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Lesson 3: Working with Text and Type
What you’ll learn in this lesson:
- Importing text
- Adding text to your layouts
- Formatting text
- Using the Story editor
- Spell-checking and customizing the dictionary
- Applying styles to text
This lesson covers the essential capabilities for importing, formatting, and flowing text using InDesign CS6.
Starting up
Before starting, make sure that your tools and panels are consistent by resetting your preferences. See “Resetting the InDesign workspace and preferences” in the Starting up section of this book.
You will work with several files from the id03lessons folder in this lesson. Make sure that you have copied the id03lessons folder onto your hard drivefrom the Digital Classroom Books website. You can download the files fromhttp://www.DigitalClassroomBooks.com/epub/indesigncs6. See “Downloading lesson files” in the Starting up section of this book for details. This lesson may be easier to follow if the id03lessons folder is on your desktop.
The project
In this lesson you will use add text into your layout and import type created using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word. You will also use InDesign’s text controls to control text formatting as you create a layout for a fictitious magazine, Tech.
To view the finished project before starting, choose File > Open, navigate to the id03lessons folder, select id0301_done.indd, and then click Open. Choose View > Fit Page in Window or press Ctrl+0 (Windows) or Command+0 (Mac OS). After reviewing the layout, you can keep the lesson open for reference, or close it by choosing File > Close. You’ll use InDesign’s Typography workspace for this lesson. From the Workplace Switcher menu, choose Typography.
Adding text to your document
Text in an InDesign layout is typically contained within a text frame. You can create text frames using the Type tool or use any of the other frame or shape tools to create an object that can easily be converted to a text frame. You can also add text into your layout that was created using other programs, such as Microsoft Word.
Creating a frame is usually the starting point for adding text to a layout. You’ll start by using the most efficient way to define a new text frame: clicking and dragging with the Type tool.
Creating a text frame
You will start by creating a new text frame and then enter text into the frame.
1. Choose File > Open. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the id03lessons folder, select the file id0301.indd, and then click Open. You’ll start by working on the first page of this document. If necessary, double-click the page 1 icon in the Pages panel to navigate to this page.
The lower-left section of page 1 has a listing of the stories featured in this issue. You will create a text frame above this box and add text to it.
 If necessary, use the Pages panel to navigate to the first page. |
2. Choose the Type tool (
) from the Tools panel. Position the cursor on the left edge of the page so it is at the margin guide, approximately one-half inch above the list of stories. Use your mouse to click and drag diagonally down and to the right to create a new text frame. Release the mouse when it is positioned just above the existing text frame that contains the list of stories. The new frame should be placed above the existing frame and the left and right edges should be similarly positioned to the corresponding edges of the existing frame
) from the Tools panel. Position the cursor on the left edge of the page so it is at the margin guide, approximately one-half inch above the list of stories. Use your mouse to click and drag diagonally down and to the right to create a new text frame. Release the mouse when it is positioned just above the existing text frame that contains the list of stories. The new frame should be placed above the existing frame and the left and right edges should be similarly positioned to the corresponding edges of the existing frame
Click and drag with the Type tool to create a new frame.
3. Type Inside this issue: into the text frame.
 If you need to reposition the text frame, choose the Selection tool ( ) from the Tools panel, then click and drag the frame to move it. You can also use the frame handles to adjust the size of the frame. When using the Selection tool, you can switch to the Type tool ( ) by double-clicking on a text frame. |
4. Choose File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the id03lessons folder and type id0301_work.indd in the Name text field. Click Save to save the file.
Creating multiple frames
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When drawing a text frame, pressing the right-arrow key one time will divide the text frame being created into two linked text frames. Pressing the arrow key a second time will create a third linked frame, which you can continue until you have the desired number of frames. Similarly, pressing the up-arrow key divides the text frames vertically into separate frames. You can divide a frame both vertically and horizontally to create a grid of text frames. This can also be used when creating image frames or other shapes.
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Changing character attributes
You can use the Control panel located at the top of the workspace to adjust text formatting. The Character Formatting Controls button (A), and, below that, the Paragraph Formatting Controls button (
) are located at the left side of the Control panel, and you can use them to switch between controls that affect either paragraphs or characters.
