Reference pages

You can use reference pages to store frequently used graphics that you want to position consistently throughout a document, and then use the graphics on body pages where they are needed. If you place a graphic in a reference frame—an unanchored graphic frame on a reference page—you can use the frame as a property of a paragraph style. For example, to design a heading with a line below it, draw the line in a reference frame, and then include the reference frame in the paragraph style of the heading.

Figure 1. Reference page and body page
Referencepage stores frequently used graphics that you can position consistentlythroughout a document

Reference pages can also hold boilerplate material or clip art that you can copy and paste on body pages—for example, symbols for cautions and notes. And specialized reference pages can contain hypertext commands, formatting information for generated lists and indexes, definitions of custom math elements, and mappings for converting to XML and HTML.

A document normally contains at least one reference page. You can add your own graphics to an existing reference page, and you can create additional reference pages (up to 100).

Parent topic: Body, master, and reference pages

View, create, and delete reference pages

Know how to view, display, create, and delete reference pages.

In this topic

Display reference pages

Choose View > Reference Pages. The name of the current reference page appears in the Page Status area of the status bar.

Figure 2. Page Status area
Name of the current reference page in thePage Status area of the status bar

If the document doesn’t contain any reference pages, the Add Reference Page dialog box appears. Create the first reference page by entering a page name and clicking Add.

View other reference pages when a reference page is visible

  • Click the Next PageNext page button or Previous PagePreviouspage button button.

  • Press the Page Up or Page Down key.

  • Use the scroll bar.

Create a reference page

  1. Display reference pages and choose Insert > Add Reference Page.

  2. Enter a name for the reference page and click Add.

Return to body pages

Choose View > Body Pages. The most recently displayed body page appears.

Rename or delete a reference page

You can rename a reference page—for example, to avoid overwriting the reference page when you import reference pages from a template that contains a reference page with the same name.

If you delete a reference page that contains a graphic used in a paragraph style, the graphic no longer appears in paragraphs using that style. When this happens, the Frame Above or the Frame Below drop-down list in the Advanced properties Advanced properties of the Paragraph Designer is set to As Is for the paragraphs.

  • Display the reference page and do one of the following:

    • To rename the page, click the page name in the status bar, and type the new name. Click Set.

    • To delete the page, choose Format > Document > Delete Page <reference page name>.

Use reference frames on reference pages

Understand how to create and use reference frames on reference pages, set up boilerplate graphics on reference pages.

In this topic

Introduction

You can use a graphic as part of a paragraph style if you have placed the graphic in a reference frame on a reference page.

Figure 3. Graphics in reference frames
Usea graphic as part of paragraph style from a reference frame of areference page

When you select a reference frame on a reference page, its name appears in the status bar after the word Frame.

Create a reference frame on a reference page

  1. Click the Graphic Frame tool Graphic Frame tool in the Tools panel on the Tools panel, and then drag to draw the frame. To draw a square frame, Shift-drag.

  2. Enter a name in the Name text box and click Set. Use a short, descriptive name you can recognize later when the name appears in the Frame Above and the Frame Below drop-down lists in the Advanced properties Advanced properties of the Paragraph Designer.

  3. Put a graphic in the frame. You can draw the graphic, import a graphic file, or combine drawn and imported graphics.

  4. Adjust the frame’s size and shape if necessary. When you use a reference frame above or below a paragraph on a body page, the whole frame—not just the graphic inside it—appears on the body page. The height of the frame affects the spacing of text above and below the frame.

  5. Use the Text Line tool to type the frame’s name above the frame. Typing the name helps you identify the frame when you view the reference page. It does not rename the reference frame.

Rename a reference frame

  1. Select the reference frame and click the frame’s name in the status bar.

  2. Enter the new name and click Set. You should also type the new name in the text line above the reference frame. If you rename a reference frame used in a paragraph style, you need to update the format so that it uses the new frame name.

Change other properties of a reference frame

Select the frame. Choose Graphics > Object Properties to change the object properties. Alternatively, use the options on the Tools panel.

Set up boilerplate graphics on reference pages

You can set up boilerplate graphics—for example, margin symbols—in anchored frames on a reference page. Then you can copy the anchored frames to body pages. When you do this, the graphics appear correctly positioned in their anchored frames.

Figure 4. You can copy and paste boilerplate graphics onto body pages.
Setting up boiler plate graphicson reference pages

You can also place graphics directly on reference pages and then copy and paste them anywhere on body pages.

  1. Create a reference page with the same column layout as the body page on which you want to display the graphic. This ensures that the graphic is positioned correctly when you copy it to body pages. To set up the column layout, you can copy the text frame from a body page and paste it on the reference page.

    On the reference page, set up the anchored frame exactly as you want it to appear on body pages.

  2. Draw the graphic in the anchored frame, or paste or import it into the frame. You may want to add some text outside the anchored frame to identify the graphic. For example, in the illustration, Caution Symbol identifies the graphic.

February 2, 2022

Legal Notices | Online Privacy Policy