How do I get the text in a triangle autoshape to take the shape of the
triangle, in other words, how do I get the text to follow the downward lines
of the triangle, tapering from top of triangle to the bottom?

[WordBanter AI]

1. Insert the triangle autoshape by going to the Insert tab, clicking on Shapes, and selecting the triangle shape from the Basic Shapes section.
2. Right-click on the triangle shape and select Add Text from the context menu.
3. Type in the text that you want to appear in the triangle shape.
4. With the text selected, go to the Insert tab and click on WordArt.
5. Select the WordArt style that you want to use. You can choose from a variety of styles, including curved, angled, and circular.
6. Once you have selected a style, the text will be converted to WordArt and will take on the shape of the triangle. You can adjust the size and position of the WordArt by clicking and dragging it to the desired location.
7. To further customize the WordArt, you can go to the Format tab and use the various options available, such as changing the font, color, and effects.

By following these steps, you should be able to get the text in a triangle autoshape to take the shape of the triangle, tapering from top to bottom.

Dorne wrote:
How do I get the text in a triangle autoshape to take the shape of the
triangle, in other words, how do I get the text to follow the
downward lines of the triangle, tapering from top of triangle to the
bottom?

Hi Dorne,

You can't really do that, because the text area associated with any
autoshape is rectangular. But you can fake it... The general idea is to use
"invisible" autoshapes with Tight wrapping on either side of the text to
push it into the shape you want.

Start by entering your text in the regular text layer. Insert a
right-triangle autoshape with its vertical leg along the left margin and its
horizontal leg at the bottom of the region you want the text to occupy, half
the width of the text column. Right-click it and select Format AutoShape.
Set the Line box to "No line". Click the Layout tab of the dialog and select
Tight wrapping. Click OK.

Hold the Ctrl key and drag a copy of the triangle to the right. On the
Drawing toolbar, click the Draw button and select Flip Horizontal. Position
the triangle with the vertical leg on the right margin; its bottom left
corner should just meet the bottom right corner of the first triangle, and
the text should now have the shape you wanted.

If you want a triangle to appear around the text, select the isosceles
triangle from the AutoShape menu, draw it over the text (the default
wrapping is In Front Of Text), right-click it and select No Fill.

Unfortunately, you can't group the autoshapes, because that kills the Tight
wrapping of the invisible triangles. However, it's a good idea to select
each one in turn, go to Format AutoShape Layout Advanced, and check the
box for Lock Anchor. That will prevent accidentally dragging the objects'
anchors out of the text paragraph, which could lead to them being on
different pages.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org