Automatically reduce overset text in a frame?

I am working with variable data, which pulls text from a spreadsheet. I know I can fit text to a frame, but I don't want to fill the frame. I need the text to start at a specific size, and then if it doesn't fit, reduce the size of the font. I am merging data, so when I print, the document should compose longer email address, or company names, smaller than the intended 10pt. typesize.
We own a license for XMPie, but it really slow, not to mention expensive to upgrade (again) now that we've moved to Creative Cloud. There must be a way using a plugin, or writing some script. We produce thousands of mailing pieces for schools and non-profits, and I want to steer the company towards an Adobe workflow. We have access to the entire CC suite, so maybe InDesign isn't the solution.
? Scott

I think my article may have been taken to imply that the solution fills the frame. That is not the case.
The article does imply trying to fill a name badge, but the principle can work for what you are trying to do. The change to the character style doesn't have to be purely to the character height or width, but can change the point size of the type as well as its leading. Re-read the article but more importantly the user comments underneath the article and the solution for instances where there are lots of letters, rather than typing ....... over and over again, use the ^.{x,} where x represents the amount of letters to change.
Colin

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[JS CS3] Modify geometricBounds of Inline Frames in Overset Text

Hello,
I have the following setting:
I recieve a XML file , which contains <image href="..."> tags. InDesign automatically inserts the correct images as an inline frame.
The layout column are too small for the large images, so when placing the XML into the layout, the whole content is in the overset.
Inline frames in the overset do not have any geometricBounds. Can I modify width & height of frames in overset text? And how do I do that?
Thanks
Tobias

Thanks Robin!
I helped myself with the following:
with(myElement){
     // get img objects
     var theImage = myElement.xmlContent;
     var theImageFrame = theImage.parent;
     theImageFrame.appliedObjectStyle = myDocument.objectStyles.item("Img_free");
The objectStyle "Img_free" sets the image frame from "inline" to "anchored frame". So the size of the image doesn't matter any more because its outside ("free") of the text. So everything flows into visibility and I can change whatever I want. (Yes, I must not do this with a object style, but it felt right to do so.)
It's basically a similar way to your description. But I had hoped that there would be a somewhat "cleaner" way to do that. In my eyes it is more a workaround ...
Any further suggestions?
(How do people scripting InDesign Server do such things?)
Thanks
Tobias

Can't get overset text to appear in frame [CS6]

I am at the very end of a story, using my standard text styles, and yet whatever I try, I cannot get the last paragraph to appear on the last page of the document. It is tagged as overset in the SE and triggers the usual error.
This document is part of a book. The text frame takes up the entire page — plenty of room for a headline style and one paragraph.
"Keep" options are all unchecked.
What else should I be looking for?
thanks

You should also check in story editor to be sure that the first line of overset text is not "unbreakable" for some reason -- No Break applied to a lot of text, Hyphantion turned off and the use of non-breaking spaces -- or that the format is realistic -- I've seen cases where left and riht indents added together were wider than the column or the text size was too large for even a single word to fit.

Tables inside overset text frames

Hi everybody!
Im trying to write a script to set the width of all tables in a document equal to its parent text frame, I was succesful, but
the tables that are overflowed do not get resized. I have only come up with a way to find if there is an overflowed text frame
but not to find and overflowed text frame contents. PLS HELP!
heres my code:
//resizes tables
var myTextFrames = app.activeDocument.textFrames.everyItem();
var myTables = myTextFrames.tables.everyItem().getElements();
for (var i = 0; i < myTables.length; i++){
         var myTextFrame = myTables[i].parent;
                    var myWidth = myTextFrame.visibleBounds[3] - myTextFrame.visibleBounds[1];
            myTables[i].width = myWidth;
//finds a textframe with overset text
var myOverset = app.activeDocument.textFrames.everyItem().getElements();
                for(var x = 0; x < myOverset.length; x++){
                    if(myOverset[x].overflows == true){
                    alert("There is overset text")

@Kai – cool. Maybe just a little thing:
You suppose that the first text frame of a given story has the same width as the one with the overset (holding a table in the overflow).
So, if we have the following situation:
A table in the overflow will get too wide after running your script:
Instead of the first text frame in the story we could address the last one directly with:
else if ( container.constructor.name == "Story" ) {
    var myTextFrame = container.textContainers[0].endTextFrame;
And the result will be:
The property endTextFrame is in the class of TextFrame.
We could also have written:
else if ( container.constructor.name == "Story" ) {
    var myTextFrame = container.textContainers[container.textContainers.length-1];
Uwe

Indesign CS 5.5 Table overset text issue?

