Flowing Graphics in a Text Frame

I am a new user of InDesign who recently inherited a user manual in which all the text is contained in text boxes rather than page columns. It's not a long book, about 33 pages, but the graphics don't flow with the text. Anytime you add or remove text, you have to manually move the graphics around accordingly. Is there any way to link the graphics, which are contained in graphics frames, so that this isn't necessary? I sure hope so.
Best wishes,
Tony

Hi Tony,
Looks like this has been covered, but just to reiterate: Placing graphics, initially, is better than copy and pasting from another application. I assumed the images were already Placed in the file (File menu > Place), and you simply wanted to anchor them to the text. Once the images have been placed, InDesign links to the high-resolution version of the image on your disk(s), and maintains those links even when you copy and paste an image within the file.
Thanks,
--Diane

Similar Messages

Span Graphics across THREADED text frames

Hello there,
I am working at a 60 page document that includes plenty of footnotes, graphics and tables.
I have a 2 column layout. I need the graphics and the tables to span across the 2 columns.
I need the footnotes on each page to span across 2 columns.
Now.
Indesign puts the footnotes into their own separate column. I found a script that will correct this but will only work if the 2 columns are not part of the same text field.
In other words, to have a 2 column layout I would need 2 threaded text fields onto 1 page, instead of 1 single text field with 2 columns.
The problem is that once I have 2 different text frames, all the graphics and table will not span across the columns.
I need a fix!
Either a new way of dealing with footnotes spanning across columns, or a way of having tables and graphs spanning across threaded frames.
Thanks!
Federico

There is no easy way to span footnotes across several columns.
I had to do it several times in the last month and I did following:
Work consequent with paragraph, character and object styles.
Create an Object Style for your 2 column text.
Finish your article with your normal footnotes.
Try to find a scipt which converts footnotes to endnotes (and the other way too). There are several for free download available
Install that script.
Convert footnotes into endnotes
Create for the first endnote a flair of the paragraph style which will start in a new frame (not necessary, but makes things much easier).
Now you have at the end of the story a + which indidcates a text overflow. Click on this.
Now create a new layer above the text and lock the text and draw a rectangle on the bottom of the page where the first footnote number (now endnote number) is found.
For this reference text frame create now (or do it before) an object style which will wrap text away to make place for the "footnotes" and let the text vertically align at the bottom. Apply this style to the "footnote" frames.
Drag the frame as high as all footnotes of that page are found in this frame.
Click on the overflow indicator and follow up with the previous steps until the last footnote.
For graphics and tables spanning accross the columns I don’t anchor them in a multiple column layout out because if the anchor is in the right column, text wrapping will not work properly.

Create a continuous flow of records in a single text frame

I've searched past posts and cannot find the answer (though I'm sure the questions been asked aplenty).
I have an Excel file with Company names, addresses, telephone numbers, emails and websites, etc. which are to be placed in a directory. I can't extract each company's details and get get them to flow in a single text frame (instead each seems to extract into it's own frame).
Can anyone tell me what to do, please. I've spent more than an hour looking at the forums and various tutorials, etc.
Bongani

It might help if you post what versions of InDesign and Excel that you use, what OS you are in, and what format the Excel file is (.xls, .xlsx, .txt, .rtf, etc.). Also, you said your data needs to be placed, but some people paste instead of place, so I thought I'd ask you to specify how you are getting your data into ID.
EDIT: Are you getting a table, when you want a text frame? I only ask because a table can look like a bunch of separate text frames.

I cant text flow using 3 different text files on the same document?????

Im starting out with 3 different files of text saved as "tab delimited text" from excel, I open a document in ID with 107 pages and create 3 boxes in the master on top of a pdf. I then override all 107 pages so that the text I insert will flow to the next page and so on, once I paste the 2nd text file into the next text frame it skips the original 107 files and starts flowing into new pages. Im ready to pull my hair out, I have been trying to figure this out for 2 hours. I dont know what to do at this point. I think Im getting a migraine.
I would have done a data merge on 2 of the files but the third HAS to be text flow (which gives me the same problem above) because it has to be physically changed to fit each page.

