Disappearing Table Content within text frame

I use InDesign CC 2018 on a daily basis for a wide range of tasks including building fairly complicated order forms. I use Tables for the grids. Most of the forms are 2 or 4 pages, but a new addition is a 1-page file and it has been doing something very similar to what this thread describes.

I have some text boxes and line-objects positioned over the grid for faster editing, as the file gets updated very frequently. Deleting text from any of the table's cells causes all overlaid text boxes and line objects to disappear. Until today, all I could do was position all those objects on the paste board, make the text edits to the Table and then reposition the objects. This was tme consuming and therefore irritating.

On a whim, I turned on Overprint Preview and it stopped the problem instantly. I don't know what would cause the problem in the first place, but that's the fix I was looking for and I hope it helps whatever is going on in this thread.

BarbBinder​ recompose works but then the problem comes back

I'm actively speaking with adobe engineering about the issue. Let's hope they find a solution!! Will keep y'all posted here.

cam3LD—I'm curious to hear if the Recompose All Stories shortcut works in your situation as well.

Uwe, that shortcut dates back to PageMaker and I'll admit I totally forgot about it. I'm getting ready to lay out a long document that routinely delivers an empty frame here and there after edits. I drag the bottom middle handle down, release, and then back up to restore the text. I'm looking forward to trying Cmd+Opt+/ (Win: Ctrl+Alt+/) this time around.

Hi Cam,

I have 'almost' exactly the same issues - 80 page document comprising single table with twenty columns and images in two of the columns.

When carrying out amends on any page (insert a new row then type in some new info and following pages disappears).

Oddly enough if I cut and past the new copy all is fine (nothing disappears).

Since reading the above replies to your problem I tried extending the frame of the offending page and that cured it for me.

Still an annoying issue though.

Look forward to finding out why and the fix.

Keith

I've gone ahead and filed a bug report. I'm inclined to think that it's a setting somewhere since I've had the issue for years.

Here are some other threads that highlight the same issue:

DISAPPEARING TABLE CONTENT

Long table content disappears when modification is made

Cell data/text disappearing in document with long table

Disappearing rows in multi-page table

But, of course those work arounds don't work for me (or only temporarily repair it, like the IDML export).

The only hope is this solve (via Willi Adelberger​)

"Remove all manual formatting from your text (which is indicated with a "+"), delete generic generated character styles and build up your proper paragraph and character styles. Take observation on the basic character properties where you will find no break in both stye categories and in the keep options of the paragraph styles."

I work with character styles throughout. Is there any easy way to check for text that's missing a style? Maybe there are some rouge manual formats. Also wondering if this applies to images within a table... In which case I got a lot of work to do to repair it.

Anyone have any ideas here? Worth reaching out to Adobe?

What is the exact version of your InDesign on what OS ?

I've seen vanishing text with some distinct versions of InDesign.
Have to look up if and when this was fixed…

Regards,
Uwe

Does it just happen in this document or any document? At first I thought maybe it was a re-draw issue, but you've said it's happened for years. I just wonder (if it's just this file) if it's so large and so old that funky issues have been introduced. If it's just this document, did you try exporting it as an IDML file, then re-opening that into InDesign?