In Indesign CS 5.5 , I find strang issue on my File. I created table with single text frame, end of table, notes was there (Out side of table). When I add the below space to table through Table Option, The notes went to overset text. Though I have enlarged the text frame, not worked, Later I clicked the oversert icon and created new textframe placed then the notes appear. when I delete the text frame again text gone to sit in the exact place.
What is the accual Issue?

Your setup looks very simple and should not cause issue however I think the issue is Space After value , if this value exceeds so that the text couldn't be accomodated in InDesign then it will be overset.
Making the new text frame will fix it as there will be enough space.
What if you reduce the Space after value to "0" , does the text appears below the table or is it still overset ?
Would like to see the screen shot (with Hidden character enabled) of the pages with and without issue, to understand it better.

[CS4 Win] Weird 'Bug' giving overset text in duplicate object - stumped!

Hi all,
I am experiencing a perculiar 'bug' in InDesign CS4 (Windows).
I have a triangular text frame rotated by 45° with a 0.2mm inset.
This frame contains two words who's point size is just big enough to fit the text in the frame without it oversetting.
The leading is set to 100% of the point size.
When I duplicate the text frame either with the Duplicate command, cut 'n' paste or alt dragging, the new text frame is overset!
I cannot find any difference between the two objects what so ever.
If, in the original text frame, I change the text frame options inset to 0 and then back to the original 0.2 mm, I get overset!
Scaling the original up by any amount also causes overset, as does increasing the height of the frame and then returning it to its original height.
I have tried exporting as a snippet but the new placed text frame oversets.
Does anyone have any idea might be causing this behaviour.
It doesn't do it in CS3 or in CS5.
I have included a link to an example file, you will need to have the same font (HelveticaNeueLTPro-BlkCn) to see the problem.
I can't upload this for obvious copyright reasons - sorry.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7307068/flashes.indd
Thanks for ANY input.
Simon Kemp.

Hi Simon.
My initial reaction was it might have to do with the third party plugins, but I exported to .inx to strip them out, and then NONE of the frames had both words. I also thought it might be that the the frame isn't a right triangle and the slight angles on the vertical and horizontal might be a problem, but I made a new frame with the same hypotenuse but the correct legs, and that didn't make a difference, either. (I made it by drawing a rectangular frame exactly half as high as it was wide, adding a point at the center of the top path segment with the pen, then deleted the two upper corner points).
I have to say my conclusion is that the problem here is there really isn't enough room in the frame for both words with that inset. Adding 3% to the size of the frame (by clicking the chainlink to link changes to height and width, then typing +3% after the height [adding in the scale fields scales the type, too, so don't do it there] and pressing Enter) brings both words into view.
Curiously, When I opened the file in CS5, the words fit without messing around. Cutting and pasting the frames with overset made both words appear. This could be due to the new way ID deals with text in non-rectangular shapes. When I opened the .inx file without the plugin information in CS5 all the text was visible in all frames. I think the only reason the text ever fit in the original CS4 file might have to do with one of the plugins, but that's pure speculation. I don't think there's any sort of bug here.

False Overset Text in Links Panel

Mac OX 10.6.4
CS5
This is the problem I'm encountering: When I export to .pdf, Indesign Crashes. I've been able to narrow it down to one specific file and actually specific pages. But here is something I've noticed and cannot figure out. I've got three .psd linked files that are showing up as overset (OV) in the links panel, therefore when I click on them ID says it can't show me them because they are in over set text. But my live preflight says there is no over set text. ID jumps to pages still when I click that link but that whole story has no overset text. (i.e. not red overset in the outbox and no overset text in story editor mode. I can't figure out where those three linked objects are or how to select them to delete them. Any thoughts?

