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• • February 10, 2016 at 6:17 am #81731
    Tom Pardy

    Member

    I suspect this little problem is harder to describe than to deal with, though for the moment it has me beat.
    I produce a weekly newsletter which is mostly two-columns in 12-point text, except that it is broken into sections and each section has a singe-line section header in 15-point that runs across both columns. So far so good. All of that is done easily in InDesign.

    But the section-header paragraph style has paragraph rules both above and below and there is a vertical rule that runs down the middle of the page between the two columns. If my description has been adequate, then your mind’s eye will tell you the vertical rule runs across the section headers — which I don’t want, of course.

    Ideally, I could have a white (well, “paper”) rule behind the section-header style, blocking out the vertical rule between the two paragraph rules. Unfortunately, as I have already described, both the paragraph rule above and the paragraph rule below have already been used.

    Can one of you clever people come up with a solution for me? Taa muchly.

  • February 10, 2016 at 6:57 am #81732
    Dwayne Harris

    Member

    The only thing I can think of (though I don’t have time to try it at the time) is to use custom underline and custom strikethroughs for the rules above and below. You’d have to play around with the offsets. I’d guess you’d have to nest them in your headers. Then use the paragraph rules above and below with the “paper.” Or do vice versa and use the custom underline and strikethroughs as the “paper.”

    That just the first thing that popped into my head.

  • February 10, 2016 at 7:35 am #81733
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    I sometimes use a white frame, anchored in a heading paragraph, and placed precisely with an object style, so that it covers up part of a rule. I’m typically using this in a table, but I think it would work for what you’re doing. Of course, it has to be pasted in manually, and can’t be part of an object style.

    • February 10, 2016 at 3:35 pm #81815
      Dwayne Harris

      Member

      That’s what I usually do too, David.

  • February 10, 2016 at 4:24 pm #81817
    Kelly Vaughn

    Participant

    Maybe you can try using paragraph shading. Keith Gilbert wrote an article recently about using gradients in conjunction with paragraph shading in order to create a box round a paragraph. In your case, you can use the paragraph shading feature to cover up the vertical rule running in between the two columns.

    Here is Keith’s article: https://creativepro.com/add-rule-paragraph.php

  • February 10, 2016 at 7:19 pm #81824
    Tom Pardy

    Member

    Thanks, clever people. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.

    Sadly, because I am using CS6, paragraph shading is not available to me, Kelly. No point in my going to a subscription model when (because I am retired) my use of InDesign does not generate an income stream to pay the cost of the subscription.

    I think your suggestion of the anchored white frame is the way for me to go, David and Dwayne. It’s a pity it can’t be incorporated into the paragraph style. But if I copy and paste from an existing section heading and then change the wording, I can live with that. It doesn’t occur frequently enough to be irksome.

  • February 10, 2016 at 8:16 pm #81825
    Tom Pardy

    Member

    Hmmm…

    I think I need a little more help. I have anchored a white-filled frame in the right position to cover the vertical rule. The trouble is it also covers the text in the section heading. How can I get the anchored object to go behind the text in which it is anchored?

    There’s probably a simple solution but my ageing grey cells haven’t discovered it yet.

  • February 10, 2016 at 8:45 pm #81828
    Kelly Vaughn

    Participant

    There is no way to get anchored objects to go behind the text in which they are anchored. Sorry. Perhaps move the headline text into a one cells table and give it a white fill.

  • February 10, 2016 at 8:52 pm #81829
    Tom Pardy

    Member

    I was afraid of that. I will try the one-celled table though I am beginning to suspect I am getting into the territory of overkill.

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