Unable to import SVG textPath
Illustrator is able to export SVGs using the <textPath> element for use in browsers. However, it is unable to import SVGs using the <textPath> element - instead of importing them properly, it puts each glyph in the appropriate position along the path, but it doesn't rotate the glyphs.
The workaround is to generate SVGs with "expanded" outlines for text, but this leads to much larger SVG files, with a loss of editability.
James Allen
shared this idea
I am glad to update that this issue was fixed in 23.0.5 release.
Thank you for all the feedback.
16 comments
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Mathias G
commented
I already did?
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Yep, this is a problem. Can you send one to sharewithai@adobe.com then?
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Mathias G
commented
Thank you. I've sent an email with the files and description.
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I see... I suggest then to send it directly to sharewithai@adobe.com.
Provide some steps and describe the expected result, please, so the team could quickly see the problem. -
Mathias G
commented
The file won't upload...
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Mathias G
commented
It happens for all files with a textPath element.
This file is made in Illustrator and saved as an SVG.When opening it in Illustrator again the text is split up into individual letters.
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Mathias, can you share the file for us to test?
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Mathias G
commented
When importing an SVG-file that contains text on a path, the text is broken up into individual letters that are rotated and moved to look like text on a path.
I'm on version 25.2.3 Windows 10
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Mark MacKay
commented
I've narrowed down the problem to the fact that Illustrator only works with a xlink:href reference to the path element. If you import this SVG https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/SVG/Element/textPath Illustrator will not put the text on a path, but if you change <textPath xlink:href="#MyPath"> then it will. xlink:href is deprecated in SVG 2.
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@Pierre I am sorry that you still experience issues where <textPath> doesn't get imported visually correctly for you. There isn't anything specific that you'd need to do on import. It should just work.
Do you have an SVG file that you can share with us? Just change the extension from .svg to .txt and upload it here. We would like to take a look at it and see if we can find the issue.
Thanks a lot for your patience,
Dirk -
Pierre Paquette
commented
@Dirk: Are you sure this has been solved? I’m using Adobe Illustrator 23.1.1, and the characters are not positioned properly (though they are rotated properly).
What is the right way to import an already-existing SVG file which has <textPath>?
Thanks,
Pierre
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Hello from Illustrator. Thanks a lot for reporting this issue. We are targeting the issue in multiple iterations.
Starting with Adobe Illustrator 23.0.6, SVG files with <textPath> (text-on-path) get imported visually correctly. This means, all characters get positioned and rotated along a path as specified by SVG 1.1.
We are working on importing text-on-path semantically correctly as well so that in future iterations of Adobe Illustrator text can get edited more easily on the path directly.
We hope that the first iteration will solve a lot of issues that you are facing today and ensure that we are improving SVG import constantly.
Thanks,
Dirk -
Robbert
commented
Great to see this has been picked up. We have developed an jsx script which solves the issue, but it involves some special preparation of the SVG and is not a prefered way of working. If anyone's interested anyhow you can find it here https://github.com/MapCreatorEU/FixTextPath
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Pierre Paquette
commented
Almost two years after the initial post, and almost one year after Dirk Schulze’s reply, Illustrator still can’t open <textPath> properly… I don’t even have the glyphs in the right places!
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Anonymous
commented
We create maps output for Illustrator and our clients (newspapers) find the ommission very frustrating
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asd
commented
Illustrator cant propperly display curved text in SVG. https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2450190
Even when you create a blank project(in AI) draw curved text and save as SVG it breaks the latter's angle and don't follow curve propperly.
