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• • December 1, 2011 at 2:42 pm #61201
    Edsis

    Participant

    Hello everybody,

    I have a very odd problem with book documents. The manual gives me no clue or I misread it completeley.

    I recently created three “books*” and they are all having the same problem. They are very unstable in general and more specific:
    – when adding new chapters,
    – replacing a chapter,
    – switching chapters,
    – or changing the page numbers. I suspect this is the core of the problem.
    Sometimes it just won't work for no obvious reason and sometimes it suddenly does work without a problem.

    The same files work sometimes well on one computer and then don't on another. It could have something to do with the pagenumbering settings. But I made sure they are all on automatic! (I don't work with sectionnumbering)
    So maybe it has something to do with the settings of each personal user, but I can't find which one.

    We “solve” this problem by giving the difficult files (one out of three) hard page numbers. The book stops at, say, page 74, and then starts again counting with one, two, three… I switch automatic numbering off and give the next chapter (forced) the number 75. And presto! The book works again… for a few chapters…

    We all work with Indesign CS 4 on Windows XP service pack 3 with the same specs.

    Is the OS we are using? Or our RAM? Or book documents in general?

    I would be very gratefull for any advice, since it has taken many productive hours (and lots of worry)

    *First book: 20 files with 520 pages in total, second book 250 pages, 76 files.

    Edsis

    PS: The book-project which I am currently working on has 147 chapters and about 500 pages. And yes, there is an unforgiving deadline!

    

    

  • December 2, 2011 at 8:45 am #61205
    Edsis

    Participant

    New idea: could it be a corrupted preference file? In my Apple/Quark Xpress days (about two years ago), we solved all problems by refreshing our preference files. Does something similar exist in the Indesign/PC environment?

  • December 2, 2011 at 8:45 am #61206
    Edsis

    Participant
  • December 2, 2011 at 9:38 am #61207
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    See https://help.adobe.com/en_US/in…..6d21a.html on how to reset your preferences.

    Somehow it seems related to your documents, but you could try if it solves anything.

    Barring that: well, I could write a Javascript that forcefully updates all page numbers in a book, but it seems a rather awkward thing to do by brute force if InDesign ought to do so all by itself. I haven't had this issue for a couple of .. years, perhaps? And usually, some manually fiddling got rid of the problem (i.e., manually switching Start Page Numbering At onf, save, re-open, toggle all “Automatic Book Numbering” options etc.).

  • December 2, 2011 at 11:06 am #61211
    David Goodrich

    Participant

    Yesterday E. Diane King solved a page-numbering problem over on Adobe's ID forum, a matter of changing a setting in ID's
    General preferences (changing page numbering from Abosolute Numbering to Section Numbering). This could explain why files work okay on one computer and not on another — and if so I won't feel so stupid about my useless message there.

    David

  • December 2, 2011 at 3:30 pm #61213
    Edsis

    Participant

    David W. Goodrich said:Yesterday E. Diane King solved a page-numbering problem over on Adobe's ID forum, a matter of changing a setting in ID's
    General preferences (changing page numbering from Abosolute Numbering to Section Numbering). This could explain why files work okay on one computer and not on another — and if so I won't feel so stupid about my useless message there.

    David

    This could be the case, I will try this when I'm behind my computer again. (written on my Ipad)

    If it is, I will wonder exactly the same as the saved person in the adobe post: when and why did I (or my collegeas) change these settings…

    Thanx anyhow!

  • December 7, 2011 at 4:07 am #61235
    Edsis

    Participant

    Jongware said:

    See https://help.adobe.com/en_US/in…..6d21a.html on how to reset your preferences.

    Somehow it seems related to your documents, but you could try if it solves anything.

    Barring that: well, I could write a Javascript that forcefully updates all page numbers in a book, but it seems a rather awkward thing to do by brute force if InDesign ought to do so all by itself. I haven't had this issue for a couple of .. years, perhaps? And usually, some manually fiddling got rid of the problem (i.e., manually switching Start Page Numbering At onf, save, re-open, toggle all “Automatic Book Numbering” options etc.).

    ---

    Hello Jongware,

    Deleting the preferences with startup helps a little, so it must be something in that area. Deleting the SavedData in the Cache didn't do a thing. My General preferences were allright.

    It always Impressing to see you juggle with Javascript codes on the forum:) I certainley want to do more with them. Since I used Peter Kahrels GREP Qwery manager I see the full possibilities.

    The strange thing is now: the documents are numbered correctly in the process of forming the book document, I can see that happen, but when the book document tries to complete itself, it chrashes. So a forced automatic page numbering may not even be enough.

    Somehow I have the feeling that it is time for something more than Windows XP sp3.

    Greetings and thanx,

    Edsis

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