Custom anchoring grouped object

pat4141

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    • March 31, 2011 at 1:03 pm #59139
      pat4141
      Member

      I am trying to anchor an object (group consisting of photograph and caption text box) above its explanatory text. I can’t figure out how to get the object IN the frame that InDesign makes.

      I click the graphic with the Selection tool,, then click with text tool in front of the first line of text. (The graphic's handles disappear.) I format the object to insert as “Custom”. If I unclick the box at bottom to not allow movement out of frame, the frame InDesign gives me can be moved just fine. I set the reference points for both text box and object as center. But my image “disappears” when I move the frame so I guess it really isn’t in it? Dragging doesn’t work, nor does resizing the frame same size as the photo. I can’t find any good instructions for the exact steps in doing what I want to do. Forget Adobe Help even CS5 (which is what I am using). The info is word for word the same as Help for CS3 and 4!

      And how to put a style on the frame InDesign makes so I won’t have to type in the dimensions or resize it 100 separate times. Any help would be a million times appreciated.

    • April 1, 2011 at 1:09 am #59142
      Tim Hughes
      Member

      It sounds like, from your description, that you haven't pasted the group into your text. It will then be an inline object until you go into the Anchor menu and make it a custom anchored object. Done. Now what you can do is copy and paste the newly anchored group into a different text box and it will keep the same anchor settings. Or why not click on that group and give it an object style, a style that holds those anchor settings.

      Now you have a group made up of a text box and a pic box that you can fill with new text and new pictures.

    • April 1, 2011 at 12:50 pm #59150
      pat4141
      Member

      For those of you looking for this: here are the steps in anchoring an object outside the text frame (I got these from Ann-Marie Concepcion’s video at https://www.adobe.com/designcen…..id=vid0073 – the ONLY place I have found step by step directions…)

      1. Select the object using Selection (black) arrow

      2. >Edit>Cut (or Copy)

      3. Place the Text Insertion bar in text (presumably at beginning)

      4. >Edit>Paste The graphic acts like a text character. You can use Center etc on it; and you can apply text wrap to it. The object may jump around when you do this.

      5. Immediately: R Click>Object>Anchored Object>Options

      6. Under Position, choose Custom

      7. Deselect Keep Within Top/Bottom Column Boundaries.

      8. Click OK Hopefully the object now is back where it belongs.

      9. Drag to wherever you want it.

      10. Notice that a Y shows up where an object is anchored (turn on View>Hidden characters).

      Now the problem is the “jumping around”. It often jumps completely out of sight, so it is impossible to get any menu that has Object on it so you can get to Options where you can re-set it as a custom object. After that, it behaves pretty well – that is, it becomes visible where it ought to be more or less and you can drag it.

      Tim Hughes, thankyou for your answer. Are you saying there is a separate Anchor menu? I will have to check that. On the object style suggestions, I’ll try it and get back. Looks interesting. The whole purpose of all this, by the way was to be able to later insert or delete pictures/captions without having to move all the items separately. Attempts at insertion brought up new problems! Things didn’t move around quite as I had hoped.

    • April 1, 2011 at 2:26 pm #59152
      pat4141
      Member

      I think I found a better way– no jumping around. Here it is:

      1. Click in text

      2. Object >Anchored Object>Options(Default)

      3. Set to Custom

      4. Uncheck Keep Within Top/Bottom Column Boundaries

      5. OK A frame shows up on the page with a line between it and the place you anchored to. You can move it wherever.

      I’m not sure under what conditions that (Default) shows up. This could be how to change the default,, which may be what you want, or may not.

      To get your object (which may be a grouped object – can even be one bigger than the textbox holding the text you have linked to) in the frame:

      1. Click the graphic with the Selection Tool (black arrow)

      2. R-click>Cut (or Copy)

      3. Click frame with Selection Tool

      4. R-click>Paste Into (You may not see anything in the frame – this is what threw me for so long)

      5. R-click>Fitting>Fit Frame to Content Graphic should pop into the frame.

      Now drag graphic to where you want it.

      Tim I tried it> I created the grouped object and anchored it to a text frame (call it F1) using above procedure. Now I want to do othe same with another grouped object and its text frame (call it F2). First: created an object Style for F1. I called it Vert Txt Frame w Anchor. (Object styles, I noted, do include Anchored Object parameters).

      Then I unselected everything, click on F2. Apply Style Vert Txt Frame w Anchor. Didn't work (I was hoping it would automatically grab the nearest object, I guess). Can tell by what moves and doesn't move when you move the text frame.

      What did I do wrong?

    • April 4, 2011 at 1:05 am #59158
      Tim Hughes
      Member

      You still need to set the anchor point in a line of text.

      Indesign will not do this for you.

      Cut or copy F2 then place the text tool at the point you want the anchor to be then paste. The object (F2) will now be in the position it's anchor settings dictate.

    • April 6, 2011 at 12:47 pm #59193
      pat4141
      Member

      Here is what I ended up with and it worked for objects whose frame was larger than or even overlapped with the text being linked to. And no jumping around. Once everything is anchored (each graphic plus caption to its text) I find I can insert text, using the Text Editor, and putting in a Frame Break Break character, and text with its anchored objects moves appropriately. Then I insert the picture and caption box corresponding to the new text, group them, and anchor that grouped object to the new text.

      The method for anchoring a grouped object outside of the text that I ended up with:

      1. Edit the Style of text box containing text to include Anchored Object Options. Set Position as Custom. Uncheck Keep Within Top/Bottom Column Boundaries. This saves a few steps each time you anchor an object.

      2. Establish object link, get frame

        1. Click in text with Text Tool (in front of first letter is a good place).

        2. R-click>Anchored Object>Insert

        3. The Insert Anchored Object window appears – click OK.

        4. A square frame (Anchored Object Frame) the default size (about 6p square) appears with a line showing where it is anchored.

      3. Put Object in Frame

        1. Group objects first; now you have one object

        2. Click the object with the Selection Tool (black arrow)

        3. >Edit>Cut (or Copy) (Ctrl-x) Object disappears.

        4. Click Anchored-Object Frame with Selection Tool

        5. R-click>Paste Into (Alt-Ctrl-v)
          (You may not see anything in the frame – this is what threw me for so long) This is described in a somewhat different context in an article How Paste Into Positions Objects, by David Blatner at https://creativepro.com/how…..bjects.php.

        6. R-click>Fitting>Fit Frame to Content (Alt-Ctrl-c) Graphic should pop into the frame.

      Now drag graphic to where you want it.

      Notice that a Y with crossbars shows up in the text where an object is anchored (turn on View>Hidden characters), and an anchor above the anchored object.

      Hope this helps! I looked around all over the internet for this information. Thanks, Tim.

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