Suppress highlighting for parent paragraph style

When one paragraph style is based on another paragrash style, and you click inside the child style with the Type tool, both the parent and child styles are highlighted in the Paragraph Styles panel. This makes it confusing as to which paragraph style is actually applied to that paragraph. Is there a way to change this display so that only the style applied to the active paragraph is highlighted?

What version of ID and OS X?
You might want to file a bug: Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Similar Messages

Defining a background color for a paragraph style

Hello and please excuse this very basic question, but I am completely stumped.
How do I simply define a background color for a paragraph style? I cannot use a table etc. because the styles are mapped during an XML conversion. Code lines should receive a gray background box to separate them from the text.
Also, is there a way to force line breaks whithin words for a specific style? The text, formated in Courier, should just fill the space with a fixed width per character and break wherever the line ends.

With some drawbacks it's doable using two paragraph tags.
The first tag, e.g. "Line" is empty (no text), and it has a reference page graphic that's just a rectangle filled 100% with color and set to have a percentage tint so that the text will "show through" it.
"Line" is also set to have a negative space below it, e.g. -12 points.
"Code" paratag has the actual code text in it, and it's set to have a negative space above, e.g. -12 points.
I've done projects where I have multiple Line paratags differing by the number of code lines needing to be shaded, e.g. Line1, Line2, Line3.
Unfortunately there isn't a way to automatically have the line expand to the correct depth of the Code paragraph, although I believe this would probably be something that could be done as a Framescript, to run through a document and create new "line" paratags of the correct depth depending on how many Code paragraphs or lines are in the following paratag.

GREP for changing paragraph style?

Okay folks, I have another one for all you smart people out there. I think GREP can be used to change formatting in the following instance, but I have no idea how to set it up.
I have a very long document, essentially a phone book-type listing of names, phone numbers, addresses, well over 150 pages' worth. The paragraph styles are fairly simple, only two per listing. The name/phone number is bold with a right hand tab with leader dots to a phone number that is flush to the right side of the column. The following lines are flush left, not bold, but indented 6pts. I've placed the text file and assigned the entire thing the NameListing paragraph style. I'd like to use GREP to find the address lines and change them to the NameListingAddress paragraph style.
Here's a screen shot to give you an idea. The left column is formatted correctly with both styles, the right column is "raw", all paragraphs formatted with the NameListing paragraph style.
Is this an appropriate application for GREP? If so, how do I set it up to only change the paragraphs that "don't have tabs"? It would save me a crapload of time.
THANKS again! --Dina

If your intent here is to use the character style to trigger a variable, as I belive it is based on your other thread, you MUST apply the character style up to the first tab to pick up the text at the start of the paragraph. There are two approaches to automating the formatting after that, but it may be too late for you to be much help.
In cases where every listing has the same number of lines it makes sense to use a unique paragraph style name (not necessarily format -- base on on another) for each lline and make it its own paragraph. Set up "next styles" to rotate through the list so each line is assigned the correct style based on the style of its predecessor. You get the rotation to sart over by making the first line style the next style for the last line. This works for manual entry and can be applied to an entire block of placed text in a single operation by selecting the text, then right-clicking the name of the first style to be applied and choose Apply <stylename>, Then Next Style.This ONLY works if you have exactly the same number of paragraphs in each listing.
The other option is to use forced line breaks instread of paragraphs and use one style for the entire listing. Set a left indent and negative first line indent, create a character style for the part of the first line that you want to appear in your header and apply it Up To ^t^n (that's a little-known trick -- if you enter more than one character in the trigger for a nested style it will activate on the first instance of any of the characters listed that occurs, so for example if you enter the word cat, your style will end on the first, c, a or t that appears inthe paragraph. ^t is the metacharacter for tab, and ^n is for forced line break) so that the style will end at either the tab, if present, or the forced line break if there is no tab (if you use a right-indent tab instead of a regualr right aligned tab [tricky to do a leader, but that's another discussion] substitute ^y for the ^t), then add a nested Line Style for one line. That line style should use a second character style that is based on the first character style you created for the name text and has no other attributes if you want the line to be the same from end to end. Sounds more complex than it is, and will work for listings with variable lenghths. The trick is to repalce your paragraph returns with forced line breaks, and will require a little thinking.
If using separate paragraph styles for each line, you'd use the same technique of a nested style up to a tab for the first line, but there is no need to get fancier since it will apply to the whole line if there is no tab. The paragraph style, in this case, would carry all of the bold and size formatting (and no need for any indents), and the character style would be nothing more than a name that will allow you to use it in the variable.

