---
name: "cutText"
type: command
status: ok
groups: ["GUI Control"]
arma3_since: "0.50"
locality: {"argument": null, "effect": "local", "server_exec": false}
source: https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/cutText
revid: 347960
updated: 2023-11-07T15:58:14Z
---

# cutText

*Command · GUI Control · Arma 3 v0.50 · introduced in Operation Flashpoint v1.00*

Locality: effect **local**

## Description

Displays a text message in the center of the screen. The text can be displayed on multiple lines by using "\n" new line characters: `cutText ["line1\nline2\nline3", "PLAIN"];`

> [!NOTE]
> **Arma 3:** For greater efficiency and ease of modability it is recommended to use named layers through the alternative syntax.

## Syntax

### Syntax 1

```sqf
cutText [text, type, speed, showInMap, isStructuredText, drawOverHUD]
```

**Parameters:**

- `text`: [String](../topics/String.md) - text to be displayed
- `type`: [String](../topics/String.md) - one of "PLAIN", "PLAIN DOWN", "BLACK", "BLACK FADED", "BLACK OUT", "BLACK IN", "WHITE OUT" and "WHITE IN". See Title Effect Types for more information about these values.
- `speed`: [Number](../topics/Number.md) - (Optional, default 1) time in seconds to fade in resource. If 0 or less, default value is used
- `showInMap`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [true](../commands/true.md)) [false](../commands/false.md) to hide the text when the map is opened *(since arma3 0.50)*
- `isStructuredText`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [false](../commands/false.md)) [true](../commands/true.md) to switch support for [Structured Text](../topics/Structured_Text.md) formatting - see [#Example 4](../commands/cutText.md#example-4) *(since arma3 1.74)*
- `drawOverHUD`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [true](../commands/true.md)) [false](../commands/false.md) to show the text under in-game HUD *(since arma3 2.16)*

**Returns:** [Nothing](../topics/Nothing.md)

### Syntax 2

*since arma3 1.58*

```sqf
layer cutText [text, type, speed, showInMap, isStructuredText, drawOverHUD]
```

**Parameters:**

- `layer`: [Number](../topics/Number.md) or [String](../topics/String.md)
  - [Number](../topics/Number.md) - layer number on which the effect is shown, where 0 is the back most. Layer number is rounded to the nearest integer and also cannot be negative. Layer 99.5 will be treated as layer 100.
  - [String](../topics/String.md) - layer name on which the effect is shown. Layer names are CaSe SeNsItIvE.
- `text`: [String](../topics/String.md) - text to be displayed
- `type`: [String](../topics/String.md) - one of "PLAIN", "PLAIN DOWN", "BLACK", "BLACK FADED", "BLACK OUT", "BLACK IN", "WHITE OUT" and "WHITE IN". See Title Effect Types for more information about these values.
- `speed`: [Number](../topics/Number.md) - (Optional, default -1) time in seconds to fade in resource. If 0 or less, default value is used
- `showInMap`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [true](../commands/true.md)) [false](../commands/false.md) to hide the text when the map is opened
- `isStructuredText`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [false](../commands/false.md)) [true](../commands/true.md) to switch support for [Structured Text](../topics/Structured_Text.md) formatting - see [#Example 4](../commands/cutText.md#example-4) *(since arma3 1.74)*
- `drawOverHUD`: [Boolean](../topics/Boolean.md) - (Optional, default [true](../commands/true.md)) [false](../commands/false.md) to show the text under in-game HUD *(since arma3 2.16)*

**Returns:** - [Nothing](../topics/Nothing.md) when *layer* is a [Number](../topics/Number.md)
- [Number](../topics/Number.md) when ''layer is a [String](../topics/String.md)

## Examples

### Example 1

```sqf
cutText ["", "BLACK OUT"];
cutText ["Hello World!", "PLAIN", 2];
```

### Example 2

```sqf
2 cutText ["Hello World!", "PLAIN", 2]; // returns nothing
```

### Example 3

```sqf
private _layer1 = "normal" cutText ["In The Centre", "PLAIN"];
private _layer2 = "down" cutText ["At The Bottom", "PLAIN DOWN"];
```

### Example 4

```sqf
cutText ["<t color='#ff0000' size='5'>RED ALERT!</t><br/>***********", "PLAIN", -1, true, true];
```

## See also

[allCutLayers](../commands/allCutLayers.md) · [titleText](../commands/titleText.md) · [cutRsc](../commands/cutRsc.md) · [cutObj](../commands/cutObj.md) · [cutFadeOut](../commands/cutFadeOut.md) · [allActiveTitleEffects](../commands/allActiveTitleEffects.md) · [activeTitleEffectParams](../commands/activeTitleEffectParams.md)

<sub>Source: [BI Community Wiki — cutText](https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/cutText) (revision 347960).</sub>