New section causes reverse numbering

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

In ID CS, I wanted to select the first half of an existing section and designate it a new section.

In the Pages palette, I selected the range of pages I wanted to change. Then, in Numbering & Section Options, I entered a new Section Marker name. I left page numbering "Automatic," so I presumed the numbering sequence wouldn't be altered.

However, when I looked at the pages I'd changed, I found that the section had been renumbered, starting with 1---and that the numbers went in reverse! Was this a bug, or did I do something wrong?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Each page you selected became a new section. To make a section, select one page only, the first page of your new section.

Dave

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Yes, I realized that soon afterward. (Silly me---I made the mistake of just reading the menu and dialog box, rather than looking it up in the user guide...)

However, that doesn't explain why these single-page "new sections" went "5, 4, 3, 2, 1" instead of "1, 2, 3, 4, 5." What possible use would that be? (Maybe for Hebrew texts, where you read in the other direction?)

And in any case, how intuitive is that? You select a range of pages, tell ID to "start a new section"---and it makes each page a new section? Why would someone want to do that either?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

So that the pages can then be imposed. I have a script that walks through a document making every page a new section in order to freeze the page number so that the pages can then be shuffled into "booklet order."

However, I tend to agree with you that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to want to do this in the UI across a selection. And the wording in the help system is certainly a bit confusing on the point.

Dave

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Okay, Dave, that makes sense. (I'm always willing to be ignorant.) At this point is was more curiosity than anything else.

Cheers, Andy

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Hi,

I'm trying to get my 24 pages printed out in "booklet format" or as a signature of a book. I want to print them out, fold them, and have the page numbers in the right order -- so that on one sheet of paper page 24 will appear next to page 1.

Is there no way to do this other than moving each page on the spread and renumbering it? (Which means I need to make a mock up and figure out which page goes next to which...)

There's gotta be a better way!
How do people do this when they're dealing with hundreds of pages?

Thanks for any insight you can give me.
Kristina

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

I use this script, which I wrote:

myPages = app.documents[0].pages;

// Let's make sure that the pages are a multiple of four
app.documents[0].documentPreferences.allowPageShuffle = false;

if (myPages.length % 4 != 0) {
alert("Document length isn't a multiple of four.");
exit();
}

for (i=0; i<myPages.length; i++) { origSection = myPages[i].appliedSection; origNumbering = origSection.pageNumberStyle; origSection.pageNumberStyle = PageNumberStyle.arabic; pageName = myPages[i].name; sectName = origSection.name; if (sectName != "") { pageName = pageName.split(sectName)[1]; } pageNo = Number(pageName); newSection = app.documents[0].sections.add(undefined, undefined, {pageStart:app.documents[0].pages[i], continueNumbering:false, pageNumberStart:pageNo, pageNumberStyle:origNumbering}); origSection.pageNumberStyle = origNumbering; } app.documents[0].documentPreferences.allowPageShuffle = true;

for (i=0; (myPages.length/2)>i; i++){
if (i % 2 == 0) {
app.documents[0].pages[myPages.length - 1].move(LocationOptions.before,app.documents[0].pages[i*2],BindingOptions.leftAlign);
} else {
app.documents[0].pages[myPages.length - 1].move(LocationOptions.after,app.documents[0].pages[i*2],BindingOptions.rightAlign);
}
}

Copy and paste it to a text editor, save it as plain text with a name like buildbooklet.js into the Scripts folder in the Presets folder in your InDesign application folder.

To run the script, open the Scripts palette and double-click the name with a copy of your document open -- best not to run a script like this on the original.

Dave

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Wow. Thank you.
I'll try it and let you know how it works.
Kristina.

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Hi Dave,

I saved it as plain text, and ran it on the document, but it comes up with a "runtime error" on line 11.

Any suggestions?

Thanks again,
Kristina

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

My fault. I made an error posting it here (the forum software doesn't like < symbols). Here's a corrected version:

myPages = app.documents[0].pages;

// Let's make sure that the pages are a multiple of four
app.documents[0].documentPreferences.allowPageShuffle = false;

if (myPages.length % 4 != 0) {
alert("Document length isn't a multiple of four.");
exit();
}

for (i=0; i<myPages.length; i++) {
origSection = myPages[i].appliedSection;
origNumbering = origSection.pageNumberStyle;
origSection.pageNumberStyle = PageNumberStyle.arabic;
pageName = myPages[i].name;
sectName = origSection.name;
if (sectName != "") {
pageName = pageName.split(sectName)[1];
}
pageNo = Number(pageName);
newSection = app.documents[0].sections.add(undefined, undefined, {pageStart:app.documents[0].pages[i], continueNumbering:false, pageNumberStart:pageNo, pageNumberStyle:origNumbering});
origSection.pageNumberStyle = origNumbering;
}
app.documents[0].documentPreferences.allowPageShuffle = true;

for (i=0; (myPages.length/2)>i; i++){
if (i % 2 == 0) {
app.documents[0].pages[myPages.length - 1].move(LocationOptions.before,app.documents[0].pages[i*2],BindingOptions.leftAlign);
} else {
app.documents[0].pages[myPages.length - 1].move(LocationOptions.after,app.documents[0].pages[i*2],BindingOptions.rightAlign);
}
}

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Hi again Dave, thanks again.

There's still a runtime error, this time in line 21 (starting with newSection)... almost there!

Kristina

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Has your editor (or the forum software inserted a newline before the semicolor that should end that line?

newSection = ... should all be on one line up to the semicolor with origSection... at the start of the next line.

Dave

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Nope, when I widen the page or paste it into notepad it all appears on one line and origSection starts the next line:

newSection = app.documents[0].sections.add(undefined, undefined, {pageStart:app.documents[0].pages[i], continueNumbering:false, pageNumberStart:pageNo, pageNumberStyle:origNumbering});

K.

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Sorry, I can't see what's wrong and I'm packing to go to England for a vacation. I plan to switch off my computers any minute now.

But, I did post this script before, here: Dave Saunders "InDesign won't impose pages!?!" 5/5/04 10:21am </cgi-bin/webx?14@@.3bb3c172/6> And people seem to have had success running that version.

Dave

[Kristina_Drake@adobeforums.com]

Thanks anyway! I'll try the other, have a good trip.
K.

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Dave: Pardon my ignorance, but what language is that? Java? Sure looks fun.

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

It's JavaScript (which is not the same as Java).

Dave

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Coolness.