Graphics Frames

I am having a hell of a time working with graphics frames. I have two problems:
1) How do I create call-outs in a graphics frame that stay within the frame and can be grouped with the primary graphic in the frame (i.e., a screenshot).
2) Sometimes I use text boxes within graphics frames and want to group the text box and graphics frame so they behave as one object. Sometimes I can do this and sometimes I cannot. What trick is there to doing this?
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Tony

tonygrocco wrote:
I am having a hell of a time working with graphics frames. I have two problems:
1) How do I create call-outs in a graphics frame that stay within the frame and can be grouped with the primary graphic in the frame (i.e., a screenshot).
2) Sometimes I use text boxes within graphics frames and want to group the text box and graphics frame so they behave as one object. Sometimes I can do this and sometimes I cannot. What trick is there to doing this?
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Tony
HI, Tony:
This is one of the most maddening aspects of InDesign. When you create a grouped object outside of an anchored frame and paste it into a selected anchored frame - for example a text frame and a graphic object - you can edit the text in the the text frame, and if I recall correctly, you can select the text frame or graphic with the Direct-Selection tool (the white arrow), and move them within the anchored frame, but you can't paste another object into the anchored frame without replacing those already present. You need to either cut the group from the anchored frame and paste it outside the anchored frame, then add objects to, or subtract objects from the group, regroup, and paste that into the anchored frame.
Please add your own formal request to those already at Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Similar Messages

Make anchored graphics frames act as containers

If I choose Object/Anchored Object/Insert and make the inserted frame a graphics frame (with above line positioning), it doesn't act as a container. That is, if I put a graphic into the frame or create one with the drawing tools -- say a line diagram -- and then make edits to surrounding text that causes the text to move up or down, the *frame* moves with the text it's anchored to, but the graphics inside it *don't* -- with enough editing, they could move right outside the frame, like ghosts passing thro' walls. Since almost every time I want to put a graphic onto the page it bears some specific relationship to the local text, this behavior is unhelpful, to say the least.
I can't figure out what the point of graphics frames that don't hold their contents in place could be, so I wonder if this is a bug. If so, please fix it. But if ID is behaving as intended, please add the option to preserve the position of graphics inside the frame *relative to the frame boundaries* (as opposed to relative the page boundaries).
Thanks.
PS: I did try to group the frame with a line diagram inside it but that seems impossible. I also know you can paste graphics into body text directly -- I watched AMC's video at Adobe -- but when the graphic in question has different pieces that relate to specific words above or below it, you really can't build it off-site then paste it in -- especially if the result of doing that limits your options for adjustments.

I believe we've covered this issue thoroughly. There's nothing wrong with your intention, but there is something missing about the containership behavior of ID's anchored frames that works fine in FM.
I think it's a bug. Others may think it's a personal wish that isn't supported. My thinking is that ID's frame objects are already packed with smarts about content type and fitting abilities, that the developers simply overlooked providing the ability to add new objects freely into a frame that's already got content (like FM can.)
Apparently designers don't encounter this need anywhere nearly as often as those who author annotated documents in Word, FM, or other similar tools that permit working in the isolated environment of a frame - adding, removing, resizing, rearranging text objects and graphic objects at will - as if it were a blank page environment. So, there have been few reports of problems in this area.
The main reliable anchored-frame solution for this particular problem is to create and revise the content outside of any frame, then group, select, and copy the composite object and paste it at the cursor insertion point, or save it as a separate ID file and place it as an anchored object.
Perhaps you've already explored using an unstroked table for this particular need. The baselines of text in your example seem to be aligned across the horizontal rows, and the divider lines also seem aligned on horizontal rows. The divider lines could be created by several means - underlines in cells, graphic lines in anchored frames in cells, or horizontal cell rulings.
The whole arrangement requires painstaking attention no matter how it's constructed, so the fussiness of working with a table wouldn't seem to add something that might not be needed with a different method. Because tables can break across frames, you'd need to set all rows to keep together.
Again, I strongly suggest formally reporting this quirk as a bug to be fixed and/or a feature request.
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

How to Apply a Graphic Element's "href" Attribute Value on a Graphic Frame

I have a graphic frame, which I wish to fill with a graphic image. The graphic frame appears as an element in the Structure, as it has a tag attached, and that element has a legitimate "href" as a full path to a graphic file. In UI mode, I have to drag that element onto the graphic frame in order for the graphic frame to be filled with the graphic file. How do I perform the same action in JavaScript?
TIA
mlavie

I thought I should provide an explanation for what I meant:
I am aware, of course, of how to use "Place". The issue here is that I have a Page that is a template, which includes a Graphic Frame. I want to open the page, and then update the Graphic Frame element's "href" tag with the path of a graphic file, and have that file then appear in the Graphics Frame. By default, InDesign does not redraw the Graphics Frame when you change the value for the "href" attribute - you need to drag the parent element onto the Graphics Frame.
TIA
mlavie

How can we place an image in already created inline graphic frame?

