How to place text in columns in InDesign?

[mgk123]

Hello,

I am creating a two-column brochure in InDesign CS3. I would like to place text in a column. However, when I try to place text in a column, the text does not snap to the edge of the column, and instead is placed in a large text frame that spans the width of the page. How do I make the text go into only one of the columns? Is there a setting that I need to have selected?

I am still new to this program, so any help would be appreciated.

Thank You,

- Mike

[BobLevine]

Draw the frame first.

Bob

[Manish-Sharma]

First select the Type Tool , and double click inside the column , when you have insertion point blinking in the column

then Go to File->place , and choose the text file you want to place, click OK and check.

[BobLevine]

I suspect there are column guides but no frames on that page.

Bob

[mgk123]

Hello,

Thank You for the replies!

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what is going on:

If I select the Type Tool and double click, then nothing happens. I can drag and create a frame in the column, but this frame is not constrained to the column in any way.

Is the proper procedure for making multi-column documents in InDesign to just create a frame for each column and manually adjust the width to match the column width, or is there a way to make text and other objects arrange into columns automatically?

- Mike

[Peter Spier]

It would really help if you posted a screen shot of your page. Use the camera icon on the web page like this:

How is the page set up? When placing text, the frames should snap to the column guides automatically, so do you actually have the page set up with two columns? Are you clicking in empty space between a set of guides? Are there already frames on the page, or on the master page?

[Manish-Sharma]

as always Bob is right , you have column guides on your page but no frames

Hence create a big text frame equal to your pages size , then Go to "Object-->Text frame options" and enter the no.of cloumns and gutter space as you have defined for the column guides, this will create the text frame with column which will be constraint to the column guides.

Then place the text and check

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

Manish_1988 wrote:

as always Bob is right , you have column guides on your page but no frames

Hence create a big text frame equal to your pages size , then Go to "Object-->Text frame options" and enter the no.of cloumns and gutter space as you have defined for the column guides, this will create the text frame with column which will be constraint to the column guides.

Then place the text and check

First, let's be perfectly clear that "place" has a precise meaning in InDesign: Import from an external file. Placing text does not include pasting from the clipboard or typing directly in a frame.

It is NOT necessary to have any frames on the page at all when placing text, and what happens depends entirely on whether there are existing empty frames and where you click, and whether you click and release or click and drag before releasing or if you add the Shift or Alt/Opt key when you click.

If there is a frame, ID should place text into it as long as you click and release in the open area of the frame away from any guides. If you click on a guide, however, ID is going to ignore the exisiting frame and draw a new one. Click and drag will always draw a frame that correspondes to the location and shape you drag.

If there is no frame, click and release will draw a frame with the top at the y-coordinate where the mouse was clicked. This frame will extend down to the bottom margin guide, and it will fill the space between the column guides on either side of the x-coordinate where the cursor was clicked, if you actually click inside a set of column guides. If you click in a gutter area  the frame will start where you click and be the width of a column, but will not snap to the guides. Clicking on the pasteboaed or in the margin is similar.

Adding Shift when you click and release will Auto-flow all of the text in the story. ID will add frames and or pages as required to fit all of the text. Any added frames will be threaded to your first frame and will fill column guides from top margin to bottom margin. Adding Alt or Opt puts you into Semi-auto Flow -- your text will fillonly one frame, but the cursor will remain loaded so that you can create a new frame threaded to the first in a size/location of your choice. Holding both works very similarly to just holding the Shift key, but ID will flow only as much text as you have space for -- no new pages will be added -- and the rest will be overset.

[pouytg]

Guys In Design isn't trying it's best to help here.

I can create columns but frames even with preview activated shows nothing and does nothing.

once columns and frames (supposedly) are created my type tool still refuses to click anywhere on the document.

I want this column style to apply to the whole document so I have all pages selected is that not allowed?

[Peter Spier]

Have you solved this?

[pouytg]

yup.

[BobLevine]

You are using a very old version of InDesign but you can still create a multi column text frame and use that.

BTW, you apparently haven't had any training whatsoever in InDesign. May I make a few suggestions?

1. Sandee Cohen's Visual Quick Start Guide is the best book on the market. You can still get the CS3 version here: http://amzn.to/IVDZ9N

2. Visit Lynda.com and watch the video training there. This link will get you a one week free trial: http://bit.ly/fcGpiI

Finally, you should give thought to upgrading while you still can. In a few months there will be no upgrade pricing available at all. You could also choose Creative Cloud.

Bob

[mgk123]

Yes, creating new text frame and making columns inside that text frame worked perfectly.

Thanks!

- Mike