How do you create a section name (or any variable that changes by section)?

[Thomas_Calvin]

It seems pretty common to have a name for each section of a document, but I can't find any way to specify a variable whose value can change by section. How does one do this?

[jmlevy]

First, you need to create a “section mark”:

Then, in a text frame, right click:

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks! But I already have a "section mark," which is the number "1" that you see in the screen shot after the word "section." There doesn't seem to be any "section number" marker built in. Or am I overlooking it?

[jmlevy]

I didn't realize that you have already setup a section mark. So, I think that the only solution would be to use a custom text variable.

[Thomas_Calvin]

There doesn't appear to be any way to change the value of a text variable within a section. Any change affects it throughout the whole document.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Thomas_Calvin

Running Header with contents of the Paragraph / Character Style?

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks, but I don't know what Adobe means by "running header" in this application. The documentation doesn't mention a specific header or footer; but rather it depicts setting up those areas on a master page (which makes sense). Then, of course, they're "running" because they're on a master page.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Thomas_Calvin

You need to create a new Text Variable -> Running Header.

[Thomas_Calvin]

That makes its value section-specific?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

That makes its value section-specific?

By @Thomas_Calvin

It makes it "ParaStyle content specific" - so if contents of the Paragraph Style changes - contents of the Text Variable will change.

Or you want to INSERT this in text - and this text doesn't exist in the Story?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Thomas_Calvin 

Something like this?

[Thomas_Calvin]

The section name typically appears in the header or footer, not in the body text on the page.

The header and footer are defined on master pages. Right now I have a "section marker" in the footer, for the page number: [section] - [page]. For example, 4 - 26. Therefore the "section marker" is used up.

I'm mystified to find that there's no "section name" or any other section-specific variable we can create. Don't sections of a document typically have names? Or, conversely, why is there no "section number" we can insert, leaving "section marker" available to contain the section name?

[Barb Binder]

Hi Thomas:

No. As I said on your other thread earlier today, variabled are defined document-wide and we can't tie a variable to a section but, now that we can see your image, there is a way to automate this.

And to adrdess a recent question, the term running head refers to the repeating content in both the top margin (aka header) and in bottom margin (aka footer). 

Assuming you want the word General in the running head under Section 1, add it to the body page, create a paragraph style for it and then add a Running Head (Paragraph style) variable to your parent page to pull in the content, based on the assigned paragraph style. InDesign will pull the content from the page (in this case, General) and will repeat the content in the header until it changes at the beginning of the next section.  Automatically. This feature is used to pull chapter names, chapter numbers and subheads into the running heads, which is exactly what you are looking for. 

~Barb

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks Barb.

I understand what a "running head" is. But the way the term is used in InDesign is non-intuitive. This type of variable performs an extract based on text style; it's not specific to the header.

Despite the naming problem, the functionality is useful and would work in my example here because the text does happen to appear in the body; but the lack of section-specific variables is still lame.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...]

Despite the naming problem, the functionality is useful and would work in my example here because the text does happen to appear in the body; but the lack of section-specific variables is still lame.

By @Thomas_Calvin

But when contents of this ParaStyle changes in the next Chapter / Section / wherever - it will automatically update contents of the Text Variable = contents on the Header.

[Thomas_Calvin]

This requires that the section name appear in the body text (and has the style applied). This is not a given. It's totally reasonable to only want the section name in the header or footer.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

This requires that the section name appear in the body text (and has the style applied). This is not a given. It's totally reasonable to only want the section name in the header or footer.

By @Thomas_Calvin

Not necessarily - you can make a TextFrame that just TOUCHES the edge of the 1st page of the Section - put there text you want to be used - and that's it.

Then, in the next Section - do the same.

Or, if your sections are "fluid" - you could anchor a TextFrame in the Section's first Paragraph - and the rest is the same 😉

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks, but I can't rely on anything that hokey. These are documents that may be redeployed in different aspect ratios or rendered to different sizes. And they are maintained by multiple people. Therefore things need to be done in a "correct" way.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Thanks, but I can't rely on anything that hokey. These are documents that may be redeployed in different aspect ratios or rendered to different sizes. And they are maintained by multiple people. Therefore things need to be done in a "correct" way.

By @Thomas_Calvin

Not sure what's wrong with Anchored TextFrames? You can set them to be "outside" automatically.

Or you can create multiple Text Variables - for each Section.

[Thomas_Calvin]

I'd rather replace InDesign than resort to that kind of hokey, laborious nonsense.

The more I learn about this product, the more appealing that option becomes.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I'd rather replace InDesign than resort to that kind of hokey, laborious nonsense.

The more I learn about this product, the more appealing that option becomes.

By @Thomas_Calvin

Then maybe FrameMaker would be better - but it lacks a lot of InDesign's functionality as well...

[Thomas_Calvin]

I used FrameMaker in the mid-'90s, but I don't remember how advanced my usage got beyond the meticulous setting-up of styles. I also don't remember hating it, so that's something.

[Barb Binder]

Hi Thomas. 

I hear you. You can always file a feature request here: https://indesign.uservoice.com

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

Hey Thomas;

I'm a career InDesign and FrameMaker instructor (and Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat). FrameMaker doesn't have the ability to change a variable definition based on a section change either—sections are unique to InDesign—but it does pick up content from the page for the running heads, just like InDesign does. And you probably remember that it has a similar book feature to InDesign.

There may be a reason to switch back to FameMaker, but this isn't it. 

~Barb

[Thomas_Calvin]

Thanks. Yeah, I wasn't pondering switching back. It's not really an option anyway.

I don't remember if I got into any text-variable-type functionality. If FrameMaker has a free trial period, maybe I'll download it and open up my ancient docs for a look. I remember that it and Corel Draw really served me well back in the day.

And to put a timestamp on that day... I discovered a bug in FrameMaker that prevented you from placing tab stops accurately, but only on some computers. I concluded that it was due to a difference in math precision between the 486 and Pentium (and reported this to whoever owned the app at that time).