) are located at the left side of the Control panel, and you can use them to switch between controls that affect either paragraphs or characters. Additional character and paragraph formatting options are available through dedicated panels for formatting type. You can access these other options by choosing Type > Character, or Type > Paragraph. |
Changing font and type styles
You can make adjustments to text formatting using the Control panel which you’ll explore in this exercise.
1. Make sure you have the Type tool (
) selected, then click and drag the text Inside this issue: to highlight it so that it is selected.
) selected, then click and drag the text Inside this issue: to highlight it so that it is selected.
The Character Formatting Controls.
In the Control panel at the top of the workspace, make sure the Character Formatting Controls icon (A) is selected.
You will change the font by typing the font name to access it more quickly.
Previewing fonts in the Control Panel
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When you click the arrow to the right of the font name, the drop-down menu lists all the fonts that InDesign is able to access. InDesign has a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) font menu, which shows the word SAMPLE displayed in the different fonts. Pick any font you’d like, just to see the font change.
The WYSIWYG font menu.
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2. In the Font drop-down menu in the Control panel, click and drag to select (highlight) the font name and type Adobe Garamond Pro. As soon as Adobe Garamond Pro is displayed, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to select this font and the text is formatted appropriately.
You will now change the type style to bold.
 To see how text in your document will appear when using a certain font, first select the text to be changed, then click to place the cursor in the Font drop-down menu in the Control panel. With the text in the document still selected, use the up- and down-arrows on your keyboard to apply different fonts to the text. |
3. With the text still selected, locate the Font Style drop-down menu, under the menu where you changed the font in the previous step. Choose Bold from the Font Style drop-down menu. Your type now appears as bold Adobe Garamond Pro. Keep the text selected.
Use this drop-down menu to set the style of the font, such as bold, italic, or black. InDesign only makes available font styles that are installed on your computer. For example, if you have Arial, but you don’t have Arial Bold, you can choose Arial, but the Bold option will not be available. This avoids possible problems when printing, but is different from many other software programs which allow you to apply styles such as italic or bold to any font.
Changing the type style to bold.
Adjusting size
You can increase or decrease text size from the Control panel. Here you will increase the size of the selected text.
1. In the Control panel, use the mouse to click and select the font size (
) and replace it by typing 20 and then pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). The font size increases to 20 points. You can also choose from pre-defined sizes in the drop-down menu, but entering a specific value can be faster if you know the exact size you want. Similarly, if the size you want to use isn’t part of the predefined sizes, you’ll need to enter the value by typing it into the Control panel.
) and replace it by typing 20 and then pressing Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). The font size increases to 20 points. You can also choose from pre-defined sizes in the drop-down menu, but entering a specific value can be faster if you know the exact size you want. Similarly, if the size you want to use isn’t part of the predefined sizes, you’ll need to enter the value by typing it into the Control panel.
2. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Adjusting line spacing
The space between lines of text is known as leading. Before computers were used to set type, original letter presses used bars of lead to separate the lines of type, and so the term leading remains, even though it now only requires the click of the mouse instead of inserting a piece of metal between the lines of type. Leading is measured from the bottom of one line (the “baseline”) to the bottom of the line above it.
Here you will continue to work on the cover, adjusting the leading for the list of stories located below the text you formatted in the previous exercise.
1. Using the Type tool (
), click to insert the cursor in the text frame containing the list of stories in this issue. To select all the text in the frame click five times, or choose Edit > Select All.
), click to insert the cursor in the text frame containing the list of stories in this issue. To select all the text in the frame click five times, or choose Edit > Select All.
2. In the Control panel, set the Leading (
) to 16 by selecting the existing value and typing 16. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to set the leading. This sets the space from the bottom of one line to the bottom of the next at 16 points. Keep the text selected as you will continue formatting it in the next part of this exercise.
) to 16 by selecting the existing value and typing 16. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to set the leading. This sets the space from the bottom of one line to the bottom of the next at 16 points. Keep the text selected as you will continue formatting it in the next part of this exercise.
As with the text size, if you want to use one of the pre-set choices, you can select them from the drop-down menu.
Changing the leading.