Hi,
AIM::
To place an image in the inline graphic frame.
OBSERVATION::
As i have analysed the snippet Runner,i came to know that it allows to load the placegun with the file(in my case image). but in order to place it,we need to click on the document..and then the image is placed at (0,0) of the page(I suppose Indesign does it automatically).
what is needed,is to place image in already created inline graphic frame. i have created a inline graphic frame at some position in the story,but now i required to place image in this created frame.

I have the same problem. Can you give me a short code sample for that.
I have an image and want to place it in the currently selected frame...

How to get the text wrap margin setting of graphic frames?

Hello everyone,
I am trying to get the margin setting of frames, and i tried IStandOff which does not work for graphic frames sometimes.
And then, i found the Adobe recommends to use ITextWrapFacade to manipulate text wraps in programming guide.
But now, again, ITextWrapFacade::GetMargins(const UIDRef & textWrapItem, PMReal & topMargin, PMReal & leftMargin, PMReal & bottomMargin, PMReal & rightMargin, bool8 & singleDistance) cannot get the correct margin setting of a graphic frame.
This situtation occurs when i select "wrap around object shape" for the frame.
Any suggestion? Or is there any other way can get that setting?
Thanks,
Aidy

I found another thread mentioned this issue as well, without known solution.
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/444824

Inconsistent space after graphic frames

Hi,
I'm trying to create a consistent-looking manual, where space after imported graphics is consistent. Currently, that is not proving to be easy. For example, look at the difference between the space after the first and second graphics below (the first is not what I want; the second is):
All the text paragraph formats have identical space before and after
All the graphics frames use exactly the same Object style
All the graphics frames are in a paragraph style named "Anchor" that has 0pt above and 6pt below (obviously, the 6pt below is not 'sticking' for some reason)
So, is this a grid problem, or what? Align to Grid is set to None in the "Anchor" para style. I'm not (consciously) using the baseline grid in my manual.

can be sooo many things depending on your styles, setup, wrap, etc...
but a quick fix: anchor the graphic on a new para, adjust the paragraphs (your lines of text as u have it) spacing (before and after) to more (twice more) then the leading.
your approach to this project is not ideal but hopefully this advice sorts you out.
G

Graphic Frame can not be renamed

FM-11 and FM-12: In the Object Properties there is no more a field Name. Hence a graphic frame on the reference pages can not be checked for its name or the name can not be edited.
I have filed this as a bug.
The dialogue in FM-12 and FM-11:
In FM-10 there was the old dialogue still active which contained this information:

Klaus,
Actually you can, but it's not properly documented. When you select the Graphics Frame, it's name shows in the Status Bar. You are then supposed to click on the name in the Status bar to get the Frame Name window in order to change it. [There are other operations that also now have this non-intuitve user-be-damned approach.] Why it's not part of the Graphics Frame Properties is a mystery that was pointed out numerous times during the pre-release programs for 11 & 12 [but I guess it was too great of an effort to rectify something that was coded without the benefit of end-user input].

How to make the basic graphics frame VerticalJustification as bottom align?

Hi:
In indesigne CS3 script, how to make the basic graphics frame
VerticalJustification as bottom align?
Thanks in advance.

Vertical justification applies to text frames, not to graphic frames.
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Resizing graphics frames that have stroke/keylines

When I resize a graphic frame (with a placed image in it) that has a stroke/keyline, the stroke changes weight and I have to reapply the Object Style which sets the weight. How can I keep the same weight when I resize?
Also is there a way of changing the default behaviour of SHIFT+Resize box with mouse so that it resizes the frame AND content rather than having to use the more cumbersome ALT+SHIFT+mouse resize? I do that far more often then just resizing the frame and keeping the ratio!

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Resizing Issue: For just one image, select image, Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options > Turn on Autofit and Desired Fitting Option
Resizing Issue: For multiple images, Object Styles > select stye(s) > Frame Fitting Options > Turn on Autofit and Desired Fitting Option

Graphic frames in a document...

hi to all,
I need all and only graphic frames of a document?
what is the right interface?
like InterfacePtr<IStoryList> for story of text frames...
thanks in advance!

