Indesign Table Trouble

[SnakePit]

I am creating a multi-page table that has a lot of information in some of it's cells. If I expanded the rows to show everything the table would be very long. Not what I want. I would like a way to save it in a virtual format that when you clicked on the cell, the hidden text would show up in a popup. #1) Is that possible, and how? #2) If not, are there any applications I can export the indesign table to that I can do this? 

[Eugene Tyson]

Ulitmately it's going to depend on your end format and reasoning for this and how it's going to be distributed.

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You have Rollover states for an object - say like a (Click Here For More Info) or an 'i' in a circle 

Then when someone is using the PDF or online file it would pop up when they roll over it.

https://www.montilladesign.com/post/learn-how-to-create-interactive-rollover-buttons-in-adobe-indesi...

However, interactive things like rollovers in PDFs might not work in all readers, like FoxIt, Chrome, Samsung PDF, Apple Preview, and other 3rd party pdf readers may be really bad at displaying this information or simply ignore it. 

If you're publishing online it should be ok. 

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Another option maybe would be to create End Notes - so you'd insert the text in the table and the person then clicks and endnote - like a footnote - except it's at the end of the document - and it would go to the end of the document where it shows the information. 

You could then somehow get back to the page you were on maybe with a hyperlink back to the page that has the endnote. 

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/indesign/using/endnotes.html

At least with an endnote if someone searched the PDF the information is there. If it's hidden in a pop up it might not be searchable.

[SnakePit]

Thank you! let me play around with this and see what I can figure out.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@SnakePit 

Are you talking about when working in InDesign - or in exported PDF?

If latter - then here is a recent thread:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/interactive-button-to-show-and-hide-layers/m-p/1...

If what you have is "organised" - or you want to just show overset contents of the Cells - "conversion" can be easily automated.

[SnakePit]

I attached a screen shot of the table I am creating in indesign. You can see all the red dots with overset text in them. There is a lot of information in them. I really want to figure out a way to have the info show up in a popup when clicked or rolled over. There MUST be a way, if not in indesign, in another program. This seems like it has to be something that people often encounter. I can't believe there isn't an easy way to do this. I was hoping if I saved as an interactive PDF that would work, but it doesn't. A scrollable box would also be an acceptable outcome.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

There is no built-in way to do this in InDesign - only by a script.

Are you on Windows?

[SnakePit]

I am on a mac. I found an extension that might help, the in5 extension. They don't make it easy though. There is an interactive widget called scrolling frames. You need to download that separately though and they have to email you the link to download. Seems very tedious. I still haven't gotten the email after like 15 minutes. So annoying.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@SnakePit 

Can you send me a sample file - one page would be fine - just in case, so I'll be testing on a "real life" example. 

You can click my nickname if you prefer to do it privately.

I can then process one file for you for free.

[SnakePit]

Here is the main file. I was planning on trying it on a simple example first, but if you want to give it a shot, great!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Something like in Attached PDF?

[SnakePit]

Yes, that is what I want. Either a popup like this or a scrollable cell. Would this work in a table cell? The thing is there are a lot of them, as you can see from the document I sent you. If I have to create separate boxes for all the overflow, I don't think that will be a very elegant solution. Still trying to figure out the extension. I finally got it installed.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

New version 😉 Just one Cell - 3rd column, 2nd row:

Number of cells - not a problem at all.

But it doesn't work on mobile and in a browser - only in Actobat...

If you'll find a different solution - that works in PDF all the time - please let us know.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

in5 is rather web only solution? Won't work in PDF?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Yes, it would work in PDF. Not very efficiently for a lot of items put can certainly work. 

Placed over the table cell would be in no-fill button.

The popup would be a button but does not need an action; it would be hidden until triggered.

The original button would have a On Roll Over action to show the other button--and an On Roll Off action to hide it again. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS 

Are you taking about in5 or PDF? 

If about PDF - I've uploaded two samples.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

PDF (as mentioned). You are assuming I read all the posts! 😜

If I have time, I want to check Focus/Blur to see if will work on my phone in Acrobat Reader.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

PDF (as mentioned). You are assuming I read all the posts! 😜

If I have time, I want to check Focus/Blur to see if will work on my phone in Acrobat Reader.

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

😉 

Would be great if you can check. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Did not work on my iPhone.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Did not work on my iPhone.

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Yeah. Like most interactive features in PDFs do not work on mobile. 

Doesn't work for me on Android not in Web browser on desktop. 

ONLY in Acrobat... 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I think we can call it "case closed" 😉

Those red objects - transparency set to multiply - those are Rectangles created by the Task below:

Values in "{}" - those are names of the columns - so objects, in this case Rectangles - are created dynamically, based on the values read / set / calculated at some point in time - in this case - during reading info about the Table.

Cells has been selected at random.

Zoom on one of the Rectangles - it is set to multiply, so greeen line - is the edge of the Rectangle:

Thickness of the edge on the left - and top - isn't included in the calculations yet - so there is a 0.5pt difference.

And after selecting ALL newly created Rectangles and moving them 0.5pt right and down:

For better visualisation - this one rectangle has been moved to a top most layer and fillhas been removed and transparency set to normal.

Of course - everything still available in the free version - but will require extra clicking 😉

Adding buttons will be piece of cake.

[SnakePit]

Thank you everyone who is trying to help. This just isn't working, and it's time to abandon this idea. I actually got it to work theoretically by "pasting into" the cell and then applying the scrolling feature of the in5 plugin, but when I went to export the file via HTML5 with in5 it crashed indesign evey time. I googled why this might happen and one of the reasons was not enough computing power. This could defintely be the case since my laptop is pretty old. This shouldn't be this hard. There has to be another way.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@SnakePit

How much RAM do you have? 

[Eugene Tyson]

Unfortunately, it's quite rigourous - the easiest way is to have larger cells and let the text cell grow to the size it needs to be. 

You can do it by creating a text frame over the cell - but this would be tedious to accomplish for a lengthy document and probably won't work in all PDF readers.

It also works going to File>Publish Online

Which you'd have to do with the in5 plugin anyway 

But you wouldn't have to use the plugin to do it this way. 

And publish online method should work across various web browsers. 

Unfortunately, you get the Overset Text warning - which is hard to avoid - as you will have overset text. 

Sorry, can't think of much else that could do it.

I think @Dave Creamer of IDEAS and @Robert at ID-Tasker  have both suggested this - just a little taster of how it might look. 

 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS · Accepted solution]

I just had a thought--which I'm prone to do once in a while...

What about using comments in Acrobat? They can be password protected from editing and will work on all devices.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I just had a thought--which I'm prone to do once in a while...

What about using comments in Acrobat? They can be password protected from editing and will work on all devices.

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Nice. 

Should be scriptable.