Indesign Q
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- Gucci
I'm trying to put a solid block of colour behind each line in a paragraph of text - but I want it to extend the full width of a column whether or not the text does.
Paragraph rules would do the trick perfectly, however it only creates one rule (not one rule per line of copy like I want.)
Setting underline options and messing around with the prefs seems to be the right way to go, but it only goes as far as the copy and won't extend to the end of my column.
Does anybody know of any other tricks I might be missing?
- jimbojones0
hit space a few times
- Kiggen0
tabs?
- jimbojones0
or just make a few rectangles in the background that match your grid?
- lajj0
Try working with the underline text instead of the paragraph rules, then add a tab after each line ?
- Gucci0
Yeah, I thought about tabs too, but tabs are unrealistic for me because I'm trying to automate the process of typesetting some headers in a 200+ page book, so tabbing each line would be a nightmare. I was hoping there was a rule-like solution that took care of it all at once.
- lajj0
Well, I would setup a header paragraph style, with the rule under and all, then import the text, then apply the header style to the proper text, then run a find/change to change them soft return into hard returns in those paragraphs. It could be painfull on the long run tho with the text changes and such.
- Good solution. I believe you can even run a find/change on just the header style. Could make changes very quick.duckofrubber
- Gucci0
Thanks lajj, it's a decent suggestion, but I don't think that's going to work out. I already have a style set up for the header – which runs onto multiple lines without any hard OR soft returns, I'd have to put those in by hand. With as many pages as there are, I don't want to do anything by hand if I can help it.
- alicetheblue0
Do the headers have the same number of lines?
- nope. some are 1 line for example, others are 3, but they all range between that.Gucci
- johndiggity0
if the header text boxes are all pretty much the same, you could create a lined bg in illustrator to correspond to the leading and lineheight, import this image into it's own image frame, set an object style for it, place it on a lower layer in a master page. it'sub-optimal, but if you need to make changes, at least it's only one art file.
- yeah I was thinking of the Master Page thingy, tooalicetheblue
- good idea, but the headers flow in the text and are never in the same place, so that would be a lot of work.Gucci
- cramdesign0
I can't find a way to do it either. Of course you could justify the text and the blocks will be the same but that isn't what you wanted.
- Gucci0
Thanks for the efforts guys, I think I'm SOL. I might just have to put in a hard return, set the 'space after' to 0 and add another 'rule below'. Sucks though, 'cause I have to do it by hand and there are so many bloody pages.
- are you sure it is worth it? is the design locked in?cramdesign
- johndiggity0
can you post an example or pic of the header/type layout? i'm sure there's a way to do this.
- cramdesign0
what about messing around with some sort of custom dashed line to put behind the textbox? you can make lines up to 800 pt thick... likely that is enough.
or just make the box pattern in photoshop as a bitmap and import and crop as needed.
a textstyle would be better though, you are right.
- MrOneHundred0
Try Tables, Cell Styles and Table Styles. You will probably still have to convert each instance of the heading text to a table (unless you can dig up a GREP expression to do it), But you will be able to get the backgrounds to work and keep them in the text flow.
- cramdesign0
this still shows a thin gray line on the sides but that is easily fixed by setting a negative indent on the left and right sides for the style with the paper colored line. also, some paragraphs may be too big. probably some other problems like you won't see background images through this textbox, though you can work with layer settings such as multiply to try things.
good luck.
- Gucci0
so, cram... do your coloured blocks adjust to the size of your paragraphs in your sample or are you manually manipulating them?
I don't see how you wouldn't have to manipulate them, but maybe I missed something.The book I'm working on doesn't have any images in it, it's basically an abstract or a manual or something.
- cramdesign0
it doesn't adjust strictly speaking but you don't have to manually manipulate them either. just make the line so thick that it will cover most any paragraph and set the next one to white so that it overlaps the previous to make it appear to end. it is definitely a hack but is the one solution that i can figure out. give it a try, it might work for you.
paragraph styles need to have a background color setting and that would fix your problem. stupid adobe.
- cramdesign0
so... did you find a solution?