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My goal is to create an XML-Ready template to handle ads like a newspaper.

I've managed to get the project to a point, but I'm facing some issues, no other forum was able to help me with.

1) The layout consists of 6 columns per page, each text frame holding a certain xml element. As you can see in the screentshot below, in the 2nd column I need to have an "extra" text frame, for priority ads, styled differently. However, when I import the xml files, the gray text frame expands (as defined it the text frame options) but the following text frame does not "shrink" (move downwards to make room for the previous text frame). Plus, it exceeds the page height.

Is there a way to automatically create new text frames in a new page to hold the extra text that is marked with the red arrow?

2) Even though in my story editor I have set a break after each xml row tag, when I import the xml files, there is no blank space (break) between the row tags as you can see in the same image.

3) I need my template to automatically assign paragraph styles (if these are the ones I'm supposed to use) to the text frames, according to the ads they hold. However, when I import them, the cars paragraph style is not applied to the text frame holding the cars ads. Also, is there a way to "save" those styles to use in a different computer? (like I can move the scripts to another InDesign installation)

Dropbox folder with images

Ria S.
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1 Answers1

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1) I don't think you can set the text frames to behave this way. I would try to import both xml elements into the same text frame, e.g. by grouping them under another element. You can assign different styles to your elements within the frame. The single frame you can set to non-expand, but this will not stop the overflow.

2) In your screenshot the opening xml element is missing. Re: break - you might have used a wrong character which is not recognised by InDesign, e.g. I had problem importing soft returns.

3) You can map your tags to the paragraph styles or styles to tags in the template, just open Structure and it is one of the options in drop-down menu. If you are trying to generate this programatically you will need to add style creation statement to your code and style link to your xml:

<header1 aid:pstyle="Contents_Headers">

Nicolai Kant
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