InDesign... please help me understand

[Jiminy Crow]

In InDesign, the buttons for increasing or reducing stuff do not act like buttons. They leave the measurement highlighted so that you have to hit return or click out of them somehow... so my point size constantly looks like: 12ptvvvzvtv because I'm trying to move to the next tool, and then it gives me an error message and REHIGHLIGHTS the measurement. This is even true when using keyboard shortcuts. Is there a way to make this torture stop?

Also, what's the best way to click OUT of writing in a text box? Everytime I finish and hold the option button to then select the box to move it, it selects what's underneath.

These are my TWO LARGEST pet-peeves with InDesign so far.

Someone help me.

 

[stevep]

1. All it takes is a single mouse click inside the text box after you've typed the size. Or, if you want a keyboard way, hit the return key.

2. The best way to 'click out of a text box' is to, erm, just click out of it. Then hit the V key to change to the selection tool. Or you could hold down the Apple key if you want a slightly quicker way. If you let go inside the box you can carry on typing. If you let go outside the text box you can draw another one.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

1. All it takes is a single mouse click inside the text box after you've typed the size. Or, if you want a keyboard way, hit the return key.

And the even easier way is, of course, to learn the keyboard shortcuts.

cmd-shift-< smaller type
cmd-shift-> bigger type
(add in option to go by 10pt)

and...

cmd-[cursor key] to do tracking/kerning/leading

 

[stevep]

And the even easier way is, of course, to learn the keyboard shortcuts.

Absolutely - much quicker.

 

[Sparky's]

Key commands are the best way to manipulate text and pagelayout in general. In InDesign you can also set your own custom Key Commands by going to "Edit>Keyboard shortcuts" I was brought up using Quark back in the 2.3 days and they have always had a very strong ability to adjust just about any text attributes via the keyboard i.e tracking, leading, baseline shift, font point size, and even changing the font itself (though this can be slow because the feature only selects the next "face" in the menu. If you're interested in the Quark commands go here http://www.quark.com/products/xpress/resources/keyboard.cfm and download the 4.0 file then match it to the specs in InDesign.

Have fun and work faster....

 

[kstieffel]

Also, what's the best way to click OUT of writing in a text box?

The quickest way is not to click. Here's the key command:

command + shift + a

Then you can type v or whatever to change tools.

Now, here's my question: is there a way to change the keyboard modifier for the hand tool from the space bar to option? Or control.

I used USB Overdrive to program one of the four buttons on my trackball to click-lock with the option modifier so I could grab and move pages without holding down the button (tendinits stinks). But "spacebar" is not available as a modifier key in USB Overdrive. In InDesign, I looked in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, but I couldn't find the temporary hand tool modifier in that list of commands.