Span Columns?

[natebartlett]

Anybody know where the Span Columns went in ID 2019? I can't find it on the properties panel.

[BobLevine]

Same place it’s always been. Paragraph panel or the paragraph styles panel.

[natebartlett]

I'm working with the new default layout which has the new Properties panel. It's nowhere to be found here.

When the properties panel was at the top, it was always near where you'd set the columns.

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

Window > Control or set the workspace to Essentials Classic

[KieranBrennanDublin]

this re-sets the properties to the top again, however is there an option to specify 'span columns' in the new dialogue window?

[Steve Werner]

You should make a paragraph style and include Span Columns there.

[Colorola]

Hi, was this answered? I really prefer the new Essentials on the right of the page, but the span columns control is missing from the paragraph settings and character settings. I'm also not seeing any option to customize the control panel. I guess it's back to the legacy Essentials...

[BobLevine]

You can set up a workspace any way you want. The included presets are just a starting point.

[Kobekanemusic]

The Span Columns panel is not an option anymore in InDesign 2025. You have to go through too many steps to access it now. How do we get that feature back? It's not an option in the Customize Control Panel Settings anymore. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

It's right on my control bar in v20.2:

And it appears on a standard 4K monitor, although it is the first block to disappear when you narrow the main window.

[graphicsguy2]

My assumption from your question was that you were suffering from the same missing span controls that I was in 2019. Span controls used to be accessible via the control panel along the top of the screen (mine was at the far right). I used them there fairly often. Until 5 minutes ago I couldn't find them in 2019. -- It looks like Adobe changed them from showing with the character-related items (on the far right) to the paragraph-related items (now in the middle). See my attached images for a visual.

[Steve Werner]

Span Columns show up in Paragraph mode if you monitor has enough room to display it. You can use the Customize menu at the far right of the Control panel to choose which items are included in the display. Span Columns is a paragraph attribute.

If you have a very large screen (as you do), there may be room to add paragraph-mode items at the far right of  Character mode in the Control Panel.

[Milan Cobanov]

Same issue. Did they forget to include it in CC 2019!?

[Laubender]

Hi MINDPRESS ,

no issue at all, I think. The feature is still there, but it is not available in the new Properties panel.

Window > Text and Tables > Paragraph > Span Columns

From my German InDesign CC 2019 on WIndows 10:

Regards,
Uwe

[johna27734685]

I'm having the same problem having just updated to 2019. I've set the workspace to 'essentials classic' but still no column span which I constantly need to access. See attached screen shot - it would normally have appeared in the gap on the right. There's no option to add it in the panels 'customise' options. How do I get it back?!

[BobLevine]

You don't text selected.

[johna27734685]

Ah, I see now, thanks - having selected the text I need to do as per post number 6 (graphicsguy2) has said!

Always a pain when something you've used daily for years gets moved!

[lizg26939462]

I use 'columns' and 'span columns' a lot, so having that always available in the Control panel, as in ID 2017 (on MacBook Pro 2017), is much more efficient than having to click through the paragraph menu to the 'options' tab, then to the 'span columns' to finally be able to specify the number of columns!

The properties tab doesn't feature it either, though I see that other users on here can see it.

Annoyingly, the Control panel has a blank space on the righthand side now, so lack of space is not a reason to remove it. Many other settings can be set in multiple menus - eg fonts, which can be set in the Control panel, the Character panel and through the Type menu. (At least the content of the Control panel doesn't disappear completely as it did in the recent 2018 update.)

Users can personalise several aspects of the interface, why not the content/appearance of the Control panel as well? We all work in different ways and on different types of project and this approach doesn't help me work more efficiently.

For the time being I will continue to use ID 2017 ...

[johna27734685]

Hi lizg

If you look at the screenshots on answer 6 you'll see it is still available (in 'Essentials Classic' view) but you have to click on the paragraph icon to see it - its not in the same place it used to be

I agree with you in that I much preferred it where it was as it was grouped together will all the other typography features I needed constant access to

[lizg26939462]

Hi Johna

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, I really appreciate it. I've already tried 'essentials classic' but for some reason, span columns still doesn't appear in the paragraph controls ribbon. I have selected 'customise ...' under the settings icon to the far right and ticked 'text columns' but still no luck. It appears on some screenshots in this thread, though they may be from a Windows PC and I'm using a Mac. It makes me think it could be a bug, maybe related to some completely different setting (I've even checked  ID preferences). I'll wait for the next update I think ...

[BobLevine]

How wide is your monitor? It appears that you'rs is not very wide and may not have room to display the span features.

[lizg26939462]

That may be the case. For reference, I'm using a 13" MacBook Pro (2017 model). By trying different combinations of the customise settings (for both the paragraph and character ribbon), I've finally got the 'span columns' control to appear.

For what it's worth, and for anyone else using a similar sized monitor, here are the 'customise' options that I selected to get what I personally need. Note that there is some duplication in the displayed items - eg some character items also appear in the paragraph ribbons, depending on what else is selected, likewise some paragraph items appear in the character ribbon. That is something that I wasn't able to control.

Anyway, it looks like I now have what I need to work the way I want to, so a good result ...!

[BAZAGRAPHICS]

if you have a small screen it wont show up anyway.

But yes, it's available in the paragraph section of top panel.

[cordeliaflyte]

This same thing was driving me bonkers. I came up with an ok solution until Adobe gives us an update with span columns option in the new properties panel:

Make a key-command for it.

• Go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts
• Under PANEL MENUS you'll find Paragraph > span columns…
• Assign the key command of your choice (command+option+1 seemed handy to me)

When you're working and in the text tool, press your key command, then use the down arrow to quickly scroll to the span option you need and hit return.

This is actually fewer clicks than the old 2018 way, so it's nice once you're used to it.

[JohnA832]

Here are some screen shots of Span Column for 2019