Vertical text inside a text box

ayumi_m  wrote …Is there a way to do this? It use to be as simple as drawing a text box and set text to vertical. …

Hi ayumi_m ,

you could try a script that is rotating any character to 90° and then rotate the text frame.

Such a script has to use one of the two Japanese Paragraph Composers that can be applied in all versions of InDesign.

Here the ExtendScript ( JavaScript ) script code that will work if you selected some characters:

/*
    Rotate selected characters.
    WARNING: Japanese Single Line Paragraph Composer applied
   
    Select some characters before running the script.
   
*/
var rotationValue = 90 ;
var newTextProperties =
{
    characterRotation : rotationValue ,
    composer : "$ID/HL Single J"
};
app.selection[0].properties = newTextProperties ;

A screenshot where you can see three steps for faked Japanese text in my German InDesign CC 2019:

1. Before running the script on the selected text of frame one.

2. After running the script on the selected text. All characters are rotated.

3. After rotating the text frame. Story Editor is showing the unrotated text.

Don't know any Japanese, but I guess some glyphs are a problem like the comma and the full stop at the end of the text.

How to save code, install script files and run ExtendScript script files in InDesign:

Indiscripts :: Indiscripts for Dummies

Regards,
Uwe

Hi ayumi_m:

I used to be able to set vertical text inside a text box in InDesign however the 2018 version only allows me to do that by tying on a line.

Photoshop and Illustrator both have a Vertical Type tool—so maybe that's what you are remembering. And Photoshop has the Toggle Text Orientation in the Options Bar.

InDesign does not have this feature, but this article might be helpful: https://indesignsecrets.com/setting-vertical-text-in-indesign.php

~Barb

InDesign has no vertical text feature in the non-CJK versions.

You could (1) create vertical text in Illustrator which supports a vertical text tool in non-CJK versions, save the text as an AI file and place into InDesign;

Or (2) install a Japanese version of InDesign on a different InDesign version, and set the type there. You can have InDesign CC 2018 and CC 2019, for example, installed concurrently. One can be set up for one language, the other for another language.