Publisher: can you combine a text frame into a master?

[weegiegrum]

New user here... I have a situation resulting entirely from me not understanding how to use master pages and text frames properly on a book project.  I created 3 different Master pages with text boxes for the main page area, headers and page numbers etc. However, I then added text frames on top of this when  making up the pages. Although this seems to be working, it does now mean that if I make any changes to the Master layout, the text frames on every page do not update and need to be changed individually (unless there's a command to do this that I haven't found yet).  This is tiresome.

I also notice that I can't edit text on some pages without going into the layers panel and moving the master page layer to the bottom of the stack. On facing page spreads, I can have 2 different Master page layers, 2 text frames loaded with content, plus picture groups. If one of the text frames is beneath a Master page, it's not easy to get at it to edit.

This is all becoming rather  tedious, especially as I now have all the text and pictures imported into the book, and I want to tidy things up and hopefully simplify it a bit.

So, my question is this - is there an easy way in which I can merge the text already in text frames into the underlying text frame on the Master page layout and then delete the extra text frame? I hope that makes sense!

Grahame

 

[h_d]

My suggestion would be first to make a backup copy in case things go pear-shaped.

Then open the document, zoom quite a way out, drag all the unwanted frames off the pages into the pasteboard area, and make sure you've flowed the master text frames:

Then click into one of the unwanted text frames, Select All the text, Cut the text, click into one of the master frames and Paste:

You can then delete the unwanted text frames.

Hope that helps,

H

 

 

[weegiegrum]

Thanks H, I'll give that a shot. It's only 130 pages, what could go wrong...? 😘😃

[h_d]

27 minutes ago, weegiegrum said:

what could go wrong...?

Nothing if you've got a backup. But don't hold me responsible 

[weegiegrum]

OK, that method definitely works; it's a little fiddly getting the new text flow options right as I'm trying to do it one section at a time to avoid a complete disaster, but I'm figuring it out. And yes,  I'm trying it on a backup first.

[weegiegrum]

I've now finished the procedure, one chapter at a time. I found that it's safer to also remove any picture frames and other 'page furniture'  to  the pasteboard area as well as the text frames when you do this. They're easy enough to drag back in afterwards.