Additional styles are added when TOC text crosses frames

[Peter M Dodge]

I am composing a book on behalf of a client where I am attempting to use the TOC function to automatically generate the tables of contents.  This table of contents goes over two pages, so it is placed in a text frame that overflows onto the next page.

Whenever I regenerate the TOC, the first page is the correct styles and formatting, however, on the second page, it has added a bunch of superfluous style overrides, making the text super large.  I then have to go throw and slowly remove all of it - slowly, as Publisher does not allow me to select everything including the overset text this generates.

This seems like a bug, though I'm not sure what's causing it.  There are no text styles in the document with text as large as this.

I am unable to share the document directly as it is copyrighted by the end client.  However, if there are any diagnostics you would like me to try, or suggestions you may have, I'm all ears.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Peter M Dodge
Publisher, not Designer

[Old Bruce]

39 minutes ago, Peter M Dodge said:

it has added a bunch of superfluous style overrides, making the text super large.

This sounds like the dreaded Scale handle problem. On a Text Frame there is a resize handle in the lower right and just a tiny bit away from it is the Scale handle which could be the cause, if you have inadvertently used this to change the size of the second text frame the text's font size will be scaled.

[Peter M Dodge]

18 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

This sounds like the dreaded Scale handle problem. On a Text Frame there is a resize handle in the lower right and just a tiny bit away from it is the Scale handle which could be the cause, if you have inadvertently used this to change the size of the second text frame the text's font size will be scaled.

While I have indeed run into that particular fun issue, I don't think it's the case here.  Untouched text boxes will still have that issue.  I think what's happening is it's erroneously applying some supposed default style, instead of the styles specified in the TOC window.

[Old Bruce]

I have noticed that if I make a series of ToCs, then delete them including the text frames and then make a new one the styles from the earlier ToCs are still present. For what it is worth, I am on Mac OS 11.7.1

This could be part of the problem. If in fact you have made and discarded ToCs.

Post Script: I only just now noticed that in your first post you mentioned Designer, are you working in that application? Or is that just a typo/mistake?

1 hour ago, Peter M Dodge said:

as Designer does not allow me

 

[Peter M Dodge]

Yeah, I get Publisher and Designer mixed up all the time.  Sorry about that.  I meant Publisher.