TOC for ePub Paragraph style editing

I'm trying to figure out if InDesign can allow us to editor the dynamic table of contents. What we have is basically this:
Chapter number (unique paragraph style)
Chapter title (unique paragraph style)
First paragraph (unique paragraph style)
We want the ToC that gets pulled up in a eBook reader to show this:
Chapter 1: Chapter Title
Chapter 2: Chapter Title
Right now, InDesign seems to only export each as a specifc paragraph style, without setting them on the same line side by side. We get stuck with:
Chapter 1
Chapter Title
Chapter 2
Chapter Title
Does anyone know of a way to export the ePub so it's what we want rather than this hirarchically broken way?

This TOC issue has bugged me for years.
I have been able to come up with certain workarounds, but only when my physical (print) TOC just happens to be set up exactly as I would like it displayed in the ePub (this is not always the case).
It would be wonderful if there was a way for us to better control how the TOC info is output when exporting to ePub.
For now, the fastest and easiest way to deal with this issue (for me anyway), is to manually update it in the ePub file after export.
Cheers,
Ron

Problem applying Paragraph styles in CS4 InDesign

I boughtCS4 InDesign for Windows perhaps six months ago, and it worked fine with Windows XP. I have recently installed Windows 7 and find that the paragraph styles won't always work. Of ten when I try to use the shortcut for paragraph style the paragraph in question turns pink with small squares in it. If I undo the application of paragraph styles it goes back to text. I am using Times New Roman as the major font. However, I have tried other fonts and they won't work in paragraph style either.
I tried changing several pages of the manuscript to Times New Roman Special G1, but it won't do the commas, quotes, etc. (special characters).
Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do to fix this mess?
Thanks for any help.
Earl Davis

Well, here's the situation now. But before describing it, let me thank Peter
Spier and Bob Levine who have endeavored to help me. Now, here's where we
are:
I copied a document over from Pagemaker into InDesign using Times New Roman
font. (I did the same for two other book manuscripts this past summer,
shortly after purchasing InDesign and had no problem). Suddenly a couple
weeks ago I found that the shortcut I set for the paragraph styles did not
format the paragraphs, etc., but rather turned the paragraph in which I
placed the cursor into a series of pink squares highlighted in pink. I have
tried the suggestions you fellows have given, such as copying the fonts
presently in the Windows Font Directory into the Adobe/InDesign/Fonts
directory, and then right-clicking on them and installing them. By the way,
the InDesign font directory only had the Times New Roman and Times New Roman
Special 1 and Renaissance font in it, until I copied all my fonts there and
installed them. Another oddity, I make the first letter of the first
paragraph of each chapter a decorative Renaissance font, spanning two lines.
I now find that when I do that, I may get a black square, which may turn
into the correct font after I adjust the size to two lines.
But on the general problem, I have tried changing the font in the
paragraph styles to Amerigo BT, and I sometimes get the shortcut to work,
and sometimes it still turns it into Times New Roman Special or black
squares. Also, I have opened a new file and put another copy of the text in
it, setting up the paragraph styles, etc. and still have the same problem.
So I'm at a loss what to do. I do think it's possible I am doing
something wrong with fonts or setting up the paragraph styles, but I don't
see any errors there. All my computer fonts show up in the fonts panel of
the document. Any more ideas?