Are you Placing the text from an external file, or pasting it from the clipboard?
If Placing, move the loaded cursor inside one of the master frames on the first page, hold down the Shift key and click, being sure the cursor is not on any sort of guide. The entire text file will flow using the master text frames, and ID will add all the require pages to place all the text.
If pasting, you can either override the frame on the first page only, or make a temporary first frame on the pasteboard. Paste into this frame, which will result in a red plus sign in the bottom right corner of the text frame indicating overset text. Switch to the Selection tool (black arrow) and click on the plus sign to pick up the overset text. Hover the new loaded cursor over the frame on the second page, or over the first page as above if you used a temporary frame, hodl the Shift key and click. Delete the temporary frame, if you used one, and the text will reflow to start in the first real frame, but you may have to pick up overset again in the last frame due to the reflow.

How does one Float a Graphic Object with Text? (Don't want the Graphics Frame stationary)

I now know just enough InDesign to be dangerous. So, help me from blowing myself up.
SITUATION:
I desire a Callout/Quote Box to emphase a quote--to separate it from the flowing text of the manuscript. So, I created a curved-edge rectangle (graphic object) to make the "box", then filled it with the quoted text). All was well in the land of Adobe Novice UNTIL I deleted some text above the newly-created graphic box/quote box. I need the graphic to flow with (stay embedded in; hold its position in) the text outside the manuscript, not say anchored to page.
QUESTION:
Is there a way to have a graphic object which is placed in a manuscript flow with the manuscript text, so that it "holds its position" relative to the text. For example, if I delete a paragraph of text above the graphic object, I want the graphic object to adjust accordingly.
ASIDE:
I am open to any other tricks or methods others use to insert callout or quote-boxes within the flowing text of a manuscript/book.
Thanks in advance.

Create your callout. If you will use it often, you can actually grab it and drag it to the desktop for reuse in any Document; it becomes an InDesign Snippet (.inds).
Copy the callout graphic, insert your text curser into the text frame where you want the callout. You've just Anchored an Object.
This is where you want to read up on Anchored Objects. You can highlight and baseline shift the callout (often necessay for anchored objects) , change leading, apply text wrap with standoff (you would select it with the selection tool for this), all of which are way beyond what I have ever tried, but managed it in less than 3 minutes. Basically treat it as a selection of type. The challenges will be line breaks, keep with, gosh knows.
Bob mentioned CS5.5 has more friendly features, which I am not familiar with, and are beyond quick replies.
Work through the above at your discretion, ask more DIRECT questions as needed, and you will get help.

What is the best way to import a graphic? & How do I create a text frame for a figure caption?

Hello all! I've been working from the FM book for almost 2 hrs trying to figure this out, so now I need your help. I am almost to this point:
Problem I: Importing a graphic
First of all, which is the best way?
-Insert an anchor frame and then import the graphic into the frame OR
-Just insert the graphic and get the anchor frame by default
Here’s my importing and sizing problem:
I hit ENTER to make a new paragraph line (side note: the book says make a new paragraph by hitting ENTER, import the graphic, and then ESC m+p to shrink wrap so that you can avoid the graphic overlapping the above text. I do exactly this (I believe), but my graphic still overlaps the above text when I shrink wrap. What the...?)
I insert an anchored frame with position Below Current Line and alignment CENTER (I chose to the insert anchor frame, since this way I have control over its alignment, correct?)
Anchor frame is selected when I import my image file
In the Imported Graphic Scaling box, what do I select if my file is HUGE (3072x2304)?
-Fit in selected rectangle (when I choose this the image imports small and fits in the anchored frame with lots of white space around it)
-72 dpi
-75 dpi
-150 dpi
-300 dpi
-Custom dpi: 96 (I’ve tried changing this to a smaller number (20) and I get a message that says “cannot handle a bitmap of that size.”)
I’ve had the best luck with selecting FIT IN SELECTED RECTANGLE, and then I just scale the image with my shift+click. If I choose 72 dpi or Custom, my image imports HUGE, and I just can’t manage it. I don’t have a method for resizing these images outside of FM.
Problem II: Creating a text frame for a caption
Once I have chosen FIT IN SELECTED RECTANGLE, I try to insert a text box underneath the image (and inside the anchor frame) to type a caption in it.
In Create New Text Frame box, the default is Number 1 and Gap 0.25. I click SET.
Next, I double-click inside the text frame to begin typing, but the cursor is OUTSIDE and UNDERNEATH the text frame! What the heck??? I’ve done this before and it has worked just fine. Then I had another problem where when I did get the text inside the text frame, I would select the text frame to move it, and it left the text behind! (I moved the frame but the text was separated from it and left behind.)
THANK YOU in advance for your help. I hope I wrote this out clearly enough. I appreciate those who respond. P.S. I'm in FM 10.

