Importing from Word, how to flow frames? 1

[grunc]

If I have a long document in WORD (90 pp), how can I bring it into InDesign and have InDesign AUTOMATICALLY create all the needed PAGES & FRAMES? I know that if I bring it over, I can click on the plus sign then add a page etc. But to do this manually for 90 pages is a pain.

Thanks for your help
JERRY C

 

[Kliot]

Jerry,

Easy to do, hold the Shift key down when you place the file in the starting page, Indesign will then flow pages and frames for the entire word document.

Hope this helps
Perrin

 

[Genimuse]

How does InDesign know which frames (on your master page) are the ones to flow the text into? How does it know not to, for example, flow the story into frames you created for your header or footer or page number or what have you? Or have it intentionally flow the story between three different frames on the page before adding a new page?

In Quark on the master page I was able to link an "autoflow" icon to the frames I wanted text to be flowed into by default, but I can't figure out how to do something like that in InDesign.

 

[Kliot]

Genimuse,

This is very easy do in Indesign, when you are ready to flow the text (when you have the text flow cursor) hold it over the master frame you want to flow it into, the sides of the text cursor will go from straight to curved, that indicates that the text will flow into that frame. Hold the shift key down and click the mouse and Indesign will flow into that frame. If you click the mouse with the cursor sides straight Indesign will flow into a new frame. If you link the frames in the master page then the text will follow the link. Let me also clarify one thing, you should be flowing the text on the document not on the master page.

I hope this helps, if it doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try and clarify it.

Perrin

 

[Genimuse]

I think I understand how you use shift to tell it to use the master page frame, but I still don't undestand how to tell it to use multiple frames. Imagine a page that looks like this (sorry for the bas ASCII graphics):
[tt]
-----------------------------------
| |
| -------- ------------------- |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | A | | B | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| -------- ------------------- |
| |
| ----------------------------- |
| | C | |
| ----------------------------- |
| |
-----------------------------------
[/tt]
That's my master page. Frame C is my footer. I want the text to flow from Frame A on this page to Frame B on this page, and then to Frame A on the next page, then Frame B o the next page, etc. I want InDesign to add the pages to the end automatically.

How can I tell it that I want a flow of A-B-A-B-A-B etc. until the text is completely flowed?

In Quark on my master page I'd link the autoflow icon to A, then link A to B, and when I flowed text into an actual page into Frame A it would automatically fill the whole document out.

PS: This is in no way a "Quark is better" post -- to the contrary, I never want to touch Quark again. I just need to know how to do this in InDesign.

 

[Kliot]

Genimuse,

In your master page you need to link text frame A to B. To do this select frame A, you should see a little box on the upper left side and lower right. Click on the box on the lower right and the cursor should turn to the text cursor, move the cursor over box B and it should turn into a chain link. Click the mouse and box A and B are now linked. Now when you flow the text into box A on the first page the text will flow to Box B then A on page 2 and so forth.

Quark was simple and intuitive in some ways and it takes a little time to figure out how to do some of the same things with Indesign but Indesign is well worth the learning curve.

I liked your graphics, makes me want to go out and buy a etch-a-sketch


Perrin

 

[Genimuse]

Ok, thanks. I seemed to recall not being able to link frames unless I had text on the cursor, but that mast have been on regular pages or something.

Thanks again!