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A
AS Scripter
Inspiring
July 24, 2020
Answered

What are people using for custom running heads?

  • July 24, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 1070 views

Hi, I was wondering what people are using for custom running heads --  the kind not possible with the built-in tools. I figure I will have to use Applescript, but am curious as to how other people are doing it. Any thoughts, insights, or links to info, methodology, logic, programs, etc., is appreciated! 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer rob day

OK, thanks. I have a somewhat elaborate method to do it using a database and scripts, but was wondering what the "state of the art" was these days and whether I could simplify with some new tool or not. Maybe this always requires elaborate custom scripting. Thanks again!


I think the best you can do is an Object Style with repeating Paragraph Styles, but that only works if there are no exceptions.

 

No Object style applied

 

An object style applied with 3 Paragraph Styles using Next Style

 

 

The Object Style‘s Paragraph Styles setting: Ahead has a Next style of BHead, BHead’s Next is Text, and Text’s Next is AHead.

 

 

2 replies

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 24, 2020

I'm also unclear on the question.

 

  • All running heads are added to the master pages, and anything added to a master page appears on the body pages assigned to use it.
  • Static text is typed or pasted into text frames and static images are added to graphic frames.
  • In situations where the running head needs to pull content from the page, use a Running Header variable that pulls content using either a paragraph style or a character style.

 

What do you need beyond those basics?

 

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
A
AS ScripterAuthor
Inspiring
July 24, 2020

Hi All:

 

Thanks for the comments so far. The document I have to do is basically a list of names and numbers, by categories, completely styled with paragraph and character styles. That's the good news. What makes it interesting is that there are several levels of hierarchy, one optional.

 

For example:

1. Category subhead (alphabetical order)

 

     2. Subcategory subhead (Area, one of four, alpha order, but 

         OPTIONAL for category, ie, some categories have this 

          subhead, some don't)

 

          3. Skill Type subhead (first "Professional", then "Amateur", 

              so not alpha)

 

               4. Person's name and numbers (alpha)

 

                    5. Some names (<10%) have a second paragraph 

                        following their listing paragraph.

 

 

- There are Continued From frames on every page.

- There are full page ads, so the text flow can skip up to 4 pages.

- The people under each Skill Type subhead have the same 

     paragraph and character styles, so there is no way to tell 

     which is which just by inspecting a paragraph.

- Some Categories are so long that abbreviations for them must 

     be used in the Continued From text.

 

 

Now, what they want for the Continued From is something like: 

     Line 1:  Category (possibly abbreviated to fit) [[Skill Type]]s (plural), 

     [[optional , Subcategory, eg, " , North Area"]]

     Line 2: "Continued from Page [[#]]"

 

 

Reading the Help file led me to believe that this kind of running header was not possible, thus my question. Happy to be proven wrong!

 

If anyone needs more info, please ask. Either way, thanks for reading!

 

-k

Steve Werner
Community Expert
Steve WernerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 24, 2020

,Can you better explain (or preferably give an example) of what you mean by a custom running head not possible with the built-in tools, please. It's not at all clear to mean what you mean.

A
AS ScripterAuthor
Inspiring
August 10, 2020

Hi, I added some details as requested. Any ideas? Thanks!

rob day
Community Expert
rob dayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 11, 2020

What you are looking for doesn’t sound like the traditional running head that Barb is describing in her post— a repeating page head generated from a master. 

 

Seems like you are looking for automated next styles in the running text that change depending on a condition. I think conditional styling would need a script.

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