My favorite method is to use a one-cell table for graphics and captions.
Import the graphic by reference into the table cell. Create a "Caption"
paragraph tag and assign it to the table title. (The title can be set
for above or below the table cell. I prefer below.) Now, whenever you
insert this table, it will be ready for graphic and caption. Another
advantage of this method is that graphic and caption always stay
together at page/column breaks.
When you create the table format above, assign it to have a -2.0 space
above. Then, create a paragraph tag, such as "TableAnchor" and assign it
-2.0 pt font size and -2.0 space below. (You can substitute a different
point size, but it must be the same in all three places. The TableAnchor
paragraph will hold the table and these settings let tables fit against
the top margin where necessary. Otherwise, they dip down a bit.
I wrote this from memory, so I hope I remembered all the steps!

Table of contents and the order of multiple text frames flowing across pages

I have a multi-page document,
on each page, there are 2 text frames:
- A text frame for containing a PAGE TITLE
and
- A text frame, flowing from one page to another containing: a MAIN TITLE, a SECTION TITLE, and flowing body copy (on page 1); and another MAIN TITLE, a SECTION TITLE, and flowing body copy; (on page 2)
When I generate a TOC, using the Page, Main and Section Titles styles, the expected outcome would be:
Page Title             1
   Main Title           1
Section Title          1
Page Title             2
   Main Title           2
Section Title          2
But because the Main title and Section titles are all within one flowing text frame and the content flows across multiple pages, and each of the Page Titles are within 2 separate text frames, the actual TOC generated is:
Page Title             1
   Main Title          1
Section Title         1
   Main Title           2
Section Title          2
Page Title           2
...where the TOC lists all the TOC items from the flowing text frame in one grouping first, then the individual free standing text frame title.
QUESTION: Is the only way to automatically rectify this is to combine all the text into one flowing text frame? or is there another workaround?
Have played with the left/right, top/bottom alignment of the individual text frames; also experimented with the object layering, to no avail..
Thanks for any insights.

I ended up using a product called InFlow from EmSoftware. The solution offers a plugin to InDesign that builds pages on the fly when there is overset text. The setup is pretty minimual and it seems easy to use. The only drawback that the plugin MAY have is that it does not remove the pages it built if the pages are not needed from record to record. I could not test this myself since my test data did not test more then one record, but when I turned my proof set off, the pages that were built were still on screen. It does seem to work well for what we are looking to do, so if anyone is looking for something that will build pages on the fly in situations where the "Dynamic Story Handling" is not available, I would suggest looking into this.

Adding a graphic or photo behind a text frame in InDesign CS

Hi Everyone,
I'm hoping I can get some help please on a problem I'm having. I'm switching from QuarkxPress to InDesign CS - after having it for nearly six years! - thought it was time learn InDesign. So far, I really like it. But, I've discovered a small problem I never encountered with Quark but I'm having it with InDesign. I have placed a vector graphic separately behind a Headline text frame (also tried a photograph). For some reason, the vector graphic totally covers up the Headline text. I have tried "send to back," that didn't work, it still covered the text. I made sure that there was no fill color at all. I even tried putting the graphic on a separate layer "behind" the Headline text and that still won't work. Could someone please help me. I would so appreciate it.
Snippet

Does your image use text wrap? Unlike Quark, by default InDesign's text wrap affects text both in front and behind the wrapped object. This is good becasue if you use transparency you want the text onthe very top to prevent unwanted outlining or rasterization at ooutput. You can change the behavior to mimic Quark in the application preferences, or you can open the text frame options for a frame you don't want to be affected and check the box to Ignore Text Wrap.
The other posiblility is a stacking order problem. If your text is on a master page it will be behind any objects onthe same or higher layer on the document page. On any given layer, master objects are always behind live objects on the page.

