Editing a document with locked column width

[tonym77684857]

Trying to adjust paragrph widths in a pre-formatted document. It seems the paragraph width is locked at specific places within the page. Is there a way to adjust this?

[winterm]

Paragraph width? You mean - Text Frame width? There’s no way to specifically lock this. You can only constrain proportions, or lock the whole object.

Most likely you have placeholders for graphic here, or just additional frames (text or unassigned), with text wrap enabled (and these may be locked, like any other object).

Go to View > Extras > Show Frame Edges to see.

Here you can see similar layout with Graphic Frame on the left locked (notice blue Lock icon on the frame):

If you believe all above is not the case, go to Object > Text Frame Options, Auto-Size tab, and check if Auto-Size feature is OFF.

[tonym77684857]

It appears to be a placeholder with text wrap enabled. When I turn all of the image links off, the space is still there. However, even with

Go to View > Extras > Show Frame Edges to see.

I still can not see how to adjust the frame..

The blue Lock icon is not on, but it can be turned on.

In Text Frame Options, Auto-size is Off.

Any suggestions on how to adjust the placeholder frame?

In Normal view.

[winterm]

When I turn all of the image links off

That’s unclear, there’s no such a function in InDesign. Please be more specific on what you’re doing actually.

I still can not see how to adjust the frame.

What did you try? Can you select that frame? If no, it may be on a master page or locked layer. Maybe you see a tiny dotted line around it?

It must be something pretty basic. Without any screenshot I’m just shooting in the dark.

Would you mind to show an actual page, with all frames and hidden characters showing, with Pages, Layers panels visible?

[tonym77684857]

In the Layers panel I turned off the images so they were no longer appearing on the page. With the text layer turned on, only the text is visible. There are open spaces, without any dotted lines. I assume this is the placeholder, because when I turn on an image from the layers panel it fills that space. However, if I adjust the size of that image it will adjust on the text flow on the width, but is not affected by the height.

First screen shot only text frame, with open area for what I assume is a placeholder for an object. I can not select or activate the object area.

Second screenshot with two of the three images turned on from layers panel.

Third screenshot is the full page on with the layers panel.

[tonym77684857]

Perhaps the frames are on the Master, but I don't seem them when I examine the Master page.

[Barb Binder]

Hi Tony:

To adjust the text wrap, you will need to select a graphic frame and do one the following:

1. Delete it (tap Delete)
2. Resize it (tug on one of the eight sizing handles)
3. Reduce or remove text wrap (Window > Text Wrap)

If you can't select any of the graphic frames, they are likely underneath the large text frame.  Hold the Cmd key and keep clicking on an image until it is selected, or click on the tiny square to the far right of the graphic sub-layer.

~Barb

[tonym77684857 · Accepted solution]

Thank you so much for all of your help. I ultimately isolated the problem to the images within the image layer. I had copied the earlier image, and then put a new smaller image into the copy. Even though the original image was turned off in the layer, space was still being provided for the earlier images dimestions. When I removed the original image, the text flowed around the new smaller image.

Again, thanks so much for your help and assistance.

[winterm]

tonym77684857  wrote

In the Layers panel I turned off the images so they were no longer appearing on the page.

But they still affect remaining layout, so it has no use to you. Don't do this. In opposite, make sure all items on all layers are visible. You don't want to play with visibility right now. Also ensure all items are unlocked (from the screenshots I don't see locked ones, if any).

There may appear something what will make things clearer to you.

BTW, I'm still not sure about your main problem - which text frame you're not able to move/alter? Or you just want to remove those images? Altogether with their placeholders? Or what?

Do you did this layout yourself? Inherited from someone? I mean, InDesign is pretty complex pro app, and has a steep learning curve…

[Steve Werner]

Also, make sure you're not in Preview view. You want to be in Normal View (View > Screen Mode > Normal).