Text is tiny at the top of next frame when frames are linked

[tcdaly]

When text is flowed into a linked frame on the next page, its font size is inexplicably tiny at the top of the next frame.  I have seen the same thing happen but with a huge text size, and also wild alternation between huge and tiny as the text is reflowed between the frames. This problem occurs seemingly randomly. 

Regardless of how much I have fiddled with text style resets and overrides, I cannot find a lasting solution - the problem recurs.  The only solution has been to rebuild the document from scratch in a new file.

I suspect this bug may be related to IDML import, as to date I have only seen it happen in documents I've transferred from InDesign.

 

[walt.farrell]

This can happen if you have:

• Resized a text frame using the scaling handle (the detached one on the lower right) instead of one of the handles attached to the frame; or
• Sometimes, if you're starting with an IDML document; or
• If you have created a text frame, then changed the document resolution (DPI); or
• If you have copied a text frame from a document with one DPI and pasted into a document with a different DPI. 

That last one may also occur, I think, if you have turned a text frame into an Asset, then used it in a document with a different DPI.

 

[tcdaly]

Thank you.  In my case, I think it's starting with an IDML document, as I haven't done anything relating to the other three possibilities.

[Old Bruce]

4 hours ago, tcdaly said:

I think it's starting with an IDML document

Most likely you are correct. This comes up often.

[Affinity Info Bot]

The issue " Importing IDML and flowing text to new frame applies text scaling unexpectedly" (REF: AF-1342) has been fixed by the developers in internal build "2.5.0.2317".
This fix should soon be available as a customer beta and is planned for inclusion in the next customer release.
Customer beta builds are announced here and you can participate by following these instructions.
If you still experience this problem once you are using that build version (or later) please reply to this thread including @Affinity Info Bot to notify us.

[Chris_06]

4 hours ago, Serif Info Bot said:

The issue " Importing IDML and flowing text to new frame applies text scaling unexpectedly" (REF: AF-1342) has been fixed by the developers in internal build "2.5.0.2317".

This is good news.

[tcdaly]

I thought this problem was IDML-specific, but now the same thing is happening when importing a Word document.  The text in the final frame is tiny, as is the footnote, but no-one applied this formatting at any stage.  The difference between the final frame and the others is that I manually created it using the text frame tool, whilst the others were created automatically by virtue of being on the master page.  I tried resetting the text frame tool back to 'factory default', but it didn't help.  Windows version 2.4.0.

 

[walt.farrell]

49 minutes ago, tcdaly said:

I thought this problem was IDML-specific,

When it's part of the bug that was just fixed, it's IDML-specific.

But that bug is not the only way to cause this situation. You can also cause it by changing a document's DPI, or by copy/pasting text frames between documents with different DPIs, or by using the scaling handle on a Text Frame inappropriately. I've highlighted the scaling handle in this screenshot:

[tcdaly]

5 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

When it's part of the bug that was just fixed, it's IDML-specific.

But that bug is not the only way to cause this situation. You can also cause it by changing a document's DPI, or by copy/pasting text frames between documents with different DPIs, or by using the scaling handle on a Text Frame inappropriately. I've highlighted the scaling handle in this screenshot:

Thank you.  I didn't do any of the things you've mentioned that could be a cause - I just drew a manual frame, and linked it to the previous one.  I notice the scaling handle smoothly scales the text in proportion to the frame size - it doesn't suddenly make all the text tiny.

[Alfred]

4 minutes ago, tcdaly said:

I notice the scaling handle smoothly scales the text in proportion to the frame size

You can only have noticed that by using the scaling handle.

5 minutes ago, tcdaly said:

- it doesn't suddenly make all the text tiny.

No, it doesn’t (suddenly or otherwise) make all the text tiny. The text in the frame whose scaling handle you’ve used behaves as expected, but the text in the linked frame can misbehave as you’ve observed.

[tcdaly]

19 hours ago, Alfred said:

You can only have noticed that by using the scaling handle.

True, but I set up a new, separate document to test the scaling handle.  I didn't touch it in the document pictured in my post.

[Dennison]

I've had the same issue through multiple documents and multiple Afpub beta versions.

