how to prevent text from flowing back...

Hi,

I am using Indesign CS3 and have a question about text flowing.



Say I have several columns in a page, each column with a text frame. The text frames are linked. I deleted one paragraph and I want the following text in all text frames to stay in the same position, instead of flowing back and replacing the place of deleted paragraph. What should I do? Is the only solution is to create separate text frames?



It seems Pagemaker can do something like this, but not Indesign.



Thanks so much for your help.



Betty
how to prevent text from flowing back...
I don't recall Pagemaker being able to remove a paragraph in the middle of flowing text without the following text moving up, either.



There are a number of ways you might approach this, depending on where the text being deleted is located in the frame, but they pretty much depend on altering either the frames themselves (i.e. shortening the first frame to the point before or after the deletion, and possibly adding a new frame to continue further down the page for a deletion in the middle of a frame), or adding a frame break or column break to force the text to continue where you want it.



It would help if you could describe in more detail what you are doing, and why you don't want threaded text to flow back after a deletion.



Peter
how to prevent text from flowing back...
That is how PM behaved if I remember correctly...if you had three

threaded frames and deleted the middle one, it took the text with it.



Select a frame in the threaded story and run the split story script.



Bob

Thanks for the reply, Peter and Bob!



Okay, my situation is like this. I have lots of listings which will probably go up to 100 pages if I do it in three columns (one with a text frame)in a page. Say I would like to delete one listing(with several lines) in the first column at page 51. The listing is in the middle of the column. When I delete it, I want all other text stay at the same place just as they were. It means I would like to keep the space of the listing I deleted.



If I do frame break or column break, the following text after the listing I deleted will go to the next column.



Since I have plenty of data, I do text auto-flow. It will be very helpful if I don't need to do separate frames in a column.



I hope this is clearer. I really appreciate your help!

So you want there to be a hole in the text flow after you remove the listing(with several lines) in the first column at page 51. Is that right? Why do you need this?



I ask because one simple, but problematic solution would be to just select that text and color it paper. Presto, there's your ''hole'' visually, but the text is really still there, and may cause other problems depending on what it is you plan to do with this ''hole'', which you have not yet told us.



I don't consider my suggestion a very good one at all, but if you want better ones, you need to explain what it is you are trying to do with this ''regained space'' in the text..



I hope this helps you reformulate your question.



Al

Two things come to mind.



The first would be to set up a grid of threaded frames on the master page, each large enough to hold a single listing. You'll also need to use styles for the listings, and make sure that part of the paragraph style for the first line of each listing is defined with keep options to start paragraph in next frame. When you delete a listing you would need to do two steps, delete the text and delete the frame, and everything should move back where it was. This is not a particularly elegant way to deal with the problem.



The second method would be to use Data Merge to build the directory. Each listing will come in as a separate text frame and can be deleted without affecting the others. This is more elegant.



The big problem here, as I see it, is if you want to go back later and ADD new listings. Is that why you want to leave the hole? Are you trying to update a directory without having to re-print all pages each time?



Peter

Thanks, Al and Peter!



Yes, I would like to keep the hole for future possible updating. Data Merge works okay. One of my friends said using XML will solve this perfectly. But I don't know much about XML. I will let you guys know if I figure this out. Otherwise, I think Data Merge will be a solution for now. Thanks again!

we have the same situation here when we edit our publication.. we found the easiest way to do what your looking for would be to use ''returns''

-highlight the text you wish to remove, possibly replace at a later time ''count the number of lines you will be removing, then with the text highlighted hit return for as many lines of text you just removed..

-walla the space is maintained



Now when you want to add a new text block, or paragraph into were you cut from before just highlight the returns and paste in your new text..

-simple and less aggravating than trying to re format or use scripts!

Cheryl,



The only drawback to your method is that its possible to do some edit that changes the number of lines on a page somewhere before your block of returns. Unless you adjust the keep options for the first one, you can split the group leaving you with empty space at both the bottom of one page and the top of the next, which I would consider to be very poor typography.



Peter