Hi,
I think you can try this :
bool YourClass::IsGraphicFrame(const UIDRef& graphicFrameRef)
    InterfacePtr<IGraphicFrameData> graphicFrameData(graphicFrameRef, UseDefaultIID());
    // Test not nil
    return Utils<IPageItemTypeUtils>()->IsGraphicFrame(graphicFrameRef)
             || (graphicFrameData->IsGraphicFrame() && !graphicFrameData->HasContent());
Good luck

Master page graphic frame behavior

I am new to InDesign. I have created a master page that has 4 graphic frames on it. If I create a page based on the master and I try to place an image in each frame, it only works for the first frame. Each subsequent place just put the image into the page but not one of the defined frames setup in the master.
Can someone tell me why this happens? And if this is what it is supposed to do, how do I accomplish creating a page based on a master that has 4 frames to accept graphics.
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I do not see these files because the path does not exist and i do not see where to show hidden files in system preferences. Can you elaborate?
InDesign Defaults:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<language>\ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).
Windows Vista or Windows 7: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>\ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).
Macintosh: Hard Drive/Users/<USER>/ _______________XXX no library folder XXX ____________ Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/<Version #>/<Language>/(Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

Graphic Frames Corrupted When Exporting to PDF

I'm trying to figure out what is happening to random graphic frames in my InDesign document. I'm working in a 68 page document. I exported to PDF using the lo-res no bleed setting. The PDF exported fine but when I went back to my InDesign doc, some of my graphic frames had changed to blank white frames. The links still appeared on the links panel but it showed them as on the pasteboard. When I clicked the PB link to view the object, it zoomed in to a tiny object in the gutter of the spread. When I tried to enlarge the object, I got an error saying the object would leave the pasteboard. I then looked in the control panel and all the coordinates and measuremends said NaN. I'm working with InDesign CS 5.5 version 7.5.3 on OS X Lion version 10.7.3. The frames contained either placed PSD files or placed PDF files. It seems to have affected random frames on various pages. I've spent 3 hours searching Google and these forums but haven't found a similar post. This is a brand new system that has been in production for less than two weeks. I would appreciate any help.
Thanks
Jack

I stupidly started trying to figure out what was going on rather than immediately doing a save as and within about 3 minutes InDesign crashed. When I relaunched and reopened my document, not only were my graphic frames still messed up but all of the content on about 5 other pages were completely gone, frames and all. This is the weirdest thing that I've ever seen in InDesign. I understand the concept of NaN. I just mentioned it because it seemed like part of the problem. Thanks for your reply. What makes this even more interesting is that this isn't the first time that I've seen this. About 6 months ago, I saw the same issue happen to another user on another machine. At that time we couldn't really track down any details because the document was last accessed at the end of the day on a Friday and we didn't figure it out until Monday morning. The only thing that the two workstations have in common is that the documents and resources were stored on the same server. Could it be an issue with using InDesign files stored remotely vs locally?

Text disappears when graphics frame is placed on top of it.

Hello,
When I try to substitute a large cap in a text frame with a graphics frame in ID CS4, the text disappears.
I have been able to do this successfully in the past, but not with this particular text frame.
Please see screenshots.
Can someone please help?
Thanks for your consideration,
cobaltgreen

That can't be the whole story. The image you posted indicates that if text wrap is applied, the offset is 0 (if it was anything else it would show when the frame is selected, as it is in the screen shot).
Normally you'd actually do this with text wrap and it would push the text to the right (and re-wrap the lines) in the first few lines when the image frame was put into position, but you've done something else we can't see to make that notch.
Peter

How do I delete all empty graphics frames from a document?

I have data merged a document and need to remove all the empty graphics frames as quick as possible.
I have found solutions for deleting empty text frames but not graphics frames. Can somebody help with this as it will save soo much time and RSI!
I found an applescript solution here:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/756281
However, I am running Windows 7 and Id CC
Cheers,
Kris.

