is there really no way to change shape with object styles?

[lucykafka]

I have a bunch of lines that use to be part of a text box (long story there), and I am applying objects style to them.  However, indd keeps insisting that these lines have overflow text in them (even though there are lines now—just one path).  I need these objects turned into "lines".

Now you would think that "shape" would be the number one choice in the object styles palette, seems pretty basic?

What am I missing?

[Steve Werner]

Could be some corruption. Try saving the files as an IDML file (File > Save As > InDesign CS4 [or Later]). Then reopen the file and see if you have the same problem. If that doesn't work, you may just need to re-create the lines.

[Laubender]

Hi Lucy,

could you provide a sample document so that we can look into the case?

Best provide it with Dropbox or a similar service and post the link to the document.

Thanks,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[lucykafka]

hi there.  I will do this, but really there is no mystery; if you have any text box with text in it, and delete 2 corner points, you will get the same thing.  Looks like this—line with just 2 points, saying there is text overflow.  I can select and change shape, but I have a bunch of these on several documents and need to do this globally.  "Object styles" is no help: you cannot change shape there!  If I could select all text boxes with overflown boxes, that would maybe help.  (but less ideal since could lead to a mistake)

Thank you!

[Laubender]

Ah! Now I see what you want.

You said: "…if you have any text box with text in it, and delete 2 corner points, you will get the same thing."

That's a real mystery! How did you do that? I am not able to accomplish this. InDesign don't let me do it and issues an error message. So my question is: Do you perhaps deal with a text frame with 4 path points where two path points share the same position?

Just did that and to my surprise InDesign's Transform panel is showing no height editing field anymore, only a length field:

If I check the number of path points per script, the result is still 4:

alert( app.selection[0].paths[0].pathPoints.length );

Then the easiest solution is:

Cut the contents of the frame to the clipboard.

Delete the frame.

Draw out a new text frame.

Paste in the contents from the clipboard to the first insertion point of the frame.

Other things I tried failed like:

Fit frame to contents.

Set frame to auto height.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

You may ask yourself, how can I cut the text contents of the frame to the clipboard?

Invoke the Story Editor Window with Ctrl + Y or Cmd + Y when on Mac OS X.

Ok. Found a better solution:

[A] Click at the red + sign that signals overset text.

The text of that frame will be loaded to your cursor.

[B] Now delete the frame and draw another one with the loaded cursor.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[lucykafka]

I don't need any of the text.  I just need the line.  There are about 100 of them, so this needs to happen through styles, globally. I know I could fix them one by one.  Why I need these lines, you might ask?
They used to be text boxes of a certain length (each different). I need them converted into lines of a certain length (each different).

That is how I figured I would just delete 2 corners so just a line would be left, and, came across the overset text problem.

I need to do this with object styles somehow.. if I could automatically select them all, and then hit "change shape" that would be great.  But you cannot do that.  You cannot change shape in object styles.

[Laubender]

Hi Lucy,

I think you have to convert them one by one.

There is no "magic bullet" for this…

Hm. What I really like to know:

How many path points does this object have?

Could you do me a favor and run my little ExtendScript script code with that alert on the selected object?

How to save code, save a script file and install a script file:

https://www.indiscripts.com/pages/help#hd0sb2

Or perhaps more convenient:

Share the document via Dropbox or a similar service and post a download link.

Maybe also better, because you could store the target object style for the graphic line as well.

Thanks,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[lucykafka · Accepted solution]

well, I found a way around this.

Like I said, if I copied and pasted just one side of a text box, mysteriously, it still contained (now overset) text.

Annoying. 

However, if I duplicated one side of a text box by clicking on it (cursor turning into the "/" symbol) and option dragging it, no text!

thanks for giving this a thought.

[Sheena Kaul]

Hi there,

I hope your issue is resolved already but in case you need more assistance please reply to this thread. 

Else, if any of the solutions above helped, please confirm. 

Regards,

Sheena

[Geоrge]

How do you convert text frame into the line. As guys here say early - ID don't give you this ability. Why don't you give sample file? 

Did you try to convert your text frame to graphic frame?

 

[Laubender]

"Did you try to convert your text frame to graphic frame?"

FWIW: That's only possible if the text frame does not contain text.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

lucykafka said:

"Like I said, if I copied and pasted just one side of a text box, mysteriously, it still contained (now overset) text."

Did the frame contain any text before? If yes, then this is no wonder, I think. The pasted part of the frame will contain the same text as the original.

Now that you described your procedure I can recreate the issue.

Solution: Before you do copy/paste make sure that the frame is empty and does not contain any text. You could do that by using InDesign's Story Editor. Select the frame and hit Ctrl + y or Cmd + y when on Mac OS X and remove the text from the item. Or do it after you did copy/paste.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

FWIW: The "line" is still a text frame and no graphic line.

After you removed the text you can convert it to a real graphic line.

You can spot the difference if you compare the selected "handles" from a text frame and a graphic line.

Selected text frame that was created by copy/paste of a selected segment of a rectangular text frame containing no text:

Converted to graphic line, still selected:

Thank you for posting this all. Learned something new today:

How to copy/paste a selected segment of a path using the Direct Selection Tool.

And what's the difference if you duplicate the same segment instead using the alt key and dragging the selection.

[1] If one duplicates the segment it seems that the path is duplicated without a stroke weight.

( EDIT: Yes, this happened, but because the default object style was defined this way. So we can say:

Duplicating the path segment will get you a path where the default object style is applied. )

[2] Wheras copy/paste will retain the stroke weight of the original.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

// EDITED for clarity.