Drawing a New Line: Is There an Obscure Configuration Setting for Default Length/Angle I Can Clear?

[NancyGraziano]

Hi everyone!

I am relatively new to InDesign but not to other Adobe products and document authoring. I have used FrameMaker and AI for over 20 years (plus other desktop publication programs for a lot longer.) I started using InDesign in February, 2021, to create product manuals at my new job (for the record, using InDesign was NOT my choice!) I have been able to come up to speed fairly quickly applying various FrameMaker techniques that fortunately have been included in InDesign.

Before diving into my issue, let me list the technical details of my system.

OS:

• Edition: Windows 10 Pro for Workstations
• Version: 21H1
• OS build: 19043.1083
• Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.3530.0

Hardware:

• Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) W-2133 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz
• RAM: 16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)
• System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

I am using InDesign CC, version 16.3 X.64

Here is my issue:

I have created a set of standard document templates (e.g., standard paragraph and character stlyes, page layouts, etc.,) on which I base all new manuals. I copy the template into a new directory and start any new manual development from there.

I have uncovered a very frustrating "aspect" of these templates that does not manifest itself in any new document created using InDesign's File ► New ► Document menu.

When I draw a new leader line in any document based upon my template, as soon as I release the left mouse button to place the line, regardless of the dragged length/angle, the newly created line automatically snaps to ±45° with a length that is precisely 4.2426 inches.

• Interestingly enough, any changes made to a line's weight and/or color prior to its creation/placement are reflected in the new ±45°/4.2426" line.
• Also, once created/placed, I am able to update the line's length and angle as usual, with one exception: if I attempt to make it a horizontal line, it snaps back to its original 45° orientation, but with the updated length.

Conversely, in the non-template based document, the angle and length of any new line corresponds exactly to what I drag out using my mouse – which is what would normally be expected - and the line can then be edited as usual.

I have compared all document preference settings between my template and the "fresh" document. I have not identified any differences.

I have scoured through the various InDesign menus (primarily the Object, Edit, Layout, and Window menus,) to see if any of the settings could be remotely related/pertinent, but again have not identified anything.

I have imported all Paragraph and Character styles from a template document into a fresh/new document to see if this confounded behavior is imported. It doesn't - which is really not surprising.

I am at my wits end. Obviously there is some obscure setting embedded within the template docs that I accidentally configured while fumbling my way through learning InDesign early on. I really don't want to have to recreate each template document from scratch if I can simply update a configuration setting within each doc.

Any ideas? I am sure I am overlooking something obvious, but with only 5 months of InDesign experience under my belt, I am just not seeing it.

Thanks in advance for ANY help offered!

Nancy

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi Nancy,

there are some controls visible only in Object Styles that can control size and position of an object.

If said controls were enabled and set in the basic object style of a document when nothing was selected it would become a default for every new object you are drawing.

Same cause with a different twist: If you created an object style where size and position of an object are defined and if you selected that object style in the Object Style panel and perhaps make that object style the default object style you will use this style whenever you draw out a new object.

So look into the Object Styles panel what exactly is selected and see if option Size & Position Options is enabled.

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/object-styles.html

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[NancyGraziano]

Hi Uwe,

THANK YOU!!! You pinpointed the root cause of my issue. Once I cleaned up my Object Styles panel and removed what I had created way back when, the issue went away!

I did go in and update the stroke color and weight for the [Basic Graphics Frame] to match those for my leader lines since they are typically the only graphic elements I create natively within InDesign (all graphics are created in AI and then inserted into ID.)

Thank you again - you have saved my sanity!

Nancy