diff --git a/darwin/drawtext.m b/darwin/drawtext.m
index 3fb12e54..e7a59164 100644
--- a/darwin/drawtext.m
+++ b/darwin/drawtext.m
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ static uiDrawTextLayoutLineMetrics *computeLineMetrics(CTFrameRef frame, CGSize
 	return metrics;
 }
 
-uiDrawTextLayout *uiDrawNewTextLayout(uiAttributedString *s, uiDrawFontDescriptor *defaultFont, double width)
+uiDrawTextLayout *uiDrawNewTextLayout(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p)
 {
 	uiDrawTextLayout *tl;
 	CGFloat cgwidth;
@@ -163,10 +163,10 @@ uiDrawTextLayout *uiDrawNewTextLayout(uiAttributedString *s, uiDrawFontDescripto
 	CGRect rect;
 
 	tl = uiNew(uiDrawTextLayout);
-	tl->attrstr = attrstrToCoreFoundation(s, defaultFont);
+	tl->attrstr = attrstrToCoreFoundation(p->String, p->DefaultFont);
 	range.location = 0;
 	range.length = CFAttributedStringGetLength(tl->attrstr);
-	tl->width = width;
+	tl->width = p->Width;
 
 	// TODO CTFrameProgression for RTL/LTR
 	// TODO kCTParagraphStyleSpecifierMaximumLineSpacing, kCTParagraphStyleSpecifierMinimumLineSpacing, kCTParagraphStyleSpecifierLineSpacingAdjustment for line spacing
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ uiDrawTextLayout *uiDrawNewTextLayout(uiAttributedString *s, uiDrawFontDescripto
 		// TODO
 	}
 
-	cgwidth = (CGFloat) width;
+	cgwidth = (CGFloat) (tl->width);
 	if (cgwidth < 0)
 		cgwidth = CGFLOAT_MAX;
 	// TODO these seem to be floor()'d or truncated?
@@ -204,8 +204,8 @@ uiDrawTextLayout *uiDrawNewTextLayout(uiAttributedString *s, uiDrawFontDescripto
 	tl->lineMetrics = computeLineMetrics(tl->frame, tl->size);
 
 	// and finally copy the UTF-8/UTF-16 conversion tables
-	tl->u8tou16 = attrstrCopyUTF8ToUTF16(s, &(tl->nUTF8));
-	tl->u16tou8 = attrstrCopyUTF16ToUTF8(s, &(tl->nUTF16));
+	tl->u8tou16 = attrstrCopyUTF8ToUTF16(p->String, &(tl->nUTF8));
+	tl->u16tou8 = attrstrCopyUTF16ToUTF8(p->String, &(tl->nUTF16));
 
 	return tl;
 }
diff --git a/examples/drawtext/basic.c b/examples/drawtext/basic.c
index e1aaca02..1ddbbe6c 100644
--- a/examples/drawtext/basic.c
+++ b/examples/drawtext/basic.c
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ static const char *text =
 	"and important."
 	"";
 static char fontFamily[] = "Palatino";
-// TODO should be const; look at constructor function
+// TODO should be const; look at constructor function?
 static uiDrawFontDescriptor defaultFont = {
 	.Family = fontFamily,
 	.Size = 18,
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ static uiDrawFontDescriptor defaultFont = {
 	.Stretch = uiDrawTextStretchNormal,
 };
 static uiAttributedString *attrstr;
+static uiDrawTextLayoutParams params;
 
 #define margins 10
 
@@ -141,9 +142,8 @@ static void draw(uiAreaDrawParams *p)
 	uiDrawFreePath(path);
 #endif
 
-	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(attrstr,
-		&defaultFont,
-		p->AreaWidth - 2 * margins);
+	params.Width = p->AreaWidth - 2 * margins;
+	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(&params);
 	uiDrawText(p->Context, layout, margins, margins);
 
 	uiDrawRestore(p->Context);
@@ -257,6 +257,9 @@ struct example *mkBasicExample(void)
 	basicExample.key = NULL;
 
 	attrstr = uiNewAttributedString(text);
+	params.String = attrstr;
+	params.DefaultFont = &defaultFont;
+	params.Align = uiDrawTextLayoutAlignLeft;
 
 	return &basicExample;
 }
diff --git a/examples/drawtext/hittest.c b/examples/drawtext/hittest.c
index 8e44e5c0..3b6125b0 100644
--- a/examples/drawtext/hittest.c
+++ b/examples/drawtext/hittest.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ static uiDrawFontDescriptor defaultFont = {
 	.Stretch = uiDrawTextStretchNormal,
 };
 static uiAttributedString *attrstr;
+static uiDrawTextLayoutParams params;
 
 #define margins 10
 
@@ -88,9 +89,8 @@ static void draw(uiAreaDrawParams *p)
 	uiDrawClip(p->Context, path);
 	uiDrawFreePath(path);
 
-	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(attrstr,
-		&defaultFont,
-		p->AreaWidth - 2 * margins);
+	params.Width = p->AreaWidth - 2 * margins;
+	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(&params);
 	uiDrawText(p->Context, layout, margins, margins);
 
 	uiDrawRestore(p->Context);
@@ -130,9 +130,8 @@ static void mouse(uiAreaMouseEvent *e)
 	if (e->Down != 1)
 		return;
 
-	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(attrstr,
-		&defaultFont,
-		e->AreaWidth - 2 * margins);
+	params.Width = e->AreaWidth - 2 * margins;
+	layout = uiDrawNewTextLayout(&params);
 	uiDrawTextLayoutHitTest(layout,
 		e->X - margins, e->Y - margins,
 		&caretPos, &caretLine);
@@ -237,6 +236,9 @@ struct example *mkHitTestExample(void)
 	hitTestExample.key = key;
 
 	attrstr = uiNewAttributedString(text);
+	params.String = attrstr;
+	params.DefaultFont = &defaultFont;
+	params.Align = uiDrawTextLayoutAlignLeft;
 
 	return &hitTestExample;
 }
diff --git a/ui_attrstr.h b/ui_attrstr.h
index 8e95be98..63aed4c0 100644
--- a/ui_attrstr.h
+++ b/ui_attrstr.h
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ typedef struct uiDrawTextLayout uiDrawTextLayout;
 typedef struct uiDrawTextLayoutParams uiDrawTextLayoutParams;
 typedef struct uiDrawTextLayoutLineMetrics uiDrawTextLayoutLineMetrics;
 
+// TODO drop the Layout from this?
 _UI_ENUM(uiDrawTextLayoutAlign) {
 	uiDrawTextLayoutAlignLeft,
 	uiDrawTextLayoutAlignCenter,