Hi MToys
I added a little to the script so that it will work on Ovals and Polygons also. [Not TextFrames]
You just have to set the values for which of the frame types you want to delete.
You can do this by setting the const values at the top of the script for DeleteRectangle, DeleteOvals, DeletePolygons
There are a few uncertainties that I had:
If an object is selected, should the script only delete that objects frame type.
I.e., If you select an oval, should the script know to delete only ovals.
At this point, I did not do that, rather it will just get the settings from the selected object, and delete all frame types with those settings
I had to disable matching the transparency settings because they werent comparing correctly between different frame types
Meaning, I made 3 frames, Oval, Rectangle and Polygon - no settings applied.
I selected the oval and ran the script. It only deleted the oval even though set it to delete all.
I found that the transparency settings werent matching... even though there werent any
So, for now - its disabled.
If someone can shed some light on this I would appreciate it.
I tested the script on Mac Mountain Lion - ID CS6 and seems to work well
Here is the script
const Object_Style = false,
    Fill_Color = true,
    Fill_Tint = true,
    Fill_Transparency_Settings = true,
    Item_Layer = true,
    Stroke_Color = true,
    Stroke_Weight = true,
    Stroke_Type = true,
    Stroke_Transparency_Settings = true,
    Stroke_Tint = true,
    Stroke_Alignment = true;
const DeleteRectangles = true,
    DeleteOvals = true,
    DeletePolygons = true;
app.doScript(main, undefined , undefined, UndoModes.fastEntireScript, "INSERT_HERE_THE_SCRIPT_NAME")
function main() {
    var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySel = app.selection;
    if (mySel.length > 0) {
        mySample = app.selection[0];
        if (mySample.constructor.name == "Rectangle" ||
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            mySample.constructor.name == "Polygon")
            var isSample = true;
            var objSty, fClr, fTint, fTrans, lay, sClr, sWeight, sType, sTrans, sTint, sAlign;
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    if (DeleteRectangles) {DeleteItems(myDoc.rectangles)}
    if (DeleteOvals) {DeleteItems(myDoc.ovals)}
    if (DeletePolygons) {DeleteItems(myDoc.polygons)}
    function DeleteItems(myGraphicFrames) {
        for (var i = myGraphicFrames.length-1; i >= 0; i--) {
            if (myGraphicFrames[i].graphics.length < 1) {
                myGraphicFrames[i].select();
                if (isSample) if (!checkProps(myGraphicFrames[i])) continue;
                myGraphicFrames[i].remove();
    // ======================================
    function GetProps(mySample) {
        objSty = mySample.appliedObjectStyle;
        fClr = mySample.fillColor;
        fTint = mySample.fillTint;
        fTrans = mySample.fillTransparencySettings;
        lay = mySample.itemLayer.name;
        sClr = mySample.strokeColor;
        sWeight = mySample.strokeWeight;
        sType = mySample.strokeType;
        sTrans = mySample.strokeTransparencySettings;
        sTint = mySample.strokeTint;
        sAlign = mySample.strokeAlignment;
    // ======================================
    function checkProps(myFrame) {
        var i=0;
        if (Object_Style) if (myFrame.appliedObjectStyle != objSty) return false;
        if (Fill_Color) if (myFrame.fillColor != fClr) return false;
        if (Fill_Tint) if (myFrame.fillTint != fTint) return false;
        if (Item_Layer) if (myFrame.itemLayer.name != lay) return false;
        if (Stroke_Color) if (myFrame.strokeColor != sClr) return false;
        if (Stroke_Weight) if (myFrame.strokeWeight != sWeight) return false;
        if (Stroke_Type) if (myFrame.strokeType != sType) return false;
        if (Stroke_Tint) if (myFrame.strokeTint != sTint) return false;
        if (Stroke_Alignment) if (myFrame.strokeAlignment != sAlign) return false;
        //if (Stroke_Transparency_Settings) if (myFrame.strokeTransparencySettings != sTrans) return false;
        //if (Fill_Transparency_Settings) if (myFrame.fillTransparencySettings != fTrans) return false;
        return true;

Indesign Script to import Library asset beneath all graphic frames

Hi all,
I wonder if anybody could help me with a problem? (I'm learning scripting but some things are still a bit tricky)
I have managed a script to place a Library Asset onto a page.
What I need however is a script to place multiple instances of this Library asset directly beneath every graphic frame that exists in my whole document. If it can be done, I preferably need the asset to snap to the bottom left of the frames, top of the asset touching the bottom of the graphic frame.
This is from Library 'Library' and the asset is 'Test'
Has anybody a script or something similar? Thank you.

AFAIK, you’re wasting your time. If you want those options you’ll need to use file>place. It is worth noting that many of those options are sticky so if you need the same option all the time just place one file and choose the appropriate options.

Graphics Frames

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