBody>

var textBody = new TextBody();

var bodyPr = new BodyProperties 
{ 
  Rotation = 2700000,  // 270 degrees = 90° counterclockwise
  Anchor = TextAnchoringTypeValues.Center,
  AnchorCenteringVertical = true
};
textBody.Append(bodyPr);

var para = new Paragraph(
  new ParagraphProperties { Alignment = TextAlignmentTypeValues.Center },
  new Run(
    new RunProperties { Language = "en-US", FontSize = 2400 }
      .Append(new LatinFont { Typeface = "Calibri" }),
    new Text("Rotated 90° and vertically centered")));
textBody.Append(para);

Text Wrapping Modes

Wrap Value	Behavior	Use Case
`square`	Word-wrap text within shape bounds	Default; most shapes
`none`	No wrapping; single line	Labels, short text
`none` + autofit	No wrap, resize shape to text	Autosizing containers

Text Anchoring Points

Anchor Value	Position	Use Case
`t`	Top	Default; text starts at top
`ctr`	Center	Vertically centered text
`b`	Bottom	Text anchored to bottom
`just`	Justified	Full-height text (rare)
`dist`	Distributed	Uniform distribution (rare)

Autofit Modes

Mode	Behavior	Element
No Autofit	Overflow text clipped or hidden	`a:noAutofit`
Shape Autofit	Resize shape to fit text (no wrapping)	`a:spAutoFit`
Normal Autofit	Wrap text; don’t resize shape	`a:normAutofit` (default if omitted)
Shrink to Fit	Reduce font size until text fits	`a:shrinkTxtToFit`

Margin Inset Reference (in EMU)

EMU Value	Inches	Points	Common Usage
0	0”	0pt	No inset
45720	0.05”	3.6pt	Minimal
91440	0.1”	7.2pt	Small margin
228600	0.25”	18pt	Standard
457200	0.5”	36pt	Large margin
914400	1”	72pt	Extra large

Text Rendering Workflow

Read a:bodyPr → Determine wrapping mode, margins, rotation, anchor
Read a:lstStyle (if present) → Load bullet styles and defaults
Process paragraphs → For each a:p:
- Apply paragraph properties (alignment, indentation, spacing)
- Render text runs with run properties (font, size, color, effects)
- Apply line breaks and paragraph breaks
Apply layout and overflow → Wrap text per wrapping mode; resize the shape when autofit is enabled or clip overflow when required.
Render → Paint text within shape bounds with all effects applied.

Notes

Element Relationships

Parents (direct container elements):
- a:txSp (text shape): Dedicated text-only shape for slide text, labels, captions.
- a:sp (shape): General shape that may contain text (rectangles, circles, connectors with labels).
- a:cxnSp (connection shape): Connector line that can have text along or beside it.
Children (required sequence):
- a:bodyPr (body properties): Defines text anchor, wrapping, auto-fit, rotation, margins. Essential for text layout.
- a:lstStyle (list style, optional): Reusable bullet/numbering styles and text formatting defaults.
- a:p (paragraphs, 1+): At least one paragraph must exist. Contains actual text runs and formatting.

General Notes

Required Child: a:bodyPr and at least one a:p are required; a:lstStyle is optional.
Single Text Container: Each shape, picture, or connector has at most one a:txBody per object type. Text cannot span multiple shapes.
Body Properties Essential: The a:bodyPr child element controls text anchor point, wrapping behavior, auto-fit settings, rotation, and margins. Critical for layout.
List Style Optional: a:lstStyle defines reusable bullet/numbering styles and text formatting for the entire text body. If omitted, uses theme defaults.
Inheritance Chain: Formatting precedence is run properties → paragraph properties → a:lstStyle defaults → master/theme defaults.
Autofit Behavior: Only one autofit mode (a:spAutoFit, a:normAutofit, a:noAutofit, or a:shrinkTxtToFit) is active at a time. Most applications default to a:normAutofit if none is specified.
Rotation Units: Rotation is in 60,000ths of a degree (5400000 = 90°, 2700000 = 270°, etc.).
Right-to-Left: Set rtlCol="true" in a:bodyPr for RTL text direction (Arabic, Hebrew).
Performance: Large text bodies with many paragraphs increase file size and parsing time; consolidate where possible.
Compatibility: Text body structure is consistent across PresentationML (slides), DrawingML (shapes), and SpreadsheetML (cell text), ensuring uniform text handling.