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• • April 5, 2010 at 12:17 am #55409
    meanwhile

    Member

    BIG PROBLEMS THREE DAYS BEFORE SENDING TO PRESS. PLEASE HELP!

    These are problems we have not had up until now. I am designing the cover of a 160 page art book, trying to make several simple manouvres and suddenly nothing is working. These are the problems I am encountering:

    1. Cutting and pasting text into a new text frame. The text not only does not show up but a new (different shaped) text box does with the red overlaid text sign bottom right. Even when I have only cut and pasted one word.

    2. Moving a text frame on top of an image the text disappears and yet I get an red overlaid text icon. The last time I tried this I dragged it back to the white space (its original place) and the text not only did not return, the frame got bigger and the overlaid text icon disappeared. This is a new problem.

    3. Filling a text frame with a colour the text disappears and yet I get a red overlaid text icon. Similarly cannot add colour fill to text frame without text disappearing.

    4. Placing text on top of a filled text frame or an image, the cursur is loaded with the text but it does not appear in the text frame. Instead red overlaid text icon.

    5. Creating a text frame on a filled frame or image. I place the type tool in it and cannot type. The text frame disappears. Then I click on the frame tool once more and a completely new shaped frame appears again with the overlaid text icon in bottom right. However if I create a text frame adjacent on the white space it is fine.

    I have tried new pages with no master page items but that does not work. The same document on the lap top has the same problems. I have tried a completely new document on my lap top and there things seems to work normally. I have tried working an old document on the big computer and there things are also normal. Can I import pages from one document into my old document before making the pdf?

    These are really simple things that normally take seconds. I sincerely hope that the problem is due to a setting that has gone awry and that you guys can help. Or perhaps this document is now corrupt in some way? It feels like it is disintegrating under my fingers and is pretty terrifying. We literally have three more days before we have to send it to press and we do not have a cover or the first page. Thank you so much!!

    Ruth

  • April 5, 2010 at 1:51 am #55410
    Anonymous

    Inactive

    I have tried new pages with no master page items but that does not work. The same document on the lap top has the same problems. I have tried a completely new document on my lap top and there things seems to work normally. I have tried working an old document on the big computer and there things are also normal. Can I import pages from one document into my old document before making the pdf?

    Are you saying that the same document behaves differently on different computers?

    Or perhaps this document is now corrupt in some way? It feels like it is disintegrating under my fingers and is pretty terrifying. We literally have three more days before we have to send it to press and we do not have a cover or the first page. Thank you so much!!

    If you think the file is corrupt you can use the File>Export and choose Adobe Interchange (.inx) and then open the ,inx file in InDesign (it opens as untitled). This usually clears out any problems.

    If you think the program is corrupt you can rebuild your preferences (just google rebuild preferences indesign)

    As for your issues, I think it's mostly to do with text wraps.

    1. Cutting and pasting text into a new text frame. The text not only does not show up but a new (different shaped) text box does with the red overlaid text sign bottom right. Even when I have only cut and pasted one word.

    It's likely that you have text wrap somewhere. For the new text frame go to Text Frame options (right click or cmd click the text frame and go to the options and then turn on the IGNORE TEXT WRAP)

    2. Moving a text frame on top of an image the text disappears and yet I get an red overlaid text icon. The last time I tried this I dragged it back to the white space (its original place) and the text not only did not return, the frame got bigger and the overlaid text icon disappeared. This is a new problem.

    This is probably the same issue as the first one. The image has a text wrap applied to it. On this text frame do the same as number 1 and turn on the IGNORE TEXT WRAP in the Text Frame Options.

    3. Filling a text frame with a colour the text disappears and yet I get a red overlaid text icon. Similarly cannot add colour fill to text frame without text disappearing.

    I don't understand why this would happen? Make your text frame slightly larger. A fill shouldn't affect the text, the only reason it would look like it's disappearing if the text is the same colour as the fill. The only other thing I can think of is that you're actually applying a stroke, which by default comes a little inside the text frame, and if the frame isn't big enough text can be pushed around and cause an overflow.

    Check your text for the Keep Options, select the text in the text frame and then press CTRL ALT K (CMD OPTION K on Mac) (I think that's the shortcut?) and then make sure that you're instructing your text to do weird things, like keep with the next 5 lines or something.

    Also check the text for NO BREAK commands. Again select the text and then go to the Character Panel and there is a sub menu accessible on the top right of the panel, here you will see an instruction for No Break and make sure that is in an off state.

    4. Placing text on top of a filled text frame or an image, the cursur is loaded with the text but it does not appear in the text frame. Instead red overlaid text icon.

