Align image with text evenly

[Christine324]

I would like to easily ensure that numbers are spaced vertically and horizontally exactly the same for each entry on a list with many number.. Some steps may have more than one line, buy the number should attach to the first line of text all the same. I have anchored the images to text, but i still need a good method for spacing it without eyeballing it. 

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Christine331530071aud,

Thanks for reaching out. Here’s a basic guide to help with aligning images and text:

1.Use Anchored Objects:

•To keep the image aligned with the text, you can use anchored objects.

•Select the image, then go to the Control panel and choose Object > Anchored Object > Options.

•Set the position and alignment relative to the text to ensure the image stays aligned as the text flows.

2.Text Wrap Options:

•To have the text wrap around the image evenly, select the image and go to the Text Wrap panel (Window > Text Wrap).

•Choose the wrap style (e.g., Wrap Around Bounding Box).

•Adjust the offset values to create even spacing around the image.

These methods should help align your images and text evenly in InDesign. If there’s a specific issue or requirement you’re dealing with, feel free to share more details!

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Christine324]

Thank you for your reply. I have done what you suggested but still seem to have an issue. If you look closely number 1 is not aligned the same way number 2 is.  It is minimal but I think it should be exact, so I am not sure why this is happening. If you focus on the yellow square, you will see in one image it is below the cross of the T and in another it is aligned with it...this is jsut a way for your eyes to see what I am talking about. 

[jmlevy]

Can you post new screenshots wigh frame edges visible and hidden characters?

But I have downloaded your last screenshot and imported it in an InDesign document. All is aligned:

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Christine324

Why do you have your texts - on the right - in separate TextFrames? 

[jmlevy]

@Robert at ID-Tasker that's why I asked @Christine324 to post new screenshots.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Robert at ID-Tasker that's why I asked @Christine324 to post new screenshots.

By @jmlevy

But screenshot won't answer "why"? 

[jmlevy]

Absolutely. I just wanted to be sure.

[jmlevy]

Hi @Christine324  Seeing your screenshot, all is perfectly aligned, so I don't understand what worries you.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Hi @Christine324  Seeing your screenshot, all is perfectly aligned, so I don't understand what worries you.

By @jmlevy

Isn't "1" way too low - on the 2nd set of screenshots? 

[Laubender]

Hi @Christine324 ,

some remarks:

You could have used the option "Y Relative to: Line (Baseline)" with a Y offset of 0 when the anchored reference point is center. But: this would only work perfectly if the baseline of the number in your anchored object is exactly in the center of your circle element; which apparently is not. Worse, every baseline of every number comes with a different position relative to its circle. So this does not work and requires manual positioning for every circle that comes with a number.

There is no automatic way to align the number within the circle perfectly to the baseline of the text.

However one could calculate it and position the circle accordingly.

Below script code written in ExtendScript (JavaScript) could do the job.

Provided the anchored object's kind of anchor is not Inline Anchored and not Above Line Anchored and the anchored object is selected before running the script code and of course the anchored object actually is a text frame holding the number as text (and is not a group of arbitray objects anchored).

Here the code you could try out for positioning the anchored text frame:

var sel = app.selection[0];
var anchorCharacter = sel.parent;

var targetYpos = anchorCharacter.baseline;
var currentYpos = sel.texts[0].insertionPoints[0].baseline;

sel.anchoredObjectSettings.anchorYoffset = 
sel.anchoredObjectSettings.anchorYoffset - ( currentYpos - targetYpos );

How to use the code:

Copy the code to a not formatted text file and save it with suffix *.jsx.

How to install and use the script file with InDesign's Scripts panel see:

https://indiscripts.com/pages/help#hd0sb2

https://www.danrodney.com/scripts/directions-installingscripts.html

When installed right, you will see the script file in InDesign's Scripts panel.

Select the anchored text frame and execute the script. It will move the anchored frame so that the baseline of the number and the line of text where the frame is anchored to are at the same position.

My advice: first make sure that the numbers in the circular text frames are really centered optically.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Laubender]

Below some screenshots from my German InDesign where I ran the code as script file from InDesign's Scripts panel.

Anchored object, the text frame, selected. Scripts panel open showing the selected script file:

Menu command to execute the script on the selected anchored text frame:

Result after a split second:

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )