Anchoring an image does not make the first line respect the wrapping text

[FrederikSt]

I am trying to insert a blank Frame into my table so I can fake wrap the text inside the table around the image which is in the main frame (there are several tables, as well as an introductory text, so I cannot just insert the image into the table). The blank frame gets ignored by the first line of text. With the other images I put the anchor inside the heading, so it didn't matter, but the is no 0 Line inside the table.

[BobLevine]

That's how it works. The wrap only applies to the next line and after. Create an empty paragraph above it and anchor it there.

[FrederikSt]

Do you mean a blank line? Or can you create an invisible paragraph?

[BobLevine]

Whatever works for you, but you need to get that anchor above the first line you want wrap applied to.

[FrederikSt]

A blank line isn't an option, bc. it's the field of a table that's supposed to be aligned top. If you can man an invisible line or paragraph, please let me know how.

[Frans v.d. Geest · Accepted solution]

Create a new line and give it 0 pt leading and 0,1 pt size.

[FrederikSt]

Thanks for your answer, I guess that would work, though forgive me when I say: it's hard to imagine that a 'professional' program relies on hacks like that. 

[emily26258126yvtf]

I know this is an old thread, but you said it so perfectly I had to comment! I've been dealing with this same issue and this has been the only workaround I could figure out... I've always thought there must be a more straight forward solution in a program like indesign that I'm just not aware of - I mean, it's indesign! 

[DimitriB82C]

I was directed here because is struggeled with the same problem. I must say, wow, what a dumb workaround this is.
Suddenly one has to deal with invisible paragraphs. Very professional.

[Laubender]

Hi Frederik,

I think we have to see more of the layout to give better advice.

Also: What should the anchored frame with the text wrap contain?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[FrederikSt]

Nothing. It should be hidden under the actual image. I can only make the text wrap around an image, or the text in a table, so I insterted a blank frame with the same width into my table to make it wrap. Doesn't wrap with the first line, though.

[FrederikSt]

How did this answer get marked as correct? I tried it and you can't use 0pt size, you need 0.1 at least, which creates an awkward space above the first line of my table.

[Laubender]

Hi FrederikSt,

you are right. A point size of 0 is not possible.

0.1 Pt is one option.

Also change the width and height of the text to 1% with character scaling and you are at an effective text size of 0.001 Pt.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Yeah, sorry, 0,1 of course, my bad. But you can scale and/or use baseline shift if needed.

[FrederikSt]

Allright, I'll try that, thank you. However am I the only one finding it odd that you need a hack like that for such a trivial task?

[Sorin0D45]

Hi.

If I do that when the line with 0,1 Pt is on top of the page the paragraph with anchored object is lower than the page margin with 2.353 mm. So this is not a really good thing for me. Maybe you'll came up with a solution to wrap the first line of the anchored paragraph instead of teaching us how to hack the program.

Thank you.

[tlmurray23]

My fix is to simply put a Shift+Return in the first line. To my fortune, I have not had to do this in text where the Shift+Return would be replicated elsewhere, such as a TOC or an index.

[TonyFletcher]

Adobe: Create a new “feature” and sell it as an improvement, but make it so that the first line ignores and a hack is required to make it work. Easier to skip this anchor system and do it the “old fashioned” way. 

[NerveBag]

I just had to deal with this for the first time (well... it happened a while back, but I just gave up that time), and I have to say, this makes me sick to my stomach how much we pay for half-a**ed applications like this. Acrobat is unusable now. Photoshop is barely better. Now ID is starting to crumble. How are they able to get away with this?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Text flow has to follow an anchor point. It's just a basic rule of the layout process and not really any flaw or bug or lack of a feature. Sorry you tripped over it.

It's even right in the detailed help for text wrapping —

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/text-wrap.html

So come on back if you have questions you need answered or help with anything and don't care to read online help and tutorials.. Not much point in logging into a user-to-user forum to make a generic (and largely off-target) complaint when help is just a post away.

[tlmurray23]

Well, yes, read the help, but in my case, InDesign's anchor-in-first-line behavior is antithetical to my previously gained knowledge. I am 66 and grew up with PageMaker, QuarkXPress, Word, FrameMaker, WordPerfect, etc., and watched the technique of runaround and anchors develop, so when I first experienced the InDesign behavior, I was completely surprised. I firmly believe other users who are knowledgeable in anchors and runaround would also be surprised. [I see a touch of gray in your brows, so I would think you would agree?]

Regarding "text flow has to follow an anchor point. It's just a basic rule of the layout process," you may have used apps that allow an anchor to be almost anywhere, from adjacent to the anchored object [read: the very same sentence]" to sitting on a different page . . . so "text flow has to follow an anchor point" is anything but a basic rule. I would caution against saying anything is a "rule" in DTP.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Well, understand I'm neither defending the behavior nor agreeing with you — let me just amend my statement to  "Text flow has to follow an anchor point. It's just a basic rule of the InDesign's layout process." As it has been since at least CS3, if I recall, and as ID dwarfs the layout and compositon market and has for over a decade... that's a pretty big stake in the ground. Yes, it's one of many inflexible behaviors that can be exasperating and needs a workaround, but I'll contend that all the apps you list have as many such, or more — let's start with the fact that the biggest direct competitor to ID, Word, is an absymal mess with anything but manuscripts and simple reports.

There are many things that ID could improve upon. Some do get fixed. Others are fairly deep in the core code and not likely to change until we get a wholly new engine. But the anchor behavior is what it's been for a very long time, and is well explained in both help and support discussion.

Note that the argument "this other program/many other programs/a program I've used for 20 years does [X]!" is not what I'd regard as a debate-winner. My usual reaction is "So why aren't you using [FrameMaker | WordPerfect | PageMaker | Affinity | Quark | Ventura Publisher | Word | Ms Publisher], then?" 🙂

[tlmurray23]

FrameMaker would let you do it. Just sayin'.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

ID and Word probably share more DNA than ID and FM. 🙂

BTW, you're correct as to my venerability — I used all these apps when they were new, and came to them from blueline work. But I don't look back at some wonderful feature ID doesn't have, because for all the usefulness of, say, Ventura's ability to tag independent paragraphs, I wouldn't go back to it for that.