How to create a child text frame within main text frame that flows as the text does

Is there a way to create an anchored text frame that flows with the main text and goes on from the top of next column or page with the same type of horizontal alignment?
I want to create a cuttable and paste-able, title, anchored small text frame and main text unit format that will repeat with different contents with as less manual labour as possible. (There is a simple example of what I am trying to achieve as a screenshot)
Thanks in advance for any answer given

One of the limitiations of anchored frames is that you cannot split them or include them in a text thread.

Text Frame Options. Room for Side Heads added without warning

Hi -
I just got asked this and have no clue how to help. Anyone know what this is?
Every now and then, my Frame file will –apparently on its own – reset most of its text frames into having room for side heads. Makes for lots of bad labels on graphics – everything’s suddenly offset and scrolling off the bottom.
This will happen suddenly. It will usually be only one or two chapters in a book, but if I ignore it has been known spread like the black death throughout the book.
The only solution I’ve found so far has been to revert to a backup or touch each text frame individually. Setting properties for two at a time messes up location on the page.

HI -
Here's what I heard back.
I believe it’s for everything except main text flow, including headers&footers on master pages, and special elements on unused master pages.
It appears to be spontaneous, but I can’t guarantee that.
I don’t use MIFs, and I’m pretty sure no one else does.
Yes to formatting imports , because we frequently change variables in one chapter and copy them back to the rest (esp date doc was last edited – not same as print date per our regulatory agency.) Likewise conditional text. We know not to copy from a file into itself in a book, although it has happened and we do exchange manuals between revisions at times.

Two separate text frames with own toc

How do I set up two separate text frames side-by-side as two columns, and create a separate table of contents for each?
I need to create a two-language document with English on the left and a translated language on the right. Each language will also have separate illustrations and cross references to them in the text. Basically, I need to create two manuals in a single document.
I'm doing this with Frame 7.1 if that makes any difference.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

To create the two separate text frames, simply use the Text Frame graphic tool on the Master Pages to draw tthe second frame. You will need to give the "Flow" for this text frame a unique name. By default FM uses "A" for a flow name, but you can change this to be the name of the language.
See: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WSd817046a44e105e21e63e3d11ab7f74e4d-7fb8.htm l (Set up a multi-flow document)
However, I would recommend that you first create separate documents for the English and translated versions. Then import the contents of those documents by reference (i.e. create text insets) in your combined document.
Use the combined document as your publishing vessel and the separate documents as your editing/working environment.
The only gotcha would be if you need to maintain side-by-side fidelity with each paragraph in the English and translated version. If so, then you should import by copy and then you'll hjave to manually adjust the paragraph spacings to stay lined up.

Untread Text Frames without losing text in the second frame

I probably not gonna use the right terms to express my question because I don't have an english version of ID. I'm sorry for that.
If you, for example, import a text document into your column-based layout, you are able to automate the text flow and it will flow into the columns. At the end of each frame there's a text-handler (threading text) that shows you where the text continues in the next frame.
I wanna know if there's a possibility to unthread text AND leave the text into the first column and the rest of the text into the next column WITHOUT being connected like before. If I try this I get a red plus-sign at the end of the first frame showing me there more text and the next frame ends up without text.
I can cut the text from behind the plus-sign and paste it into the next frame, okay. But there's something in my memory telling me it was already possible with Pagemaker to simply disconnect frames and leave the text intact.
I hope somebody understands my question?

Salah Fadlabi wrote:
Try to open Object style with no document open, double click on none then close and open indesign. Every frame after this process will be without border.
This is only correct for new created document, not for existing ones. If the problem existis in an existing document you have to change the default style with no object selected.
I would strongly recommend to create its own basic styles for each category and load them into the several style panels to have always styles with the same name in every document which makes exchange of items easier.
Default Object styles are those with the small rectangle graphic at the right. The one with the T ist for Text frames, the one without T for Image Frames.

