Text Won't Align to Top Line in Text Box

[e ch n]

Can I get some guidance, please?

In the attached video you can see and hear the problem I am having with the text.

It shows a text box with left alignment, but when I want to send the word from the lower left corner to the upper right corner, it does not go up, even though there is plenty of space in the text box.

Why does this happen, do I have some configuration that prevents it?

The invisible characters show only the space between one word and another... there doesn't seem to be any special character that forces the word not to go up to the top line...

Thanks!

<Title renamed by MOD>

[Bill Silbert]

Try turning off "Balance Ragged Lines" in the Paragraph Panel pull-down menu.

[e ch n]

Hello, Bill Silbert. Thank you for your response.

I tried to turn off the “Balance Ragged Lines”, but they were already off; anyway, I turned them on and off to observe the result with and without, but the problem continues.

I tend to think it's a configuration issue, rather than a software bug.

Any other ideas as to what might be affecting it?

Anyway, here I leave the video of the exercise.

Thanks!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

The video is useful but doesn't show some essential things. Can you take a simple screen shot of the whole text box, in Normal mode with all guidelines and hidden characters showing?

It does look very much like a 'balance ragged lines' issue. Double check that you are setting the text box options for the right element. The amount of spacing on the right margin is another issue. And it's possible you have some hard (non breaking) spaces in there, which the hidden characters would show.

[e ch n]

Hello, James Gifford.

Thank you for your response.

Here is my feedback:

1.- The video was made in normal view mode, I placed a black background because the original is blue, almost the tone of the invisible characters, so the invisible characters were getting lost.

2.- In the screenshot I point with a green arrow the cursor, which shows the text box on which I am working, and to which the paragraph properties belong.

3.- In the text box, the larger margin on the right, was placed of that exaggerated dimension to give space to the words of the lower lines, with the objective that these would rise when pressing the “delete” key, and in fact, yes, they do rise, and occupy the separation between the upper word and the one that was below, forming only one of two; but, when giving them the corresponding space, the word that was raised, returns to the lower line.

4.- As far as I can see, in the text box, on the right side, after the last word of each line, there is only space generated with the space bar.

If you need any other information, please let me know.

Thanks for your help.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

You evidently have your document set up using pixels, which is not recommended for anything but creation of web graphics and the like, which is not a recommended use of InDesign in the first place. (That is, ID has the settings to work in pixel dimensions like Photoshop, but it's a very weak feature with very poor results.)

Start by switching your document dimensions to mm or inches, whichever you're most comfortable with. That's not necessarily a fix for the wrap problem, but it will go a long ways towards being able to judge and adjust all document spacing settings.

Show the complete Paragraph Style menu's Indents and Spacing panel for this paragraph.

[e ch n]

Thanks @James Gifford—NitroPress 

Yes, it is “weird” to use pixels for InDesign, I did it because it was the size of the screen where the project will be displayed, and then I didn't change it, I will take it into account in the next files.

For now, the problem seems to have been found.

Thanks again for your collaboration.

[Scott Falkner]

Is there a nearby object with text wrap applied?

[Eugene Tyson]

Another thing that might be applied is No Break 

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/text-composition.html#:~:text=Prevent%20text%20from%20breakin...

This could also be added to the paragraph style in the GREP style or Nested Style - through character styles

Can you share a sample document ?

@e ch n 

[e ch n]

Hello, Scott Falkner.

Thanks for your response.

Here is my feedback:

1.- No, there is no image with the "text wrap" function applied; next to it, there is only another text frame where text continues to. The background image is in a layer for images, and it is an Illustrator file, on which I place the texts in an upper layer (deleted due to weight gain in the file).

2.- I checked each line of points 1 and 2 of the text box, and none of them have the “No Break” function activated. I attach two screenshots as a sample.

3.- I looked at the link you kindly shared, and I deliberately placed, as a test in two lines "Nonbreaking Space" and "Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width)", and the invisible characters that represent these two functions are different from those of separation between words, so no, this function is not activated. I attach the screenshot as well.

