Okay, I figured it out. I took off the dotted border that was around the entire table. Instead I put the dotted border on the outside of the first cell and on the outside of the second.

Here's what it looks like (dotted rule will be white though), and I still need to tweak the size of the dotted border for roundness.

BoydE–I actually prefer picas and points. :)

I sure hope all you geniuses can help me.

The following screenshot is of a table I created for a book I will be be doing. There are gonna be hundreds of them. It's a cookbook and the ingredients are all double-column in a shaded box. My problem is the dotted line in between the two columns. I need them to extend to the top and bottom edges of the shaded box. I figured out out a way to trick ID into making the corners rounded, but I can’t find a way to extend those dotted rules in between the columns to the top and bottom edges. I used ID's table feature to put in the column rule.

The designer just simply slapped a shaded box over it and drew in the white dotted line, but I know I can't do it that way. It would take forever to page it that way and would be a nightmare when there is reflow in 2nd pass.

Any ideas? If it’s something simple, I’m gonna kick myself in the butt…

And to reiterate–I have it set up as an in-line table.

Thanks in advance.

Here's the snapshot:

NOTE: The rule in question is the white one in the shaded box, not the dotted rule on the right. That dotted rule is on master pages and runs the entire height of the page and and is not relevant.

{rechecking something}

Okay. I have no problem doing what you want to do. I used Adobe Jenson Pro, but my numbers are a bit different than yours. I'll try to post my snapshots, but if they don't work my numbers were:

left indent: 0.2153 in

first line indent: -0.0425 in

tab stop: blank

Let's try these pics:

Seems to me that the tab position you had put in was the culprit.

{edit again: I always leave the tab position blank as it's not needed when using the – on the first line indent. ID can figure out tab all by itself}

I work on books where a lot of designers are on the copyright page. And I've read a lot of books where the designer is on the copyright page. I think it may depend upon the publisher. The big ones (i.e., S&S, Random House, HarperCollins, etc. usually have the designer listed).

What gets me sometimes is that when the designer does a lousy job and I've got to carry the ball, it's his/her name on the copyright, when it should be mine. I work for a typsetting company and I've gotten some stuff from designers that leave me shaking my head. I sometimes end up doing what they should have done but were too lazy to do. (I.e., a 500 manuscript book comes in and only 1/3rd of the thing was designed–I'm told by the designer to “make it look nice” or to “feel what I am doing.”

As an aside–those pages in the back about what font is used is usually done because of trying to get to even forms for print and to keep blanks at the end to a minimum.

No offense meant to designers. Most of them do a great job. But some out there give designers a bad name. And some don't deserve credit for anything.

{EDIT: The designer is not usually the one who has overall responsibily for the final presentation. Usually it's first pass and that's it. But I”m talking about book publishing and my experience with that.

And it does depend upon the book and what kind of book. Some designer do see it through to to the end, and some don't.

I suppose I have mixed feelings about designers because of the various jobs and the how the various designers do things}

Thanks for clarifying, Bob. I wasn't sure how that worked exactly. But the key thing (like you said) is don't change the size or locationof the box.

Furry–I've noticed that editing time glitch as well.

How are things in Australia? I was stationed at Woomera, South Australia during my Air Force days in mid-80s and I fell in love with Australia. Even though I was in the outback I loved my two years there.