mesh distortion

[Guillaume]

Have a text frame with text.  Want to make a text flag flapping in the wind.  Highlight the frame and go to Item>>mesh distortion.   All I get is Flatten/Path.  Just can't get it right.   What's missing on my part?

[GarryP]

The Mesh Distortion tool - along with the other Path Tools - only works with vectors and not text.
To use the tool with text you need to convert the text to outlines first: menu "Item -> Convert To -> Outlines".
(Remember to make a duplicate before you convert so you have a copy to go back to if the tool doesn't work the way you expected and because once the text has been converted it is no longer editable as text.)

[Guillaume]

That was the logical and simplest move to do. Thank you.

[GarryP]

You're welcome. It's worth noting that the Undo function doesn't work well with the Mesh Distortion tool so making a copy before you distort will save you a lot of time and bother.