Convert highlighted text to Placeholder text in InDesign

[michaels13362740]

Can I convert highlighted text to Placeholder text in InDesign?

I have "live" text that I do not want to be read. I want the approver to focus on the layout.

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[Willi Adelberger]

Do you have the same understanding of Placeholder Text as InDesign's developer had? Placeholder Text is any text with which you can fill a new layout with the paceholder text command.

If you have inserted text it is text, InDesign does not know if you filled a text frame with the command later or with any written text.

You can create any text as default placeholder text:

1. Write any text you want to use as placeholder in the future.
2. Export this text and save it aside the InDesign Programm Application in the same directory with the name of Placehoolder.txt

In the future you can use this text only by applying the placeholder text command.

Some issues you have to be aware:

1. You could use any txt file, but because of lot stumbling blocks regarding decoding special characters I recommend to create the text inside InDesign and export it as a text file. This reduces problems.
2. You can save the file Placeholder.txt also in other languages. You have to save it as it would be seen in the command. E.g. if you save the file as Platzhalter.txt you have a German version and if your paragraph has German as language it would use this text instead the English default or the English Placeholder.txt, same with other languages is true.

[michaels13362740]

Hello Will,

Here’’s my problem:

I updated a new design layout with approved formatted text from a previous layout. I chose to use the approved text because I know how long the length of each head and each paragraph are.

I want the client to focus on the new design and not on the content, so I want to change the text to placeholder text temporarily. I did not want to create two layouts; one with place holder text and one with approved text.

Kind of like changing the text to another language.

Does this make sense. I thought I did this years ago with another page layout program.

Thanks

[Scott Falkner]

You could try using Rot 13 on the text. Copy the text then paste it into the form here. Copy and paste the result.

This will step all letters by 13 places in the alphabet, wrapping. So A becomes N, B becomes O, C becomes P, and so on. Punctuation in unaffected.

I updated a new design layout with approved formatted text from a previous layout. I chose to use the approved text because I know how long the length of each head and each paragraph are.

I want the client to focus on the new design and not on the content, so I want to change the text to placeholder text temporarily. I did not want to create two layouts; one with place holder text and one with approved text.

Kind of like changing the text to another language.

Became…

V hcqngrq n arj qrfvta ynlbhg jvgu nccebirq sbeznggrq grkg sebz n cerivbhf ynlbhg. V pubfr gb hfr gur nccebirq grkg orpnhfr V xabj ubj ybat gur yratgu bs rnpu urnq naq rnpu cnentencu ner.

V jnag gur pyvrag gb sbphf ba gur arj qrfvta naq abg ba gur pbagrag, fb V jnag gb punatr gur grkg gb cynprubyqre grkg grzcbenevyl. V qvq abg jnag gb perngr gjb ynlbhgf; bar jvgu cynpr ubyqre grkg naq bar jvgu nccebirq grkg.

Xvaq bs yvxr punatvat gur grkg gb nabgure ynathntr.

[Willi Adelberger]

But be aware, if the text is not a natural text the hyphenation does not work and it might look quite different!

[michaels13362740]

Perfect. Is there a script or plug in for InDesign?

Sent from my iPhone

[Jongware · Accepted solution]

I remembered an earlier question, asking exactly the same thing. Quelle surprise, turns out I answered it as well

Replace 100 pages with Lorem Ipsum?

[michaels13362740]

Does this work with InDesignCC 2017. Had errors when I saved and loaded in InDesign.

[Jongware]

Very strange. (Although "errors", plural, is a bit of an exaggeration, as I only get one. It's still a weird one, tho'.)

The script gets its text from your local version of the default Placeholder Text command, and to make sure you get the most of it, it temporarily sets the font to Times New Roman in 8 points. However, even though I have a perfectly normal default font set which includes Times New Roman, ID CC 2017 insists it cannot "find" the font when addressed in a script. It does work when selected manually, so the font itself is not a problem.

Fortunately, the placeholder text frame doesn't really need to know what font to use. So it works if you take out that particular line - I've done so below.

if (app.selection.length != 1 || app.selection[0].constructor.name != "TextFrame")
{
alert ("Ground. Pull up. Ground. Pull up."); exit(0);
}
// Save selection
targetStory = app.selection[0].parentStory.texts[0];
// Make a Lorem frame
loremFrame = app.activeDocument.textFrames.add();
loremFrame.geometricBounds = [ "0mm","0mm", "200mm", "200mm" ];
// Hm? Surely this font USED TO BE available?
// loremFrame.insertionPoints[0].appliedFont = "Times New Roman";
loremFrame.insertionPoints[0].pointSize = 8;
loremFrame.contents = TextFrameContents.PLACEHOLDER_TEXT;
sourceStory = loremFrame.texts[0];
// Grab its words
sourceWords = sourceStory.words.everyItem().contents;
// .. and kill the placeholder
loremFrame.remove(0);
// Replace one word at a time. Start at the end.
sourceWord = 0;
destWord = 0;
while (destWord < targetStory.words.length)
{
targetStory.words[destWord].contents = sourceWords[sourceWord];
destWord++;
sourceWord++;
if (sourceWord >= sourceWords.length)
  sourceWord = 0;
}
alert ("Safe landing. Have a nice day.");

[channers1]

The link doesn't work? thanks. 

[michaels13362740]

This is exactly what I need. Does this work with InDesignCC 2017? Tried to load in scripts but had errors.

[Paddy33654417mom9]

I just found that I could highlight all the text in a text box, delete it, right click and I had the option to 'fill with placeholder text'.

Depending on how many boxes you have this might not be the most efficient way but it was pretty quick for me.

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi @Paddy33654417mom9,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the solution that worked for you. I am sure it will help other community members. 

Thanks

Rishabh