how to find particular text whose layer is locked

[abhijeett89122812]

i have 400 pages indesign document, i want to find C0 M100 Y0 k0 color characters to change them to black.

but here some of the text layers are locked i want to lcoate then as well. please help.

[jmlevy]

Why don't you unlock the locked layer?

[abhijeett89122812]

trying to find that text, total 15 files.

[Peter Kahrel]

You have the 'Include locked layers' button enabled, so if inDesign then gets upset that you found something on a locked layer, I'd say that that's a bug.

[Laubender]

Peter Kahrel said: "I'd say that that's a bug."

Hm. I'm not sure about this.

When you use the "Find Next" button InDesign should select the found object.

On a locked layer this is not possible.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Peter Kahrel]

> When you use the "Find Next" button InDesign should select the found object.

> On a locked layer this is not possible.

InDesign happily selects found text on a locked layer (provided you enable 'Include locked layers')

[Charles Granderson]

Hello - I have the same issue. Even though I select the "Include locked layers and locked objects," when I search I get a warning: "found object was locked or on a locked layer." Indesign further does not take me to said found object in the document. If this is a bug, to whom do I report it?  Thank you

[Laubender]

Hi Charles,

I also see this when I check "Include locked layers and locked objects".

That it would work how Peter described that behavior you have to do two things:

[ 1 ] Use GREP Find/Change; Text Find/Change cannot do this.

[ 2 ] You have to enable two options, not only one:

"Include locked layers and locked objects"

"Include Locked Stories"

All tests done with my German InDesign 2022 version 17.2.1.105 on Windows 10.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Peter Spier]

But can it CHANGE text on a locked layer, or only alert that iti is found?

[Laubender]

Hi Peter,

it can select the text in that locked text frame.

It's not only an alert.

So if you go step by step through the found selections, even through the ones in locked frames, you are able to change the selected text. In the GUI. Not with one of the buttons the GREP Find/Change panel offers.

For example: you are able to apply a character style to a found text in th GUI. Just open the Character Styles panel and apply the style to the selected text that was found.

Or apply a different swatch from the Swatches panel.

But you cannot type or copy new text to the found selection in a locked text frame by default.

For that option you have to disable this option, that is enabled by default:

Preferences > General > Object Editing >

[  ] Prevent Selection of Locked Objects

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Peter Spier]

So it looks to me like the OP is trying to use Find/Change colors, rather than GREP, to change yellow to black, and is recieving a warning thaat some objects are on locked layers. Peter K says this is a bug, but it sounds like expected behavior to me.

[Laubender]

"it sounds like expected behavior to me"

Well, I agree.

Back to alternatives:

The OP says: "C0 M100 Y0 k0 color characters to change them to black".

So why not use GREP Find/Change for that? The color is applied to text.

And if the OP is lucky, that swatch NOTES is only applied with 100% to the text.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Peter Spier]

Yes, that seems to make more sense, IF the layers are to remain locked. But I have to say I think Jean Marc's suggestion to UNLOCK THE LAYER makes more sense so that Find/Change, either color or text, can do a Change All, then relock the layer.

Since we haven't heard back from either of the posters with the problem I bet that's what they did.