How can I make such edits without the disrupting the entire document in InDesign?

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
January 6, 2023
2 replies
958 views

I am laying out a 600 page book with 2 columns, 17 structured chapters. When I add or replace an image in a chapter, the entire document structure following the edit is disrupted, and shifts the contents, such that the content structure needs to be significantly corrected. Some column text now spans 2 columns, some columns seem to have jumped out of order, some column ports are terminal (no longer flowing to the next column, etc.

How can I make such edits without the disrupting the entire document?

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T

Test Screen Name

Legend

Wisengwane, I do not understand your question at all. It seems to have no connection to Adobe (supermarket?). And anyway, we are not Adobe staff.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

You can't.

You can avoid situations when text drifts too much from the corresponding photos - if you anchor photos in the text - not place as InLine - but make them Anchored.

The extra breaks in the flow can happen if you force ParaStyle to start on next page / column - or when you insert in the text *break symbol - column, page, etc.

And if you have same text flowing through different TextFrames - with a different number of columns - you are toasted 😞 then you need to split your long Story into shorter / independent parts - and start those parts on a new page - then you'll just have to add blank pages at the end of a Story if needed.

Then you can also to split your 600 pages single doc - into 17 separate INDD files - Chapters - and use Book feature.

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

That's it. Once you create a long choo-choo train of elements that won't flow well from one point to another, every change will cause changes downstream. (To horribly mix metaphors, but never mind that.)

Other than using very meticulous styling and layout so that nothing (much) can flow into a bad location, the only option is what Robert suggested. Either break your contents into multiple Articles, so that each is placed and flowed only in their own, manageable set of text frames, or break them into separate INDD files and use the Book feature to integrate them into one document. Both approaches have some quirks and limitations, especially if you plan to do more than a completely visual, print production.

And all that said, very clean, organized style formatting will help keep the layout organized when it reflows. Things like paragraphs suddenly flowing across columns suggests that you're not using the most optimal style settings.

R

rschlegelAuthor

Inspiring

I am guilty of using the Insert Page Break to start a new chapter or a new section. And I havn't been anchoring my images in place.

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