How to create a multi-column master page ?

[jjk]

Hello all, I am unable to create a master page containing a multi-column text frame (or even a single coulmn one). What do I do wrong ?

[Christoph Daniel]

If I understood other topics in this forum correctly, master pages cannot hold text frames to be filled in the actual pages. You need to add a page based on the master page and add text frames to that concrete page.

[tariq]

for comparison ...

[jjk]

3 hours ago, Christoph Daniel said:

If I understood other topics in this forum correctly, master pages cannot hold text frames to be filled in the actual pages. You need to add a page based on the master page and add text frames to that concrete page. 

Thanks Christoph. It is a very weird behavior. ID manages perfectly text frames in master pages and it is very useful. I hope official issue of APub will get that.

[walt.farrell]

Master Pages can contain Text Frames to be filled in with actual text on document pages, but when a Master Page contains such a frame it will not behave as most of us expect it to. There are workarounds, though.

In any case, that behavior would not explain jjk's problem:

4 hours ago, jjk said:

create a master page containing a multi-column text frame (or even a single coulmn one).

The following should work, and does (to this point) for me:

1. Create a Master Page
2. Select the Text Frame tool
3. Drag out a Text Frame on the Master Page you created
4. If you want it to be multi-column, adjust the number of columns on the context menu.

Creating the Text Frame should work just fine; it's only after that, if you try to use the Text Frame, that you should experience problems. And as I said, there are workarounds to them

[Christoph Daniel]

7 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

And as I said, there are workarounds to them

Care to enlighten us?

[walt.farrell]

Well, you could search

However, there have been two general kinds of approaches. I'll describe the one I like second.

First approach (which I do not advocate): Though there are some variations suggested, this category of workarounds basically says: once you have put your variable-content frame on the Master Page, and created a bunch of document pages, for each page, use the Layers panel to unlink the document page from the Master Page. For example, select a document page, go  to its Layers panel, click on the Unlock icon on the master page layer, and duplicate the layer.

Approach I like (courtesy of another user): Create your Master Page, with its frames for variable content. Apply that to page 1 (which was created when you created the document). Select page 1, which will have inherited a frame from the Master Page. Use the Text or Picture Frame tool as appropriate to create a new frame on top of the inherited frame, using it as a guide. Then simply duplicate page 1 as many times as you need. You will do your work in the new frame(s) you just created, ignoring the inherited ones.

[Petar Petrenko]

On 9/2/2018 at 9:40 PM, walt.farrell said:

Well, you could search

However, there have been two general kinds of approaches. I'll describe the one I like second.

First approach (which I do not advocate): Though there are some variations suggested, this category of workarounds basically says: once you have put your variable-content frame on the Master Page, and created a bunch of document pages, for each page, use the Layers panel to unlink the document page from the Master Page. For example, select a document page, go  to its Layers panel, click on the Unlock icon on the master page layer, and duplicate the layer.

Approach I like (courtesy of another user): Create your Master Page, with its frames for variable content. Apply that to page 1 (which was created when you created the document). Select page 1, which will have inherited a frame from the Master Page. Use the Text or Picture Frame tool as appropriate to create a new frame on top of the inherited frame, using it as a guide. Then simply duplicate page 1 as many times as you need. You will do your work in the new frame(s) you just created, ignoring the inherited ones.

Why bother by creating text frame on master page? Just create it on the Page 1 and duplicate it.

[Merde]

18 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Why bother by creating text frame on master page? Just create it on the Page 1 and duplicate it.

Because it doesn't make sense with 100+ pages documents.

[Petar Petrenko]

2 minutes ago, Merde said:

Because it doesn't make sense with 100+ pages documents.

I actually answered to @walt.farrell.

BTW, I am also for inserting text boxes in master pages, just like in ID and Quark.

[eljaco]

AP should be also oriented toward large documents, which is not the case yet. 

[Fixx]

20 hours ago, Merde said:

21 hours ago, Petar Petrenko said:

Why bother by creating text frame on master page? Just create it on the Page 1 and duplicate it.

Because it doesn't make sense with 100+ pages documents.

Page count does not matter when you can automatically add pages and flow content by shift-clicking the flow arrow. 

[TonyB]

On 9/2/2018 at 8:02 PM, jjk said:

Thanks Christoph. It is a very weird behavior. ID manages perfectly text frames in master pages and it is very useful. I hope official issue of APub will get that.

This capability is on our roadmap. Like other long document features, we will release them when have have them working well.