Among the enhancements added in the InDesign CC 2017 release this one is a real time-saver. OpenType properties can now be applied to characters, words, or a story in seconds. When you select text or a text frame, a new adornment (O) appears below the selected text or in the bottom right of the text frame. Clicking on this adornment reveals an on-context menu showing a list of available OpenType properties, including stylistic sets and alternate characters. It highlights the characters that would be affected and shows visual examples of what they will look like if the OpenType property is applied.

OpenType properties can be applied to multiple characters. When text or a text frame is selected, an adornment (O) will appear below the selected text or in the bottom right of the text frame. Note: This on-context adornment is not available for threaded text frames.

screen-shot-2016-10-26-at-9-49-23-am   screen-shot-2016-10-26-at-9-49-40-am

When the adornment is clicked, InDesign will provide an on-context menu showing a list of available OpenType properties, including stylistic sets and alternate characters, visual examples of which characters will be affected and what they will look like, and the option to apply them. Note: Options can be toggled on and off.

click-adornment   opentype-ordinals

Alternate characters can also be applied to individually selected text without clicking the adornment and using the contextual menus, as shown below. To add a true fraction, for example, select the numbers to convert to a fraction. Click a fraction in the pop-up window to apply it.

glyph-contextual-menu            glyph-fraction

Contextual Controls Preferences

The option to show or hide character alternates, fractions, ordinals, and ligatures or the adornment on text selections and text frames can be found in the advanced preferences pane.

type-contextual-controls

Check out our updated handbook, Using Adobe InDesign CC 2017,  for all the latest features!

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Note: Information contained in this post is current at the time of posting. Visit the Technology for Publishing News & Events blog for the latest info on Adobe software releases and functionality.

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Posted by: Monica Murphy

Monica Murphy
Monica Murphy has worked in the publishing industry for over 30 years supporting publishing operations of various sizes. In her role as Technical Product Manager for Technology for Publishing, she shares her publishing application expertise supporting a broad range of publishing clients in InDesign best practices, cross-platform content workflows, and InDesign Template strategies. Her weekly tip and blog posts have a committed following in the InDesign community, and as a long-time participant in the InDesign pre-release community, she regularly analyzes and provides feedback for upcoming features. Monica manages the authoring and publication of Technology for Publishing’s handbooks on InDesign, InCopy, and other associated titles.
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