Multiple different page numbers on the SAME page..

Hi @Rba Mrym, you've got two correct answers already, but I was thinking about it after looking at your complex document and I think you are right—that a script would be ideal because it would keep your document as simple as possible.

I've made a demo file (attached) that shows a basic set up using master page text frames for the numbering and script labels (very important because that's how the script knows which boxes to number). You can see in the screen shot below I've used the label "numbering":

The text frames have object styles linked to paragraph styles. I don't have the ME version of Indesign and I could get the Arabic numerals to set properly via ExtendScript. Let me know if it doesn't work in your version either and I'll explore further.

Here is the script I wrote. Let me know if you decide to give it a try.

- Mark

/**
 * Example page numbering script, which works by entering a 'counter'
 * value into any text frames with a matching label, where the counter
 * is incremented when a text frame is found on an unprocessed page.
 * This means that every text frame found on the same page, using the
 * same counter, will have the same number, so the Arabic and English
 * numbers will be the same (except for the font/language used).
 * It also means that the counter does not increment when there is no
 * text frames found on a page.
 * This example treats the Arabic and English numbering as the same
 * counter (which they appear to be), but if they need to be different,
 * then we can call the `processPageItems` twice and label the text frames
 * differently, eg. "Page Number Box Arabic" and "Page Number Box English".
 * We can use a different numberer function, too, so the Arabic and English can
 * have totally different rules. To customise the numberer further,
 * edit the `myNumberer` function (or make another one for another call
 * to `processPageItems`).
 *
 * Important Notes:
 *   - I don't know how to set Arabic numbers from ExtendScript and I'm
 *     hoping that the paragraph styles will handle that. If not, I'll have
 *     to convert the counter to Arabic glyphs in the myNumberer function.
 *   - The document must be set up with text frames having the specified
 *     script label (see the Script Label panel in Indesign).
 *   - I *highly* recommend using object styles for the page number text frames,
 *     so that you can specify the position, and other properties in one go.
 *
 * @author m1b
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/multiple-different-page-numbers-on-the-same-page/m-p/14328619
 */
function main() {

    var doc = app.activeDocument,
        myCounter = new Counter();

    // this finds all page items of the document
    // that match the label, and we pass it a
    // function for handling numbering required
    processPageItems(doc, 'numbering', numbererForArabicAndEnglish);

    // show results
    alert('Set ' + myCounter.totalCount + ' numbers.');


    /**
     * Replaces text contents with a count using `myCounter`.
     * @param {PageItem} item - an Indesign page item.
     * @param {Page} page - and Indesign Page.
     */
    function numbererForArabicAndEnglish(item, page) {

        if (!item.hasOwnProperty('contents'))
            // can't set contents of this thing
            return;

        if (page.documentOffset < 😎 {
            // no numbering before page 8
            item.contents = '';
            return;
        }

        if (
            page.documentOffset === 619
            || page.documentOffset === 620
        ) {
            // reset counter at page 620 spread
            myCounter.count = 0;
            myCounter.page = undefined;
        }

        switch (item.texts[0].appliedParagraphStyle.name) {

            case 'Page Number Arabic':
            // I'm not sure how to set Arabic numerals so I'll
            // just set the contents to English numerals and
            // hope the paragraph style will handle the language

            case 'Page Number English':
                item.contents = String(myCounter.getCountByPage(page));
                break;

            default:
                break;
        }

    };

};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Do Numbering');


/**
 * An incrementable counter.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2024-01-02
 * @constructor
 */
function Counter() {

    this.count = 0;
    this.totalCount = 0;
    this.page;

    /**
     * Returns the counter's count,
     * but only increments when
     * going to a different page.
     * @param {Page} page - an Indesign Page.
     * @returns {Number}
     */
    this.getCountByPage = function (page) {

        if (undefined == page)
            throw Error('Counter.prototype.getNextCount: bad `page` supplied.');

        this.totalCount++;

        if (this.page !== page) {
            this.count++;
            this.page = page;
        }

        return this.count;

    };

};


/**
 * Performs a function on every page item
 * in `doc` that has a matching `label`.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2024-01-02
 * @param {document} doc - an Indesign Documwent.
 * @param {String} label - the label to match.
 * @param {Function} fn - the processing function fn(text, page)
 */
function processPageItems(doc, label, fn) {

    var pages = doc.spreads.everyItem().pages.everyItem().getElements(),
        masterItems = [];

    // collect all the labelled master items
    for (var i = 0; i < doc.masterSpreads.length; i++)
        for (var j = 0; j < doc.masterSpreads[i].allPageItems.length; j++)
            if (label == doc.masterSpreads[i].allPageItems[j].label)
                masterItems.push(doc.masterSpreads[i].allPageItems[j]);

    pageLoop:
    for (var i = 0; i < pages.length; i++) {

        // first override any master page items
        for (var j = 0; j < masterItems.length; j++) {
            try {
                masterItems[j].override(pages[i]);
            } catch (error) {
                // will error when no item on page, so ignore
            }

        }

        // process labelled page items
        for (var j = 0; j < pages[i].allPageItems.length; j++)
            if (label == pages[i].allPageItems[j].label)
                fn(pages[i].allPageItems[j], pages[i]);

    }

};

P.S. Your little pagination mockup on your first post showed page numbers on the right hand page of a spread, but your demo document didn't look like that. Anyway, hopefully you can get the idea. Note that the script includes the part where it resets counter at page 620.

Edit 2024-01-05: minor edit to script documentation.