Skip to main content
Participant
December 7, 2019
Answered

Why is there a limit on cell/row height in InDesign?

  • December 7, 2019
  • 5 replies
  • 11337 views

I'm working with a table that is a type of "run of show" document and formatting for iPad for events. 

 

The copy is getting clipped due to cell height max. Not sure why there is a limit, and "fixes" on previous versions of iD don't work in the new CC versions.

 

Does anyone have a version relevant fix? (Adobe Creative Cloud 2019)

Correct answer barbara_a7746676

There is a cell height limit of 21.1 cms or 50 picas. However, you can increase that amount.

First select the cells that you want to change using the Text tool. Choose Table > Cell Options > Text. Click on the Rows and Columns tab. There is a cell labeled "Maximum". Increase the Maximum to what ever you need to make your cells higher.

5 replies

James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
April 9, 2022

Old topic, but instead of trying to flow a massive one-cell table column over many pages, I think I'd use a separate text flow for each column. Story A is, say, dates and flows in a one-inch column at the left; Story B is venues and flows in a two-inch adjacent column; Story C is presenters, a one-inch column... etc. Some issues with lining up the content but styles should handle that.

 

Community Expert
April 8, 2022

Hi Shiv Allva,

I'd love to see a regular feature to either set the height of a given table row to 0 or to hide a table row or a table column. Just check InDesign UserVoice if there is a feature request and support it by voting. Or do your own feature request:

https://indesign.uservoice.com/

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

Shiv Allva
Known Participant
April 8, 2022

Can't we make a row zero height? At some point, I want a row take no space when there are no content.
In my case, I can't delete the row too, since this row will be populated later on!

I don't have any inset or strokes, but the minimum cell height InDesign allows is 1.058mm (check attachment). How to make it zero? 

Community Expert
April 8, 2022

Hi Shiv Allva.

the answer is no.

 

In a couple of the previous versions of InDesign, CS4 or CS5 I think, this once was possible. But only by scripting.

It must be pointed out that this is not possible with newer versions of InDesign.

 

See this discussion from 2017:

Table strokes
unyq, Aug 21, 2017

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/table-strokes/m-p/9267997#M61443

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

 

 

Shiv Allva
Known Participant
April 8, 2022

Crazy, isn't?

 

For now, I will go with deleting the row entirely and will add an attribute on the following row (as a hook) to keep track and insert row (if needed) later on.

 

Anyways, thanks for your valuable information!

Community Expert
December 12, 2019

Hi Christopher,

by scripting I could e.g. apply a value like 30000 to the height of a cell.

That was in Points. About 10583 mm, more than an InDesign page can meassure in height. Nearly double the height of the maximum page height. Is that enough?

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

barbara_a7746676
Community Expert
barbara_a7746676Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
December 7, 2019

There is a cell height limit of 21.1 cms or 50 picas. However, you can increase that amount.

First select the cells that you want to change using the Text tool. Choose Table > Cell Options > Text. Click on the Rows and Columns tab. There is a cell labeled "Maximum". Increase the Maximum to what ever you need to make your cells higher.

Participant
December 9, 2019

@Barbara_Ash

Thanks for the tip. This worked for my needs, and can be considered "answered."

 

However, I still see that there is an "ultimate" limit to the height (8640 px). Is there are reason why there would be a limit to a table cell height/is there a way to modified this upper limit?