Text box within a text box?

[Robin Rowland]

Is there any way to create a text box within a text box? I was able to do that in Scribus before I switched to Affinity Publisher but if I try to do that nothing happens. Or is there a work around I am not aware of?  

 

thanks

 

RR

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, Robin Rowland said:

Is there any way to create a text box within a text box?

You can draw a second text frame and then drag it over the first one on the page. You'll have to start drawing it somewhere outside the first frame.

Perhaps that's what you're looking for?

[Robin Rowland]

I tried that but the original text box then disappears.  I am working with photographs that I have to reposition frequently as design progresses and want to be able to pin the captions separately in their own text box rather than pinning directly to the relevant paragraph as the rest of the text may be changed. When I worked with a previous project using Scribus that is how I did it.

[walt.farrell]

17 minutes ago, Robin Rowland said:

I tried that but the original text box then disappears.  I am working with photographs that I have to reposition frequently as design progresses and want to be able to pin the captions separately in their own text box rather than pinning directly to the relevant paragraph as the rest of the text may be changed. When I worked with a previous project using Scribus that is how I did it.

I would create a text frame for the caption, enter the caption, and group that text frame with the photograph. Then they will stay together better.

What is probably happening to you when "the original text box disappears" is that it's something to do with text wrap. But I would need to see some screenshots or (better) a sample document that illustrates that problem to say for sure.

Still, I think that grouping the caption and photo will be your best approach if that works for you.

[Robin Rowland]

I uploaded the Affinity and PDF files for Dwright a couple of days ago when that helped me solve an earlier problem. If you still have those files available, you will see I do use text box captions for the larger images but the problem is the intext captions.   Our files are now out with beta readers who are noticing problems that our copy editor missed so things are still changing. Thanks 

RR

[walt.farrell]

If you sent them directly to DWright I would not have access to them, as I'm just a forum user like yourself, not a Serif staffer.

[Robin Rowland]

I never did get a reply to my private message.

However, since your last issue I saw the advice you gave on the new text wrap issue and grouping. 

Unlike the user in the Text Wrap Issue thread who apparently created the photo caption text box first and then tried to surround it with a bigger text box. I am creating the main text box first and then added the second caption text box later 

Creating a new text frame outside the old one is very awkward  (which is why there should be a dedicated caption option in future release) but finally I got it to work--somewhat.  But when I tried to add the caption, whether by typing or copy and paste. the result is backwards as you see from the attached screen grab. Could be a settings problem but not sure what

[walt.farrell]

57 minutes ago, Robin Rowland said:

But when I tried to add the caption, whether by typing or copy and paste. the result is backwards as you see from the attached screen grab. Could be a settings problem but not sure what

It appears that you flipped the text frame horizontally, somehow. That would also flip any text you type into it.

Or, perhaps you drew the text frame from right to left instead of the more usual left to right?

[andywilk]

I can't find any further help in this Forum about Captions. What I have seen so far are too much of a workaround to be viable, if you have ongoing edits and quite a few images placed within the text flow. I've tried various workarounds, but caption boxes need to be editable, too, and as Styles.

I am utterly astonished that auto-caption boxes are not an option in Affinity Publisher, whereas they in just about any other software. Is the coding for this the holy grail of this kind of programme?

I'm actually despairing as what to do, as I naively took on a project (unfortunately given to me by [still currently] a friend, prepared in Pages) with a deadline looming. Maybe this will be the tipping point for adding InDesign to my Abobe plan (LR+PS), but can't bring myself to do that either, when I'll be paying crazy money for a couple of dozen additional programmes that have no interest for me, and I find subscription-base programmes a loathesome, often hard to get out of, concept!

Any glimmers of hope on the horizon - 'proper' workarounds, or news that Affinity are releasing Caption Boxes, tomorrow - would be appreciated.
 

