strange text cursor

[Phil Frank]

I'm working in Windows 10, with ID 15.01 and then 15.02. I have document with 250 pages of text only and I have done many of these over the years. Suddenly in the middle of the book I have a page that I cannot select, either the page (with the selection cursor) or the text on the page. The page before is fine; so is the page after. As soon as I  hover over the page, the text cursor changes to a small dotted square box with what looks like an I-beam cursor inside it and a small black arrow tip in the upper left-hand corner, pointing in the same direction. It doesn't do that on the other pages, just that one. I have rebooted, and also reset my preferences. I would love to have it go away. Anyone know what it is and how to get access to that page again? I need to make an edit on it.

Many thanks.

[Derek Cross]

Have a look at the place in Story Editor to see if there are any codes or something indicated that might effect the page.

[Phil Frank]

Thanks, Derek, for the idea. I checked in the Story Editor and I don't see anything unexpected. And the last paragraph on the good page is the same style as the following paragraph on the problem page. But poking at it a little more I see that if I go to the end of the previous page and move the cursor forward one character or one paragraph at a time I can actually get into the text on the following page. But even then I still can't select the frame or double click and get the text cursor. I've also discovered that with this strange cursor I can draw a text box and type in it on top of the text that's already on the page (which of course I don't want to do). 

[Creamer Training]

That sounds like the text box is locked somehow. 

• If the text is not flowing from page to page, see if the problem page's text is on a unique master page. 
• See if the problem page's text frame is on a locked layer.
• If the text frame is locked.

[Phil Frank]

Thanks for this (David?) The thing is, the text IS flowing through that page; I just can't select the page frame or the text directly. I checked the layers panel and there are no locked layers. However, I was able to lock the text frame on the previous page and then the text cursor on the page looked the same as the problem page, so it does appear the text frame is locked. But if I can't select it, how do I unlock it? But at least now it seems I know what the problem is. 

[IDEAStraining]

Go to the Object menu and select Unlock All On Spread.

If that does not work and if the text if flowed, what happens if you delete the page in the Pages panel? You can add one back in to keep the left/right layouts intact if you need to.

[Randy Hagan]

It sounds like, rather than placing text in a text frame, you've placed it in a graphic.

Try this:

1. Save the file. This keeps you from doing more damage than you can easily fix.
2. Get your Arrow/Selection Tool and click on the "frame."
3. See if it now has 8 anchor points surrounding it (4 corners, and the center of the 4 lines between the corners) instead of the windowshade you get with placed text frames. If it does, you've broken the text out of your threaded text frame and placed it inside a graphic/graphic frame.
4. Now, with it selected, move your cursor inside the frame. If you can't select the content/text, keep the "frame" selected, get your Text Tool and put your cursor inside. If you can select the text with either option in this step, you've placed text inside a graphic element.

If this is the case, how do you fix it? Because it's likely broken out like a sidebar, rather than part of the original thread of continuous text you intended.

1. Select all the text in the frame and cut it using the Edit>Cut menu command.
2. Now get your Selection Tool and click on the graphic/graphic frame. Delete it. Don't cut it, or you'll replace the text you need with your graphic/graphic frame. If you make this mistake, this is where saving the file before you started this will save you. All you'll need to do is select the Edit>Revert menu command and you'll be back where you started. If not, well, life will be a lot more interting ...
3. Get your Text Tool. Click at the end of the text for the page before you had the problem. Then select the Edit>Paste menu command to replace the errant text in your text thread.
4. Get your Selection Tool again. Click on the text frame for that page before you had the problem. Now click on the bubble with the plus sign (+) at the bottom-right of the frame. Your cursor will pick up the text and your cursor will turn into the Place Gun.
5. Go to the now-blank page where you had the problem. Place the text. If needed, use your Selection Tool to click on the bubble with the plus sign (+) at the bottom-right of the frame. Your cursor will again pick up the text and your cursor will turn into the Place Gun. Now click on the bubble at the top-left of the page afer you had the problem to rejoin the text thread.
6. Edit/massage/fine-tune your text as necessary to remove any evidence at the scene of your minor formatting crime.

This should get you past your problem. Don't ask me how I know. I'll offer it anyway; because I've screwed up that way before.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[Phil Frank]

Thank you, Randy. The thing is, I don't have any graphic frames in the document; the two hundred plus pages all get selected when I put the cursor on a page and select all. F'urther, I am completely unable to select that page frame. I think somehow it got locked, but I can't select it to unlock it.

[David Popham · Accepted solution]

Hi Phil,

Without seeing it, the description of the text cursor sounds like a normal text cursor for one that is not hovering over an available text frame. As Dave indicated, it might be a locked text frame. If you have View > Extras > Show Frame Edges turned on, you would be able to see a lock icon in the upper left of the text fame.

If there is lock is showing, you can click on it to unlock it.

[Phil Frank]

That's it, David. I don't usually have Show Frame Edges turned on, but when I turned that on I could see the lock icon and click it to turn it off. Thanks so much!

[Susan14671220]

Phil, I had the exact same problem. I copied all the text and pasted it into a new document, and that solved the problem.

I have no idea what I did to change the cursor, but I think I did SOMETHING unintentionally.  Like you, it only seemed to affect that one page.  But the new doc is fine... Just continued working where I left off....