Creating new pages

[Andrew33035959gsww]

My INDD file is such a mess I need to copy each INDD file (18 chapters) back into Word and create a new Word document using the Style Pane in Word. Then once I get the one big Word file I will import it into INDD. 

Question: When one creates a new document with "pages" in INDD, is a "page" more like a artist's canvas; meaning, you can't do anything to the INDD "page" until you create a text frame box? So really, it's a different definition of a page, because you cannot write to an INDD "page" until you put a text frame box around it? Is that correct? 

Also, when you create additional pages using the + sign in the Pages Panel, do those "pages" also have to be formatted with a text frame box before you can use them?

Thanks

[BobLevine]

Not to sound cold, but have you considered some training? What you are proposing is akin to putting an egg back in its shell after making an omelet. There is zero reason to take that content back to Word and if you don't learn how all of this works, especially paragraph and character styles you are going to be in for a world of pain.

[Steve Werner · Accepted solution]

I agree with Bob. InDesign is a program which requires training. You can't learn it really without taking an in person or online class.

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Yes I have considered training. And gotten some. For whatever reason my MS Word mindset is keeping me from getting the hang of the Adobe ID platform. But I'm getting there. I seem to run into glitches that Abode's help pages don't handle. The bulk of the instructions are there, but not the nuances which one needs to get things done. I turn to Youtube videos, and courses (one which Joel recommended). 

If you have any specific courses you think would help please let me know. I am an author and self-publisher of other people's works, that's it. 

Books, books, and more books. 

[Steve Werner · Accepted solution]

My suggestion would be courses taught by professionals (not You Tube videos which are extremely hit and miss!). You can sign up for a free trial:

Sign Up For a Free TrialLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com

Best beginner course: InDesign Essentials 2024 taught by the master, David Blatner.

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Thank you Steve. The course by David Blatner was very helpful. It taught me some basis on ID. I looked at another on Long Documents by Mike Rankin, but that was too advanced. 

Have you got any other suggestions for courses on the Basics, especially for Book writing?

[Andrew33035959gsww]

I always end up with extra pages, missing pages, text frames on pages that aren't working (then ID says - you have an object here - which I don't understand), text that goes missing, chapters that start 2 pages away where I place them, stuff like that, when I create a 200 page book. I need to add pages, delete pages on my fly, add chapters, delete chapters, add images, etc. ID is very unforgiving for these kinds of procedures, at least to me. 

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Thank you

[Steve Werner]

Almost everything in InDesign consists of frames (you can also have paths). Text must be in a text frame, graphics need to be in a graphic frame.

You can export text in your existing file by selecting the text (Edit > Select All) and choosing Export. You could export the text as a Text only or RTF (rich text format) format. 

When you create the new InDesign files, don't copy. Choose File > Place in InDesign and select the .docx file. That will create the text frames you need. It would be best to style the text in InDesign by creating paragraph and character styles in hte Paragraph and Character Styles panels.

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Oh, so instead of copying the messed up ID files into MS Word and using MS Word's Style Pane, it sounds like you are saying don't do that. Instead, export the text from my ID chapters as Text or RTF into Word and Place them back into ID (lstripping out all the ID formatting mess I created and start anew). Then use the Paragraph Styles and Character Styles in ID and format that book. 

Have I got it? Are you saying it's better to import text or RTF into ID without the Word formatting styles, then format it in ID?

Thanks, Andrew

[Derek Cross]

When you create a new document, which you will indicate things like margins, tick Primary Text Frame so text will flow from one page to another. But as Bob has indicated you need to get some training otherwise you'll be wasting your time trying to figure things out. But come back to this forum when you get stuck with specific issues.

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Thank you Derek. But when you say create a new document and click Primary Text Frame, what happens if I run out of pages and need more? How do I add those? What happens if I delete pages? How do I delete a page and not a spread? When I add a page is there a text frame in it? I haven't found anything on Adobe's help pages about these questions. 

If you have a recommendation for a course or courses I would by happy to entertain that. In the meantime, I will reformat my ID chapters in Word using Style Panes and "Place" it into a new ID document. Sorting out the mess with my ignorance and lack of knowledge of ID is impossible: starting from scratch I have already done. Maybe with time I will get the hang of it. Thanks.  

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Andrew33035959gsww:

Most of us on this thread are InDesign trainers (myself included), and your questions definitely indicate that taking some time off to get up to speed on InDesign basics will be well worth the investment. That said, I'd like to address your two specific questions:

When one creates a new document with "pages" in INDD, is a "page" more like a artist's canvas; meaning, you can't do anything to the INDD "page" until you create a text frame box? So really, it's a different definition of a page, because you cannot write to an INDD "page" until you put a text frame box around it? Is that correct? 

InDesign pages are pages, but the insurrmountable rule is that all content must be added into a frame. In Word, you can just create a new document and start typing. In InDesign, text is added to text frames, graphics are added to graphic frames and unassigned frames are used to add color blocks, borders or both. 

Also, when you create additional pages using the + sign in the Pages Panel, do those "pages" also have to be formatted with a text frame box before you can use them?

So again, all text must go into a text frame. If you haven't already added the text frames on the subsequent pages, you can auto-flow the text to let InDesign do it for you. After you click the overset text icon (the red +), navigate to the next page, hold the Shift key and click to place the remaining text in that story. 

~Barb

[Andrew33035959gsww]

Assume 7 page document INDD.

Step 1: "Create" or "Insert" a new page, say page 4. Text frame appears on Page 4. 

Step 2: Type in text onto page 4. 

Step 3: Thread page 3 to page 4.

 Why can't you get your cursor in the newly created page 4 anymore?

And what is the number sign appearing after the text on page 3? 

 Thanks. (btw, youtubing the above questions and searching the InDesign databases doesn't get me anywhere?)

 

 

 

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Andrew33035959gsww":

This depends on your layout, which we have not seen, but from what I think you want, I would take a different approach. 

• Navigate to Page 4.
• Paste or Place the new content. The text flows forward, oversetting text on the last page.
• Navigate to the last page. 
• Reload the text cursor. 
• Add a new page(s).
• Place the overset text.

~Barb