(new to scripting) Only allow certain paragraph styles to break to next column/page

Hi all,
As stated, I'm very new to scripting. I've done a few small scripts to automate Photoshop tasks and such. I'm in the process of trying to learn Javascript as much as possible, with the hope of bringing about more efficiency for our small production department. It's a daunting task, but I'm trying my darnedest.
One of the number one goals I have is the find a way to automate pagination of weekly transaction records. These records run between 32 to 48 pages normally, with each page having 5 columns. Creation of these pages is very systematic, so it would seem that this process should be able to be automated, but there are some challenges I'm having a hard time thinking about how to attack.
One of the key tasks needing to be figured out is getting the records to go in with headings and subheadings always starting at the top of a page/column. Just about all the copy comes in with predetermined paragraph styles, so a script should easily be able to search for instances of each style. What needs to eb accomplished is only allowing the flow of copy to break on certain styles and not others ... (counties, towns, etc.)
For example: if you have the following ...
Countyland <styled "county">
Utopiatown <styled "town">
46 Appletree Lane ...... $500,000 <styled "listing">
Sold by: Some Guy   <styled "listing">
Bought by: Other Guy <styled "listing">
Mortgage: This Bank <styled "listing">
Date: 12/14/11 <styled "listing">
Dystopia Village <styled "town">
47 Orangeplant Road ...... $400,000 <styled "listing">
Sold by: Some Guy   <styled "listing">
Bought by: Other Guy <styled "listing">
Mortgage: This Bank <styled "listing">
Date: 12/14/11 <styled "listing">
If the two records above were to fall near the end of a column, the break to the next column should NOT occur anywhere except:
- Before the county (causing the county to start at the top of the next column
- Before the second town (Dystopia Village, forcing that town to the top of the next column)
- After both (forcing whatever town/county is next to goto the top of the next column)
So basically, I need to find a way PREVENT column breaks where they should not occur. Inserting column breaks is one thing (I know how to do that). Prevention is the issue though that confounds me.
Does anyone have any thoughts of how to achieve such a thing? I know there are "non-breaking space" characters ... is there, or could there be, some kind of a "non-breaking return" character? Or would it be more feasible to test for the paragraph style at the bottoms of columns and insert column breaks in once it finds an appropriate match?
Am I going about this all wrong?
Again, any help or suggestions are more than welcome.
Thanks much.
~Nate
FYI .. using InDesign cs5.5

I am now wondering about a possible solution. It would be one hell of a challenge for me to figure out how to code it, but I at least need to figure out the theory first, then I'll try to figure out how to code it.
Again, the issue at hand is preventing column breaks for the "listing" style in the following example. Please note, the number of "listing" lines varies. If the following two entries (in a long list of similar entries) were to be near the end of a column, I'm trying to cause the flow of text to break only before a county style, or a town style (if it's not the first town in the county). Basically, no breaks in the middle of listings.
Countyland <styled "county">
Utopiatown <styled "town">
46 Appletree Lane ...... $500,000 <styled "listing">
Sold by: Some Guy   <styled "listing">
Bought by: Other Guy <styled "listing">
Mortgage: This Bank <styled "listing">
Date: 12/14/11 <styled "listing">
Dystopia Village <styled "town">
47 Orangeplant Road ...... $400,000 <styled "listing">
Sold by: Some Guy   <styled "listing">
Bought by: Other Guy <styled "listing">
Mortgage: This Bank <styled "listing">
Date: 12/14/11 <styled "listing">
Naomi previously suggested messing with the "keep options" in the styles. This will solve the issue of preventing breaks before listing details start. But it won't help in keeping listing details from breaking, since the number of lines can vary.
I'm now thinking ... might it be possible to have a script search all copy, looking for the last line of listings, and then apply a second listing style with a different keep option setting? The "normal listing" style would "keep next 1 line". The "last listing" style would not, therefore, allowing a break.
Here's a map of what I'm thinking: (bear with me on the terrible syntax, this is just for illustrative purposes)
listingNormal has keep with next 1 line applied
listingBreak does not keep with next line
if currentLineStyle == listingNormal
AND
style of next line != listingNormal {
currentLineStyle = listingBreak
Does this make sense? If so, does this sound feasible?
Thanks any and all.
~Nate

[JS] [CS3] Finding the longest instance of a paragraph style

I'm pretty new to JS but I'm trying to write a script that will return the longest instance of each paragraph style in a manuscript (which has been imported into InDesign). Currently, my script lists all the paragraph styles found in the document and puts them in a new document. My next thought was to loop through the style names array and find the longest instance.
Could anyone point me in the right direction on how to do this?
Any help is much appreciated. I'm learning a lot reading this forum.