Latest incident:

Text overflows Text Frame A

create new Text Frame B on page 2

check Text Style is Regular (same as A)

link Frame A to Frame B

reduce size of Frame A so text flows into Frame B

Text in Frame A is 10 pt.

Text in Frame B is 2.4pt

 

If this is not a BUG then it must be following the most bizarre logic rule.

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, Dennison said:

Text overflows Text Frame A

What caused the text to overflow?

1 hour ago, Dennison said:

reduce size of Frame A so text flows into Frame B

Did you use the scaling handle to reduce the size of the frame?

[Dennison]

Too much text in Frame A so created an overflow Text Frame.

I created a new Text Frame and stretched it out to fit the page.

Then highlighted and selected Text Style - Normal

linked Frame A to Frame B

and moved up the bottom limit of Frame A to shift text to Frame B

[Alfred]

9 minutes ago, Dennison said:

linked Frame A to Frame B

and moved up the bottom limit of Frame A to shift text to Frame B

Did you use the bottom centre handle for that? Have you used the scaling handle on either of the two text frames at any time?

[Dennison]

Used the bottom centre handle

No - did not use the scaling button on the bottom right side - used Text Frame icon from Tool list and click-mouse-drag to margins

[Alfred]

What was the source of the text that you put in Frame A?

[Dennison]

copied from a pdf that was created from a Word file

[Chris_06]

FWIW, this bug manifests in a variety of circumstances.

Most likely it is because each of those paths passes through the section of code which is buggy.

Thus it will not matter what the source or what the specific user-procedure, the bug will manifest if that portion of code is traversed.

The nice thing about having different paths which intersect the buggy code is that it should be pretty trivial to locate.

[Dennison]

Hopefully it iwill be trivial to locate.

 

It's been around for at least two years as it has happened in previous books I was formatting.

[Hangman]

Hi @Dennison,

This is a known bug logged as a bug under AFB-7732 and AFB-7733. It's caused by having text frames with two differing resolutions which can be caused when opening IDML files or by changing the document dpi directly in a Publisher-only document between text frame creation...

Based on the change in text size from 10 pt to 2.4 pt this suggests that either you've opened an IDML file which Publisher interprets incorrectly at 72 dpi or if created from scratch in Publisher you've changed the document dpi from 72 dpi to 300 dpi in between creating text frames, my assumption is the former...

To prove this (based on your screengrab) do the following:

Steps to Correct

1. Unlink the text frames on the left and right pages
2. Delete the text frame on the right-hand page with the 2.4 pt text
3. Go to Document Setup and change the document dpi from 300 dpi to 72 dpi
4. Recreate the text frame on the right-hand page
5. Relink the two text frames
6. Go to Document Setup and change the document dpi from 72 dpi to 300 dpi
7. Save the document

You should now see the text in the text frame on the right-hand page appear correctly at 10 pt.

Note: This will affect any text frame in your document inherited from the source IDML file if that is the source for your document so you may need to repeat if you find other instances throughout your file.

[Dennison]

Okay thank you.

None of the files were sourced from IDML.

I certainly have no memory of changing dpi from 72 to 300 - but it's certainly possible; however, new layouts are by default 300 dpi so I'm not sure why I might have changed it to 72 and then back again as all my files are for printed books. 

 

Is there any date when these bugs might be corrected?

[Hangman]

Hi @Dennison,

3 hours ago, Dennison said:

Is there any date when these bugs might be corrected?

I'm not sure, this bug has been around for a long time so I'm hoping we may see a fix soon in a future update...

It's difficult to know how it happened with your book despite being easy to replicate with a Publisher document... I can't see any logical reason why you would have changed the document's dpi at any point either but hopefully, the workaround fixed the issue for now at least.

Did the workaround work for your document?

[walt.farrell]

7 hours ago, Dennison said:

Is there any date when these bugs might be corrected?

There's an Affinity Info Bot post above saying that 7732 (under its new name of AF-1432) has been fixed for the 2.5.0 beta. There's one in another topic for the 7733 variant (under its new name AF-1288), so both should be in the next beta.