Overset Text Error in InDesign Despite No Visible Text

[Faith5C32]

Looking at my preflight panel to check the errors on a multi-page doc. I am getting 2 overset text errors. But when I go to the specified area of the doc, there is nothing. I tried everything - I deleted everything off the spread, and the error still remains. There is nothing locked on the spread. I checked all layers of the documents and even checked the master pages to no avail. What's weird is if I copy and paste the contents of the page to a new doc, the error is gone. I have tried individually deleting all the type boxes and the error remains.

Please help!

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[Faith5C32]

Also - the No Break attribute is NOT applied. 

[jmlevy]

Have you checked if there is not a hidden text frame? Or an overset text on a path?

[Faith5C32]

Hey - thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, there is no type on a path and no hidden frames.

[Jumpenjax]

Check to see if you have wrap around bounding box clicked, on either of these pages.

[Randy Hagan]

Time to go back to the basics:

1. Click on the Arrow/Selection tool. Then choose the Edit>Select All menu command. This will select all the elements on your selected and viewed page/spread, as well as anything hanging off the related pasteboard.
2. Zoom out using the View>Entire Pasteboard menu command and look for the text frame with the red + sign.

Don't be surprised if you find it on the pasteboard, especially if you're working with a file that may have been recycled multiple times and updated instead of replaced with a new, fresh file. It happens more often than you'd think, especially if there are many hands working on the file.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[Faith5C32]

Hey-thanks for the response! I followed your steps, and there is nothing showing up.

[Willi Adelberger]

Zoom in your document with a very high level.

Open the Preflight Panel.

Click on the page number where the error is indicated.

Now should this error be in focus and easier to see as you are zoomed in.

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Check to see if there is a return at the end of your text. That 'empty' return will be flagged 😉

[Faith5C32]

Hey thanks for the response! No extra returns. What's weird is if I paste all the items from the doc to a new one, the errors go away on the new one, and not the old one - despite that the page is blank.

[jmlevy]

Nothing on the pasteboard?

[Faith5C32]

Nope. No locked layers or hidden text boxes or anything. It still says there is a overset text error. So it's like the overset text is invisible on the document somewhere, it's nothing I've created on the page.

[jmlevy]

Try to export the file as idml format.

[bgrosz]

I was having the same issues and I copied all the boxes to a new document and the error went away.  We'll probably never figure out what was wrong.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I was having the same issues and I copied all the boxes to a new document and the error went away.  We'll probably never figure out what was wrong.

By @bgrosz

If you still have this corrupted INDD file - can you share it? Please click my nickname if you prefer to send it privately.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I was having the same issues and I copied all the boxes to a new document and the error went away.  We'll probably never figure out what was wrong.

By @bgrosz

Not sure what exactly do you mean by "copied all boxes to a new document" - but just in case you meant this literally - next time save time and move all the PAGES to the beginning of a new, blank document.

[bgrosz]

One click and I had them selected and moved to a new document.  I didn't do it one by one.  I do not have the old file...

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

One click and I had them selected and moved to a new document.  I didn't do it one by one.  I do not have the old file...

By @bgrosz

Right, so it was a one page / spread document? 

Please remember about me when you'll have ANY misbehaving - potentially corrupted - files in the future 😉

[Faith5C32]

I should also add to this, that the typical red + that shows normally for overset text is nowhere to be found.

[Willi Adelberger]

To get rid of extra returns at the end of text or end spaces, go to find and replace. There is a prest, called Remove trailing space. Apply this for the whole document. It might resolve the problem.

[Faith5C32]

Hey - I really appreciate it. I tried this, and the error remains. 😞 

[rob day]

I should also add to this, that the typical red + that shows normally for overset text is nowhere to be found.

Make sure you don’t have Overprint Preview turned on, and that the View>Screen Mode is set to Normal—the overset icon only displays when the screen mode is set to Normal and Overprint Preview is turned off

You could also check via scripting. This would display a list of pages with frames that overset:

var tf = app.activeDocument.textFrames;
var s = "Document’s text overfows: \r"
var hf, vis;
            
for (var i = 0; i < tf.length; i++){   
    if (tf[i].overflows == true) {
        hf = tf[i].hiddenTexts.length;
        vis = tf[i].visible;
        s+= "Page: " + tf[i].parentPage.name + "  Frame visible: " + vis + "  Hidden Texts: " + hf + "\r"
    } 
};   

alert(s);

[Geоrge]

Give us package of your file through some dropbox/yadisk service. May be some of domestic wizards will check your file and do the miracle with finding your ghost overset. 

[Peter Spier]

The very fastest way to find overset text is to view in Story Editor...

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

I suppose I should add you want to use Preflight to find the story first, then use the link in preflight to go to the location, and then hit  Ctrl (PC) or Cmd (Mac) + Y to open the Story Editor.