automatic layout updating

[up_in_lites]

not sure if this is a feature in indesign cc2017 or not??

I am updating our catalog from a few years ago.. my boss said that I should be able to delete the discontinued products and the page layout should

automatically update to move all items together and compress

[John Mensinger]

It depends entirely upon the original setup of the layout. There are indeed ways to produce an everything-flow, like your boss seems to be describing, but it has to be done purposefully from the beginning. There are just as many ways (more, actually), to produce a layout that doesn't flow in that way.

The fact that you're asking seems to indicate the original layout isn't yours, so to confirm either way, you'll have to do some exploring. open the file, save a copy under a different name, select/delete some content, and see what happens.

[up_in_lites]

we have all the original files because they are owned by our company, however the employee before me is gone..  I did open the orig file and save under new name an deleted content.. nothing moves

[up_in_lites]

is there a way I can now change my new file to have this everything-flow layout? im not even sure where to find that.

[Barb Binder]

Are you brand new to InDesign?

It's a function of working with threaded frames and anchored objects—which may or may not make sense immediately—depending on your existing knowledge of InDesign.

[John Mensinger · Accepted solution]

up in lites wrote:

is there a way I can now change my new file to have this everything-flow layout? im not even sure where to find that.

You won't find it. As I mentioned (and Barb reinforced), it's more of a method than a feature; a method that requires purposeful planning and procedure...from the beginning stages of layout. In other words, you'd essentially be starting from scratch, using several features in combination to anchor all your elements in threaded frames. There is no Easy Button.

So, seeing as you haven't given us a sense of your deadline, and not knowing the condition of the existing materials in terms of asset management, etc., redoing the layout with everything anchored in threaded frames for this go-'round may not be feasible, if you don't already know how to do it. On the other hand, if it's, say, less than 20 pages, and you have a month or more to get it done, come back and tell us so, and we'll show you how it works.