Leading controls in InDesign are applied to individual lines of text. To apply line spacing to an entire paragraph, select all the text in the paragraph before adjusting the leading, or incorporate the leading value in a paragraph style, which you will learn about in the next lesson, “Working with Styles.”
Adjusting character spacing: kerning and tracking
Just like you can adjust the space vertically between lines of type, you can also adjust the space between either a specific pair of characters or between a range of characters. Adjusting the space between two characters is kerning, while adjusting the space between a range of characters is tracking.
1. Click to place the cursor in the Tracking value (
) portion of the Control panel, then type 10 and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to increase the tracking.
) portion of the Control panel, then type 10 and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to increase the tracking.
Tracking is measured using a fraction of an em space. A full em space is the width of the letter M of a particular font in a particular size—simply put, an em space varies depending upon the size and font you are using. In this case, the value 10 represents 10/1000ths of an em space.
Changing the tracking.
Next you will use the word Tech in the lower-left corner of the page to serve as a logo for the start of the High Tech Corner section. You will kern the letters closer together, and then use baseline shift to further adjust some of the letters to create a visual effect with the type.
2. Using the Type tool (
), click between the e and the c in the word Tech in the same block of text where you are currently working. Click to select the kerning value (
) which is currently set to 0 and type -120, being certain to include the minus symbol to indicate a negative value. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to set the kerning.
), click between the e and the c in the word Tech in the same block of text where you are currently working. Click to select the kerning value () which is currently set to 0 and type -120, being certain to include the minus symbol to indicate a negative value. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to set the kerning.
Changing the kerning.
Using a baseline shift
The baseline is the horizontal line upon which the bottom part of characters rests. Some characters, like lowercase q or p fall below the baseline, but most characters sit upon the baseline. You can use baseline shift to change the vertical position of individual characters. This is useful for trademark and copyright symbols along with fractions and footnotes or endnotes. Here you will use baseline shift to style the text to gain an understanding of how to access these capabilities using InDesign.
1. Select the letters e and c of the word Tech and change their size to 10 using the Font Size drop-down menu in the Control panel.
2. Select only the letter e and in the Baseline Shift value (
) in the Control panel type 6 pt, and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). The e is shifted upward, 6 points off the baseline.
) in the Control panel type 6 pt, and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). The e is shifted upward, 6 points off the baseline.
Apply the baseline shift to the letter.
3. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Changing paragraph attributes
The text formatting you applied earlier in this lesson impacted only the text you had selected. In this part of the lesson, you will work with attributes that are applied to an entire paragraph, including text alignment, spacing, and tabs. Because these attributes apply to an entire paragraph, you do not need to select any text. Simply placing your cursor within a paragraph to be formatted is all that is needed to apply paragraph attributes. The adjustments you will be making are found in the paragraph controls section of the Control panel.
Horizontally aligning text
For most Western languages, text reads from left-to-right, and aligns to the left side of a text frame. You can change the alignment of text so that text aligns to the right side of the frame, is centered, or aligns along both sides of the frame (justified), or have InDesign adjust the alignment depending upon whether the text is on the left or right side of a publication.
1. Press the Pages button (
) to open the Pages panel. Double-click page 2 to navigate to it, which also centers this page in the workspace.
) to open the Pages panel. Double-click page 2 to navigate to it, which also centers this page in the workspace.
2. On page 2, click anywhere in the line of text that reads Average Cell Phone Usage. You don’t need to highlight the line of text; simply place the cursor in this line.
3. In the Control panel, click the Paragraph Formatting Controls button (
) to access the paragraph portion of the Control panel.
) to access the paragraph portion of the Control panel.
The paragraph formatting controls.
4. Press the Align Center button (
) to align the text to the center of the text frame. The text is now centered. Keep the cursor in this text.
) to align the text to the center of the text frame. The text is now centered. Keep the cursor in this text.
Changing the spacing before and after paragraphs
Adding space before or after paragraphs makes each paragraph stand out, and creates a clear transition between ideas and sections. A common mistake is to apply additional returns between paragraphs. Applying additional returns quickly adds space, but the space cannot be easily refined, or made to be consistent between all paragraphs in a single step. Using the space before and space after option provides more control over spacing between paragraphs than simply inserting an additional return.
