How to convert normal text to flowed text in Inkscape?

Question

I have a document with several text boxes. I want to preserve the existing layout but want to replace the text. If I enter text, that exceeds the existing box, the text won't move to the next line, but the box gets larger. I do not want to manually enter line breaks to preserve the layout.

I know, that I need a flowed text to achieve this.

I know how to add a new flowed text.

I know that I can convert flowed text to normal text via the "Convert to Text" menu entry.

But I am missing an option to convert normal text to flowed text.

Background:

I have imported an AI-template in Inkscape. Now I want to replace the dummy texts.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, you can't simply convert a normal text (<svg:text>) to a flowed text frame (<svg:flowRoot>). There is the flow into frame, but that, like flowed text, relies on SVG 1.2 and isn't reliable outside Inkscape. For all intents and purposes, converting a text flow into a normal text is a one-way operation in Inkscape.

The workaround I usually do is to have two layers for text. One layer has the original flowed text; the other is a copy of the layer with flowed text, but with all of the text converted to normal text frames. I do this.

1. Delete the "normal text layer"
2. Edit the "flowed text layer"
3. Duplicate the "flowed text layer" and rename it "normal text layer" (or whatever)
4. Hide the "flowed text layer"
5. In the "normal text layer", ctrl + a and convert everything to text.

(You can always duplicate individual objects and move them between layers as well)

Maintaining a separate layer for flowed text is the most reliable workaround I've seen.