GREP Replace All not working properly

[Jef.Mod]

I often use GREP to separate one text frame into several frames, but in the latest version when I do this, the frames after the first one (or second one depending on the case) are empty.

Let me explain a bit better:

Let say I create a text frame with the text "x x x x x" (without the ") in it, and with GREP I replace each space with a frame break using the Replace All function, then go to my frame, click on the red + and chain a new frame, I get a frame with the next x, as it should but the next frame is empty, the one after is also empty, and the last one has xcxcx in it.

The exact same method in the previous versions (up to 19.5.1) gives me 5 frames with an x in each.

Do you good people experience the same problem?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Why do you use GREP - if you just want to replace spaces? 

And what is your end goal? 

You can force Paragraph to start in a new frame - Paragraph Style definition, Keep Option / Start Paragraph.

[Jef.Mod]

This was given as en exemple, I work with text lists and use GREP to remove the numbers or letters or code, or whatever the person used to identify the items in the list, and split each element of the list in separate text frames to lay them on my page.

I will check the option to force paragraphs to start in a new frame, but I just don't understand why this thing that used to work doesn't work anymore ^^

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Can you show a screen shot of your Find/Change dialog box?

[Jef.Mod]

So here's my Find/Change dialog box, underneath you have the green frame as my base to work, the red frames are the result in the latest version, and in green the result in the previous versions with the exact same inputs.

[Joel Cherney]

Do you good people experience the same problem?

Not at first, it turns out. I recreated your frame, set up a Find/Change query in the GREP tab where I searched for \s and replaced with ~R, and it behaved in v20 exactly as it did in v19. 

At least, that's what it did the first time. I then replaced the \s with an ordinary, whack-the-space-bar space and clicked "Change All" and found a different result:

So, I suspect that you've found a bug. The place to report such bugs is at indesign.uservoice.com, and such bug reports are best accompanied by a screen capture or recording. 

But in terms of finding fixes or workarounds, I share Dave Creamer's interest in exactly what we might see your find/change dialog. Are you searching for \s, or do you just whack the spacebar, or do you use some other method of searching for a space? Does it work correctly for you if you specify \s as your "Find what:" query?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Joel Cherney

@Jef.Mod already posted a screenshot.

[Jef.Mod]

Oh I didn't think of using the appropriate symbol \s for the space, I tried that but still did not get the expected result, all the elements were sent to the last text frame.

[Joel Cherney]

As I can see from what you posted while I was hammering away at the keyboard, it's not just the space character, is it? And it's not just the frame break character, either. Nor is it just Replace All.

I've been playing around with it for the last five minutes, and I can reliably get InDesign to crash any time I cause an overflow on a frame by using the Find/Change dialog. An ordinary carriage return doesn't cause a crash, unless it causes an overflow. But all breaks (column, frame, page) all cause an instant crash. I suspect that this must be locale-based, as you're using French InDesign and I'm using Middle Eastern InDesign. Also, this bug crashes InDesign instantly for me, but you've not experienced any crashing as a result of trying this find/change operation, right?  Perhaps someone out there using plain-vanilla English InDesign give this a try? 

Edit: I suppose I should overtly mention that I can get InDesisgn 2025 (v20.0.something) to crash everytime; doesn't happen in v19.5.1 at all

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Joel Cherney

There was a thread not so long ago, that there is a bug in 2025, that if there is an overflow and you use Change All - InDesign will crash.

[Joel Cherney]

Really? Well, I guess that's the bug! However, I can't find anything about it on the Uservoice.

Also, Jef.Mod can click Replace All in French-locale Indy, causing an overflow condition, and InDesign doesn't crash? 

[Jef.Mod]

Yes mine doesn't crash, I'm not sure why, it just gives me a weird result. Maybe the OS? I'm on windows.

I'm going to see with uservoice to report the bug.

[Joel Cherney]

Well, I just updated to 20.0.1 and was able to do this search/replace without crashing InDesign. On the other hand, in that last thread that Robert pointed out, it was reported to be an intermittent problem. Have you checked for updates in the Creative Cloud app recently? 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Joel Cherney

It looks like it also involves pasteboard: 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/indesign-2025-crashing-when-using-find-change-wi...