Strange object on InDesign file

[Manan Joshi]

Hi All,

This may be a naive question but I got an InDesign file that shows an object within a graphic frame. The object isn't an image, is shown with [] in the layer panel. I suspect that this was created by pasting into the frame. But the strange part is I can't select this object, if I do so from the layer panel nothing is shown as selected on the layout. Executing a script to check the selected object also yields nothing. Also, exporting to IDML does to clear this object so it ain't a corrupted document.

Can someone check the file and share some insights.

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Lot of 'junk' built up in the XML of that file - you can see that when you export to IDML and change the extension to .zip - and unzip the folder. 

Seems like it was saved over and over and over again. 

I'd sincerely suggest to either delete the strage graphic frame and create a new.

But on top of that - start a new document and move all the pages to a new document. 

You can do that by starting a new document with the page size and orientation margins etc you require

Open your exisiting document (leaving your new doc open)

Then on your existing document select all pages from the Pages panel and use the submenu to Move Pages and select your document. 

Delete the strange frame with the strange object. For me it's not normal - get rid of it and start it again.

[Manan Joshi]

That is what I suspected, corruption of the file. The intersting thing that was pushing me to believe otherwise was that the thing was passing the IDML export as well.

-Manan