Running headers and interactive links

[maguskrool]

Hello.

I have a book I'm converting into an interactive presentation. I've included a running header in my master page and I'm trying to have it work as interactive breadcrumbs. The running header shows the title of the current chapter, and I'd like to click the running header and jump to the first page of that chapter. I've been trying to learn more about hyperlinks, bookmarks and other ways to move around the content, but can't seem to find a way to build a variable link in the master page, one that changes to match the running header.

Is this even possible? Perhaps with some plug-ins or 3rd party software?

*crosses fingers*

Thanks.

http://www.vivoeusebio.com

 

[apepp]

...maybe a different master page assigned for each chapter, each master page running header assigned a different "page" hyperlink destination...

...only thing i can think of right now...

andrew

 

[maguskrool]

Thankx Andrew. I'm really trying to avoid that solution, though. Although it works, it doesn't save that much time because I would still have to do a lot of master page management by hand, and I was aiming for automation so I could change chapter titles and flow content through pages at will.

http://www.vivoeusebio.com

 

[apepp]

...feel free to ask the adobe scripting gurus in the following forum, they may know a java method, but no guarantees:

http://forums.adobe.com/community/indesign/indesign_scripting

andrew

 

[apepp]

...the major hurdle with a post-automation process (like java) is that it needs to know what page number each beginning chapter falls on, and somehow applying hyperlinks to all specific chapter running headers to a specific page...

...sounding very complicated to me...

...with the master page method, changing the chapter titles isn't a problem i believe when the running header style is set to first style on page...

...more a problem to keep track of which chapter falls on which starting page and changing the master hyperlink to suit...

...and also applying the correct chapter master pages to the correct sections of pages, which at least can be done in one dialog box...

...if you find another way, then please do post a solution...

...or someone else may post one here...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...forgot to mention that creating several master chapters "based on" your initial master may help in the long run too, so changing the initial master changes them all, except the overridden running headers...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...quick addition/update to my posts above...

...if you have the "running header" text box touching the text box that contains the chapter title, the page hyperlinks update automatically if adding pages later in the workflow...

andrew

 

[apepp]

..so at least then you don't have to manually keep updating the page hyperlinks...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...also if you don't want the running header to be showing on the start chapter page, make the box 0.01% transparent or something of that kind...

andrew

 

[apepp]

...so all in all, with the "text box" touching method, you can get away with one master page, with the running header set to first style on page...

...the hyperlinks are then automatically created and updated as new pages are added...

andrew

 

[apepp]

..sorry, more clarity to above post:

>>> "...so all in all, with the "text box" touching method, you can get away with one master page, with the running header set to first style on page... <<<



...should really read:



>>> "...so all in all, with the "text box" touching method, you can get away with one master page (masters for each chapter), with the running header set to first style on page... <<<

andrew

 

[maguskrool]

Thanks, that does indeed help. Well, guess I'll start creating my 30-40 master pages then... :S

http://www.vivoeusebio.com

 

[apepp]

...yeh, i know, a few steps involved...

...but it does cut out a lot of other tedious stuff, particularly the worry of keeping track of where chapters get re-arranged during editing...

...but really, with incredibly large books, each document ought to be it's own chapter and combined as a book, this can help, particularly when you have more than one person needing to work on it at the same time...

andrew