4.- Yes, I can share a sample of the document.

And guess what... when I was preparing the document to share it with you, I noticed what apparently is the cause of the error (and I don't know if “this is how InDesign is supposed to work”, or if it is a “program error”): as part of the editorial design process, I generated a backup text layer (in the file marked with the number 2) and although it is locked and hidden, the left text frame in this layer, affects the right text frame of the layer number 1, (the one that presents the problem). And if we reverse the factors and hide and lock layer number 1, and show and unlock layer number 2, now the left text frame of layer 1, affects the left text frame of layer 2, generating exactly the same error... Although... if this is the “principle of affectation” I don't know why it doesn't happen with the right frame of layer number 2, because it is spliced with the right frame of layer number 2.

The questions would be: Is the file corrupted, it is supposed to “work” this way, is it a program error?

I attach the sample file.

If you need any other information, please let me know.

Thanks for your help.

[Scott Falkner]

Are you willing to share the file? Or maybe just that one page if the content is sensitive? You can also email one user personally if you don't want the file in a public space. Pick one and you'll probably get a yes.

[e ch n]

Hello again, @Scott Falkner 

Yes, I shared the file in the community (I was unaware that you could share it personally as well).

You were right, there was an object with the text wrap applied, I just didn't notice it, but the fellow @Eugene Tyson  did.

Thank you very much for your valuable collaboration, through it, I was able to find the unwanted behavior.

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

You have a hidden layer - which has a text frame which has text wrap on it

You need to remove the text wrap from the hidden layer/delete the layer/delete the text frame

------------

You can also ignore text wrap on the current frame if you want to keep everything in place as it is

[e ch n]

Thanks @Eugene Tyson 

I will do any of the options you give : )

[Peter Spier]

You might try switching from one of the "paragraph" composers to the "single line composer (See @Bill Silbert 's screen shot).

The paragraph composers use a murky algorithm for line breaks even when balance ragged lines is off in order to get a more "pleasing" look.

[e ch n]

Hello, Peter Spier.

Thanks for your response.

I was replicating one by one the answers of the community experts, and yours was the next one when, the points made by fellow @Scott Falkner led me to discover what caused the “error”, which was not such, and fellow @Eugene Tyson  found the reason for the unwanted behavior.

Thank you for your collaboration and that of each of you.

[Eugene Tyson]

Yeh - we got there in the end - very difficult to guess a hidden layer with unwanted behaviour - all the suggestions were the usual reasons that come up for such things like this happening - always good to check.

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi @e ch n ,

thank you for your sample InDesign document.

@Eugene Tyson showed the cause of the problem, a frame on the hidden layer with text wrap enabled.

If you do not want to change the wrap or remove the frame or set the frame on the visible layer to ignore text wrap, you could also check a layer option to ignore text wrap for objects on hidden layers.

Before:

That setting, ignore text wrap for objects on hidden layers, for the hidden layer enabled in the Layer Options ( from my German InDesign ) :

Result:

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That looks to be it from my perspective, and a good explanation.

@e ch n , when you present problems here, it's best to give us a "big picture" look at what's going on, and not these little composites of selected details. We need to see the layout, margins, guidelines, hidden characters and often an entire menu of settings. Being selective about what you show, and how you assemble the view, limits our ability to judge the problem, and keeps it focused on what you think is wrong, which may be something other than the actual problem. If there are issues such as a dark or colored background obscuring details (like hidden characters) create a work version of the file and change all text to black and all backgrounds to white (for example) — something that just shows the fault you're trying to correct, but with all the technical details included.

[e ch n]

All of the above is very useful for me to be able to formulate my queries in a correct way.

I will take all this into account in the future.

Thank you very much, I am sorry for not having included all the information in an adequate way.

[e ch n]

Thank you very much for your reply, @Laubender 

Certainly, that is a solution to the unwanted behavior.

You all are a great help in the community.

@Eugene Tyson  @James Gifford—NitroPress  @Scott Falkner  @Peter Spier  @Bill Silbert,  Thanks! : )