How to automatically add extra pages when text is overset?

[claireh45534778]

I'm a beginner with InDesign and I've used some great youtube tutorials to get me through the basics. I've created a simple book with paragraph styles and a series of chapters and ToC. I'm now placing in the content to the chapters themselves but am stuck.

When I place some text content into a chapter document within my book, I then apply a Paragraph Style + next style which works perfectly. However, it always causes overset text. Is there a way of that process automatically creating and threading the text into a new page where its needed? I know that I used settings to ensure the extra pages would be added at the point I place in the text, but have I missed a setting somewhere to enable that for when I apply the styling?

(My master page has a full page text box included, so new pages should hopefully create the text box ready to accept text - hope I've explained and understood that clearly enough.)

I can go in to each chapter document and manually add a new page and then deal with the overset text myself, but for 20+ chapters, I am hoping there's a quicker fix!

Many thanks.

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

You can use Smart Text reflow for text at end of document
https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/threading-text.html#:~:text=Use%20Smart%20Text%20Reflow

If text is between 'chapters' then it might not work so well.

You can also add extra pages yourself - then when threading pages you can hold down the modifier key to modify the behaviour of what will happen
https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/threading-text.html#:~:text=Flow%20text%20manually%20or%20...

It's the same webpage -a ll the info is there for how-to

[Barb Binder]

Hi Claire:

Book layout is best accomplished by using primary frames on the parent pages.  You can ask for them when creating a new file, or add them manually. Primary frames are helpful in long document layout: they add and delete pages as needed because they automatically integrate with the Smart Text Reflow feature that Eugene mentioned. 

I know you said your parent page (called master page in older versions of InDesign) has a text frame, but is it a primary text frame? I'm guessing not, based on the behavior you are encountering. 

~Barb

Primary frames have arrows on the parent page 

[claireh45534778]

Many thanks Barb,

I've checked and yes, the text frames on my parent pages (facing pages) are primary frames.

[Eugene Tyson]

You're welcome @claireh45534778 

Hope it helps

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi Claire:

Two more things to check:

1. What are your Smart Text Reflow settings when your file is open?

2. And check your body pages. Is the text actually in the primary frames, or in new frames on top? Sometimes people who are new to InDesign end up with stacked frames without realizing it. 

~Barb

[claireh45534778]

Many thanks Barb!

It turned out that I did indeed have stacked text frames and hadn't realised that I wasn't editing / placing into the parent text frame.  Once you know, you know..........

I've been and transferred my text into the parent text frames for each chapter document and deleted the surplus text frames. Lo and behold, it all works perfectly now.

Thanks so much to you and the other posters for your help, much appreciated.

[claireh45534778]

(hehe, am learning. I mean PRIMARY text frames, not parent.)