How to link text boxes on master pages in ID??

[marlene]

I'm trying to create my very first ID document from scratch. I'm using ID CS2 on PC.

How the heck do you link text boxes on master pages??? I've read the help files and my "Moving to InDesign" book, and I can't get it to work.

I have one set of facing master pages, one text box (2-column) on each page, it should be easy, no?

When I try to link them, sometimes it actually creates a new text box on top of the original one.

And no matter what I try, when I actually pour text into the first page of my document, it will not flow to the next page. It stops dead with a red plus sign in the "out port" of the text box.

What's the secret? I am WAY behind on this project because I have spent several hours trying to set up the dadgummed master pages.

TIA,

mxh

[donmcc]

If you create the page with text boxes, then they are linked by default. You can define the two columns right in the doc setup.

Then it is just a matter to place the file over the text box, hold the shift or control modifiers (if you want autoflow of some kind).

It is trickier if you want to actually type on a textbox from a master page. You need to hold a modifier combination (and I can't remember it right now) to allow you to highlight the automatic text box.

[marlene]

Ah, I get it. It wasn't a linking problem, it was an autoflow problem. Shift-click did the trick.

It is trickier if you want to actually type on a textbox from a master page. You need to hold a modifier combination (and I can't remember it right now) to allow you to highlight the automatic text box.

Hmm. Not sure I follow, but I'll experiment over the weekend and maybe the lightbulb will go on.

Thanks,

mxh

[annc]

How the heck do you link text boxes on master pages??? I've read the help files and my "Moving to InDesign" book, and I can't get it to work.When you create the document, select both Facing Pages and Master Text Frame. Also tell it how many pages you want to create. This is important, and it is probably a good idea to add some more pages than you think you will need. You can delete them later.

On the Master, using the Selection Tool, select the first master text box and then press Control B (I think. It's Command-B on my Mac). Set the number of columns to two. Do the same for the second master text box (the one on the facing master page). As Don says, you don't need to tell them that they're to flow from one to the other. You'll see the little blue arrow in the out box on the first pag's text box, but no little blue arrow in the out box on the second page. Don't worry, it will work if you do the next bit correctly. <g>

With the Text tool, select the first text box on the first page. Press Control D to insert a document, find the document you want to insert and choose it.

Hold down the Shift key (the loaded text cursor will turn into the autoflow cursor) and click again in the first text box.

The text will flow to all pages.

Whew. I've never done text boxes on master pages before, and this took some working out. I've only got CS, but it should work with CS2 as well.

[marlene]

When you create the document, select both Facing Pages and Master Text Frame. Also tell it how many pages you want to create.

I've done a lot of experimenting, and it looks like I don't need to tell it how many pages to create. If I just click in the text box area on page 1 (it's a little disconcerting not to see an actual text box!), and shift-click when I place the text, it automagically adds enough pages to accommodate the text.

I'm actually getting more intrigued by ID. This is a big project with a short turnaround time, but I do have a three-day weekend looming, which gives me a big more time to figure out how to do things in ID. (Actually, more time to post messages asking how to do things in ID. <g>)

mxh

[annc]

I've done a lot of experimenting, and it looks like I don't need to tell it how many pages to create. If I just click in the text box area on page 1 (it's a little disconcerting not to see an actual text box!), and shift-click when I place the text, it automagically adds enough pages to accommodate the text.

I'm actually getting more intrigued by ID. This is a big project with a short turnaround time, but I do have a three-day weekend looming, which gives me a big more time to figure out how to do things in ID. (Actually, more time to post messages asking how to do things in ID. <g>)

mxhAh. I couldn't get it to add the pages automatically, so maybe that's a CS2 feature.

[donmcc]

No. The auto fill feature has been around since PageMaker. I can't remember which keys to hold down. The options are to add new pages to the end of the file, to fill only to the end of the text page, or to fill to the end of the page, but to load the cursor so you can just click on the next page without having to click on the little plus at the bottom.

Don McCahill