InDesign How-To: Automate Chapter Headers (Video Tutorial)

[@typegrrrl]

Sometimes using InDesign feels like magic. This was one of those moments. Thanks!

[@takarasights]

Thanks, super helpful. I knew I could get that to work! Finally understood with your video. I just kept pausing and following step-by-step. Starting using InDesign for the first time yesterday.

[@CreativePro]

That's great to hear!

[@mbt6049]

Excellent, thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for.

[@infographie]

Excellent, thanks for sharing.

[@jeansienkin]

Thank you so much! Before knowing this, I used to create one template per chapter!

[@WebFanNY]

Best lesson of the week for me!

[@lovejko]

It's a very smart solution. Thank you.

[@sarahrinzinbenson9945]

a million thanks!!! I've been trying for ever to do that! you rock...

[@michaelowen8]

This is life changing!

[@manxman8008]

Many thanks - great tips!

[@jdosses]

This is great! There's always one more trick to learn

[@modhaffermodhaffer]

Indeed, these are InDesign secrets. Thanks for sharing. Please keep up the good work.

[@megs7488]

this ia a life changing video, thank you so much! I'm learning how to use indesign in order to lay out my university thesis, so it's super useful

[@CreativePro]

So glad this has been helpful! We have a huge collection of free tutorials and articles on CreativePro.com too! Good luck!

[@tribikrambasnet]

Hello Creator, I have question this type of chapter number is not showing in Table of content how to fix the issue.

[@KyleGilbertDesign]

This is excellent and very helpful! Wish I had known this years ago. :)

[@JulieK89]

This is great for when all text is in inter-laced text boxes, but here's my issue: I'm making a recipe book where one double page is used per recipe. on the right page is a text box that should read 1. Recipe: (and then obviously on the next: 2. Recipe:, then 3. Recipe etc). Is it possible to set this up via paragraph style (maybe even on the master pages)? I've tried around for hours and searched for a way to simplify this without having to manually go to every double page and change the text accordingly.

[@jamesgrubb]

Hi thanks for this. Question does this workflow require the document to be set up as part of an indesing book document?

[@smilesxtears]

Very Helpful

[@shahadatakborshakit7390]

I loved it. Thanks

[@bigjolly1000]

Thanks just what I was looking for

[@avinashadhav6194]

Superb! Thanks

[@blekkmark]

Great tips!

[@sumeetgupta77]

Thank you so much team

[@massimobaita7178]

Thank You very much!

[@eduardoasta]

Thanks for that. In the 2nd part of your video, you put the chapter name on the foot. In my case, I'm putting on the pages sides. Indesign doesn't break the text in more than two lines. Do you know how to solve this?

[@hyeonjulee2266]

Thank you

[@villov9563]

how can you add the chapter number to the running header?

[@bluelindgren7569]

I do not know what has change since this video, but the chapter number is 1 every time a set a new chapter

[@dariabernabei7778]

did you figured out how to make the numbers to update?

[@horacerandallwilliams9391]

Followed the video and have the auto chapter numbering working; thank you. But when I include that paragraph style in Table of Contents styles, then generate the TOC, the auto chapter number does not appear in the TOC. I have examined TOC Styles and paragraph styles but don't spot what I am doing wrong.

[@CreativePro]

The numbering happens in the style. So you would need to set up numbering in the TOC paragraph styles you’ve set up. -EG

[@horacerandallwilliams9391]

@@CreativePro Thank you. This was an effort to show in the TOC the rearranged (by cutting and pasting) chapters in a book that uses a new auto-numbered line below the original chapter number so I could see both the old and the new chapter numbering. I have paragraph styles chapter_number and chapnumauto. And I set up the numbering in chapnumauto and the chapter numbers do appear, in order as they should (although the auto chap num character can't be selected or copied). But when I put chapnumauto in TOC styles, and then generate the TOC, neither the auto chapter number nor its trailing ^p appear in the TOC story. I can force a kludge by creating paragraph style toc_autochapnum and setting up numbering for that style, then searching in the index story for every ^p in style toc_chapnum and changing to ^pC ^p then changing C ^p to paragraph style toc.autochapnum. The auto-generated chapter numbers then show in the TOC story. But that is a kludge and a tedious one and has to be repeated every time the TOC is generated. I must be missing some step in the process.

