Space bar defaults text box to 'basic paragraph'

[Lewis35125680b8ur]

I've got a weird problem in one project I'm working on, that when trying to type in a text box if I hit the space bar it defaults the styling in that text box back to 'basic paragraph'.

It dosen't seem to be a bug, or that the space bar has been accidently remapped to do this and it only happens in one project file.

Any ideas what's happening? It's a huge project so hard to restart the file and it is driving me crazy.

[Eugene Tyson]

If a document is not behaving well then try 

File>Export 

Choose IDML

Open the IDML in InDesign
Save the file as a new InDesign file with a new name
See if the issue persists.

[Lewis35125680b8ur]

Thanks Tyson, seems Barb's comment below fixed it but will keep this fix in mind for future issues.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi @Lewis35125680b8ur :

We have had a few reports here about a single letter assigning a style. For example, typing the letter a on the keyboard assigns a style. While unlikely, it seems possible that the spacebar could do the same thing.

Here's how to check: right click Basic Paragraph in the Paragraph styles panel > Edit Basic Paragraph. Rmove anything that might be in the shortcut text box. Keep in mind if it is a space, it will not be visible, but you will be able to either backspace or delete it.

Very curious, so please let us know.

 ~Barb

[Lewis35125680b8ur]

I think that might have been it, oddly there was no space in the shortcut box, but typing into the shortcut box and then deleting the text seems to have fixed it.

Thanks so much for the help, I was running around in circles trying to work out what this was being caused by!

[Eugene Tyson]

How is a shortcut being added? I thought there had to done with a CMD or CTRL combination? 
I can't get it to accept a space

[jmlevy]

@Eugene Tyson in my French 2024 version, it is possible to assign a space as shortcut for a style. Just tested 1 minute ago.

[Barb Binder]

That's insightful, @jmlevy. I can't in my English version. 

@Lewis35125680b8ur: if you have a minute, could you come back to let us know what your InDesign language version is, or if perhaps that file originated elsewhere? The shortcuts travel with the file.

This may well be the key to figuring out how it happens. As I recall, the other two posts were in English, but of course, like @jmlevy, many people speak English very well who are not using the English version of InDesign. I never thought to ask.

~Barb

[Lewis35125680b8ur]

Yeah its the English version, as to file I created it myself, so I can only imagine either it's a glitch or I somehow managed to create a shortcut in the basic paragraph menu without realising. It's never happened to me before though in about ten years of using InDesign!

[Barb Binder]

Hey, thanks for coming back to share that with us. I'm with you, it must be some strange little bug. 

~Barb 

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Eugene Tyson:

I know! It's so weird. But this is the third post that I've seen where tapping a single key while typing assigned a style in the past year or so. I have no idea how it happens.

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Lewis35125680b8ur:

It's a very obsure situation and highly unlikely to ever happen again. I'm glad you reached out before you threw in the towel and started over! That's what we are here for. 😊

~Barb