Section 84. Numbering Pages and Creating Sections

#84. Numbering Pages and Creating Sections

Since publications are not always numbered from page 1 to the endand since each InDesign document doesn't necessarily contain an entire publicationyou have complete control over the format, placement, and starting number for automatic page numbering. A book, for example, might start out with Roman numerals (ixvi) for the front matter and then use standard numerals (164) for the chapters. A textbook might preface each page number with a letter and start each chapter on page one (A.1A.24, B.1B.36, etc.). A range of pages in a document with different page numberingthe front matter, for exampleis referred to as a section.

To get started with page numbers, you first need to insert the Auto Page Number character in text. Then you can use the Section options to customize it.

Inserting the Auto Page Number Character

Generally, you will place the Auto Page Number character on a master page. That way, all pages based on that page will have a page number. However, you can insert the Auto Page Number Character on any page, in any location, and it will display the appropriate page number. If you reorder pages, the page numbers update as well. To insert the Auto Page Number character:

1.	Select the Type tool.
2.	Click in a text frame or on a type path (usually on a master page).
3.	Choose Type > Insert > Insert Special Character > Auto Page Number.
4.	If you're on a master page, a placeholder displays. The placeholder is the same as the letter prefacing the master page name (that is, B-Master's Auto Page Number placeholder is a "B"). If you're on a document page, the appropriate page number displays.
5.	Highlight the page number or placeholder and use the Character pane in the Control palette or the Character palette (Type menu) to format it (Figure 84a). Figure 84a. Adding the Auto Page Number character to master page B-Master results in the placeholder character "B." Formatting the highlighted "B" indicates the character formatting you want for the page numbers.

Creating Sections

While the look of page numbers depends on character formats you apply to the Auto Page Number character, all other attributes of page numbers comes from the New Section or Numbering & Section Options dialog box. To use Roman numerals, begin a document on a different page number, include a preface with page numbers, and more, you need to create a section. A section of automatic page numbering will continue through a document until you create a new section (Figure 84b).

Figure 84b. In this document, the first four pages have Roman numerals iiv. A new section starts on the fifth page of the document, but starts the numbering at 1 and uses Arabic numerals.

Facing Pages and Page Numbers

When working in documents with facing pages, the right-facing pages must have odd page numbers and the left-facing pages must have even page numbers. If you select a right-facing page as a section start and then give it an even page number, it will become a left-facing page, reordering all the subsequent pages automatically. You can prevent this by unchecking Allow Pages to Shuffle in the Pages palette menu.

To create a section:

1.	In the Pages palette, click the page you want to be the first page in the section.
2.	Choose Numbering & Section Options from the Layout menu or the Pages palette menu. The New Section dialog box displays (Figure 84c); if a section already starts on the selected page, the Numbering & Section Options dialog box displays.
3.	Check Start Section. (This is unavailable if you've selected the first page of the document.)
4.	To specify a starting page number, click Start Page Numbering At and enter the page number in the field. To pick up the page numbering where the last section left off, click Automatic Page Numbering.
5.	If you want to include a prefix for page numberssuch as "Chapter 1-" or "Index"enter that text in the Section Prefix field. To separate the prefix text from the page number, be sure to include a space or other separation character after the text in the Section Prefix field.
6.	By default, the prefix text shows with the page number at the bottom of the document window. To actually add the prefix text to the page numbers on the page, check Include Prefix When Numbering Pages.

For information about the Section Marker field, read on.

Figure 84c. The New Section dialog box lets you specify the starting page number, the type of numerals to use, and the page number prefix for a section of pages.

Using Section Markers

In addition to having specific page numbers, sections can have section marker text that you can insert on any page. For example, if you have a section for each chapter in a book, the marker for each section might be the chapter name. If you then put the section marker at the top of the master page, the pages in each section will always show the correct chapter nameeven if you pick up pages and move them to a different chapter.

To use a section marker:

1.	Enter the text for it in the Section Marker field in the New Section or Numbering & Section Options dialog box.
2.	Select the Type tool.
3.	Click in a text frame or on a type path (usually on a master page).
4.	Choose Type > Insert > Insert Special Character > Section Marker.