Known Participant

Question

Default text box ignoring [basic paragraph] style.

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
December 12, 2023
4 replies
2084 views

I don't even know how to describe this in a way that makes sense.

Surely this is some random setting that I somehow engaged with an errant keystroke... because it's so basic to the function of inDesign it can't possibly be a bug... can it? (2024, 19.0.1 x64 btw)

Today, while building a bunch of worksheets for a client... everything was going along fine.

Then, all of a sudden, I can't see text in a new text box... I'm typing, and the cursor is moving, but there are no words. I check the styles, MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE I'M THINKING I MUST BE LOSING MY MIND...

All styles are as they should be... text SHOULD BE black... but, now, somehow, text is "paper" and no amount of setting a paragraph style will change it. Font sizes didn't change to selected paragraph style, nor did colour, weight, or attributes.

Basically, it's just ignoring me entirely. So of course I reboot, because surely it's just me and I've run out of ram or something...

but nope.

every new text box results in the same thing. I can copy/paste a text box that has correct text from BEFORE this started happening, and it works as it should. But click the T and create a new box, and NOTHIN...

I'll be mighty grateful if anyone can shed light on this one! I fully expect to be schooled in some dumb thing I did without realizing it... I've only been using inDesign since 2013, and I know I don't know all of it. I know what I use.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Did you check to make sure that a character style isn't on at default causing the paper-colored text?

Paragraph styles begin life by being a duplicate of Basic Paragraph Style, but once made, I recommend you set the Based On to No Paragraph Style. for most Paragraph Styles you make. This gives better stability and predictability for me.

Mike Witherell

L

Laubender

Community Expert

Hi @sedesign ,

did you check the Object Styles panel?

Maybe you do have a custom object style defined as the default one?

One that defines all text through an applied paragraph style with fill color "None"?

Or:

In the moment you type text a character style is enabled that sets all text with fill color [Paper] or [None], or does a combination of formatting, e.g. setting the text width to 1% and point size to 0.1 Pt or/and fill color to Paper] or [None].

Select the text frame and invoke the Story Editor window with keyboard shortcut CMD + Y or CTRL + Y (Windows) to see if the typed text is there. And check for overset text as well!

Then select the text in the Story Editor window and check its formatting in the Character panel, the Character Styles panel and the Paragraph Styles panel. And also check the applied object style to the text frame with the Object Styles panel.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

sedesignAuthor

Known Participant

hmmm... no i did not check object styles... I have not used them in these docs so it didn't occur to me to check there.

i will do and report back. Thank you for those insights.

as to your OR scenario, it's the former... as soon as I create a text box and type i can see the cursor move but the text is instantly set to "paper" color... but no style shows as selected, and selecting a style does not make any difference... nothing changes. (i've tried both selecting the text and applying a style, and selecting the box and applying the style, neither has any impact).

My first thought was that it was overset and that maybe i hadn't made the box big enough for the style that was selected - that happens sometimes... but we're talking about 2 words, and the box was more than big enough to accommodate them at even 3x the size...

Peter Spier

Community Expert

What version of InDesign and OS?

This sounds like a previously reported bug where the text appears blank. Do you see it in Story Editor?

Peter Spier

Community Expert

perhaps this https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/text-disappears-when-typing-in-text-box/td-p/12121152

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

All settings, also type and paragraph styles remain so how you set them, when no tool is selected in the current document.
The same is with new documents when you set it up, when no document is open.
I recommend not to use default style. Set up your own styles.
Fonts can also be influenced with objec styles. Create object styles for your need.
Never work withot styles, never use manual style overriding. Use styles!
With typing t you create no text frame, you change to the type tool.

sedesignAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks. As I noted, I wasn't sure how to explain... isn't [Basic Paragraph] the "default style" for every text box. Yes, I set that paragraph style the way I wanted it. I've made 100s of documents. I have never experienced this before. I always create custom styles... but one has to start somewhere!

normally, when not working in a manuscript where it's flowed text, when one creates a new text box, the text in it is [Basic Paragraph] style by default, is it not? And if one hasn't yet created any styles, that [Basic Paragraph] style is black, and whatever your default font is... one day I'll bother figuring out how to change that, too... Minion? ugh.

I think it's something funky with these particular documents I'm working on... maybe it has something to do with using input text fields?? Anyway, I appreciate your fast response. I've been banging my head against my keyboard for far too long this evening.

I just opened a fresh new document, and the text boxes work just fine.... so it's gotta be something I've done with these fillable form docs.

sigh.

thanks anyway!

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

[Basic Paragraph] is the default style in the application. Text frames have per default no default style except if you define one style in the used object style, and it becomes only the default style, if the text frame is not linked.

I recommend not to use the Basic Style as it causes a lot of problems, but this is another topic.

Make your own style as basic for your documents. Start with your own basic style. I create a basic style with the p and all other styles are children and other descentent of this one style.

No, creating a new text frame has normally no link to any style.

Create your own style system. Make all style depending on one root style. Keep the names short as I do with p, h, h1, h2, etc. so they will find room in all dialog fields which are often to small and to short.

When you have defined a paragraph style system you can import it into InDesign, in the paragraph or character style panel menus when no document is open (the same with colors and object and table and cell styles). Then, every new document starts with the same styles from the scratch. If you want to make global changes, you can do it in the root style. E.g. if you want to set up the language differently, you need only to change the root style.

Make the name of styles depending on their function, not on their appearance and use always the very same names, so it is easier to exchange content between document.

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