How to reposition linked text frames?

[ehmatthes]

I placed a long body of text into a document, so now I have about 300 pages filled with linked text frames. I used a master page to add page numbers and headers, but I don't think I set up the text frame properly on the master page.

I'd like to reposition the text frames, moving the frames on the left pages to the left and the frames on the right pages to the right. I can do this on an individual spread, but I can't figure out how to do this to all the linked text frames at once.

Is there a way to do this, or do I need to rebuild my document?

[amaarora]

Hi,

ehmatthes  wrote

but I don't think I set up the text frame properly on the master page.

Then moving/re-positioning the frame on master pages itself will move the text frame on all the document pages too. You can do that for your left and right page independently and it would effect all left and right pages of your document.

Otherwise, you can rebuild your document and move your Master Pages from your original document to the new document preserving the lay-outing of page numbers and headers. You can then place your text file again.

-Aman

[ehmatthes]

amaarora  wrote

Then moving/re-positioning the frame on master pages itself will move the text frame on all the document pages too.

I'd love to be able to do this, but I can't see any way to select the text frames on the master pages. When I double click the master page, I only see the text boxes containing the page numbers and headers. If I drag a guide onto the master page, I see an outline of the text frames where the body of the text is, but I can't select them.

Is there a way to select or otherwise reposition the text frames on the master page?

- Eric

[amaarora]

Hi,

ehmatthes  wrote

When I double click the master page, I only see the text boxes containing the page numbers and headers. If I drag a guide onto the master page, I see an outline of the text frames where the body of the text is, but I can't select them.

Then probably you have not either created a text frame on your master page or checked  "Primary Text frame" while creating your document. A small screenshot of your master page and document page can help.

You can offcourse recreate your document as I said before using Smart text re flow capability.

-Aman

[Daniel Flavin]

If the frames are set to the page margins...

Layout adjustment >Enable Layout Adjustment

Change the margins on the Master Page(s)

edit: Master page text frames are not required

[Erica Gamet · Accepted solution]

It sounds like you placed the text on the document pages and (as you mentioned) didn't set up text frames on the master page. If you want to keep what's already on the document pages (that is, if there is more than the text in the linked frames), I'd suggest the not-terribly-clunky workaround:

1. If the text is all in one story (linked frames), copy the text.
2. Delete the text frames from the doc pages...you will have to do this each individually. (this is the slightly cludgy bit)
3. Make a new master page...since you already have a master set up, either copy and paste items from that master to the new one, or base the new one on the existing one.
4. Make a Primary Text Frame on the new master page.
5. Assign the new master to the pages in question.
6. Go to the first doc page, select the text frame, paste in your text you copied earlier. The text should flow through the document pages.

[ehmatthes]

Thank you for all the responses everyone. I'll try out some of these suggestions and write back about what worked.

[ehmatthes]

I realized I needed to either modify each of the text frames on each spread in the document, or delete them all and reflow the document. I have a background in programming, so I was curious to dig into the scripting options in InDesign. It was pretty interesting to learn about the internal representation of indesign files.

In the end I wrote a .jsx script to modify each of the text frames in the document:

// Run with book file open.

#target indesign

var doc = app.documents[0];

$.writeln('pages:  ', doc.pages.length);

$.writeln('spreads:  ', doc.spreads.length);

for (var i=0; i<doc.spreads.length; i++) {

    spread = doc.spreads;

    text_frames = spread.textFrames;

    $.writeln('spread: ', i, '  num textframes: ', text_frames.length);

    for (var j=0; j<text_frames.length; j++) {

        // Change bounds.

        tf = text_frames;

        // Move to the left if x position is 0.5, to right if 6.25.

        if (tf.geometricBounds[1] == 0.5) {

            tf.move('by', [-0.125, 0]);

        }

        else if (tf.geometricBounds[1] == 6.25) {

            tf.move('by', [0.125, 0]);

        }

    }

}

Next time I make a document I'll use master pages correctly, but for this work I'm happy to have found an approach that lets me keep the overrides I had already put in place.

Thanks everyone!

[Migintosh]

For what it's worth, master text frames have some advantages and disadvantages. Most of the time you don't need them. Here's an example for anyone looking in, although since you can write scripts, I probably don't need to tell you this:

You have a letter-size document with half-inch margins. You place page numbers on your master page at the lower outside corners, and then go to the document page to place a multi-page story. You click the loaded cursor with the shift key at the upper right corner of your page, and it creates several pages of text, but the text all runs over the page number.

If you go to the master page and change the bottom margin from .5 to something like .75 while the Enable Layout Adjustment box is checked, you can move the margins on all of the document pages (that use this master), and because the text frames are associated with the margins, the frames will all move to the new margin. The frames on the master page that hold the page numbers will also move up, but moving them back down to a half inch from the page margin only takes a few clicks. And if you had set your margins before you placed the text, they wouldn't run over the page numbers.

You can use master frames if you like, but if your text is going to snap to your margins anyway, there's not much they actually do for you, and (in my opinion), if something isn't doing something for you, you might be better off not having it.

My 2¢

[Erica Gamet]

I think where frames on the master really come in handy is using the Primary Text Frame...especially in conjunction with Smart Text Reflow. If I am going to flow in a bunch of text, I'll set up a primary frame on the master, flow the text into page one, and have smart text reflow fill out the rest of the pages. If I make a change on the master, that change occurs on all the doc pages. And primary text frames really shine when you want to change masters entirely and have also used primary text frames on those masters...like magic, all the text fits within those frames.

But like most automation features, you really have to think about this at the beginning of your workflow. It's hard to wedge it in after you've already created a lot of content.

[Laubender]

FWIW:
In all English versions of the new New Document dialog that comes with InDesign CC 2017.1 v 12.1.0.56 the option for "Primary Text Frame" is still named "Primary Text Frame".

Not so with all None-English versions.

Where only the term "Text Frame" is used. Missing the important "Primary".

See my German version where the option should read "Primärer Textrahmen" and only "Textrahmen" is used.

Legacy New Document dialog

New New Document dialog

Regards,
Uwe