Your question is slightly ambiguous. Do you mean you are looking for the longest instance of a paragraph in that paragraph style? That's the most likely meaning. Or are you looking for the longest run of text in that style? Because that's what you'll find if you're not careful in your script.
The essence of the script would be:
1. Setup a FindText for the paragraph style in question (or each style if you're looping through them all).
setupFindText(); // use function to setup the find -- search this forum on setupFindText to find it
app.findTextPreferences.appliedParagraphStyle = myStyle; // where myStyle is the style in question
2. Issue the find getting all the references into a variable.
var myFinds = app.documents[0].findText();
3. Loop through all the finds to locate the longest paragraph.
var longestLength = 0;
var longestPara = null;
for (var j = myFinds.length - 1; j >= 0; j--) {
     myParas = myFinds[j].paragraphs;
     for (var k = myParas.length - 1; k >= 0; k--) {
          myPara = myParas[k];
          if (myPara.length > longestLength) {
               longestLength = myPara.length;
               longestPara = myPara;
4. Make sure that longestPara is not null (no instances found); If not, then longestPara is a reference to the longest instance
Dave

[CS3 AS] set paragraph style, go to next paragraph, set paragraph style, etc.

hello,
i'm pretty much a noob at scripting. i'd like to automate applying paragraph styles to a document with reviews.
basically, i want to place the cursor in a paragraph (manually), and have a script do the following: set paragraph style 5, go to the next paragraph, set paragraph style 1, go to the next paragraph, set paragraph style 2, go to the next paragraph, set paragraph style 3.
help?
(i specified AS as i think i might understand it, but JS probably works as well)

Assuming you set the relationship of one style to the next using the 'Next Style' definition in the paragraph styles, then the following should do the trick (assuming you have your cursor in the first paragraph).
> // Follows next paragraph style setting until Same Style or No Paragraph Style
>// Get the current pagaraph based on user cursor location
var myCurrentParagraph = app.documents[0].selection[0].paragraphs[0];
do
] // Currently applied paragraph style
var myCurrentParagraphStyle = myCurrentParagraph.appliedParagraphStyle;
] // Next Style for current paragraph style
var myNextParagraphStyle = myCurrentParagraph.appliedParagraphStyle.nextStyle;
] // Check current style and next style are not the same or No Paragraph Style
if (myCurrentParagraphStyle == myNextParagraphStyle
|| myNextParagraphStyle == app.documents[0].paragraphStyles.item("[No Paragraph Style]") ) {
]] exit(); }
] // Get next paragraph in chain
var myNextParagraph = myCurrentParagraph.insertionPoints[-1].paragraphs[0];
] // If we are end of story then stop
if (myNextParagraph == myCurrentParagraph) { exit(); }
] // Apply next style to next paragraph
myNextParagraph.appliedParagraphStyle = myNextParagraphStyle;
] // Restart the process
myCurrentParagraph = myNextParagraph;
>while (true)
Note that the process will end when the Next Style setting of one paragraphs is Same Style or when the Next Style is No Paragraph Style. There would be other ways to end the process, such as limiting it to a certain number of steps if the number of steps was always the same. Let me know.