In this section, you will adjust the spacing between the headline and the list of city names. You will start by placing some extra space after the text Average Cell Phone Usage.
1. Using the Type tool (
), click anywhere within the line of text that reads Average Cell Phone Usage.
), click anywhere within the line of text that reads Average Cell Phone Usage.
2. In the Control panel, locate the Space After text field (
), type .0625, and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
), type .0625, and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).
3. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Using tabs
Tabs, or tab stops, are used to align text and insert space between words or numbers. Tabs are inserted into text by pressing the Tab key on the keyboard, and you can then use InDesign to specify exactly where the tab stops should be positioned. A common use of tabs is in a restaurant menu, where menu items are positioned on the left side of the menu, and prices are aligned along the right side of the menu, with a series of periods, or dot leaders, separating the menu items from the prices. Similarly, a Table of Contents at the start of a book such as this one uses tabs to align page numbers and separate the content from the these page numbers. In this exercise, you will use tabs to separate the city name from the average hours of cell phone usage.
1. Using the Type tool (
), select all the text in the Average Cell Phone Usage text frame by clicking in the text frame and choosing Edit > Select All or by clicking five times with your mouse in the text frame.
), select all the text in the Average Cell Phone Usage text frame by clicking in the text frame and choosing Edit > Select All or by clicking five times with your mouse in the text frame.
2. Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to see the tab, represented by a (>>). You can see that when the text was entered, a tab was placed between the city name and the hours. Choose Type > Hide Hidden Characters to hide these non-printing characters from view. Next you will specify where the tabs should be positioned using the Tabs panel.
3. Choose Type > Tabs to open the Tabs panel. The Tabs panel appears aligned to the top of the selected text frame.
 If the Tabs panel is not aligned to the top of the text frame, use the Zoom tool ( ) to reduce the magnification so that the top of the text frame is fully visible within the workspace. After reducing the magnification, select the Type tool ( ), click within the text frame, and select all the text within the frame. In the right-hand corner of the Tabs panel, click the Position Panel above Text Frame button ( ). You can also use this if you move the Tabs panel or adjust the page magnification. The Position Panel above Text Frame button positions the Tabs panel over the text frame as long as the entire width of the text frame is visible within the workspace. |
Understanding the Tabs panel
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A. Left-Justified Tab. B. Center-Justified Tab. C. Right-Justified Tab. D. Align to Decimal (or Other Specified Character) Tab. E. X text field. F. Leader text field. F. Align On text field.
InDesign provides four options for aligning tabs. Located at the top-left of the Tabs panel, front left to right, are the Left-Justified Tab (
 ), Center-Justified Tab ( ), Right-Justified Tab ( ), and Align to Decimal (or Other Specified Character) Tab ( ) buttons.
Next to the tab buttons is the X text field which identifies the numerical location of the tab in the layout. The Leader text field specifies any characters used between tab stops, such as a period placing leader dots between tabbed items in a Table of Contents or a list of menu items. The Align On field specifies if a tab aligns on special characters, such as a decimal point to align currency values or a colon to align time values. You can also insert and move tabs visually rather than using the numerical values. To create a tab visually, click directly above the ruler to insert the tab stop, or click and drag an existing tab stop to reposition it. The triangles on the left and right sides of the Tabs panel ruler control the left, right, and first-line indents for the paragraph where the cursor is located.
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4. In the Tabs panel, press the Right-Justified Tab button (
), then click in the space above the ruler toward the right edge of the tab area. In the selected text, the time values now align to the right of the frame at the location where you placed the tab.
), then click in the space above the ruler toward the right edge of the tab area. In the selected text, the time values now align to the right of the frame at the location where you placed the tab.
5. Confirm that the tab stop you entered in the previous step is selected. You can see the tab stop positioned above the ruler. Highlight the X value in the Tabs panel and type 3.3611 to specify the exact location for this tab stop. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to set this as the new location for this tab stop. The text that corresponds to this tab stop is repositioned to the new location.
6. With the tab stop still selected in the ruler, type a period (.) into the Leader text field in the Tabs panel, then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS). A series of periods now connects the cities with the time values.
Add leader dots to the listing.
