Selecting across spreads

You can't do this.

Don't know why it's not enabled.

Can you tell use what you're trying to do – there might a way to do what you want.

IT's natural to assume you could select across multiple spreads, but when you can't it's frustrating. But there probably is another way for you to do what you want.

So, let us know what you're trying to do and see how we can help.

It's a common request, but as Eugene pointed out earlier, it's not possible. InDesign simply does not allow you to select two objects if they are on different spreads. Each spread acts completely independently of the other.

Not really sure why it's done like that – you'd have to check that with Adobe – there's a wishlist area on the website you can request features – not all are implemented though – https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

I'm not really sure I fully follow your request, is there anyway you can elaborate with images or something?

I don't think it's that big of a deal, nor a common request, but that's just me.

To me the OP's problem is not InDesign, but the work flow methods and the “people running the show.”

And I don't mean to come across the wrong way, but if the issue is so simple to *fix* then the OP should do it, instead of saying it's easy, but he/she can't do it themselves. If it is so easy, he/she could do it.

I don't see what needs to be “fixed.”

avid01–I gotta admit I never had the situation arise.

But why do you *expect* Adobe to add a function that may (or may not) be barely used? Are they supposed to be mind-readers?

I can only suggest you contact Adobe (someone here probably has the e-mail address) and submit your wish list.

Cheers as well and hopefuly Adobe will implement what you feel is needed into the next version of the program.

i'm kinda with doc on this… there would be very few occasions where i'd have to shuffle lots of pictures or content over various spreads. that's not to say there's faults with the workflow, its just not a situation which crops up often with me.

however, may i suggest some workarounds? the shortcut to go to page is ctrl J. for example, a pic and some related text on p3 needs to be on p68. group and cut the selection, then ctrl J and type 68; and then paste onto the pasteboard. now, grab the content which needs to be swapped and cut that, ctrl J and go onto p3 and paste.

another workaround is to make a library. same scenario as above, but move the content into the library rather than copy it. ctrl J to the destination page and drag the content from the library. delete the item from the library and then grab the content to be moved into the library and ctrl J to the replacement page.

the third workaround would be to use snippets. that is, drag the content onto the mac/windows desktop. this will become a “snippet” which, when dragged into the destination page, comes back in as the content which it originally appeared.

i think what is making the process so difficult is the scrolling from spread to spread, especially if high-res preview is turned on with dozens of pictures. using the goto page shortcut ctrl J will make short work of scrolling. alternatively, a workflow which works for me is to have my pages palette open on the left hand side using the full height of the screen. i turn the placeholders off (or the pages palette takes forever to redraw and slows the machine down something fierce) but it allows me to see about 19-20 spreads all at once.

i hope this helps. if you do find a script which lets you swap content between spreads, please post the link as it would always be handy.

colly

You can always open an additional window view of the same document and have these views side by side. You can easily drag items from one side to another.

In the mean, I've written a script that just might make life a bit easier: MagicObjectSwapper.

There is nothing really 'magically' about it (unless you don't know how to write scripts); it puts a 'marker' in the Script Label of the item you have currently selected, or — if it finds an item with that particular label — it asks you if it should swap the two around.

You can also remove the marker, but it's really not necessary. If you want to mark another object, it'll automatically remove the previous one.

A few trivial notes:

1. It only, and exclusively, works with items that are placed immediately onto a page (or master page, as it happens). It does not work with objects inside other objects. I probably could add that, but it may lead to a whole new snakepit of probable problems.

2. It doesn't work cross-document. As in the previous point, it can probably be added, but I just didn't feel like it. Besides, copying between two documents is fairly easy already.

3. It doesn't really check if the object you are moving around is locked. No idea what will happen if it is. Probably the script just stops with an error.

4. It's layer-illiterate. It doesn't know layers, doesn't remember layers, and doesn't care about layers.

5. There are a few other utilities that use script labels (sorry, was it APID? Numb brain to-day). This script might accidentally overwrite a label that was used for something else. If unsure, open the Script Label panel and click on a few items. If you see data appear, you were apparently using something already.

The script is a bit too long to post verbatim, so I'll just give you the download link: https://www.jongware.com/binari…..wapper.zip

Enjoy!

Hi,

I’ll put the frames in Master page and apply to all pages.
The frames are now “Locked” in all spreads.
If you want to edit all the frames in all spreads you just do this in Master page.

To edit just a specific frame just hold down Ctrl+Shift and edit.
Don’t know why but when you edit a single frame in a spread it becomes “open”.
That’s why I keep the frames in their own layer and lock.

Hope this will make it a bit easier.

Br M

I also need to be able to select items on different spreads at the same time. I am working on a reprint of a book for my publisher. It is an old book that we’ve lost the original files for. As a quick solution we’re scanning the whole book.
I have scanned all 415 pages, and am using an image box on each master page of a facing pages document. I am using object styles to automate exact positioning of each image in the image boxes. When I do File>Place and select multiple scans at a time, I then click and place each image in its correct page and image box that already has the object style applied ahead of time. However the object style is not fully enforced, so I have to click on each individual image box and clear overrides.
I’m using 2 different object styles, one for left page and one for right page. With 415 pages it would be nice if I could select all left page image boxes and clear overrides for all at once. Then do the same with right side pages. I’ve assigned shortcuts to both styles, but still it’s going to entail 415 click and shortcut combinations to get all the pages to look right.
Any developments on this front in the last year or so?

Selecting items on different spreads can be very dangerous, because you could delete something that is selected and you don’t see it because it’s on another page. So I don’t know if I would like this function. For moving pictures around I could use split windows.

What I’m doing is Clear Overrides on all pages of a 415 page book. So selecting all instead of each page separately, would be much easier.

Your best bet is to use a script. For example:
https://indesignsecrets.com/topic/clear-overrides-throughout-document-on-particular-object-styleobject
or
https://www.id-extras.com/clear-overrides-throughout-document/

That’s it! Clearing overrides on object styles through the Find/Change dialogue box by finding a style and reapplying it is the perfect solution! Thank you very much! Wish I had known this before I worked so long on the last large book I had to work on!
Perhaps this can go in the InDesignSecrets Tip of the Week. I’m sure a lot of us in the book publishing industry would be grateful!

Jongware’s site is no more, so I put his script here: creativepro.com/files/jongware/binaries/MagicObjectSwapper.zip

On Windows it’s easy to write a script for swap images across the pages.
You select the frame on page 1 press shortcut…then go to page 50, select frame and pres shortcut again…done
+ I wrote quick page jumper script. You just hold win key and type number of page where you want to go..so Win key + 56 on numpad will jump on page 56 Immediately.

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