IBooks Author table of contents does recognize paragraph styles

The video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2p08-NmqfQ
shows that using iBooks Author I should be able to have text that is formatted with specific Paragraph Styles show automatically in the Table of Contents. But for me that does not work. My version of ibooksAuthor is version 2.1.1 ( the latest) , under OS 10.9.1 (the latest) on an iMac.
The video shows the Inspector for TOC as a separate window and shows explicitly, under Sections, the items Copyright, Dedication, Foreword, Section and Section Text. It also has two Paragraph styles listed, Heading 1 and Heading 2.
This set of TOC entries is available for me with templates from Landscape with Portrait but NOT with templates of Portrait. The templates available for Portrait do not list, in the TOC Inspector, Heading 1 or Heading 2.
Furthermore, the Portrait templates do NOT allow me to add any Paragraph style to the list (the control for adding Paragraph Styles to the list is grayed out), although the Landscape templates DO allow me to add any Paragraph style.
However, when, with a Landscape template (e.g. Basic) I format text as one of the paragraph styles Header 1, Header 2, Chapter, Section, it does NOT automatically show up in the TOC, though if I add a new section it does automatically show up. The TOC only lists Chapter and Section if these have been added from the menu bar.
When I use a Portrait template (e.g. Basic or any other) and format text as one of the Paragraph Styles Chapter or Section that text does not show up in the TOC. And the control for adding Paragraph Styles to the list is grayed out: I cannot add Header 1 or Header 2. The TOC only lists Chapter and Section if these have been added from the menu bar.
No matter what template I use, if I assign a paragraph style to some text, it does not show up in the TOC. And with Portrait templates, which is what I want to use, I cannot adde any paragraph styles to the TOC Inspector in Portrait templates.

The iBA Help has info on: table of contents
Which includes:
Each book comes with a table of contents that is updated automatically. You can view the table of contents at any time by selecting Table of Contents in the sidebar. The table of contents includes a default set of items, but you can change which items appear. A table of contents can include:
Chapter and section titles: All chapter and section titles are included in the table of contents by default. If you remove a section from the table of contents, all other sections that use the same layout are removed as well.
Text that uses specified paragraph styles: By default, the table of contents includes all paragraphs in the book that use the Heading 1 and Heading 2 style, but you can include whichever styles you like. Paragraph styles appear in the table of contents only in portrait orientation. See Format text using styles.
The way the table of contents looks depends on the current page orientation. In landscape orientation (shown below), each chapter has its own contents page, with navigation buttons at the bottom. In portrait orientation, the entire book’s table of contents is visible as an expandable list.
Add or remove items in the table of contents
If the Document inspector isn’t open, click Inspector in the toolbar and click the Document Inspector button.
Click the TOC button.
Do either or both of the following:
To add an item: Click the Add pop-up menu , choose Add Paragraph Style, and choose an option from the submenu.
To remove an item: Select the item you want to remove and click the Delete button .

Paragraph Styles not working correctly

Imported a Word Doc. Modified the font type and size. Also modified the indent for each paragraph style (this is a large outline document). Everything changed on screen and in the document. Saved the "Redefine from Selection". The changes however are not saved in paragraph styles. Only the first style changed all parameters. The remaining 6 all retain their original font, size and indent from the original document. Does the list style control this? What am I missing?

Yes and no difference. Turned on all hidden markers. Does not change a thing. Actually changes entire paragraph to style 2 instead of the defined style 4. Both are incorrect as they do not retain what I changed everything to.

Changing Paragraph Style Export Tagging Options

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get the "Split Document (EPUB only)" box checked for certain styles. I was hoping an experienced scripter may be able to help me solve what I'm sure is an easy fix.
My code snippet is below:
var doc = app.activeDocument;
var par_styles = doc.paragraphStyles.everyItem().getElements();
for (var i = 0; i < par_styles.length; i++) {
     par_styles[i].styleExportTagMap.splitDocument = true;
In this example, I'd like to get the Split Document checkbox checked for every paragraph style in my document. However, apparently the paragraph style doesn't support the "styleExportTagMap" class, which is the only place I've found that the "splitDocument" property lives.
I assume my ignorance arises from not knowing exactly what the styleExportTagMap(s) class does.
Could anyone point me in the right direction?

