Script: Omit page numbering on book chapters’ last pages?

[Klаus]

Hi there!

I bet there’s no script for controlling whether or not the last page of a book’s chapter carries a page number (at the bottom), depending on how much of that page is filled with text.

Will somebody proof me wrong here, please? 😉

See this pic of two double-page spreads, showing situations where you might or might not want a page number at a chapter’s end:

[brian_p_dts]

Doable with some effort, but why not just use a different master page without the number? 

Why does the first one take a page number whereas the second one doesn't?

[Klаus]

Re your 2nd question: Just for »book setting aesthetical« reasons. Some people (like me) feel that the fewer lines a chapter ending page has, the more a »lonely« page number at its bottom looks just inapt and unmindful.

[Peter Kahrel]

As Brian suggested, create a master for those pages. Then a script can determine whether a page contains, say, five lines or fewer and apply that master to the page.

[Klаus]

Can a script be smart enough to check the amount of lines permanently? I mean would such a script, once it has been started, »notice« when let’s say a week later another line might be added to a given chapter somewhere near its beginning, so that the last page suddenly ends up with 6 lines (instead of 5) and therefore would »deserve« a page number?

[Peter Kahrel]

Sure. You'll have to run the script again, though.

[brian_p_dts]

Sure, could be done with event listeners on the doc, probably during an onSave or onClose event. 

[Laubender]

I'd do it quiet different. No script needed.

Just add a anchored rectangle with fill color [Paper] at the last insertion point of your story that will obscure the page number. The anchor position could be relative to the spine and bottom edge of the frame or the bottom margins.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Klаus]

That would not be smart enough to fit my taste.

[Laubender]

Haha! 🙂

( Well, you can always hire me to write a sophisticated script… )

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )