indesign text link direction incorrect after change from arabic to English

[ja52653699]

I've needed Indesign to set arabic for a few years but have now reverted to Indesign in international English. I completely uninstalled, changed language on CC account to English and then reinstalled, asked it not to keep preferences. The text link direction is wrong when I place a word document in any existing Indesign file. And also the endnote box is generated with the wrong text link direction.

The change direction tickbox from 'story' is not available in the English version.

New documents are fine but old ones (that didn't even use arabic) are affected. Export to idml doesn't change the behaviour. Does this mean that there's something hidden in all my old files that forces it to follow this text direction and that cannot be overridden?

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from using the community">

[ja52653699]

Thank you. 

[kglad]

sure.

[Willi Adelberger]

Text direction is part of paragraph and character styles. Work on these to correct it. You have to change from Adobe World composer to Adobe Paragraph Composer in Paragraph Styles in Fine tuning. 

[ja52653699]

Thanks but it's the text 'link' direction. So the [+] link check box is at bottom left instead of right even after reinstalling with International english. It also happens to the auto generated endnotes text frame.

.

At left text box created using type tool. Correct for left to right setting. At right text box auto created by placing word doc. Same text. Normal paragraph styles applied - language set to english.

[Willi Adelberger]

If it is the link, it is the character style. 

[ja52653699]

I've identified what happens -  it was importing the MS word file into to a text frame with an object style of 'none' but which, by default, had a 'story option override' of 'story writing direction' / 'right to left'. This is in the 'English (international)' version which I thought shouldn't be possible. Clearing the overrides or changing object style to 'basic text frame' reverts the text frame's story direction to 'left to right'. 

Testing import options I found out:

Preserving styles while importing gives an object style of 'none' with story override of 'right to left'. 

Removing styles while importing gives an object style of 'none' but no story override.

So maybe some style option somewhere as it does not happen in a new document? However it still happened even after I deleted all the styles (character and para) in my existing document. So it may be something in the structure of a document created in the arabic version that persists even though you've uninstallled and reinstalled ID in English...

Hope this helps someone.

[Joel Cherney]

So it may be something in the structure of a document created in the arabic version that persists even though you've uninstallled and reinstalled ID in English...

These settings are saved with the INDD. If you started a new INDD document in a MENA edition of InDesign, then you started with the tools defaulting to Middle-East-friendly settings. Imagine that you started a new Arabic document, and you drew a new text frame. That text frame had default Arabic language applied to the text, default RTL story direction in the Story panel, et cetera. Then you saved your INDD and closed it. 

When you now open up your old INDD in your new English InDesign, the old settings for your text frame are still there - it's stil RTL story direction and Arabic language. However, your Text tool is also still defaulting to these settings, as the Text tool prefs were saved with your INDD. So if you open up that old INDD and immediately select your Text tool to make some new frames in your old INDD, they'll still have right-to-left story settings  and Arabic language applied.

[...] it was importing the MS word file into to a text frame with an object style of 'none' but which, by default, had a 'story option override' of 'story writing direction' / 'right to left'. This is in the 'English (international)' version which I thought shouldn't be possible.

The main differences between your new English install and your old Midde East/North Africa install are in the user interface and localization. Under the hood, it's basically the same app.