[MikeTO]

Hi @andywilk and welcome to the forums. Publisher doesn't have a caption feature so your options are:

1. Create a separate text object (art text or a text frame) and group it with the image
2. Create a text frame, paste the image inline into the frame, and write the caption in the paragraph below it. Then position the frame or pin it however you like
3. If the image will be within the text, you can also just pin it inline into the main text frame and write the caption in the paragraph below it. I use this approach for most of my images and have adjusted the flow options so that the image and caption stick together.

Cheers

[andywilk]

On 12/16/2024 at 10:21 PM, MikeTO said:

Hi @andywilk and welcome to the forums. Publisher doesn't have a caption feature so your options are:

1. Create a separate text object (art text or a text frame) and group it with the image
2. Create a text frame, paste the image inline into the frame, and write the caption in the paragraph below it. Then position the frame or pin it however you like
3. If the image will be within the text, you can also just pin it inline into the main text frame and write the caption in the paragraph below it. I use this approach for most of my images and have adjusted the flow options so that the image and caption stick together.

Cheers

Thank you MikeTO.

I get the general idea of what you're saying and will have to try the mechanics of it.
On the face of it your option 3 seems to make the most sense for me, and I'll need to give it all a go. As a new user:

(1) my pages generally have text frames already in place from the Master. Can you draw a text object inside the text frame of the page, or does this need to be done in a working area elsewhere e.g. on a page without a text frame, grouped with the image, then placed within the text where it needs to be. My experience is that I cannot draw a text frame inside a text frame.

(2) I thought I had done this at some point by accident, without remembering how on earth I did it, but the caption seemed to be hiding behind the body text, in spite of my text wrap adjustments. Again, without knowing what I had done to get there, I did manage to put a grouped image and text caption into a page of text, I was able to move it around and resize the group. However, most essentially, I was unable to edit the text, nor resize it. I also played around with putting an image in to a rectangle/box - that turned into a nightmare!

(3) Pinning it in line with the main text. I guess this is to Place a photo and to move it to where I want it to be and leave it there...., but 'pinning'? And, is it easy enough then to 'unpin' and' re-pin'.

It seems the penny hasn't quite dropped for me just yet with regards to the detailed steps of achieving an effective and efficient method to include in a workflow. One, or two, images and captions to be included within the text is one thing, whereas having dozens of them needs to have bulletproof reliability in terms of method, albeit the process laborious. But, I'm sure there's evidence of Affinity Publisher out put where Text, Images and Captions all appear aesthetically pleasing.

 

Again, thank you

[carl123]

Rather than trying to add the text (caption) to an image

It might be worth looking at adding an image to the text, in some use cases

It then becomes just one object you need to deal with (and the text remains editable)

Attached (quick test)

 

 

caption-test.afpub

[andywilk]

Wow! Carl123, that works!....and I'm really impressed that you sent me an editable caption-test.afpub! Thank you!

I feel pretty bottom of the class right now - a 'bear of little brain'! I just made a new document, put a text frame in place with filler text; the thing I just can't seem to do is draw a text frame within the body text to which to add an image.
Do you think you could give me the simple a,b,c steps as to the best way to achieve this, please?
I did read, somewhere, that someone prepared a grouped container (I think what you might be suggesting) and had it available as an Asset. I guess that's a bit like a template object, but again, no idea just yet how to do that.

Thank you

[carl123]

1 hour ago, andywilk said:

Do you think you could give me the simple a,b,c steps as to the best way to achieve this, please?

First, I placed an image onto a page (no text frame)
Then Layer > Convert to Curves
Then Layer > Convert to Text Frame

You now effectively have a text frame with the image as the background to the text frame.

So, add some text (the caption), bottom align it in the "text frame" and centre it horizontally (optional). 

Then to add the colour behind the text you use the Decorations section at the bottom of the Paragraph Panel. You can refer to the document I uploaded previously to see the settings I used.

So now you have a text fame and image combined into one object (layer) just place this into any text frame (with existing text) and set the text wrap settings you need.

I've only just played with this particular solution (today) as I don't use Captions and I had some time on my hands.

There may be things that can be done better or adjusted depending on how people like their captions.

I might have another play around with it tomorrow