SOS: Random blue number symbol appearing and blocking text flow

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Hi all,

This blue number symbol randomly appeared along with a blank page and I can't place the Type Tool pointer beyond where it is and if I try double clicking on the blank page (on the text box), I can't edit it. It's sort of blocked. I tried deleting to eliminate the space and also backspacing the text from the point where it continues, but I can't get rid of all that empty space. This is the second time it randomly appears on my document. I was doing nothing special, just modifying some book cover images that are linked, like four pages behind the page where the symbol appeared. I'd appreciate some help, since it's causing quite some trouble.

Thanks!

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

That's not a random symbol. It's the end-of-story marker and will show after the last character in any text story.

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Thanks! The problem is I never marked nor intended that section to be end of story. It shouldn't be there. It just appeared and it created a blank page where I had none and it's keeping me from writing text in all that blank space that is not supposed to be there.

I am new to InDesign and I may have done something to unadvertedly create it, but I need to get rid of it.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

You can't. It's simply InDesign telling you where the end of your text content is. You can keep adding more text anywhere and push that end marker down — by hundreds of pages, if necessary. It should not be interfering with your layout or design in any way.

Note that it will replace any last paragraph mark (¶ or 'pilcrow').

[Adriana28778496arfn]

The thing is it appeared just recently on page 9 of a 250 pages document, so I can't push it down.

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Also, there another one behaving like this on page 19, of this same document. Jalp

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Adriana28778496arfn:

Did you have the opporutnity to follow up on my suggestion (below) to read up on text frames? 

~Barb

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Hi Barb! Just about to check it. Thanks a lot.

[Peter Spier]

Take a look at the layers panel and see if you have extra text frames on those pages.

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Thanks Peter! I did check, but it wasn't the case.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

My honest suggestion, at this point, is that you create a wholly new INDD file, set it up so that the primary text flow is automatic, and cut and paste your content into it. That will bypass all of this confusion with separated text frames and flows and so forth.

It's a useful skill to know when to stop fixing a broken document (no matter the reasons) and start over, even if it means redoing some of the work.

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Adriana28778496arfn:

InDesign is tough to teach yourself. Let's get you started by working through the content on this page: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/creating-text-text-frames.html, and anything else you can about how text frames, and threaded text frames in particular, work. My guess is that you have a frame sitting over another frame, but we can't confirm that based on your screen shot.

~Barb  

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Thanks y'all!

[Barb Binder]

Did you get it figured out, @Adriana28778496arfn?

~Barb

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Yes! It appears the text frames were unthreaded. Thank you so much for your follow-up, you're very kind.

-Adriana.

[Bill Silbert]

It sounds possible that the blank pages being inserted are the result of the Smart Text Reflow feature. This feature adds additional pages when either the text of a Primary Text Frame exceeds the boundaries of that frame or if the enter key has been pressed which would usually be done to go from one threaded text frame to another. Go into the Type section of your InDesign Preferences and uncheck the box for Smart Text Reflow and see if the unwanted text frames stop appearing. At the very least any unwanted text frames will now be easily deleted. Then follow Barb Binder's advice to learn more about text frames.

[Adriana28778496arfn]

Thanks a lot!