7. Close the Tabs panel, and then choose File > Save to save your work.
Other ways to organize data: Lists and Tables
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While this example used tabs to organize the data, there are several other options. You can place data in tables. You can also use bulleted or numbered lists which can be accessed from the Paragraph controls option of the Control panel. After applying bullets or numbers to a list, choose the Bullets (
 ) and Numbering ( ) command from the Control panel menu to specify the bullet characters to use, any text that should be placed after the bullet, any indent that should occur, and any character style to use on the bulleted text.
Another way to organize lists of data is using bullets and numbering.
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Creating hanging indents
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An example of a hanging indent, where the first line is aligned to the left of all other text within a paragraph.
A hanging indent is created when the first line of the paragraph starts at the left margin, but the second and subsequent lines are indented. This is called hanging indentation because the first line hangs out over the rest of the paragraph. To make a hanging indent, make your First line indent a negative value, and the Left indent a positive value.
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Adding rules above or below paragraphs
Rules are horizontal lines placed above or below a paragraph. You can use rules to separate paragraphs or call attention to headlines. Rules move with the text to which they are attached, making them different from a line you might draw separately and place on the page. You will add a rule below the words Average Cell Phone Usage.
1. Using the Type tool (
), click anywhere inside the text Average Cell Phone Usage.
), click anywhere inside the text Average Cell Phone Usage.
2. Press the panel menu button (
) located at the far-right side of the Control panel, and choose Paragraph Rules from the drop-down menu.
) located at the far-right side of the Control panel, and choose Paragraph Rules from the drop-down menu.
Choose Paragraph Rules from the panel drop-down menu in the Control panel.
3. In the Paragraph Rules dialog box, choose Rule Below from the drop-down menu and select the Rule On check box to enable the rule. Select the Preview check box in the lower-left corner of the dialog box to see the rule applied. Keep the dialog box open.
The line appears and is automatically aligned relative to the baseline of the text. Next you will examine the offset value, allowing you to move the rule vertically.
4. In the Offset text field, make sure the offset value is set to 0.0625. This shifts the line below the baseline. If the offset is set to 0 it aligns to the baseline, so by giving it a positive offset value, the rules is moved down below the baseline for the headline. A negative value would shift the rule upward.
5. Confirm that Text is chosen from the Width drop-down menu so that the line appears only beneath the selected text. Click OK.
The Paragraph Rules dialog box with the correct settings.
Changing text color
Changing the color of text can make it more visually appealing or stand-out from the text around it. When changing text color, you can adjust either the fill or stroke of the text.
1. Using the Type tool (
), select the words Average Cell Phone Usage. Clicking three times with your mouse selects the entire line. Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to make certain that the paragraph return at the end of the line is also selected. After verifying this, choose Type > Hide Hidden Characters or press Ctrl+Alt+I (Windows) or Command+Options+I (Mac OS).
), select the words Average Cell Phone Usage. Clicking three times with your mouse selects the entire line. Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters to make certain that the paragraph return at the end of the line is also selected. After verifying this, choose Type > Hide Hidden Characters or press Ctrl+Alt+I (Windows) or Command+Options+I (Mac OS).
2. Press the Swatches button (
) in the panel docking area to open the Swatches panel. You can also access the Swatches panel by choosing Window > Color > Swatches.
) in the panel docking area to open the Swatches panel. You can also access the Swatches panel by choosing Window > Color > Swatches.
3. In the top-left corner of the Swatches panel, make certain the Fill icon (
) is displayed in the foreground. If not, click to select it so that color adjustments affect the fill of the selected object.
) is displayed in the foreground. If not, click to select it so that color adjustments affect the fill of the selected object.
The Fill and Stroke controls in the Swatches panel. Make certain the fill option is selected.
4. With the words Average Cell Phone Usage still selected, locate the color Blue in the Swatches panel, and then click to select it. The color of the text is changed. The color of rule below the text is also changed because the rule was specified to be the same color as the text. If the rule color does not change with the text color, make sure that the return at the end of the line was also selected as described in step 1.
Select the blue swatch in the Swatches panel.
5. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Creating drop caps
Drop caps, or initial caps, help to draw a reader’s attention to the start of a story. You will create a drop cap for the beginning of a story on the second page of the magazine.
