Hi there!
In this video we’re going to look at cross-references in InDesign, so let’s learn how to create one.
Cross-references are pretty similar to ‘hyperlinks’ that we’ve already covered, however, there
is still a tiny bit of difference between the two.
I have this document with ‘body text’ paragraph style applied to the overall text,
and ‘heading’ applied to the headings.
I also have the pages panel out, because we’ll need to use it.
We will need one more panel to be shown, and that’s ‘cross-references’, so let’s
go to ‘window’, and then ‘type and tables’, and select ‘cross-references.’
Now let’s say, at the end of this paragraph, I want to add a note, suggesting the readers
to move on to a particular page, to know more about what’s been discussed, so let’s
just type in ‘to read more, go to’, and then we’ll let the cursor sit there, because
the page number, or the heading will be inserted using the cross-references option.
You see that’s the difference between a hyperlink, and cross-reference.
A hyperlink takes you to a particular kind of destination, which could be a link to a
page, or an outside url, whereas, a cross-reference pulls information from within the same document,
which is referenced on a different page.
You could reference only a page number, or part of a paragraph, or a full paragraph.
But because they are linked, if the destination location is updated, the cross-reference tracks
it, and updates the information (e.g., the page number).
Anyway, let’s click the small plus button at the bottom of the cross-references panel,
and select ‘paragraph’ from the ‘link to’ option.
Under the paragraph style, you should be able to see all the paragraph styles we have set
in this document, so let’s click on heading, because we want the readers to reach one of
the headings, when they click the trigger phrase.
The moment you click heading, you’ll find all the headings populating on the right,
so in our case, we want the reader to reach the heading ‘Poland’, so let’s select that.
You can even chose the format you want to show, and as you change it, it gets updated
instantly on the document.
Let’s select paragraph text and page number, and if, for some reason, you don’t like the
quotation marks, click the icon on the right, and remove the quotation marks from here,
and hit okay.
If you’re planning to eventually create an interactive pdf from this document, you
can even set how you want this link to appear in it.
Whether you want a visible rectangle around the phrase, or an invisible rectangle.
If it’s a visible rectangle, you can even change the the highlight, or color etc.
Since we don’t want a visible rectangle, let’s change that back to invisible, and
hit okay.
To test if the setup is working, click the green circle next to the cross reference you
just created, and it shall take you to the destination, in no time.
Alright, now let’s try the other option, which is ‘text anchor.’
Let’s type in ‘see more on’, at the end of this paragraph.
Now let’s go to another location in the document, perhaps ‘Russia’ is a good option,
so I’m going to take my cursor just next to it, and then click the burger menu on the
cross-references panel, and then select ‘new hyperlink destination.’
In the popup settings, let the type be ‘text anchor’, but update the name to ‘Russia’,
and hit okay.
Now let’s go back to our paragraph that’s going to trigger this new destination, and
have the cursor blinking, right after our phrase.
Click the small plus button at the bottom of the cross references panel to create a
new reference.
Let the ‘link to’ option be ‘text anchor’, and from the text anchor dropdown, select
the only one we’ve created, which is ‘Russia’, and for this one, I just want the paragraph
text, not the page number, so let’s select that, and hit okay.
To test it, click the green circle, next to the name of the cross-reference, and you’ll
land in Russia, in a jiffy.
So guys that was ‘Cross-referencing’ in InDesign.
Time to take a break, and I shall see you in just a bit, Good bye!