ID CS3 - text wrap doesn't work at the end of a long multi-columned text frame

Did a search - don't think this specific issue has been addressed:
We design large graphics often used on walls. When working with a text frame that that was 11 feet long and had 8 columns, text wrap would not work on an image placed in the last column. The same image with the same text wrap applied will work fine anywhere else in the text frame. I found that if I shortened the width of the text frame a little bit at a time eventually it would work, but there doesn't seem to be a specific cut-off width - sometimes the last column won't text wrap when the frame is 115 inches wide and sometimes it doesn't work when the frame is only 80 inches wide. Again, all of the other columns work fine. I have tried all of the obvious stuff, the only variable between the columns that wrap and the one that doesn't is it's position at the end of the text frame.
We have gotten around this issue by using multiple threaded frames instead of one long frame with multiple columns, but I am curious if anyone else has run into this or might know what the issue is.
thanks

Did a search - don't think this specific issue has been addressed:
We design large graphics often used on walls. When working with a text frame that that was 11 feet long and had 8 columns, text wrap would not work on an image placed in the last column. The same image with the same text wrap applied will work fine anywhere else in the text frame. I found that if I shortened the width of the text frame a little bit at a time eventually it would work, but there doesn't seem to be a specific cut-off width - sometimes the last column won't text wrap when the frame is 115 inches wide and sometimes it doesn't work when the frame is only 80 inches wide. Again, all of the other columns work fine. I have tried all of the obvious stuff, the only variable between the columns that wrap and the one that doesn't is it's position at the end of the text frame.
We have gotten around this issue by using multiple threaded frames instead of one long frame with multiple columns, but I am curious if anyone else has run into this or might know what the issue is.
thanks

How to link text frames in Pages 5.2?

How to link text frames in Pages 5.2?

The correct term in Pages is Text Boxes, and true linking is not implemented in v5.2. You can Unite, Intersect, Subtract, and Exclude multiple Text Boxes via the Arrange panel. These attributes only appear when two or more Text Boxes are selected. Also, on the Arrange menu, you will need Object Placement set to Move with Text, and the Text Wrap set to None for more accurate positioning.
In the following example, there was initially a Text Box with overflowing text that was duplicated. With both Text Boxes selected and aligned, I could then use the Unite feature from the Arrange panel. This allowed the text to flow into the second box. Selecting text in one box and dragging upwards continues the text selection between both boxes. Hoefler italic applied in one box is applied to both. Appropriately placed, another trip to the Arrange panel to enable Text Wrap around and text fit adjustments.

Double-click to enter a text frame - selecting text unresponsive

Ok.
So frustrating...I haven't been able to find a solution to this anywhere online.
Let's say I've got an InDesign document open, and have my selection tool (V).
I double click on a text frame (that is full of text), see that there is now a cursor inserted in the text frame, so I go to swipe or double-click to select/highlight some text, and NOTHING HAPPENS (it is unresponsive).
I wait a second, and then I can select text.
But this was not an issue in CS6 on the Mac I used to use for almost 2 years.
I could double click on a text frame and quickly swipe text to select, it was very fast. This second-long delay in responsiveness trips me up every time, disrupts my flow and is really, really annoying when I am selecting and editing different text boxes hundreds of times all day long. I am using ID CC on a Windows machine now, but the CPU is super fast (16 GB ram, i7 processor) and should not be having any lag issues in InDesign.
Does anyone else have this problem? Is there something in the InDesign preferences that I can change, or is this a bug?

de_fault, please send a complaint to Adobe otherwise they won't fix it:
Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form
Problem description: When switching from the Selection tool to the Text tool (by double-clicking in a text box) there is a 1-2 second delay before you can select text.
Steps to reproduce bug:
1. Make a text box and fill with text
2. Select the Selection tool (V)
3. Double-click in the text box so that you see a cursor
4. Immediately try to select text
Results: You have to wait 1-2 seconds before you can select text.
Expected results: There should not be a delay. There was no delay in previous versions.

Flowing Graphics in a Text Frame

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