Hot Stuff
Win a Wacom Tablet
We're giving away one Wacom tablet!
Forums > Software > InDesign
Written by JohnMcRae on January 21, 2009
Is it possible in CS3 -- or perhaps CS4 -- to vertically align text in side-by-side text frames, without using tables?
Example: I have a Chinese source text in a frame on the left side of the page, and the English translation on the right. (Additional frames might be added for other data.) The beginnings of paragraphs and sections of the text should align vertically, and when something is added to the contents of one frame the contents of the other frame should adjust.
You are welcome to tell me all the reasons why I should use tables. But I'd still like to know if it's possible without... :)
-- John M.
vertical alignment of parallel stories
I've thought about this problem a bit more, and now I would rephrase it as follows:
I do translations from Chinese, and I would like to set up a document layout with two text flows or stories. With the exception of a brief introduction to the Chinese document being translated on the first page of the file (a right-hand page), I would like the layout to work as follows, and to be done in structured XML-tagged text.
Left pages: The original Chinese, translation, and textual notes would go on the left-hand pages in a story flowed through the text frames on that side. I imagine this story would contain a sequence of tables and text paragraphs.
Right pages: A more extensive (long-winded?) commentary would run on the right-hand pages of the spread. Almost all text paragraphs, although might include the occasional table.
Is there any way to get the left- and right-hand stories to align vertically, and to do so automatically (so that I can export to and re-import from XML files without losing anything)? I would like the commentary on the right to begin at the same point as the original text and translation on the right...
Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I've done quite a number of searches in forums and other online resources, without finding anything that seemed relevant. I'm using a MacBook with OS 10.5.6 and IDCS3, although I should be moving to CS4 shortly.