1. Using the Type tool (
), click anywhere in the first paragraph of the story on page 2. You do not need to highlight the text.
), click anywhere in the first paragraph of the story on page 2. You do not need to highlight the text.
2. In the Paragraph Formatting Controls area of the Control panel (
), locate the Drop Cap Number of Lines text field (
) and change the value to 3. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to commit the change, causing the first character to become the size of three lines of type.
), locate the Drop Cap Number of Lines text field () and change the value to 3. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to commit the change, causing the first character to become the size of three lines of type.
3. Press the panel menu button (
) located at the far right side of the Control panel and choose Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
) located at the far right side of the Control panel and choose Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
4. In the Drop Caps and Nested Styles dialog box, select the Preview check box on the right side to view the changes as they are made. Select the Align Left Edge check box to align the left edge of the letter I to the edge of the text box, then click OK.
The drop cap’s left edge is aligned to the edge of the text box.
Finding and changing text
Finding and changing text automatically can be a big time-saver. You might discover that a product name needs to be changed across an entire document, or that a website address needs to be located and made italic in every location it is used. In both cases, InDesign’s Find/Change feature helps to automate the process.
Finding and changing text and text attributes
In this exercise you will make the text Tech Magazine bold across the top of each page.
In Lesson 2, “Building Documents with Master Pages,” you discovered that a master page could be used to format and adjust an object that is placed in a consistent location across a document. Here we elected to not use a master page, which makes the Find/Change feature especially useful.
1. Choose the Zoom tool (
) from the Tools panel and increase the magnification on the top of page 2 so that the wordsTech Magazine are clearly visible. After the words are visible, switch to the Type tool (
).
) from the Tools panel and increase the magnification on the top of page 2 so that the wordsTech Magazine are clearly visible. After the words are visible, switch to the Type tool (). If you are working with the Type tool and want to temporarily switch to the Zoom tool, press and hold Ctrl+spacebar (Windows) or Command+space bar (Mac OS) to temporarily activate the Zoom tool while working with the Type tool. |
2. Choose Edit > Find/Change to open the Find/Change dialog box. In the Find/Change dialog box, type Tech Magazine in the Find what text field. Next you’ll identify the changes to make to this text.
3. In the Change Format text field at the bottom of the Find/Change dialog box, press the Specify Attributes to Change button (
). The Change Format Settings dialog box appears.
). The Change Format Settings dialog box appears.
4. On the left side of the dialog box, choose Basic Character Formats. Select Bold from the Font Style drop-down menu, and then click OK. This changes text that meets the Find criteria to bold.
Using Find/Change to find specific text and change its formatting.
 You can also search for text based upon style attributes. For example, you can have InDesign locate all text that uses a certain font, style, or color, and have it changed to another font, style, or color. This is accomplished by using the Specify Attributes to Find button in the Find Format section of the Find/Change dialog box. The Find what: and Change to: sections can be left blank when locating or changing only the text formatting. |
5. In the Find/Change dialog box, make sure the Search drop-down menu is set to Document so that the entire document is searched. In this example you want to search the entire document, but in other cases you can use this to limit the area being searched.
6. Click Change All. A dialog box appears, indicating that the search is complete and that four replacements were made.
7. Click OK to accept the changes, then click the Done button. All four instances of the words Tech Magazine are now bold. If desired, you can scroll or use the Pages panel to navigate to the other pages to confirm the changes.
8. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Finding and changing text using GREP
InDesign offers another powerful option to find and change text and objects in your layout. GREP, or Global Regular Expression Print, makes it possible to search for patterns across your layout and change, organize, or format the text or object.
In this exercise, you’ll use GREP to standardize the formatting of phone numbers that appear on the last page of the document.
1. In the Pages panel, double-click page 6 to center the page in the workspace and make it the active page. When the page is displayed, use the Zoom tool to increase the magnification of the Information box in the lower-right corner of the page.
This box lists companies and their phone numbers so that customers can contact them. Notice that the phone numbers have been entered in a variety of formats and are inconsistent. You’ll use GREP to make the formatting more consistent.
2. Select the Type tool (
) and select the entries that contain phone numbers. There are a total of five lines to select.
