place and link feedback

To the InDesign Product Team,

I am writing to provide feedback on the Place and Link (Content Collector) workflow. While the ability to sync text content across a document is invaluable, the current implementation of the "Parent-Child" relationship is overly restrictive and creates significant manual rework for designers.

The Problem: Currently, when a Parent object is updated, the Child object frequently reverts its font size, frame dimensions, and character treatment to match the Parent—even when "Preserve Local Overrides" is enabled. While "Style Mapping" exists as a workaround, it is an overly complex solution for a simple design need: keeping the words synced while keeping the design independent.

The Proposed Solution: I request a more intuitive "Link Options" toggle that allows a Child object to permanently lock its local formatting. Specifically:

• Content-Only Sync: A high-level checkbox that tells the Child to only accept string (text) updates, ignoring all Parent-side attributes like point size, leading, tracking, and color.

• Geometry Independence: An option to decouple the frame's scale and dimensions from the Parent permanently, without needing to dive into complex sub-menus.

• One-Click "Stay as I Am": A simplified "Link Options" dialog where "Preserve Local Overrides" actually functions as a master lock for all visual attributes, rather than being overridden by "Update Appearance" or "Update Styles" flags.

The "Place and Link" tool should function as a content-management bridge, not a formatting mirror. Designers need the flexibility to use the same text in a large headline (Parent) and a small sidebar (Child) without the software constantly fighting their layout decisions.

Thank you for your time and for continuing to improve the industry standard for layout design.

Best regards,