I would suggest running through the same steps as above (which it sounds like you've done) to see if you can isolate a problem, and in addition you might want to try exporting the stories to InDesign Tagged Text, then create a new file, move over the master pages, and place all the exported stories.
Also, be sure everyone is updated to the 7.5.3 patch.
dcald wrote:
The links panel indicates that the images are in overset text but we know for a fact that they are from a previous issue and are no longer in the ID file. Also, preflight indicates that there is no overset text in the file. It is one flow thoughout the entire file. Attempts to create PDF fail consistently. Each time someone has had to build the file again from scratch which for a file over 60 pages long, is not good for feelings towards the ID/InCopy.
This implies to me that you "recycle" document instead of building a template. ID is pretty stable, but no layout program is perfect and each time you do a save you introduce the possibility of small errors in the file. Somnetimes those small errors become big problems.
You can reduce the risk of problems on recurring publications by creating a template that contains your master pages, color swatches, styles, and any "static" content that might not be on a master page but still does not change from version to version. Each new version should be made from the template, so it is always a fresh second-generation copy.

What is overset text and how do I remove it?

I use ID to format and design my high school's newspaper, so I'm not familiar with a lot of features and aspects that it entails; I have a rather basic understanding of the program. I was trying to export books of the pages into PDF format in order to send the files to the publisher, and when I was exporting them, I kept getting notifications about overset text. So, what is that and how can I resolve that problem? Thanks for your help.

InDesign has an online help function; searching for 'overset text' yields this:
http://community.adobe.com/help/search.html?q=overset%20text&hl=en_US&lr=en_US&l=indesign_ product_adobelr&site=indesign_cs5_all&self=1&filter=0
Try the following experiment to see how it works: draw a text frame, fill it with Placeholder Text, then toggle to the black arrow and make the text frame a bit smaller. Hey presto, Overset Text.
In summary, 'overset text' is simply Too Much Information. Text that has not been placed. Text for which there is no room allocated in your text frames.
You can best delete it using the Story Editor (look in the help for that), which helpfully shows you what part of a story is overset -- but, would you really want to delete this? (Perhaps you would, since you never noticed it was missing in the first place.) Another way of getting rid of it is placing your text cursor at the very end of the last visible sentence in the last text frame -- the one with a glaringly obvious Warning Signal Red Plus in its lower right corner -- and press Cmd+Shft+End keys to select everything up to the end of the story, then press Backspace.

Overset text will not go into the text box that is part of the master for the next page

I am trying to (first time user) set up a simple trade-paperback sized book with some photos. Have set up several masters for chapter title pages, chapter inner pages, etc. When I copy text out of Word into InDesign, (copy/paste) the text overset box appears. I load it, then go to the next page, which I have already formatted using one of the masters. But when I select the desired text box ((Ctrl/shft) and click, the overset text forms a new text box, What am I doing wrong? thanks

I have done, this did work right for at least the left side of the spread, but never for the right side -
Make sure the left and right page master page text frames are threaded View>Extras>Show Text Threads. Here I have left and right page text boxes threaded on my A-master spread:
Checking Smart Text Reflow can make adding long text to master frames easier:
With Smart Text Reflow enabled I've released the master page text box on page 1, note the released frame has a solid border, while the unreleased master page frames on subsequent pages are dotted indicating they are still master page items and not page items.
The result of the paste:

Selecting Overset Text In InCopy CS5 [AppleScript]

I am trying to fix the AppleScript I used in InCopy CS3 to select overset text in CS5.
In my old script I tell InCopy to select the overset text in the current story. Simple command:
select text of last text column of myStory
In CS5 it now selects the last column in the layout. So in CS3 the last column was defined as the overset set if there was overset text. Now it is the last column. I admit that I think this was a bug in CS3 but it worked for me.
Now I have no way to select all Overset text. If I run
set myOverset to overset text of myStory
This will get me the number of lines of overset text. So I think, if I know the number of lines of overset set, then I can use the total number of lines of text, subtract the number overset lines, and that will tell me the first line I need to select. Doesn't work. If I try to find out the number of lines in a story, the result is less than the number of lines shown to me in Story View. The amount it is off varies.
Does anyone have any ideas. Also, I have tried to select multiple lines using AppleScript but InCopy doesn't like that.