) and select the entries that contain phone numbers. There are a total of five lines to select.
3. Choose Edit > Find/Change to open the Find/Change dialog box, and click the GREP tab to make it active. Confirm that Search area is set to Selection rather than searching the entire document.
4. For this exercise, you’ll use a built-in GREP search that is included with InDesign. From the Query drop-down menu, choose Phone Number Conversion (dot format). The Find what and Change to fields are automatically populated.
Choosing a predefined GREP search from the Query drop-down menu.
5. Click the Change All button. A window is displayed, indicating that five replacements have been made. Click OK and notice that all the phone numbers in the information box have been standardized. You can also use GREP to change other items in the text.
6. With the Find/Change dialog box still open, click in the Change to text field and make these changes:
- • add parentheses around the $1 text
- • replace the period after the number 1 with a space
- • replace the remaining period with a hyphen.
The text in the Change to field should read: ($1) $2-$3. Click the Change All button. A window appears indicating that five replacements have been made. Click OK, then click Done.
The GREP expression used in the Find/Change dialog box and the text after applying the GREP search.
GREP explained
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In the GREP exercises that you performed in this lesson, you may have noticed the characters in the Find what and Change to fields. These characters tell InDesign what pattern to detect and how to change the text. In the Find what section of the Find/Change window, the string of characters starts with the following:
(?(ddd))?[-. ]
The beginning part of this text string ( is used to search for a specific character when using GREP. The backslash is an escape character and it forces GREP to search for the character immediately following it. In this case the ( is searching for an open parenthesis.
The question mark ? that follows the open parenthesis indicates that the parenthesis may or may not be there. If it exists, GREP acknowledges it and will adjust it based upon your instructions. If the search doesn’t turn-up the character being searched for, then GREP ignores it. This is like telling InDesign “You may or may not find a left parenthesis.”
The next section (ddd) is looking for three numeric digits in a row. These three digits are wrapped in parentheses so that they can be protected when the change is performed.
The next three characters )? are similar to the start of the search, except in this case GREP is looking for a closing parenthesis that may or may not be there instead of the opening parenthesis that was searched for at the start.
Finally, [-. ] looks for a hyphen, a period, or a space. Any one will be acceptable. The remainder of the expression is just a repeated variation on the first section.
Now in the Change to field is $1.$2.$3. Each $ followed by a number is a variable. $1 is capturing whatever was found in the first section of text that was surrounded by parentheses—in this case (ddd). So whatever numbers GREP found as those first three digits, it will retain in the change expression, keeping the found numbers and the changed numbers the same. Any characters can be placed between the groups of $1, $2, and $3 as these represent the parts of the phone number. The default option places a period between these groups.
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Checking and correcting spelling
Checking spelling is an important part of creating a professional-looking document, and InDesign has several options to help you prevent and correct spelling mistakes and simple typographical errors.
The Dynamic Spelling and Autocorrect options alert you to misspelled words and can automatically change them for you. In this exercise, you will take a closer look at the ability to find and change words across an entire document or group of documents.
Checking spelling
InDesign can help you locate misspelled words, repeated words, uncapitalized words, and uncapitalized sentences.
1. In the Pages panel, double-click page 2 to center the page in the workspace.
2. Select the Type tool (
) from the Tools panel, and then click anywhere in the headline at the top of page 2 that readsWhat is the next inovation in cell phones?.
) from the Tools panel, and then click anywhere in the headline at the top of page 2 that readsWhat is the next inovation in cell phones?.
The word innovation is intentionally misspelled to help you gain an understanding of InDesign’s the spell-checking capabilities.
3. Choose Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling. The Check Spelling dialog box appears.
4. Select Story from the Search drop-down menu at the bottom of the dialog box so that only this text frame is searched. A story is the InDesign term for a text frame and any other text frames that are linked to it. The Check Spelling dialog box is displayed.
5. Inovation is displayed at the top of the Check Spelling dialog box under the Not in Dictionary category. The correctly spelled innovation appears in the Suggested Corrections field. Select the correct spelling, innovation, and then click Change.
Checking and correcting spelling.
