How to: Unlinking or Unthread Text Boxes in InDesign

[Ala_a_Assamawy]

Hello,

I'm working on 300 pages report, how can I break the thread between chapters? please see the figure blow:

Note: I'm using InDesign CC 2015 on Mac

Thank you,

[Geоrge]

What the problem with to unthread and cut-paste overset to next chapter frame?

You can also use splitstory.jsx (default script in indesign), but than will need to recreate needed threads.

[Ala_a_Assamawy]

Thank you GeorgeS,
Is there another way to do that.. the document I'm working on is huge, "unthread" and "cut-paste" will take a lot of time.

[Daniel Flavin]

Do you actually need to split the threads or is your goal to force a chapter start on a new page?

(Insert Break Character - Page Break - Odd Page Break - Even Page Break)

[Peter Spier]

I like each chapter to be its own story, myself. It prevents unintentional page count changes during editing while warning you about overset text. Dave Saunders wrote a script to divide a story at any given frame which will work well for this: JavaScripting InDesign: Script of the Day -- Divide Story into Two

Not sure how many versions newer than CS it will run in natively, but if it fails, it should run if you put it in a subfolder of the scripts panel folder named Version 3.0 Scripts (the name is case sensitive).

[Obi-wan Kenobi]

Hi George,

StorySplitter_AdiRavid.jsx

[Obi-wan Kenobi · Accepted solution]

/*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------
StorySplitter
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------
An InDesign CS/CS2/CS3 JavaScript by FourAces
© The Final Touch 2006
Version 3.0.0
Splits the selected Story to separate Text Frames, while maintaining their contents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------
*/
var myScriptVer = "3.0";
if(app.documents.length != 0){
          var mySelection = app.activeDocument.selection;
          if(mySelection.length != 0){
                    myObjectType = mySelection[0].constructor.name;
                    if(myObjectType == "TextFrame"){
                              //The Interface Dialog
                              var myDialog = app.dialogs.add({name:"Story Splitter v"+ myScriptVer});
                              with(myDialog){
                                        with(dialogColumns.add()){
                                                  with (dialogRows.add()){
                                                            with(borderPanels.add()){
                                                                      var mySplitOptions = radiobuttonGroups.add();
                                                                      with(mySplitOptions){
                                                                                radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Split All Frames", checkedState:true});
                                                                                radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Split Before Selected Frame"});
                                                                                radiobuttonControls.add({staticLabel:"Split After Selected Frame"});
                                                                      }
                                                            }
                                                  }
                                                  with (dialogRows.add()){
                                                            staticTexts.add({staticLabel:"© The Final Touch"});
                                                  }
                                        }
                              }
                              var myResult = myDialog.show({name:"SplitOptions"});
                              if(myResult == true){
                                        var myStory = mySelection[0].parentStory;
                                        if(app.version.split(".")[0] >= 5){
                                                  var myTextFrames = myStory.textContainers;
                                        }
                                        else{
                                                  var myTextFrames = myStory.textFrames;
                                        }
                                        var myStoryFramesCount = myTextFrames.length;
                                        if(myStoryFramesCount > 1){
                                                  for(f = 0; f < myStoryFramesCount; f++){
                                                            if (mySelection[0] == myStory.textFrames){
                                                                      var myTextFrame = f;
                                                            }
                                                  }
                                                  switch(mySplitOptions.selectedButton){
                                                            case 0:
                                                                      mySplitAll();
                                                                      break;
                                                            case 1:
                                                                      mySplitBefore();
                                                                      break;
                                                            case 2:
                                                                      mySplitAfter();
                                                                      break;
                                                  }
                                        }
                                        else{
                                                  alert("Are You Kidding Me?!\nThe Story you selected has only ONE text frame.");
                                        }
                              }
                    }
                    else{
                              alert("Wrong Selection\nYou selected the wrong type of object. Please select a Text Frame.");
                    }
          }
          else{
                    alert("No Selection Made.\nPlease select a Story to split.");
          }
}
else{
          alert("No Active Document Found.\nPlease open an InDesign document and select a Story to split.");
}
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
function mySplitAll(){
          for(i = 0; i < myStoryFramesCount; i++){
                    myTextFrames.duplicate();
          }
          for(i = 0; i < myStoryFramesCount; i++){
                    if(app.version.split(".")[0] >= 5){
                              myTextFrames.remove();
                    }
                    else{
                              myTextFrames[0].remove();
                    }
          }
}
function mySplitBefore(){
          if(mySelection[0].previousTextFrame == null){
                    alert("Unable Break Thread.\nThe selected Text Frame is the FIRST text frame of the thread.");
          }
          else{
                    var myBfBreakFrame = mySelection[0].previousTextFrame;
                    var myAfBreakFrame = mySelection[0];
                    var myBreakStory = myBfBreakFrame.parentStory;
                    mySelection[0].previousTextFrame = null;
                    if(myBfBreakFrame.overflows == true){
                              var myOversetText = myBreakStory.texts.itemByRange(myBfBreakFrame.insertionPoints[-1],myBreakStory.insertionPoints[-1]);
                              myOversetText.select();
                              app.cut();
                              app.select(myAfBreakFrame.insertionPoints[0]);
                              app.paste();
                    }
          }
}
function mySplitAfter(){
          if(mySelection[0].nextTextFrame == null){
                    alert("Unable Break Thread.\nThe selected Text Frame is the LAST text frame of the thread.");
          }
          else{
                    var myBfBreakFrame = mySelection[0];
                    var myAfBreakFrame = mySelection[0].nextTextFrame;
                    var myBreakStory = myBfBreakFrame.parentStory;
                    mySelection[0]          .nextTextFrame = null;
                    if(myBfBreakFrame.overflows == true){
                                        var myOversetText = myBreakStory.texts.itemByRange(myBfBreakFrame.insertionPoints[-1],myBreakStory.insertionPoints[-1]);
                              myOversetText.select();
                              app.cut();
                              app.select(myAfBreakFrame.insertionPoints[0]);
                              app.paste();
                    }
          }
}

When a script is greatly written, it's for eternity! It works perfectly with ID CC!

Thanks a lot Adi! 

[valedange]

Thank you, great plugin! It works fine with ID CC2017