Paragraph decoration

[Roger terry]

I want to add a line just above the text. I set up the parameters and add a paragraph style. Perfect

However, the next time is select this paragraph style the line is in a different place. Instead of being above the text and limited to the required width, it runs the whole length of the text.

In fact it is impossible to recreate the paragraph style. I think that saving the paragraph decoration under paragraph style is not working

para decoration.afpub

[Hangman]

I think the confusion comes because your newly created paragraph style is called line above which matches the name of one of the default Publisher paragraph styles only your newly created style uses lowercase text rather than the Initial Caps of the default style.

If you select line above from the paragraph style drop-down menu rather than Line Above then your style will be applied correctly to the second text box.

For ease, you can rename your style to something that more easily differentiates it from the default Line Above paragraph style by editing the style using the Text Styles panel.

[Roger terry]

Thanks for your reply. I just did it but similar result. I created a paragraph style LLL. When I started a new text box I got the LLL style immediately but with the line extending away from the text, as you can see in this screen shot. The parameters are identical.

[walt.farrell]

24 minutes ago, Roger terry said:

Thanks for your reply. I just did it but similar result. I created a paragraph style LLL. When I started a new text box I got the LLL style immediately but with the line extending away from the text, as you can see in this screen shot. The parameters are identical.

You have said that the line should be offset 83mm from the right edge of the text. Text Frame. Then you have made a Text Frame that is smaller than your original frame, so the offset will go further to the left (and outside the frame in this case).

Edit: I'm not sure if extending outside the frame is correct, but with distance measurements like that I think you'll need to use frames of identical widths.

Edit 2: I can make the same thing happen on Windows, and probably the line should not move outside the frame.

Edit 3: It extends outside the frame in that example because you have no text, and you're spacing it from the right edge of the text. So it is automatically starting at the left edge of the frame (as there's no text) and running further left.

[Roger terry]

seems to happen irrespective of text frame size

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, Roger terry said:

seems to happen irrespective of text frame size

What you showed above (with the line extending completely outside the frame) occurs because you've said the line should be 83mm from the right edge of the text, and you have no text. Add some text, and the line will be from the right edge of the text you added.

Note that if you want a consistently placed and sized line, you should space it from the right edge of the column, not the right edge of the text. But even there, if you have a narrower frame you may get the line behaving differently than you want.

[Hangman]

Walt is correct with regards to your second example.

Taking your first example, you basically have a different paragraph style applied to each text box which is why you are seeing the problem.

 

 

[walt.farrell]

It looks like you're trying to get a line decoration of a certain length, but the controls aren't setup to allow that. I think that would be a useful addition.

[Roger terry]

Yes it would. What you suggested works perfectly if the text extends to the full width of the frame, but if is does not, the line no longer functions as I need. I need a quick workaround, adding white text might be the best quick fix.

[Hangman]

Certainly not ideal but could you get away with pinning a horizontal line to your text boxes, that way the line isn't influenced by the width of the text in the text frame or the column width. Depending on how far through you are in creating your document, creating a text frame and then pinning a line to it allows you to then duplicate the text frame with line intact rather than having to pin a new line each time.

As I say, certainly not ideal but just a thought.