Skip to main content
Document Geek
Community Expert
Document GeekCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 14, 2019
Answered

Working with a multi-page threaded table is very slow

  • March 14, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 782 views

I have a 2-column table that is threaded onto a large number of pages. Whenever I click in the table to edit the text, I get a spinning beach ball for 25-35 seconds. Then I make the change, then another beach ball for 30 seconds.

I'm using DTP Tools Annotations to input comments made on the PDF. I've tried editing both in layout mode and story editor and they are both equally slow.

I have experimented with converting the table to text, but the table is what gives structure to the layout. (It's a very unusual layout that greatly benefits from the structure of a table. I tried accomplishing the same thing with anchored objects and it wasn't as reliable in it's placement of objects as I need it to be.)

Also, I've tried editing this in InCopy and it works great! SO FAST! But InCopy does not support the Annotations plugin. I'd rather not manually input all 600 changes.

Is there any way to make editing the text faster?

Is there a script that will break apart a text frame and table, and then assemble it? If each page was its own independent table, it would go much faster. But in the end, I know I'm going to need the table structure, as this is the first of a series of handbooks using this type of structured layout.

And why does InCopy work 1000X faster than InDesign on threaded tables?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer AnneMarie Concepcion

    My guess for why  it works fast  in InCopy is that it doesn't have Preflight feature. Did you try turning that off in ID?  Also might want to disable Internet (unplug cable and/or disable wifi), a bit of voodoo I do to stop InDesign from checking Adobe Fonts  and  Creative Cloud all the time.

    Another option, if you have  CC 2017 installed, and DTP tools works with that version, is to export the text frame containing your threaded table to an InDesign Snippet, then place that snippet into CC2017 (or, export entire indeed to IDML and open it in earlier version); do your PDF comments fixes there, then update the table in CC 2019 with the one  you did in 2017.  I've just found that sometimes, things run much faster in previous versions than in CC 2018 or 2019.

    AM

    1 reply

    AnneMarie Concepcion
    Community Expert
    AnneMarie ConcepcionCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    March 14, 2019

    My guess for why  it works fast  in InCopy is that it doesn't have Preflight feature. Did you try turning that off in ID?  Also might want to disable Internet (unplug cable and/or disable wifi), a bit of voodoo I do to stop InDesign from checking Adobe Fonts  and  Creative Cloud all the time.

    Another option, if you have  CC 2017 installed, and DTP tools works with that version, is to export the text frame containing your threaded table to an InDesign Snippet, then place that snippet into CC2017 (or, export entire indeed to IDML and open it in earlier version); do your PDF comments fixes there, then update the table in CC 2019 with the one  you did in 2017.  I've just found that sometimes, things run much faster in previous versions than in CC 2018 or 2019.

    AM

      Document Geek
      Community Expert
      Document GeekCommunity ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      March 15, 2019

      Thanks Anne Marie!

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices