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Iain Robinson
Iain Robinson
Known Participant
January 4, 2024
Question

anchoring a table in text flow due to endnote numbering

  • January 4, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 384 views

Hi

 

We are faced with a job which has endnote citations in some of the tables and the tables are in the text flow (in amongst paragraphs) in the Word document. When we typeset the pages some tables are inevitably going to have to move (for example to the top of a column). Normally we cut tables out of the main story into separate text frames so they can be placed wherever we like, but doing this will break the endnote numbering within the table. If we cut and paste the table from one part of the story to another the numbering updates itself - we could use this in some circumstances. However if a table has to be moved to the middle of a paragraph which breaks over a page (so the table sits at the top of the next page) then moving its position in the text flow is going to get messy - breaking a paragraph into two and inserting it in there. Yes, it is do-able but any subsequent reflow (corrections for example) is going to mess that up.

 

Does anyone know of an elegant way to handle this situation? I read a post here (https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/footnotes-continuity-from-tables-to-text/td-p/10237845) which suggests anchoring a table in the text flow but I can't work out how to do that without the table being in a separate text frame (which immediately breaks the numbering). 

 

Thanks,

Iain

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2 replies

P
Peter Kahrel
Braniac
January 8, 2024

Anchored frames are separate text frames and constitute their own stories. InDesign's endnotes (and footnotes) are part of stories and restart numbering at every story -- there's nothing you can do about that without very elaborate and laborious scripting.

 

You could check whether id-extra's Footwork scripts (https://www.id-extras.com/products/footwork/) can sort things out.

Iain Robinson
Iain RobinsonAuthor
Known Participant
January 8, 2024

Thanks Peter. Footwork looks crazy! I think we'll bodge this title manually and if it happens on a regular basis look at Footwork. Not sure if this is a one-off or just how this job is going to be! I just wanted to check I was not missing some clever trick within Indesign itself, but it doesn't sound like it.

E
Eugene Tyson
Braniac
January 6, 2024

The table can be in the text flow - it doesn't need to be in a separate text frame. 

 

You have controls to keep rows together
https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/formatting-tables.html#:~:text=Break%20tables%20across%20frames

 

And as the table is part of the text flow, the table itself can have a paragraph style, so you could have it keep with the next line, or keep with the previous line 

for example

Table 1:
<TABLE>

 

You would want <TABLE> to keep with previous - this would be part of the Keep options for the Paragraph Style (not the Keep options as mentioned above)

Iain Robinson
Iain RobinsonAuthor
Known Participant
January 8, 2024

Thanks Eugene. I can see that allows me to get a table to start in the next column/frame/page but it leaves a gap where the table would have been so we're still faced with manually cutting bits of text out and moving them around to fill the columns. So I don't think this helps us I'm afraid, unless I am missing something.

 

Just to be clear - it is not posssible to anchor a table in the text flow without the table being in a separate text frame?

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