Tables and multiple pages

[quebert]

Hi, I'm new here I'm sure threads similar exist but my search didn't turn up anything. Not 100% how to explain this but let me try.

neighbor has Indesign, I want to use it to create a catalog, here's my problem(s) I have the initial page set up how I like it, it's very simple. It's basically 2 columns and when it reaches the bottom of the first column it carries over automatically to the 2nd column. Here's where both my problems come into play, first this is going to be a maybe 50 page document, how do I start a new project and have it apply my tables to every page automatically? And 2nd, how do I get it to carry over on to the next page. For example, if I'm pasting text into the 2nd column on a page, and it surpasses the bottom of the page it will automatically move the text to the first column of the next page. If this can't be done the way I'm attempting, how would I go about creating a proper new table?

I hope this makes sense to somebody and they can help me, I have zero experience with Indesign before today, I did read threw the documentation but didn't see anything that helped me here or made it clear a direction I need to go. I'm going to continue to poke around but right now, I'm stuck...

thanks in advance.

 

[eugenetyson]

InDesign won't add any additional pages. As it's designed to be a design program. So a majority of people will be working in a spec, say a 32 page document, so they create all those pages before they start.

It's usually with a "Master Text Frame" and so on.

What you need to do is open the pages panel.

Windows>Pages

Click the new page icon (at the bottom of the panel in the middles (if you hover over the icons they should tell you what they do)).

Once you have that done, click the red box with the plus sign in it at the bottom of the text box on the previous page.

Then press ctrl (cmd on a Macintosh) on the new page you just made (this just selects the box, if there isn't already a box there don't worry about it).

If there is a box there then shift click the white square that is at the top of the box, it should be fairly visible.

If the box isn't there just shift click at the margin on the page (it should be visible as a purple line that look like guides on your page).

The red box with the plus is the overflow box. Meaning that you have text that is overflowing that box and not going anywhere, so you have to add in the pages and tell indesign what pages, where and what you want the text to go and do.

Kind regards,
Eugene

P.s. If you need anything else just ask, we're all nice.

 

[quebert]

awhhh thank you SO MUCH for the reply! I think with some poking around I would have figure out how to duplicate the page, but the linking the pages probably never. I duplicated the main page, then duplicated the 2nd to make a front/back, did the link thing and duplicated the front/back page 48 times and was set.

I'm new to any non graphical design software, you saved me god knows how many hours. I appreciate the help and definitely will be coming by here to read up, Indesign looks very complex and I obviously have a lot of learn.

 

[eugenetyson]

I would suggest you get a book on it too. It's great references for getting started. If you want to get started.

Check out Real World InDesign, by David Blatner. It's available on Amazon. It's a fantastic read and quite simply brilliant.

 

[quebert]

ugh sorry but I'm a bit stuck, I couldn't exactly get what you told me to do to work. So what I did was create my tables, link the pages by clicking on the red plus and telling it where to put the overflow, it what look like chain links. Then I duplicated the spread until I hit 72 pages. But, when I paste my text in the first page it doesn't automatically carry it over to the next pages until the text is all pasted.

At this point I manually do the link thing again, I got it to where it will paste into the next 2 pages, but I'm having to do each manually like this. Not a big deal, as it goes pretty fast but I know I'm not doing it right.

I just created a new document and followed what you said to the T, there's something I'm not doing right. Is duplicating the spread bad? When I create a blank page and ctrl click nothing happen, pressing shift brings up a squiggly line but when I click it pastes the text without my table formatting intact.

sorry for the questions I'm really trying to figure this out on my own but my thought process just isn't picking up the logic of this software yet.

 

[MarcusStringer]

At the last page.
Duplicate the Spread like you've been doing.

Delete the text frame from the newly created spread.

When you click on the Red Box with the plus it loads up all the overset text into your cursor (arrow tool) just like Eugene said.

Then navigate to the new spread.

Hold your Shift key down (you will notice that it will change to look like a snake shaped arrow) then click, this will Autoflow the rest of you text into as many pages as you need automatically

For a more detailed description. Open Indesign click on the Help>Indesign Help.

Then type in Autoflow Text.




Marcus

http://www.midlandtypesetters.com.au

 

[eugenetyson]

Here's a video

http://download.yousendit.com/7BA227430FC0EED6