Because InDesign has completed spell-checking the story, the Start and Done buttons are both available. The Start button would recheck the story, while Done closes the Check Spelling dialog box.
6. Click Done.
Adding words to the dictionary
You can add words to the dictionary so they are not listed as incorrectly spelled, such as proper names, or business-specific terms that should be ignored when checking spelling.
1. Using the Type tool (
), insert the cursor at the very beginning of the first paragraph at the top of page 2.
), insert the cursor at the very beginning of the first paragraph at the top of page 2.
2. Choose Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling.
In the Not in Dictionary section, Blippa appears. This is the name of a new product that appears throughout this document.
3. Click Add to place Blippa in the user dictionary, and then click Done.
Adding a word to the dictionary.
 You can add or remove words from your user dictionary by choosing Edit > Spelling > User Dictionary. You can add or remove individual words, or use the Import option to import a list of words to add to the dictionary. |
4. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Creating a centralized user dictionary
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You can create a central user dictionary to share with colleagues so that all workers in your office or team don’t need to create their own dictionary.
To create and share a dictionary, choose Edit > Preferences > Dictionary (Windows), or InDesign > Preferences > Dictionary (Mac OS). Click the New User Dictionary button (
 ). When the New User Dictionary dialog box appears, name the new dictionary. The location and name of the new dictionary file appear listed under the Language drop-down menu.
After adding your commonly used words to the new dictionary, access the new dictionary file on another user’s InDesign program using the Add User Dictionary button (
 ) in their Preferences > Dictionary dialog box and specifying the location of the user dictionary file that you created. |
Checking spelling as you type
InDesign’s Dynamic Spelling can help you avoid spelling errors by checking spelling as you type. Words not found in the InDesign dictionaries are marked with a red underline in your layout. If you use word processing applications such as Microsoft Word, this will look familiar to you.
1. Press the Pages button (
) in the dock to open the Pages panel. Locate page 3 and double-click the page 3 icon to center the page in the workspace.
) in the dock to open the Pages panel. Locate page 3 and double-click the page 3 icon to center the page in the workspace.
2. Using the Type tool (
), click inside the text frame containing the headline When is the best time to update equpment?
), click inside the text frame containing the headline When is the best time to update equpment?
3. Choose Edit > Spelling > Dynamic Spelling to activate the Dynamic Spelling feature. A red line appears under the wordequpment. This may take a moment to occur, as InDesign will review the entire document once Dynamic Spelling is enabled.
Accessing Dynamic Spelling through the Edit menu. Dynamic Spelling turned on.
4. Right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac OS) the word equpment. A list of suggested corrections appears in the contextual menu. Choose the word equipment from the list, and the misspelled word is corrected.
Replacing a word using Dynamic Spelling.
5. Disable Dynamic Spelling by choosing Edit > Spelling > Dynamic Spelling.
Automatically correcting spelling
You can use the Autocorrect feature to correct commonly misspelled words and typographical errors as you type. For example, if you type hte when you intend to type the, you can have InDesign automatically correct this error as you enter text while typing. You will now enable Autocorrect and add a word to the list of those that are automatically corrected.
1. Using the Pages panel, navigate to page 2 by double-clicking the page 2 icon.
2. Choose Edit > Preferences > Autocorrect (Windows), or InDesign > Preferences > Autocorrect (Mac OS).
3. When the Preferences dialog box appears, select the Enable Autocorrect check box, if it is not already selected.
The Autocorrect Preferences dialog box.
4. Click the Add button at the bottom of the dialog box to add your own word to be automatically corrected.
5. In the Add to Autocorrect List dialog box, type useage in the Misspelled Word text field, and usage in the Correction text field.
This provides InDesign with the incorrect spelling that should be changed and the correct spelling that should be used instead.
Entering a word into Autocorrect.
6. Click OK, then click OK again to close the Preferences dialog box.
7. In the Average Cell Phone Usage text frame on page 2, highlight the word Usage and delete it from the text frame. You will now retype this word, intentionally spelling it incorrectly.
8. Type Useage, and then press the spacebar. The Autocorrect feature corrects the misspelled word. Press the Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac OS) key to remove the extra space.
Editing text using the Story Editor
Sometimes it is easier to view the text separately from the layo
