Did you ever need to highlight a paragraph in InDesign? Should be simple, right? You’d think there would be an option to do this in the Control panel or Paragraph Style Options. You’d think that you could just select a paragraph, click a button, and be done with it. You’d be wrong. Of course there are workarounds, like using custom underlines or paragraph rules. Another way is to just draw a frame over the paragraph, fill it with a color set to the Multiply blend mode and anchor it. All the workarounds have their strengths and weaknesses.
One method that has a lot going for it is to place the paragraph in a table with just one cell. Here’s how:
1. Create a cell style with the fill color you want.
2. Create a table style that specifies your new cell style for use in body rows.
3. Select the paragraph text but not the paragraph return at the end and choose Table > Convert Text to Table. In the dialog box, choose your new table style and click OK.
Voila, the paragraph is highlighted.
You may have to do some tweaking of the Table Spacing in your table style to get the right amount of space above and below your paragraph. But once you have that figured out, you should be good to go. The cell, and thus the highlighting, will grow and shrink to fit the paragraph if you edit or reformat it. And it will move along with the paragraph if the text before it is changed. It will also export nicely to PDF, EPUB, HTML, etc.
You can also tweak the cell style to add some space around the text inside the highlighting via Cell Insets.
If you ever want to remove the highlighting, just put your cursor in the table and select Table > Convert Table to Text.
And if you ever want a real, dedicated InDesign feature for paragraph highlighting, ask Adobe.
This article was last modified on July 25, 2019
This article was first published on September 4, 2014
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
Leave a Reply
… Oups! I’ve forgotten to say: no problem with text running on several pages or columns. If the layout moves, automatical update!
A little mention to “Paragraph Border”: https://dtputils.com/products/view/1
… the best solution I’ve seen until now!
Maybe soon another way allowing ID features as graphic effects (shadows, …)!
Another way – inline objects. Take whatever is to be the highlighted paragraph and copy it into its own text box that matches the width of the appropriate column. Cut the text box (not the text itself, but the actual text box) and then using the text tool, place the cursor into the desired position and paste as an inline object. From here, go to the anchored object options and make sure it has “above line” with relevant offsets.
If the text box has the auto size feature with height only on, the text box will grow and shrink just as a table cell would if text was added or taken away. One difference is that this “callout” can now have features of an object style, such as rounded corners, drop shadows… SO LONG AS the anchored object options mentioned earlier are in the object style then there shouldn’t be any adverse effects.
As David points out though with the table trick, the same will apply here – it won’t break over columns, frames or pages.
I still just use a Character Style (which of course is just an underline that’s set to the height, offset, color and tint I want). That works pretty well especially if I want to add it as a nested style and also use different colors. Quick and easy!
Yes this seems to be the best option, as you dont have to muck around with tables and you can just build it into a character style for quick application.
I love this trick, but of course, the biggest downside is that the paragraph cannot break across two columns or two text frames or two pages. Sigh.
You can also vote for this “paragraph background color” feature here: https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/114445-adobe-indesign-wishlist/suggestions/1800505-paragraph-background-colour
There’s not much about Microsoft Word that I like, but the ability to shade or place a box around a text in Word is a marvelous feature. InDesign needs to to be able to do that at least as well as the Beast from Redmond.
Endnotes is another item on my wish list, including the ability to place them after chapters as well as at the end of a document. It’d be greater still if ID documents could have both footnotes and endnotes at the same time, with changing one to the other made easy. And on export, we should have the same convert to pop-up option.
The good news is that, over the years, Adobe has shortened my ID wish list considerably and when it does add a feature, it typically does it marvelous well. Hopefully those boxes and endnotes aren’t far off.
It’s amazing that 5 years since the last topic on this on and you still can’t do this smartly in InDesign https://creativepro.com/highlighting-an-entire-paragraph-with-color.php
There are a few scripts in the comments there too that make it even easier.
There’s plenty of options – I usually just put a frame behind the text and watch out for reflowing.
Keep in mind the purpose of Adobe moving to SAAS was to come out with new features on a regular basis. Well if you have been naive to actually believe that then you have bigger problems. Unfortunately Adobe’s new business model means less for more. They can reduce their staff of programmers once you have subscribed to their ecosystem and put the development on the back burner. There is no incentive to enhance the software because there is little to no competition and why deliver features to their users that they have been requesting for over five years. Software companies such as Serif (Affinity) are at least trying to create some competition and appear to be listening to their end users in terms of features. Competition is good, without it a company becomes complaisant and fails to deliver.
Yup, there just haven’t been enough people asking for it, I guess. Vote early and often.