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Why doesn't paragraph height follow the contents?

Community Beginner ,
Feb 04, 2025 Feb 04, 2025

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To reproduce this problem, follow these steps:

  • In a new InDesign document, create a text frame. Make it large enough to be able to contain many lines of text without overflowing. I will call this the main frame.
  • Place your text cursor in the main frame and make sure the paragraph uses automatic line spacing.
  • Write a few letters in the paragraph, this will help visualize the problem.
  • Create a second text frame.
  • Write a couple lines of text in the new frame.
  • Double click on the handle in the middle of the lower border of the new frame. I will call this operation "snap to size"
  • Cut the new frame and paste it into the main frame, as an in-line anchored object.
  • Delete or add some lines to the new/anchored frame.
  • Snap to size the anchored frame and notice that the letters you typed in the main frame don't move: the height of the paragraph did not change.

Is that the expected behaviour?
In order to make the paragraph height change, I have to perform extra operations such as manually changing the dimensions of the anchored frame or opening the Paragraph window and adding/removing a border.
After performing one of these operations, however, the paragraph height starts following the height changes of the anchored frame even if they are caused by "snapping to size".

 

The behaviour is even weirder if the anchored frame is set to auto-resizes.
Do the same operations as above but, after filling and setting to auto-resize the new frame...

  • Cut the new frame and paste it into the main frame, as an in-line anchored object.
  • Place the cursor anywhere in the anchored frame and click enter: the paragraph size does not change.
  • Press enter again: it changes.
  • Keep pressing enter: it changes.
  • Type anything that does not change the line count and the first enter will not change the paragraph height. 

Similar but not identical behaviour will happen when pressing Del or Backspace.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

Yes, you're right - you've found another bug...

 

I've done your steps:

RobertatIDTasker_1-1738783900591.png

Looks like InDesign isn't recomposing Parent Story / TextFrame - because when I change the size of the parent TextFrame - even a bit - everything is fine:

RobertatIDTasker_2-1738783986947.png

BUT - if I'll edit text BEFORE InLined graphic - after doesn't matter - this happens:

RobertatIDTasker_3-1738784023904.png

InDesign is refreshing location - but uses info about the old size of the InLined object??

 

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 04, 2025 Feb 04, 2025

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I forgot to specify I'm on version 20.1 x64

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Community Expert ,
Feb 04, 2025 Feb 04, 2025

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In the used object style, what are the settings about size, position and resizing?

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 04, 2025 Feb 04, 2025

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Size: no rule
Postion: no rule
Automatic resizing: disabled
Adapt frame: unflagged (flagging it and selecting "adapt content to frame" does nothing different)

(The wording might be a bit different, I'm back-translating from Italian.)

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Community Expert ,
Feb 04, 2025 Feb 04, 2025

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@marco-b

 

Can you share a sample INDD file?

 

You might have something set by default in an ObjectStyle - or preselected / active ParaStyle or CharStyle, etc. - because you mention "Paragraph window" - which suggests you are using local formatting / overrides instead of styles? 

 

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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The reason I am using local formatting (and the default styles) is just because I experienced this problem in a complex file where there were many, many things that could have been the cause. For instance, in that document the second text frame is part of a group that is anchored to the main text frame.
So, before starting this thread I tried to simplify the problem as much as I could: this way one wouldn't have to wonder if the group was the problem, or if the object or paragraph styles were the problem.


After succeeding to replicate the problem with a very short sequence of operations, I think this behaviour could be caused by two things: it's just how InDesign works, or there's something in my default settings (and in the settings of the complex file on which I have no control until the file reaches me) that causes it.

You will find attached a two-page file.
On page one, the document created according to my steps above. Everything uses default styles (which, at least in my case, use automatic line spacing).

On page two, an excerpt from the original file. I removed or replaced the contents to hide company data and I used local formatting to place a huge red border on the frame you're supposed to change the height of (and see when the lower rule of the paragraph moves and when it does not). Use preview mode, for there are empty frames and you need to see how high they are!

By the way, the reason I mention the paragraph window and not the paragraph style window is that opening the paragraph window and clicking twice over the border checkbox works to unlock the box and is faster than right clicking the right paragraph style and pressing apply style. Changing the height of the anchored frame a sedocn time by cahnaging the contents and snapping again also work, and I just discovered the changing the text wrap options from the control panel works and is even faster because I don't even need to click into the paragraph.

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Community Expert ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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I'll check your file later today. 

 

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Community Expert ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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Yes, you're right - you've found another bug...

 

I've done your steps:

RobertatIDTasker_1-1738783900591.png

Looks like InDesign isn't recomposing Parent Story / TextFrame - because when I change the size of the parent TextFrame - even a bit - everything is fine:

RobertatIDTasker_2-1738783986947.png

BUT - if I'll edit text BEFORE InLined graphic - after doesn't matter - this happens:

RobertatIDTasker_3-1738784023904.png

InDesign is refreshing location - but uses info about the old size of the InLined object??

 

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Community Expert ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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The same problem is in 2025 and 2024 - at least on Windows...

 

@Abhishek Rao - could you please check / confirm?

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Feb 06, 2025 Feb 06, 2025

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Hi @marco-b and @robert

 

Thanks for sharing the detailed steps. I tested the issue here in macOS and Windows both, it appears that the main frame is not following the anchored frame. I have created a recording (attached) from version 2025 and 2023. Please go through it and confirm if I understood it right(correct me if I misunderstood the issue). Also, I can see it working like this in version 2019 as well(refer the screenshot below): 

 

Moreover, please share a screen recording demonstrating it for me for better understand? In the meantime, I will check this with the product team if this is a by design working nature. 

 

^

Abhishek 



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Community Expert ,
Feb 06, 2025 Feb 06, 2025

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@Abhishek Rao

 

There is no recording attached. 

 

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Adobe Employee ,
Feb 06, 2025 Feb 06, 2025

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Hello @robert

 

The upload was still in progress at the time. Please check now.

 

^

Abhishek 



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Community Beginner ,
Feb 06, 2025 Feb 06, 2025

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Hi @Abhishek Rao,
I think you are expecting the first frame you created to resize, but I'm talking of the height of the paragraph.
In my attached video, see how I paste the second frame in a line that already has some text.
This way the vertical position of that text tells me how tall the line of text is.

As I paste the second frame into the line of text, the line of text height grows to accomodate the height of the second frame fully into the line.
Then I add more lines to the anchored frame. I double click the handle again, but the line in the first frame does not grow taller and the frame overlaps following lines.
Then I move the handle manually, and I double click the handle again: the line enlarges, but not enough.
I do the handle moving and double clicking again and finally the line is tall enough to hold the inline frame.
When I change the contents removing some lines and

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Community Expert ,
Feb 06, 2025 Feb 06, 2025

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It's enough to refresh everything by resizing parent / main TextFrame. 

 

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Community Expert ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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@marco-b 

 

Are you building catalogs?

 

Are you using DataMerge or some 3rd party tools?

 

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Community Beginner ,
Feb 05, 2025 Feb 05, 2025

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I am building catalogs with a 3rd party tool (data merge is not enough for the kind of tables we want to build).

Rather than it being some plugin on our own installation of InDesign, however, it is a web interface that feeds information to InDesign Server.

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