You can use chapter numbers for the level-1 section numbers (or the chapter numbers). Then in the paragraph style(s) for the headings, set the chapter number as the first number.

Peter

That’s what InDesign does by default.

Peter

> but if they add in a new section later the old ones dont update

Put each section in a separate document, then add all documents to an InDesign book. Use the Chapter variable for the section numbers.

But the challenge is the first page number: InDesign can’t start numbering at 0, it has to be at least 1. You could start numbering at 1 and do the page number in a character style so that a script can later find it and replace the auto page number with a static value (minus 1). Though that’s a problem if you use cross-references.

Peter

Hi Matt,

Thank you for your kind words.

> What is the best way to do A? (I have DTP tools – is cross references pro the best tool for that?)

Yes, especially if you work with InDesign books, DTPtools’s cross-references are superior to InDesign’s. They work in a similar way, so if you’ve ever used InDesign’s cross-references, DTPtools’s xrefs will look familiar. Not only are DTPtools’s cross-refs quicker and more robust, they also let you do cross-references to footnote numbers, something that InDesign sorely lacks.

> What’s the benefit of cross refs vs. page hyperlinks?

In the PDF, page hyperlinks always show the whole page. With cross-refs you can target text anchors in InDesign, which means that in the PDF you can zoom in on the text where the cross-ref is.

> find endnote text that begins with a tab and a number (^\d+ in GREP).

Actually, the script (update now posted) looks for ^*\d+, i.e. including zero tabs.

Peter

(Posted in the wrong place.)
No, that space shouldn’t be there. Sorry.
P.

You can’t use variable-length lookbehinds — not with the classic (?<= ). But you don't need to check if what precedes the % is a number: a digit will do. So (?<=\d)% would serve your purpose. For interest’s sake, if you really wanted a variable-length lookbehind, use \K: \d+\K%.

Peter

> What is the best way for me to import a Word document into In Design without stripping the local formatting?

When you place a Word document (File > Place), tick the ‘Show import options’ checkbox. Then in the ‘Microsoft Word Import Options’ dialog, make sure that the radio button ‘Preserve styles and formatting in . . .’ is sected.

> And the how can I apply a paragraph style sheet in In Design without stripping away the local formatting?

1. Apply the paragraph style to one or more paragraphs.
2. Use Find/Change: set your find string and enter the paragraph style to be applied in the ‘Change format’ panel. DO NOT click ‘Change all’, that’ll remove all the local formatting. Click ‘Change’, then ‘Change/Find’.

Peter

Here you go:

try {
  app.documents[0].layers.item('Layer 1').name = 'art';

  app.documents[0].layers.add ({name: 'die line', layerColor: UIColors.RED}).move(LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING);

  app.documents[0].pages[0].rectangles.add (
    app.documents[0].layers.item('die line'), {
      name: 'die line', // More bonus points! (The box is easy to identify in the layers panel)
      geometricBounds: app.documents[0].pages[0].bounds, 
      strokeWeight: '1 pt',
      fillColor: 'die line'
    }
  );
} catch (e) {
  alert (e);
}

Now, what would all those bonus points give me. . .

Peter