Problem with Object Style and InDesign Template

[Warren Bingham]

I've had a problem develop with a template we use regularly. In the template, I have an Object Style which uses the Paragraph Style (and Next Style features), so you can style the text in the frame as well as set the attributes of the frame. When I am working (in CC2017) with the template, the style (including top inset spacing, bottom inset spacing, paragraph and next styles as well as the first baseline offset all work.

When I create a file based on the template, the first baseline offset, paragraph style and next style and bottom inset spacing don't apply. When you look at the list of paragraph styles, the name has a + at the end indicating an override (but I haven't chosen any).

If I click the Clear Overrides (under the list of Object Styles), nothing changes. If I option-shift click on the style name in the Object Styles palette, nothing changes. However, if I go into the Text Frame Options of the object and change them to the values in the template, the plus sign disappears.

This is slowing up our workflow because we can't depend on an Object Style to work (although it is consistently not working). I've wondered about a script to make the changes manually so they will have the right settings, but I think this isn't working as it should.

I have exported the template to an INDD and imported it again. It still has the same problem. I just tried to reproduce it in a new file, and it won't. Does anyone have an idea how I can fix this?

Thanks,

Warren Bingham

[Willi Adelberger]

I think this is a bug. What I do is that I apply a different object style first and then I can apply the correct style again.

[ar53n]

Sorry but this doesn't work for me! Keep getting the "+" sign next to the style, and the text frame option format remains unchanged!

[Erica Gamet]

Did you ever find a fix? This was a problem on the forums here a few years back...I just went and checked the old one and it never had a solution either.

[Kai Rübsamen]

Can someone provide a idml-file with that problem? I’m here with Willi and have the feeling, that I choose in the past another object style, but important: If the override is on a textframe, choose the graphics frame object style, then none, then the text frame object style.

Nevertheless: It would be interesting to inspect such a file. And: Some properties can only be set with scripting, e.g. remove ideoSpaceBehavior, set a fillColor to 100 %, remove spanning-entries in the overview …

Kai

[Eternal Warrior]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Warren+Bingham  scrieb:

When I create a file based on the template, the first baseline offset, paragraph style and next style and bottom inset spacing don't apply. When you look at the list of paragraph styles, the name has a + at the end indicating an override (but I haven't chosen any).

Just to clarify as it doesn't seem obvious... when you say create a file? Is this a separate InDesign Document? Or another spread etc?

Have you tried creating a NEW file and then importing the object and paragraph styles rather than using a Save as to base off the template document?

What were the results of doing it this way?

Corruptions and errors like this can occur and stack up when continually using a Save As or save a copy function to create a "new" file.

Best,

EW

[dlma]

I had this problem. My only solution was to create a new object style that matched the one that wasn't working and then delete the old style and have it replaced by the newly made one.

(I also first made an IDML file and opened it and saved the new INDD file so that any "junk" was stripped.)

[DRC175]

I had this same problem and none of the suggestions worked for me..

In my case, my box had shifted slightly and was no longer "square", so my insets and other changes were not applying. Once I converted the shape back "to rectangle" the overrides cleared. No sure if this would help anyone else.

[Laubender]

Hi DRC175 ,

can you describe in more detail what your object style should do and what actually goes wrong?

Best provide a sample document we can inspect with a download service like Dropbox and provide the download link.

Also do some screenshots to illustrate your problem.

What's your exact version of InDesign on what operating system?

Regards,
Uwe

[DRC175 · Accepted solution]

Hi Laubender​,

I'm running Indesign CC2018 on an iMac (OS 10.13.2)

My Object Style is meant to apply colour and specialized insets to a text box.
The box had been moved using the Direct Selection tool, and must have shifted a fraction, and the Override Style could not clear, as the insets no longer worked in a non-square shape, (even trying a manual override). Once I reset the box shape, the insets reappeared, and the Object Style worked as intended.

This resolved my issue, so I don't need further help. (Unless it's really helpful to someone, then I can go back and create screen shots)

Thanks!

[Laubender]

DRC175  wrote

… This resolved my issue, so I don't need further help. (Unless it's really helpful to someone, then I can go back and create screen shots)

Ah. Now I understand.

The shape of the text frame changed a bit so that only one inset value would be applyable.

Since object styles cannot dictate the shape of an object, just the size if we want, you'd never get rid of the overrides until you changed the shape back from perhaps trapezoid or irregular to rectangular form.

I don't think you need to add screenshots.

But go ahead and do so if you want. 🙂

Regards,
Uwe