How prevent ID from auto-threading text frames?

[Sam A.]

I've done this with dozens of ID projects: place the text of one TXT file as one story (= threaded text frames) in ID, and then add more text in this way. So if I place 8 TXT files in ID, my ID file has 8 stories. So far, so good.

With the current ID project, however, it's different. In a new (and empty) ID file, I placed 8 TXT files as described above (files A to H), and there were 8 stories. But after editing some text across these 8 stories (changing, adding, deleting some words and sentences) I discovered that suddenly there were only 3 stories in my ID file: while the text of A and B is in a separate story each, the text of C to H has been auto-threaded into one single story.

I need the text of C to H to be in separated stories as well to be able to make changes that affect the text in a specific story only. Luckily, no text has disappeared, so I can restore the 8 stories by unthreading the first frames of D to H.

My question is: What can I do to prevent ID from auto-threading text frames again? And why were the text frames at the beginning of some of the stories threaded in the first place? (Smart Text Reflow is turned off so this had no influence.)

ID 17.4.2
macOS 12.6.8

[Eugene Tyson]

Check your preferences for smart text reflow - it's at the bottom here

[Sam A.]

Thanks, but it's turned off already …

[Eugene Tyson]

Text frames don't auto-thread, unless you have some plugin or third party script at play.

I have never seen a text auto-thread, it just goes to overset text.

So the text frames must be threaded already. 

You can check that in the View> Show Text Threads

[Sam A.]

I agree that text frames should not auto-thread, but in this case they did.

Originally there were 8 stories in the file, and suddenly there were only 3, without me threading some of the frames. Show Text Threads shows some of the text frames that should not be threaded are now threaded. No plugin or script was at play as far as I remember. I'm confused.

[Peter Spier]

Could be you accidentally threaded them yourself during editing...

There's a Split Story Script, I believe, in the samples that might break them apart for you at selected frames (work on a copy).

There are some more possibilities on this Google search page: https://www.google.com/search?channel=fen&client=firefox-b-1-d&q=indesign+story+splitter#ip=1

[Sam A.]

Thank you! I've now split the story (in the manual way) and simply hope auto-threading will not happen again …

Also, I've made two files out of the original 400-page file – perhaps the file was too big? (I need to work with an INDB anyway.)

[Eugene Tyson]

Curious case indeed.

Peter has pointed to a script that will unthread them.

Odd - perhaps it accidently done - but hard to envisage this one.

[Mike Witherell]

Have you looked at your Parent pages to see whether a text frame is pre-built there?

Have you ruled out some sort of document file corruption?

[Sam A.]

Thanks! The parent pages have no text frames on them.

I think I can rule out file corruption – I started with a new file from scratch, and the files I placed were TXT files.

Anyway, I hope auto-threading won't happen again. Your answers show me that I've probably not missed the obvious, so that's reassuring.