I made a drawing some time ago, using text as a pattern (see also detail of the drawing).
I would now like to turn the text into paths, to avoid problems with missing fonts etc., but how do I go about it?

Actually, I don't seem to have access to the pattern? (I can see it in the XML editor, but I would like to select it graphically and do something like Object to Path).

When you select the text, what does the status bar tell you?

If you converted it to a pattern....well, 2 comments. 1st - If converted to pattern, you would need to convert back to text, to be able to edit it as text. Object menu > Patterns > Pattern to Object.

However (2nd comment) if it was converted to a pattern, it's my understanding that it's become a raster object. Maybe there's some exception for text, I don't know. But if it's a raster image, then there's no issue with someone viewing it who doesn't have that font.

If it's purely text, you should be able to do Path menu > Object to Path. However, looking at it closely, I'm not sure how you've done it. Is it simply clipping? Or did you use a script or some special web app, or other program?

If I remember correctly, I grouped a rectangle and a few bits of texts, and did Object to Pattern. Then I used that pattern as a fill. No scripts or anything, just standard Inkscape.

It didn't become a raster image, because I do have problems with fonts. I upgraded Ubuntu in the meanwhile, and don't have the original font installed anymore, and it does display wrong. Now I can fix that by tweaking the SVG etc, but to avoid future problems I would want to change all text to path (so that the pattern is comprised of paths only).

So I thought 'easy enough, just select the pattern and do Object to Path', but doesn't work that way I can't "select" the pattern. It is defined in the "defs" section (including the text part), but doesn't appear on screen.

Interesting....I'll be interested to learn how that works, if anyone explains.... Maybe it depends on the source of the pattern, as to whether it's raster or vector???

Anyway, Pattern to Object should work. Then Object to Path. And then go back and do Object to Pattern again.

I'll give that a try in a few hours when I'm before the right pc, but the problem I have is that I can't select the pattern. I only have objects with the pattern as fill, and the xml description in the "dev" section. I suppose I deleted the original pattern (can't remember).

So how do I select the pattern?

You can select any object that's filled with the pattern and use Pattern to Object. Note that the pattern might appear somewhere else on the page, maybe even outside the screen area. So you might have to look around to find it. But that's how to do it.

I just tested by deleting my original, so I know it will work.

OK, got it. For those interested, here's how I fixed it:
- select an object that had the pattern and duplicate it
- move the duplicate to an empty space on the canvas, just to avoid confusion
- do Pattern to Object -> the object (text) appeared on canvas
- transform this new object (text) to paths (Object to Paths)
- do Object to Pattern. This created a new pattern.
- Finally I selected all the objects with the old (text) pattern, and in the Fill&Stroke dialog, changed the pattern to the new one.

I then did "clean up document", but it did seem to leave some unused patterns in, which I deleted by opening a text editor and removing them by hand.

Thanks for the help!

it's my understanding that it's become a raster object.

@Brynn: Patterns can contain anything a normal SVG can contain - masks, clippings, text, raster images, vector objects,... There's nothing special about them other than that they repeat horizontally and vertically and that they live where the fill or stroke color would live.

Good news, bartovan.

Thanks, Moini