In CSS, we can use an nth-of-type() selector to define behaviour for the nth instance of a style. For example, we can make all paragraphs have a first line indent, but use nth-of-type(1) to remove the indent from the first paragraph on the page. This feature also supports (odd) and (even) values for n.

This feature would be extremely useful in Indesign for a range of use cases. Importantly, it would eliminate the need for several styles when typesetting multiple-paragraph block quotes, interview dialogue (indenting/outdenting), drop caps on chapter openings, etc.

For full flexibility, I imagine the feature would offer the ability to clarify the extent of the document sampled for the nth of type condition, ie. nth of type within <document>, <story>, <page>, or <contiguous block of paragraphs sharing the same style>.

The feature could be implemented similarly to Nested Styles, except the user would be assigning a paragraph style rather than a character style.

Please develop some kind of External Style file format, that can be applied locally, and hopefully, via the cloud. But at least locally, PLEASE.

It is a crime that InDesign currently has NO WAY whatsoever to keep multiple documents styles synced. I run into this deeply frustrating problem all the time.

Currently, If I create a template file with some styles, and use that to create documents, and then If I update or refine paragraph styles, character styles, table styles, etc — there is no way for me to easily carry over those same styles to all other documents that are using those same styles.

This is deeply insane.
Please. PLEASE. It is 2019. Fix this.

Styles should work like external Sketch file library updates do. They should work like External CSS code. It should be possible to update a style in one document and push that style update to ALL documents using that Style Library.

I see far too many younger designers not know how to use or simply refuse to use paragraph styles, character styles, layers, and even master pages.

I'd love to see these options available in the open new document settings, just as we pick the page size, margins and gutters, I'd like styles to be an option.

As a frequent contract designer, there's nothing worse than going into someone else's InDesign document and spending more time organizing the file, making sure the entire document is formatted properly with the correct styles, separating items in proper layers... Anything to help new documents focus on making sure the file is going to be consistent in its typography.

Discovered that when you use the new adjust layout option to change a document from an A3 to and A4 (for example), the character and paragraph styles already applied when it was A3 do not change to reflect the new text size that has been adjusted when going to A4. So when you go to apply a style to a new piece of text, the formatting is wrong. It also removes the styles that have been previously applied to some of the text. I have searched for a work around and cannot locate one.

Could you please add an option/check box in the adjustment layout window that you can apply the text size adjustment to styles? This will save a lot of formatting time, especially if you're in a work environment where you are producing presentations and portfolios constantly, coping text, importing tables and need to apply styles, etc.

Thanks!

Creation of Table of Contents — Adjustable interface window (width and height)

When working in huge and very complex documents — with dozens and dozens of paragraph styles and very complex table of contents —, the limitations of the interface window are rather annoying. The window cannot namely be expanded to have a better view of the selected styles.

The number of visible styles is namely limited to four (see screenshot). And the width cannot be adjusted either.

It would thus be a considerable improvement if the window size could be customized in order to have a much better view of the styles one is working with. This would definitely help speed up the work process.

The window size should be customizable both in width and height of course.

Thanks.

We create instruction sheets for setting up/updating retail displays. We use bolder and various colored strokes (object styles) to indicate which items are new to/changing location on/exiting a fixture. If none of these apply, a default (thinner/black) stroke is used. Sometimes the strokes have rounded corners or custom shapes ...and we need to use the stroke option to force the very thick stroke to align outside or it covers up the art within.

With each new update, we start by setting all strokes back to the default (gloabal find/change) and then change individual strokes as needed. But because Stroke & Corner options are combined (can't do one without the other), we often lose our custom shapes.

It would be very helpful if Stroke Options and Corner Options could be applied independently (similar to how Size and Position Options can be set to None).

Thank you!

When creating a nested style, the only options we have for its activation point are [through] *** or [up to] ***. This means they're designed to have an affect only at the START of a paragraph, and to work only from left to right. This is very inflexible, and it's frustrating to work around, especially if we want particular style variation to occur somewhere at the END of paragraph.

It would be really helpful if in addition to the two existing options, you added ones like [after] or [after first instance of] or [after nth instance of] or [before last instance of] [after last instance of].

This would allow painless styling of things that occur at the END of a paragraph, like an endmark, or icon, or closing quotation mark for example.