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This has been plaguing me for years.
Essentially, I have a huge document with a table that carries through the entire document. Occasionally, when I'm editing the content within the table, the following page disappears. I've never found out why that happens, but I have an annoying work around that solves it. If I option-click the out port of the working page, the missing content reappears. But I have to do it for EVERY page.
Ideas? Is there something wrong in the formatting of the table?
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Does it just happen in this document or any document? At first I thought maybe it was a re-draw issue, but you've said it's happened for years. I just wonder (if it's just this file) if it's so large and so old that funky issues have been introduced. If it's just this document, did you try exporting it as an IDML file, then re-opening that into InDesign?
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It happens to all documents (old and new) with a table that carries from page to page. Regular documents without tables this doesn't seem to happen.
The pages disappear on export .
Important to note that while the primary text frame disappears things from the master (I.e., page numbers) are still present.
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If it happens to all documents, I'd try restoring your InDesign preferences:
Trash, Replace, Reset, or Restore the application Preferences
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It happens across all computers... clean and dirty alike.
Important to mention that the tables have cells with images.
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What is the exact version of your InDesign on what OS ?
I've seen vanishing text with some distinct versions of InDesign.
Have to look up if and when this was fixed…
Regards,
Uwe
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ID 12.0.0.81
OS 10.12.1
The issue has been happening as long as I've been using InDesign
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And which versions did you use in the past?
Were the documents initially created in lower versions of InDesign and you are using and changing them in newer versions over the years? If yes, maybe an export to IDML and opening and saving the IDML with a new document name would make the difference…
Regards,
Uwe
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Files both new and created in past versions of ID.
Doing the IDML export fixes it, but then the problem begins popping up again after editing.
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Anyone have any ideas here? Worth reaching out to Adobe?
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You could file a bug report here:
You would have to be as specific as you can about what is happening, and perhaps post a copy which the engineers could test.
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I've gone ahead and filed a bug report. I'm inclined to think that it's a setting somewhere since I've had the issue for years.
Here are some other threads that highlight the same issue:
Long table content disappears when modification is made
Cell data/text disappearing in document with long table
Disappearing rows in multi-page table
But, of course those work arounds don't work for me (or only temporarily repair it, like the IDML export).
The only hope is this solve (via Willi Adelberger)
"Remove all manual formatting from your text (which is indicated with a "+"), delete generic generated character styles and build up your proper paragraph and character styles. Take observation on the basic character properties where you will find no break in both stye categories and in the keep options of the paragraph styles."
I work with character styles throughout. Is there any easy way to check for text that's missing a style? Maybe there are some rouge manual formats. Also wondering if this applies to images within a table... In which case I got a lot of work to do to repair it.
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Hi,
and the symptoms are:
A. Empty text frames?
or:
B. Empty cells?
Three temp workarounds:
1. Export or save as IDML
Very drastic. Not really a solution, because INDD => IDML => INDD can have it's own problems.
Use it as last resort when everything else fails.
2. Enforce a recompose to all stories of the document
Did you try to use a keyboard shortcut to recompose all stories of the document?
It's something that cannot be found in the menus.
Look after it in your KBSC overview.
Should be under Text & Tables.
For my German version on Mac OSX the KBSC is:
CTRL-ALT-# (“Text & Tabellen: Alle Textabschnitte neu umbrechen”)
For English localized version that should work:
Command-Option-/ (slash) or Ctrl-Alt-slash
3. Shake the text frame(s)
Temporarily make the text frame wider that is showing no text.
Don't know if that will work with tables where the cells are showing no contents.
For that you may need to change the width of a column perhaps.
Regards,
Uwe
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Hi Cam,
I have 'almost' exactly the same issues - 80 page document comprising single table with twenty columns and images in two of the columns.
When carrying out amends on any page (insert a new row then type in some new info and following pages disappears).
Oddly enough if I cut and past the new copy all is fine (nothing disappears).
Since reading the above replies to your problem I tried extending the frame of the offending page and that cured it for me.
Still an annoying issue though.