Most logical answer would be that for some reason your specific text was not exported as InCopt text (you have to do this for every text story you have and want to be able to edit). If you click on such a text frame, does a name get selected in the assignment and/or Links panel? If not, the text is not an InCopy text.

Overset text in Mac InDesign

I am producing a 32-page theatre program. I try to make a PDF of it and it says three pages have overset text. I cannot find any overset text, though. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Also, if you zoom to a low percentage with the view set to Normal you'll see the overset marks for any visible text frames. 5% view:
If the problem text frames are hidden you'll have to use preflight

InDesign CS6: preflight & non-existent overset text in my document.

Hi,
I’m using InDesign CS6. The preflight lists overset errors. When I click on the page icon and go to where the overset txt is supposed to be…there is none.
I deleted EVERYTHING in the entire document, then did a SAVE-AS a new name; restarted InDesign; opened the empty document...and it still says I have overset text. I’ve had this issue before with other documents and just ignored the errors after hours of trying to fix the non-existent overset text - but other people have to use my documents. Having errors is an issue with shared documents. I started a chat with an adobe tech support person, but they had no idea what the problem is. Is this a bug? More importantly, is there a fix?
any help much appreciated.
regards,
m

I have a document with a similar issue. I just opened it just to check. When I click on the overset and click somewhere else, I get an empty text frame. I guess that's what happens to you as well. I turned on Show Hidden Characters and noticed that somehow I had at the bottom of the page a paragraph sign (probably I hit enter at the end without noticing it). I just deleted it and now is fine. Turn on the Show Hidden Characters and see if something shows up at the end of your document.

I can't edit overset text in InDesign CS4

I have spent the last several hours trying to fix the overset text. Every time I click on the little red overset text in the lower right hand corner, another text box pops up. I have deleted it at least 150 times. I just cannot get it to work. I tried editing in story editor, but I've never used it, so I can't figure out how to do it. Ready to rip my hair out. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

As Kath says, the story editor is probably the place to start since you can at least see the text. It operates a lot like a low-end word processor.
It sounds like there is a problem in a line that prevents it from fitting in a frame. One common problem is that No Break has been applied to an entire paragraph or something similar (turning off hyphenation in narrow columns can do the same thing if you encounter a long string like a URL). Another common problem is that keep options are set in such a way that a paragraph cannot break. You,ll see style tags to the left of the text which can help you identify what styles are applied so you know where to start looking if the keeps are defined as part of a style.
Tables can also be an issue. ID will break a table between rows, but not mid-row. If a cell is too deep to fit the frame height it will exhibit the behavior you see. I think I've also seen a case where an entire table was set up as header rows, but I believe that caused ID to put one row per page, not to just go into overset.
Peter

How to autoflow overset text in script?

Gurus,
I write a script to import xml and place it in text frame but I had my overset text, i know that it just a shift+doubleclick in outport of text frame to autoflow text, the problem is how can i write it in a script? please help! Thanks in advance!

You need to add the frames and thread them yourself. Search the forum
for past discussions. you should find sample code to do that.
Harbs
http://www.in-tools.com

InDesign overset text indicators

I have a document in which several pages have overset text indicators, but the text is not overset. There is actually space for more text within the text frames. I have not been able to see how to get rid of the overset indicators.

You will not be able to remove the overset indicator. But if you are being bothered of that indicator and since preflight panel always prompt you that you have overset text then I suggest that you have to removed those extra spaces you have in every frame.
Try this one if this will help you.
Save a copy of your InDesign file. (for Backup purposes)
If you are using Mac cmd + f or ctrl + f for Windows
In find change dialog Click GREP and in Find what: field copy paste this [\r]{2,} or this one [\r|\n]{2,}
Leave the Change to to blank:
In Search Select Document
Click Change All
See Screenshot:
Always check your InDesign files if you noticed that some text might be missing.
Hope it helps.

Automatically reduce overset text in a frame?

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