# Add text source from file (Billboard or Flagpole mode)

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [January 27, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059 "2025-01-27T10:34:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/marios_geo)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059/1 "2025-01-27T10:34:31Z")

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Hi,

I can create a text source that is “fixed” on a xyz location, by using the  
Sources → Text and add the xyz manually (both Billboard and/or Flagpole).

Yet, I have about 1000 text objects I would like to add, all of them that have their own xyz location. I tried to “reverse engineering” the text box I manually made, and export to to vtk, vtd,… but no option actually saved the xyz location.

How can I make a series of text file (perhaps vtk?) so I can import them to paraview?

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### Author: ![cory.quammen](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/cory.quammen/32/11193_2.png) [@cory.quammen](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/cory.quammen)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059/2 "2025-01-27T16:16:21Z")

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Hi Marios, scripting Python would do well here. However, I’m afraid if you add 1000 text sources, ParaView’s performance will not be what you hope for.

You might be better off loading the labels and positions from a CSV file as a table, then use the **Table to Points** filter to convert this data to 3D points. The data should have four columns, one column each for X, Y, and Z, and a column for the text. You can then select all the data and use the _Selection Editor_ panel to turn on labels for selected points. Choose the text data array from your CSV file as the Point Labels array and you will see the text displayed where you want it. This is a bit of a hack as it uses a temporary selection to draw the text values, but it works and might be enough for you to generate the visualization you are after.

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### Author: ![marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/marios_geo)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059/3 "2025-01-29T09:01:44Z")

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Thanks a lot. That’s the solution I was searching for.

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### Author: ![marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@marios\_geo](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/marios_geo)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2025, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/add-text-source-from-file-billboard-or-flagpole-mode/16059/4 "2025-03-14T09:39:11Z")

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Never mind, I figure it out. I went through “Find Data”, and selected all points