> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tackstudio.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using the panel

> How everything works.

Every feature in Paragraph Plus works the same way: select some box text, adjust a control, and watch it update live. This page covers the shared mechanics so the feature pages can focus on what each setting actually does.

## Box text only

Paragraph Plus only affects **box text**: a paragraph text layer created by dragging out a text box with the Type tool (rather than clicking once to type at a point).

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#F05F3F">
  If you’re not sure whether a layer is box text, select it. If Paragraph Plus’s controls light up, it is. If they stay dimmed, it’s point text (or nothing suitable is selected). See [Troubleshooting](/paragraph-plus/troubleshooting).
</Callout>

## Selecting layers

Select one or more box text layers in your active composition. The panel reads their properties as soon as you select them, and again whenever your mouse moves back over the panel, so it always reflects your current selection.

* **Nothing selected, or no box text selected:** every control dims and stops responding.
* **One layer selected:** controls show that layer’s exact values.
* **Multiple layers selected:** controls show a shared value if all selected layers agree, or a dash (`–`) if they don’t. Changing a value while layers disagree applies your new value to all of them.

## Adjusting a value

Each numeric control is a **draggable field**:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Scrub">
    Click and drag left or right on the number to increase or decrease it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type an exact value">
    Click once to turn the field into a text box, type a number, and press **Enter** (or click elsewhere) to confirm.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Move between paired fields">
    For controls with two values (like position or size), press **Tab** while editing to jump to the next field, or **Shift+Tab** for the previous one.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Precision modifiers

While dragging, or while nudging with the arrow keys, hold a modifier key for finer or coarser steps:

| Key              | Effect                      |
| ---------------- | --------------------------- |
| *(none)*         | Move in steps of 1px        |
| `Shift`          | Move in steps of 10px       |
| `Alt` / `Option` | Move in fine steps of 0.1px |

### Presets

Some controls have a small triangle next to them. Click it to open a menu of common preset values, so you don’t need to type them by hand.

## Undo

Every change you make is its own step in After Effects’ undo history, so **Cmd/Ctrl+Z** steps back through your Paragraph Plus edits exactly as it would through any other change.