    Not really sure why that is happening either? If you're placing text on top of a filled text frame or an image, ok you've used FILE>PLACE, you need to draw a text frame by clicking and dragging the cursor to make a frame big enough to include all the text, and once again this frame will have the IGNORE TEXT WRAP option in an off state, make sure you edit the Options of the text frame like in 1 above.

    5. Creating a text frame on a filled frame or image. I place the type tool in it and cannot type. The text frame disappears. Then I click on the frame tool once more and a completely new shaped frame appears again with the overlaid text icon in bottom right. However if I create a text frame adjacent on the white space it is fine.

    I think this is the same issue as no. 1 above.

  • April 5, 2010 at 5:57 am #55411
    meanwhile

    Member

    Dear Eugene!

    You are a saint. Ignore text wrap has solved all the problems as far as we can see! Thank you! Thank God for this forum and for all ye who are on it.

  • April 5, 2010 at 6:48 am #55412
    Anonymous

    Inactive

    Awesome – glad I could help.

  • April 5, 2010 at 6:56 am #55413
    meanwhile

    Member

    hi eugene, actually we are not quite there but with a few tries at each post it is much better. at least possible though not time economic. is there a way we can set ignore text wrap? it seems we keep having to check it over and over again. x

  • April 5, 2010 at 7:11 am #55414
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    It sounds like you have set Text Wrap to be on by default, for all new objects.

    If so, it's fixed real easy:

    1. Make sure you have nothing at all selected. Using the black arrow, click outside all objects (the control panel should go grey). You can also select “Deselect All” in the Edit menu.

    2. Call up your Text Wrap panel.

    3. I bet in the top row some other icon than the first one is selected. Select the leftmost (“No text wrap”) icon.

    4. It ought to be fixed now.

    This does not effect the objects you already created, but at least it ensures you don't add any new ones.

  • April 5, 2010 at 7:27 am #55415
    meanwhile

    Member

    Thank you Jongware. We have done this and I am sure it will help. However, even though no text wrap is now ticked in the box by default, if we crate a new text frame on top of an image and try to place text in it, the text still does not appear. We still get a new text frame with the overset text red button. Seem to have gone back to square one again, although thankfuilly we fixed a critical page due to all your help. Any other suggestings then on strange text frame behaviour very welcome.

  • April 5, 2010 at 8:01 am #55416
    meanwhile

    Member

    further update:

    have rebuilt preferences according to ann marie concepcions suggestions (for CS2 i could only find that, and there was no second command she speaks of to which i had to answer yes….) with no change.

    'no text wrap' works for a text frame that i am dragging from white space on to a colour filled page or on top of an image, so long as i do 'object/arrange/bring to front' afterwards. (surely i shouldn't have to do this as i have dragged it on top?)

    however, on a colour filled page or on top of an image (not on white space) often (not always, but on a critical page) the text tool does not draw out a text frame. if i select the text tool the arrow changes from the dotted square icon (indicating its intent to draw out a text frame) to nothing as it crosses into the coloured area. if i draw out a rectangular frame on the coloured area and try to add text to it by selecting text tool or double clicking inside the frame, the text starts at the top of page and not in the text frame as i want.

    any more suggestions?

  • April 5, 2010 at 8:27 am #55417
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    .. if i draw out a rectangular frame on the coloured area and try to add text to it by selecting text tool or double clicking inside the frame, the text starts at the top of page and not in the text frame as i want.

    That's a behaviour of the text tool. If you click into a previously drawn rectangle (even a single click), the text tool will convert it immediately into a text frame with, as you noticed, the cursor in the top left. I find I'm having no problems at all drawing a new frame over (“inside”) a rectangle by dragging over it.

    You will have less problems with this if you drag-and-draw new text frames outside all objects on your page, type in your text, then drag that frame to the required position.

    (Post-edit) .. since you mention “top of the page”, this suggests you have a rectangle or text frame all over your page — possibly even on your master page. Still, creating new frames outside any existing object ought to “solve” (well, “circumvent”) this.

  • April 5, 2010 at 2:09 pm #55423
    jools

    Member

    Some further loose ideas for when text boxes don't want to play nicely:

    1. Do you have snap to baseline set for your text but are trying to place text in an area where the baseline grid is not defined?

    2. If you have a text style with a particularly large font size and perhaps something like “keep with next x lines” (or even “start on a new page”) set this will sometimes refuse to show when the text frame isn't sufficiently large and you just see the overset marker.

    Should the latter for some reason be set as the default text style for a new text frame you will repeatedly come up against this problem. To reset the default text frame, make sure no frames are selected and then set the paragraph and object styles to what you want to have as default (or to no setting/basic style).

    To add to Jongware's note on whole page boxes that inadvertantly receive the text: try putting them on another layer and locking that layer.

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