Adding a page gets me duplicate master page layers

[rebeccap1258568]

Hello!

I'm typesetting a book and have used master pages for each chapter heading. I then put the text box for body text right below the chapter heading text. I override the master page text for each chapter to change the chapter number (master page says "Chapter 1"). After I did this for each chapter, I saw that a chapter early in the book has overset text and needs another page added to it. However, when I add the page, all of the following chapters gain an additional master page layer for the chapter headings--the original master page text "Chapter 1" and the text I overrode with the correct chapter number.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks so much for helping this newbie out!

[jane-e]

First, instead of overriding the master page in each chapter, a far better idea would be to use text variables.

In the template you use to create each chapter you would insert a marker for the chapter number (Type menu). You can control the Chapter numbering in Numbering and Sections to continue from previous or to be whatever you specify.

Details are here:

Learn how to number pages, chapters, and sections in InDesign

[rebeccap1258568]

Thank you! This has been very helpful. I'm working off a template someone else created now, so dividing the book into separate documents for each chapter would require quite a bit of time. Using sections seems to be working well, though. I also see I need to study up on using separate documents in the future. This appears to be the way seasoned InDesign users set up their books.

[jane-e]

rebeccap1258568  wrote

...all of the following chapters gain an additional master page layer for the chapter headings--the original master page text "Chapter 1" and the text I overrode with the correct chapter number.

Please explain this part further. Layers aren't attached to Master Pages. Did this trigger a new Master Page or a new Layer or both? What names were given to each (or either)? Look in your Pages panel and Layers panel for the names.

[rebeccap1258568]

Sorry, I'm not familiar yet with the technical terms for everything. I see now that it's not a new layer. I don't know the terms, so let me try to recount my steps: I set up a text box on the top of my Master Page A that has the text "Chapter 1." Then, on each page with this Master Page applied, I would Ctrl + Shift + click to change the numeral to the correlating chapter number (chapter 2, chapter 3, etc.). After I did this for all of the chapters in the book, I noticed the red circle at the bottom of the screen indicating an error. It was for overset text on page 6. I went to that page, added another page after it, clicked the red box with the red plus, and then click the new page to place the overset text there. After I did all of that, each page following this newly added page with the Master Page A that I had previously applied for every new chapter had the text I overrode to change the chapter numeral (chapter 3, chapter 4, etc.) and the exact text that's on the actual Master Page A on top of it ("Chapter 1"). I have to Ctrl + Shift + click to get to it to delete it so that there aren't two "layers" of text on the page right there.

I hope that explains what I'm seeing well without sounding ridiculous. I'm just not sure how to describe it with correct, and therefore more succinct, terminology.

Thank you, again, for your help!

[jane-e]

Hi Rebecca,

First it’s okay that you don’t know all the technical terms yet. If we are not sure what you are saying, we’ll ask for clarification.

Ctrl+Shift+Click on a frame that is on the Master Page does an override on the page you are on. That override can be removed and the Master Page can be reapplied to the document page. You will find the settings that control this is the Pages panel menu > Master Pages. There is a submenu off Master Pages.

Learn how to use master pages in InDesign

Scroll to Override or Detach Master Items

Tell me if I am getting this part right: it sounds like when you added a page and threaded the text into it, something happened that triggered the master page text frames to reappear on the pages and left you with both the one on the master and the one on the document page. Is that what happened?

To prevent it, use the Master Page menu in the Pages panel to detach the frames so they are not overrides but are now on the page.

To clean it up if InDesign put back the one from the Master and you now have two frames, it has to be deleted. Try Undo if you just did it. Otherwise, Ctrl + Click goes through the stacking order. It sounds like you have two frames, one on top of the other.

Read the part about how to prevent a Master item from being overridden as well. You can turn this on and off as you need it.

There is a Layers panel, and you get layers when you on-purpose create them. The template creator may have done that. If you spin open each layer, you will see the objects in the spread. These are not layers, but are on layers. Every document has one layer by default. What you are seeing is two text frames stacked on top of each other. If you look at the layers panel as you clean up, you should be able to make sure you are working on the right frame.

If you see dotted lines on the frame edge, the frame is on the master. If it is solid, it’s on the spread. You need to be in Normal View with Frames edges showing to see this.

And no! you don’t sound ridiculous! We were all beginners once, and we can pretty much figure out what people are asking. If we see two or three interpretations, we might ask for clarification.

Let me know if this helps!

[rebeccap1258568]

Thank you so much, jane-e, for such a detailed, kind response!

To answer your follow-up question:

"it sounds like when you added a page and threaded the text into it, something happened that triggered the master page text frames to reappear on the pages and left you with both the one on the master and the one on the document page. Is that what happened?"

I do believe this is what happened except that it occurs right after adding the page, so it's not just once the text is threaded. To clean it up, I tried the Ctrl + click to go through the stacking order, but I still couldn't access the text box from the master. I moved the top text box over just a little and then did Ctrl + shift + click to access the master text box and deleted it that way.

Once all of the chapters were cleaned up that way, I did a little more testing, and it appears that if I add a page that causes the following chapters to move from the side of the book they were currently on to the other side, the text box from the master reappears. For example, if the end of a chapter ends on the left-hand page, and I add a page that then causes the beginning of the next chapter to move from the right-hand page to a left-hand page, the second text box appears. If I add two pages, though, so that the following chapter still begins on the right-hand page, it will not place the text box from the master page again. Does that give you any insight?

I also tried going to the Master Pages menu and clicking "Detach all Objects from Master," and then adding a page, but the same problem occurred. I didn't know if pages had to be selected for this command, or if I detaches objects form all master pages, so I made sure the beginning chapter page was selected.

Like I said, I did get all of the master text boxes removed, but it sure would be nice if they didn't appear in the first place.

Thanks, again, for your help!