Replacing Placeholder Text in Master Page with Final Document Text

[GloriousLeader]

I am working through the lessons in InDesign CC 2017 Classroom in a Book. In Lesson 3, we create a master page with a placeholder for a running header. Then, we replace the text that is on the master page with final document text. The instructions are (on page 78):

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Replacing placeholder text

1 Select the Type tool (T).  Hold down Shift+Ctrl and then click within the placeholder text frame on page 2 that contains "Placeholder Text". Replace the placeholder text with Egrets and Herons .

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I cannot get this to work no matter what I do. When I delete the placeholder text, the text frame is also deleted, and I cannot type in the replacement text. I have tried adding a new text frame, but cannot accomplish this. (The text frame is within another element on the master page, but I am not sure what the element is because the lesson had me place the placeholder element as a part of a much larger element with multiple parts.)

When I hold down Shift+Ctrl, the text tool becomes the pointer tool and does not revert to the text tool when I release Shift+Ctrl.

Now what?

Many thanks, . . .

[rob day]

1 Select the Type tool (T).  Hold down Shift+Ctrl and then click within the placeholder text frame on page 2 that contains "Placeholder Text". Replace the placeholder text with Egrets and Herons .

The instructions are for overriding the master frame on one of the pages, but it sounds like you are trying to change the text on the master page itself. In that case you wouldn't need to Shift-Control(Command) Click the text frame because you are simply editing the master text. If you wanted to make an exception on one of the pages based on the master, you need to Shift-Control-Click the frame on the page with the exception in order to override and edit it.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

I teach that lesson at least once a month.

The intention is for you to replace the content of the master page text frames—that currently have [Placeholder Text]—with custom text on your body page spread. This is showing how to override master page frames.

Use the Selection tool when you Control+Shift+Click on the text to copy it forward to the body pages. Then you can switch to the Type tool to replace [Placeholder Text] with Egrets and Herons. Repeat on the facing page, and replace it with Monarch Butterflies.

[OnTheRoad41]

I am using the 2025 InDesign CIB and still have the same problem. Whether I follow your directions (which seems to just replace the Placeholder Text on THAT page only) or the book directions at the bottom of p78, it doesn't replace the Parent Page placeholder text (even though History says "Override Parent Page Items"). All the other pages still have "[Placeholder Text]". What am I doing wrong?

[Willi Adelberger]

Don't put any placeholder text on the master. This was done in Quark Xpress, but is bad practice in InDesign. It makes no sense. 

[Barb Binder]

Hi @OnTheRoad41:

This, right?

The words [Placeholder Text] are on the A-3 Column Layout parent pages.

• If you change them on the parent page, they update throughout the document.
• If you Ctrl+Sh click on the text frames on body pages, you will override the parent page items and edit the content only on pages 2-3 and not pages 1, 4-12.

This is a 30-second snippet of how I teach this:

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

So as I was answering your question, GloriousLeader, I assumed you had just misread it, and then mistyped it. But you found a typo that has been in all 5 of the last InDesign CIB books, and I never noticed! The last time it was correct was the CS5 book! Nice catch. I'll go log it on the Peachpit Errata page.

Any other CIB book questions, come back and ask. A lot of the Adobe Certified Instructors also volunteer here, and we know those exercises like the backs of our hands.

~Barb

[Peter Spier]

@Barb Binder Back in the dark ages when I taught InDesign at my local community college I use the CIB as what I considerd the best available beginners text, but I always found it was full of "teachable moments" and outright errors.