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We're setting up a TOC based upon phrases from a document which are placed on a hidden page layer in CCID. However, we'd like to have those phrases paginated, correlating to the original page from which they are taken.
Haven't been able to find a way to do that with markers or any other tool. Perhaps this can't be done. But I can't imagine that what with the power and scope of ID.
A sample of the TOC text is below. What we'd like to have is the page number generated automatically from the body of the document. Anyone have any ideas?
There can be an inherent bias ................................... (and here we'd like the corresponding page number, i.e. 4)
Everything about Edain suggests .............................. (and thus and so, i.e. 12)
Any solutions greatly appreciated.
why not just copy the first few words you need. make a style, paste it and apply a white text style to it so you don't see it. and link that to the TOC. I have done that for entire books.
save your self time and let styles do the work for you. If there are edits or pages move you will be updating that TOC non stop.
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A table of contents generated and updated by InDesign can pull text off hidden layers, but it is based on Paragraph styles. You used the word "phrases"—are they whole or partial paragraphs? If they are hidden anyway, can't you make each phrase its own paragraph and assign a style?
FrameMaker can generate a list like this using custom markers, but InDesign does not have the equivalent feature.
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Thanks for that, Barb.
Unfortunately we cannot create a Paragraph Style for the phrases, because the phrases are only the first few words of the opening sentence of each chapter. Now, if a TOC could be generated from Character Styles, that would be great, because we could assign the Character style to the first few words of each sentence, and the TOC would be able to pick up the page numbers from that. But no.
So, it looks like we're going to have to manually input the page numbers, and check that before we run the final PDF for print. A pain, but thankfully there aren't a lot of chapters.
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Now, if a TOC could be generated from Character Styles, that would be great, because we could assign the Character style to the first few words of each sentence, and the TOC would be able to pick up the page numbers from that
You can put that in a feature request:
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why not just copy the first few words you need. make a style, paste it and apply a white text style to it so you don't see it. and link that to the TOC. I have done that for entire books.
save your self time and let styles do the work for you. If there are edits or pages move you will be updating that TOC non stop.
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Thanks for the link, Barb. I've put in a request.
Jonathan, I'm afraid I'm being obtuse, because I don't understand how that style would work. What are you applying the white text style to? Because the way I'm reading your suggestion, it just isn't making any sense. I'm sorry. Could you elaborate a little more?
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Here's what Jonathan means:
Say you have a chapter title: "This is a Chapter None of Us Understands" and you want just "This is a Chapter" to appear in the TOC. Select and copy the phrase "This is a Chapter" then paste it (anywhere on the same page) and apply a paragraph style you made up just for this purpose. The style could render the text invisible by setting its Character Color to White or None. Then set up your TOC to hook that paragraph style and the page it's on.
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Oh my. That's brilliant. Thanks!