Seems like a hack, but it works.
var
    doc = app.activeDocument,
    par_styles = doc.allParagraphStyles,
    i = 0;
for ( i ; i < par_styles.length; i++ ) {
    par_styles [ i ].styleExportTagMaps.add ( "", "", "", "" ).splitDocument = true;
Hope that helps.
Marijan (tomaxxi)
http://tomaxxi.com

Script to list paragraph styles

Does anyone know of a script that will list all the settings for the paragraph styles in an InDesign file?

See here: http://jsid.blogspot.com/2005/10/text-styles-reporter.html
Peter

Trouble with CS5 InDesign Paragraph Styles

I am creating a new template. I want one style to be "TOC Title", and another to be "TOC Level 1". All my concerns center around the Paragraph Style Options window (Type > Paragraph Styles > Create New Style >(double-click style to modify) )
1. No matter what I do, if I stipulate that "TOC Level 1" has leading (Tabs option, enter a "." or period in the Leader box), then InDesign does this for ALL my paragraph styles.
For the record, under the General option, my "Based On" box is set to "[No Paragraph Style]" for both paragraph styles.
So either I have to live with the TOC title having leading on it, or the TOC Level 1 having none, and in either case having to do something manually to the TOC everytime I use the template.
How can I fix this so that TOC Title has no Leader and TOC Level 1 has a Leader of "." ?
2. How can I set my TOC Title paragraph style so that it centers on the page?
Edit: Two days later and no reply - I would have gladly supplied more information if I did not make the issue clear enough, and I would have even appreciated a simple "Sorry, I don't know." Since it is highly improbable that nobody out there knows ANYTHING about Paragraph Style tabs in Adobe CS5 InDesign, I must conclude that my issue is simply not "in" enough to be considered worthy of attention from the unnamed scores of elitists which must run this forum.

I think the only way I'm going to be able to understand the problem is to see a sample file. Please make a sample, even if it has nothing more than your style definitions that are failing, and post a link to it here.

Create TOC javascript using paragraph style

Hi,
i want to create javascript for TOC in new indesign document or book. but i want to use input style for paragraph styleHi,

"It didn't work for me" doesn't work for me. Always, always, always, state why it doesn't work for you.
Did you try to use it, but could not get it to work?
Or, do you need to do something special that the built-in function does not do?
It should not be extremely hard to make a javascript version that does (roughly) the same. You could try something like this:
For every paragraph style you want to include (most likely all sorts of headings),
Search for all occurrences, and store the text, its page number, and (important!) its story offset in an array.
You need the text because that's what will appear in the TOC.
You need the page number because, well, that's what the TOC is for :-)
Most important: you need the story offset so you can reconstitute the original order of the headings. You can only search for one level of heading at a time, so without sorting, you would get "Heading 1 -- Heading 1 -- Heading 1 -- Heading 2 -- Heading 2 -- Heading 2" (etc.)
When you have gathered all of the information for your entire book, sort on story offset. (I forgot, it's for a Book, right? You need to store a document id as well, so you can sort throughout multiple documents.) (See Ed.)
Then write out every text in the right order, followed by its page number.
The IndexMatic script that Marc points out should already contains lots of the logic described here -- esp. searching and storing page numbers.
[Ed.] Thinking about it, a Book (multiple documents) should *not* cause any problems, and you don't need to know in which document some text was found. Simply sort the paragraphs on their page number; only when these are the same for more than one paragraph, sort just these on their Story Offset. Logically, there should not be two headers with the same page number in two different documents.

Two more options in the paragraph styles panel

I would like two options in the paragraph styles panel.
1.
The posibility to set the 'Sort by name' option as a default or persistent
2.
The ability to label the styles with colors

Let me second the motion for a persistent "Sort by name" option for the Paragraph Styles panel.
In addition, somebody at Abobe "improved" the Paragraph style "Basic Character Formats" menu for CS6 by sabotaging the natural progression of tabbing directly from setting the *Font Size* to setting the *Leading* amount. Why would anyone at Adobe think that going from *font size* to *kerning* is an improvement for design professionals?

Suppress highlighting for parent paragraph style

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for