Automatically equalise column widths in Designer?

[jakech]

Is there a shortcut or method to automatically equalise text column widths in Designer? Have googled but no luck.

[GarryP]

Can you give more information about what you mean by “text column widths”?

The Columns functionality for Text Frames is only available in Publisher, as far as I know, so I’m guessing you mean something else.

Any related visual example you can give should help to clear things up.

[jakech]

See the attached. (In the attached image, the columns are already equal width but sometimes I'm working on a design where I would like to automate the process. I do have Pubisher so it's not the end of the world but just wondered if there was a quick way to do it within Designer.) Thanks

[NathanC]

Hi @jakech,

If you have a columned text frame in Designer I believe you can adjust the gutter width with the frame selected along the context toolbar, the option is limited to either removing the columns or adjusting the gutter width of existing columns, which when the value is amended all columns will automatically update to that new gutter width value. If you're wanting to do anything more advanced with the column width config you would need to edit the File in Publisher via the 'Text Frame' panel, however.

[GarryP]

Thanks for the example.

If you have both Publisher and Designer then you can work in Publisher, switching to the Designer Persona to do Designer-related work, and then switching back.

If you are in Publisher, to evenly distribute the columns, you can go to the Text Frame Panel, open the Columns section and then click the “Evenly Distribute Column Widths” button to the right of the “Width” text (looks like a little ‘jail cell bars’ icon).

The Text Frame Panel is not available in Designer thus and, as far as I know, the functionality I mention above is only available in Publisher.

[jakech]

Thank you both for your helpful replies.