Boxing in text

[Keith_Nymark@adobeforums.com]

I am new to indesign and while feel pretty good about the transition from pagemaker have run into a problem putting a line/box around my text and mast head. I want to contain everything. When I use the rectangle tool to create the box around everything, I can no longer change the text with the text tool. The text curser jumps to the top of the box I created.
Any help appreciated.
thanks
Indesign 2 on windows 2000

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Unlike PageMaker, you don't have to draw a separate box, just give your text frame a stroke and an inset (in the Text Frame Optons dialog).

If you don't want to box the whole frame, consider putting the text you do want to box into a single-cell table and give that a stroke.

Dave

[John Mensinger]

Keith, your box should be behind the text frames, (select it and press Ctrl+Shift+[), or better yet, drawn on a separate, lockable layer, below the layer containing your text.

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

Keith, if I understand you correctly, I think Dave's suggestion is the way to go. It's easier than the latter method suggested by John and you won't need to worry about the size of the box or overlapping text etc. IMO, it's a lot more managable doing it Dave's way.

[Cris_I@adobeforums.com]

Unless you'll have to make outlines from the text, and voila, the box is gone...

Cris.

[Keith_Nymark@adobeforums.com]

thanks to you both. I am more comfortable with John's suggestion (select Ctrl + shift+] It worked for one area but not the other. I moved the text and created a box and replace the text trying to bring the text forward and also trying to put the box back to no avail. I don't know how to draw a seperate, lockable layer below the layer containing the text. Would you tell me how?
thanks

[Keith_Nymark@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Gabriel: I don't think I was clear enough about my problem. I am trying put a box around an article written for a newspaper. The column has a picture of the writer a title and the article all in seperate boxes and i want to box in the whole thing to make it all stand alone. Using John's method usually works but for some reason doesn't this time that's why I wondered about the layering process.
thanks

[Cris_I@adobeforums.com]

Press F7 to bring the Layers palette on screen.
Click on the Create new layer icon on bottom of the palette.
If you want to change the order of the layers, drag the Layer with the mouse.

Cris.

[Keith_Nymark@adobeforums.com]

thanks Cris: that worked complete with a pretty green guide. Do I have to link the layers before I print to a pdf? I print to a pdf format before I email my paper to the printer.

[Ken_Grace@adobeforums.com]

You don't really need multiple layers. You just need to understand the
principle of objects being stacked on top of one another. When you draw your
rectangle, because you have drawn it after creating the text, it has been
placed above the text. You need to send it to the bottom of the pile, which
is what Ctrl+ Sh+ [ does. Ctrl+ Sh+ ] will send an object to the top of the
pile. Holding down Ctrl while clicking on a pile of objects will cycle
through the objects in the stack. Not at all unlike PageMaker, if I recall
correctly.

k

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

Do I have to link the layers before I print to a pdf?




No, but the layer must be visible unless you chose to print invisible/hidden layers too.

Holding down Ctrl while clicking on a pile of objects will cycle through
the objects in the stack.





Very good point Ken. Keith, you should use this often when working with mulitiple objects in one layer.

[Cris_I@adobeforums.com]

Keith:

Ken is right. You do not need multiple layers for what you've described. On another hand it is nice to know to work with them and use them when it's nedeed.

Anyway, you do not have to link the layers in order to print to the pdf or to the printer.

Have fun,

Cris.

[Keith_Nymark@adobeforums.com]

Many thanks to all. I appreciate the help.
Keith