[@CreativePro]

@@horacerandallwilliams9391 You might want to ask this in our InDesignSecrets Facebook group... we have over 21K members and the members there love a good puzzle to solve! Just do a search and ask to join the group!

[@sstrenekrea4427]

Could you tell me how I can get InDesign to know which pages is in my chapters? If that makes sense? I've made the sections markers, but the numbers of the chapters doesn't change automatic. Do I need to make it as a book instead?

[@CreativePro]

If you’ve made sections (numbering and section options), you can have those section names show. Go to Preferences and turn on Section Numbering. -EG

[@dariabernabei7778]

it doesn´t seems to work as the chapters all show number 1 thorughout the book. Any new update?

[@CreativePro]

Did you set up and use a List in numbering and bullets?

[@dariabernabei7778]

@@CreativePro yes i did follow all the steps of the video

[@CreativePro]

@@dariabernabei7778 Do your settings match what's shown at 1:07? It sounds like numbering is set to start at 1. If you're not already in our Facebook group (facebook.com/groups/indesignsecrets) you might want to join and post the question there. We have 25K+ members to help you out!

[@HOLBAG]

Hello, Please how to make a watermark for the document with InDesign I know it can do it on adobe acrobat

[@CreativePro]

Put an image with low opacity on a top layer on the master/parent page. -EG

[@HOLBAG]

@@CreativePro but i want watermark appear only when print

[@CreativePro]

Set the layer to not show until you go to print... or add it in the PDF after output in Acrobat.

[@ColoradoCody1]

For those who've commented that she talks too fast, did you know you can control video playback speed? Click the gear icon in the lower-right of the video (Settings) and set the Playback Speed to less than Normal.

[@григорийНиколаев-к6х]

Thanks? BUT it seems to work only while your text exists in one text box. It doesn't work if you use chapter names in separate boxes.

[@JulieK89]

I have the same issue :( Have you found a solution yet? I'm searching all over youtube and can't find anyone really explaining how to o that. I have a recipe book where on each page it should be "recipe 1", "recipe 2",.... it's so frustrating that the youtubers also don't respond :(

[@chawkigtec]

MERCI

[@abulkashem5170]

Thanks for reminding me 5 years later, I learned it from Sir Nigel French.

[@CreativePro]

We’ll let Nigel know he’s been knighted! 😀

[@Exorbity]

You are actually creating a list style here. You are supposed to set the placeholder not as level 1, but as Chapter. The problem is then Indesign keeps displaying number one for the whole document. How to tell it where chapter 2, chapter 3, and so on start, seems to be the best-kept secret.

[@TroyHomenchuk]

i don't know if i can explain it, but i figured it out. In the end, i couldn't get these automated Chapters to show up in my TOC so i'm going to do them manually. But if you want to work past the numbering issue, all other lists have to be part of level 2 so they aren't counted in the succession of numbers that your chapters are part of. Like i said, i don't know if that makes any sense

[@kerryouellet5388]

And how DO you tell it where chapter 2 and 3 start????

[@riccardotonin1732]

it's not working, when i apply the paragraph style in the next text box i get chapter 1 instead of chapter 2 or 3...

[@CreativePro]

Make sure you are using and assigning the same list so that it knows they are related. Also make sure that you don’t have the numbering style to start again at 1 each time. -EG

[@GBZ754]

This is great, but u speak tooooo fast ! thank u though

[@maximaphily601]

Speaks way too fast it is impossible to learn and keep up. Makes assumptions in using things already set up, without showing the full way to do some things. No good for beginners or even intermediate (like me).