Threading text

The text in a frame can be independent of other frames, or it can flow between connected frames. To flow text between connected frames (also called text boxes), you must first connect the frames. Connected frames can be on the same page or spread, or on another page in the document. The process of connecting text among frames is called threading text. It is also referred to as linking text frames or linking text boxes.

Each text frame contains an in port and an out port, which are used to make connections to other text frames. An empty in port or out port indicates the beginning or end of a story, respectively. An arrow in a port indicates that the frame is linked to another frame. A red plus sign (+) in an out port indicates that there is more text in the story to be placed but no more text frames in which to place it. This remaining unseen text is called overset text.

Choose View > Extras > Show Text Threads to see visual representatives of threaded frames. You can thread text frames whether or not they contain text.

Add a new frame to the thread

Add an existing frame to the thread

When you thread a frame grid to a plain text frame or to another frame grid with different grid settings, the text frame of the threaded frame is redefined to match the settings of the frame grid threaded from

Add a frame inside a sequence of threaded frames

Unthread text frames

When you unthread a text frame, you break the connection between the frame and all subsequent frames in the thread. Any text that previously appeared in the frames becomes overset text (no text is deleted). All subsequent frames are empty.

Cut or delete threaded text frames

Whenever you cut or delete text frames, no text is deleted; the text remains in the thread.

Cut a frame from a thread

You can cut a frame from a thread and paste the frame elsewhere. The frame is removed with a copy of the text, but no text is removed from the original story. When you cut and paste a series of threaded text frames at once, the pasted frames maintain their connection to each other, but lose connection to any other frames in the original story.

Delete a frame from a thread

When you delete a text frame that is part of a thread, no text is deleted: it is overset or it flows into the next frame in succession. If the text frame isn’t connected to any other frame, the frame and text are deleted.

Flow text manually or automatically

Your pointer becomes a loaded text icon  after you place text or click an in port or out port. The loaded text icon lets you flow text onto your pages. By holding down a modifier key, you can determine how the text is flowed. The loaded text icon changes appearance, depending on where it is placed.

When you position the loaded text icon over a text frame, parentheses enclose the icon . When you position the loaded text icon next to a guide or grid snapping point, the black pointer becomes white .

You can flow text using four methods:

To flow text in frames, InDesign detects horizontal or vertical type. When text is flowed with semi-automatic or automatic flow, it is flowed according to the frame type and direction set in the Story panel. The icon gives users visual feedback of which direction the text will flow.

Flow text manually

Flow text semi-automatically

The text flows one column at a time, as in manual flow, but the loaded text icon automatically reloads after each column is placed.

Flow text automatically

Flow text automatically without adding pages

Use Smart Text Reflow

You can use the Smart Text Reflow feature to add or remove pages when you’re typing or editing text. This feature is useful when you’re using InDesign as a text editor and you want a new page to be added whenever you type more text than can fit on the current page. It’s also useful in avoiding overset text or empty pages for situations in which the text flow changes due to editing text, showing or hiding conditional text, or making other changes to the text flow.

By default, Smart Text Reflow is limited to primary text frames — text frames that are on a parent page. If the document includes facing pages, primary text frames must appear on both left and right parent pages, and the primary text frames must be threaded for Smart Text Reflow to work.

You can change settings to allow pages to be added or removed when working in text frames that aren’t based on parent pages. However, a text frame must be threaded to at least one other text frame on a different page for Smart Text Reflow to work.

Smart Text Reflow settings appear in Type preferences. These settings apply to the current document. To change default settings for all new documents, close all documents and specify the settings.

Use this option to determine where the new page is created. For example, suppose you have a three-page document with text frames on the first two pages and a full-page graphic on the third page. If you’re typing to the end of page two, you can determine whether the new page is added before or after the full-page graphic on the third page. Choose End Of Story to add a new page after the second page. Choose End Of Document to add a new page after the page with the full-page graphic.

In a document with multiple sections, you can choose End Of Section to add the page at the end of the section.

Limit to Primary Text Frame  If this option is turned off, you can also add or remove pages when editing text frames that aren’t based on parent pages. To prevent unwanted text reflow from occurring, Smart Text Reflow takes effect only if the text frame you’re editing is threaded to at least one other text frame on a different page.

Note: When using Smart Text Reflow in text frames that aren’t based on parent pages, pages are added with full-page, single-column text frames, regardless of the attributes of the text frame to which the new frame is threaded.

This option determines whether facing-page spreads are preserved when text is reflowed in the middle of a document. If this option is selected when text reflows in the middle of the document, a new two-page spread is added. If this option is not selected, a single new page is added, and subsequent pages are "shuffled."

If your layout includes design elements specific to the right or left side of the spread, turn on this option. If your left and right pages are interchangeable, you can turn off this option. This option is dimmed if the document does not have facing pages.

Select this option to delete pages when you edit text or hide conditions. Pages are deleted only if the emptied text frame is the only object on the page.