Look forward to finding out why and the fix.
Keith
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Hi Keith,
I can only speculate on the "why":
Maybe a redraw bug affecting the text composer?
The fix: Extending the frame to force another redraw of the text for the screen.
You mentioned it. For tables I'd say it should be the height of the text frame and not the width.
Would the keyboard shortcut for "Recompose Story" or "Recompose All Stories" do it in your case?
Did you try it? Look it up in the "Text & Tables" section of the KBSC menu.
Regards,
Uwe
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Hi Uwe,
Thanks, you were right about a the keyboard shortcut, command+option+/
It does the job perfectly.
Thanks
Keith
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cam3LD—I'm curious to hear if the Recompose All Stories shortcut works in your situation as well.
Uwe, that shortcut dates back to PageMaker and I'll admit I totally forgot about it. I'm getting ready to lay out a long document that routinely delivers an empty frame here and there after edits. I drag the bottom middle handle down, release, and then back up to restore the text. I'm looking forward to trying Cmd+Opt+/ (Win: Ctrl+Alt+/) this time around.
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Hi,
I had to assign a shortcut to this it but yes that works as well.
I've occasionally found this sort of thing happening with anchored object. The quick fix I've used was to simply make the text frame wider and then undo and all is ok.
For someone who is an avid user of keyboard shortcuts I have to admit that I feel a bit sheepish that I didn't think of the recompose.
I know this isn't the place, but another issue I continually get with ID is that the panels often disappear - usually quitting ID is enough to bring them back but other times I have to remove the library, caches, Indesign folder to put it right.
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that the panels often disappear
did you try resetting your workspace?
Or press the Tab key (which shows/hides panels)?
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Yes I did reset the workspace and used different workspaces - no joy.
Next time it happens I'll try the tab key - but I'm sure I have already.
This happens when I double-click a file to open it. The file opens but sometimes there are no panels on the right of the screen.
Another annoying happening is that on other occasions where I have applied shortcuts to styles (command-1 etc. using the numeric pad) the shortcuts do not display - but oddly enough they still work. But that isn't helpful if you forgot what it is and just want to see it.
Again removing the caches folder gets over it.
Keith
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BarbBinder recompose works but then the problem comes back
I'm actively speaking with adobe engineering about the issue. Let's hope they find a solution!! Will keep y'all posted here.
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Thanks for the update, cam3LD. It would be awesome if you could let us know if Adobe makes any progress on this.
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We keep a couple barcode logs in Indesign with EPS barcodes in one column. This problem has been plaguing us for years. We ended up breaking the tables at each page, but this is hugely inconvenient. I just created a new log from scratch by importing the data using a comma delimited import. The long table was fine until I started adding the barcodes and put info on the master page. Then the pages started disappearing after the one I was working on (page 1). I was really hoping this had been fixed in a more recent version of ID, so that was why I started from scratch.
It should be pretty reproducible. Flow a list of numbers up to 10 or 20 pages, add a picture into a couple of the cells and keep an eye on your pages panel. Pages will start turning white as the table disappears. In my current document (brand new from scratch, I currently have 3 blank pages (2-4).
Would love to know if and when Adobe has fixed this.
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I use InDesign CC 2018 on a daily basis for a wide range of tasks including building fairly complicated order forms. I use Tables for the grids. Most of the forms are 2 or 4 pages, but a new addition is a 1-page file and it has been doing something very similar to what this thread describes.
I have some text boxes and line-objects positioned over the grid for faster editing, as the file gets updated very frequently. Deleting text from any of the table's cells causes all overlaid text boxes and line objects to disappear. Until today, all I could do was position all those objects on the paste board, make the text edits to the Table and then reposition the objects. This was tme consuming and therefore irritating.
On a whim, I turned on Overprint Preview and it stopped the problem instantly. I don't know what would cause the problem in the first place, but that's the fix I was looking for and I hope it helps whatever is going on in this thread.
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I have encountered this problem on a 64 page catalog too. Turning on Overprint Preview has resolved the issue. Thank you!