indesign fix primary text frames in an existing document

[Isoneryum]

I have a document that I set up with primary text frames from the very start of the workflow. I'm using it as a template for all the documents going into a book. 

However, I've gotten almost to the end of formatting the pages for the current section in one particular file and it's suddenly decided to switch from primary text frames to normal ones, so the final page has overset text instead of continuing for the 2 or 3 more pages required.

I've checked the master pages and the primary text boxes are still set up and present. I tried to re-apply to master page to the pages in question but that just gave me new primary text frames under the ones I already have. Is there a way of fixing this that doesn't involve cutting everything and pasting it into a new document?

I don't want to jsut manually create text boxes on some new pages as that will presumably mess up any reflowing which will inevitably happen during editing and defeat the point of using the primary text frames in the first place.

Please help!

Thanks!

[Mike Witherell]

Hi I,

• Selecting the Primary Text Frame option does not affect whether new pages are added when you autoflow text.
• Since you made a parent page, don't worry about having the text frames be primary. Just make text frames. Primary text is only useful when you never change the frame from page to page. If you tend to tweak page frames, just use a common text frame
• If you like InDesign automatically adding pages to non-primary text frames, there is a setting for that in Preferences known as Smart Text Reflow. It doesn't have to be limited to primary text frames.

[Isoneryum]

I think I mis-typed the name of what I was talking about. I'm using the primary text frames option from the preferences which should auto add and remove pages when you add or remove text, so never any overset text.

However it's not suddenly stopped working mid way through a document and I need to get it to work again.

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[Mike Witherell]

Suppose you flowed in 20 pages of text from a word docx into your primary frame. Later, you want to place and flow in another word docx. The only way you continue to have a primary text frame is if you insert your Type tool at the end of the text on page 20 and File > Place the next word docx. This effectively joins the two texts into one long flow of primary frame.

If however you did not have the Type tool inserted in the existing primary textframe text, the next File > Place will produce a new, non-primary text frame. Depending on your preferences, that too, can autoflow and add on pages. But it will be a non-primary textframe. Because you can only have one story be in a primary textframe.

Give a closer look at Preferences > Type > Smart Text Reflow and look at some of its options.

Again, it is just as well to have regular textframes on Parent pages as it is to have Primary textframes.

[Isoneryum]

Hmm, I guess that makes sense but I've definitely only placed one word doc into the Indesign doc. I did copy and paste some text as well but it was at the end of the story, and I thought the whole point of primary text frames was you can add and delete text and it reflows it accordingly in more or less pages?

There must be a way to fix pages that for some reason aren't flowing text via primary text frames like they should be?

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[rob day]

Hi @Isoneryum , Can you share the problem Book file?

[Isoneryum]

sorry, not really, I signed an NDA for this project, I just had to start over as deleting the pages messed up the linked google doc for all the text.

[Mike Witherell]

You might be right that you are seeing some flaky behavior. My previous comments are made just to rule out the simple things first. Maybe post the file so we can see if it does the same things you describe on our end?

[Scott Falkner]

Try deleting the problem pages (assuming there is nothing on the pages you need to keep other than text). Then click on the red + on the bottom of the frame on the last page, add a next page based on the appropriate parent page, and hold Shift as you click in the text frame.

If you need to keep any objects or layout changes made on the problem pages save a copy of the document you can copy from.