In QuarkXPress 5 and higher, you can use the Lists feature to build a Table of Contents or Index in QuarkXPress. But there are several hidden advantages to this feature — besides being able to automatically generate a nicely formatted Table of Contents or Index. QuarkXPress can also generate hyperlinks from the entries in the list, and you can not only use them to navigate through your document, those hyperlinks can also be included as Bookmarks and hyperlinks when you export to PDF.
To make a Table of Contents or index, choose Edit> Lists…. You can automatically build a List from any text that’s been assigned a particular style sheet (character or paragraph). You can even nest them into several levels.
Then create a text box and fill it with your List: open the Lists palette by choosing Window> Lists, then click the Build button.
One giant, hidden advantage of having a list like this, even if you don’t use it for a printed Table of Contents, is that the hyperlinks function WITHIN QuarkXPress. So, you can use the Lists palette to navigate from one item/topic/headline to another. With just one click you can go to any item in your Layout!
When you export to PDF, one of the options is to build Bookmarks from a selected List. This will add those items to the Bookmarks panel in any PDF reader.
You can also manually assign hyperlinks to text or pictures, and those hyperlinks will also pass through to the PDF. To create a hyperlink, select some text or a picture, choose Style> Hyperlink> New. (You may also Control-click the text or picture and use the contextual menu that appears.)
In the dialog box that appears, choose URL, Page or Anchor (see Anchor info below) from the Type field, and then either type in a URL or specify a page or anchor. When anyone clicks on that item in the exported PDF, they’ll be taken to that URL, page or anchor.
So what’s an Anchor? An Anchor is a specific place on a page — rather than an entire page — you define as a destination for a hyperlink. To define an Anchor, either place your text cursor in a text box or select a picture box. Then click the New Anchor icon in the Hyperlinks palette and give it a name. You’ll see a pink arrow or a little anchor icon where you created the anchor.
After you’ve defined an Anchor, you can point to it from anywhere in your Layout. Just Control-click or right-click on any item or text, then choose Hyperlink from the contextual menu and select your newly-created Anchor from the list of named hyperlinks at the bottom of that submenu.
Yet another hidden feature then shows up once you’ve createed an Anchor: you can instantly navigate to that Anchor by clicking its name in the Hyperlinks palette.
You can mix and match hyperlinks to Web pages, pages within your document, or to specific places on specific pages (Anchors). Not only can you use them to navigate through your QuarkXPress document, all those hyperlinks are carried over into your snappy new interactive PDF!
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Jay, this is excellent! Your step by step instructions along with screen shots make this tutorial very easy to follow, even for this InDesign user (hope I’m not blaspheming!).
I do have a question, though. I didn’t see anywhere that you mentioned how to get the page number into the TOC. What I actually want is section numbers, though. I have a long legal document I am laying out in Quark 7.3 and instead of page numbers, they want section numbers. For example it would have 3-4 at the bottom of the page for Section 3, Page 4. They want the same numbering in the TOC. Is it possible to list the section numbering instead of pages 1-50?
Your reply would be much appreciated! Let me know if I can explain a little better.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hi LaurenMarie. The question of blasphemy is an entirely different one, worthy of its own reply. See below. :-)
As for the TOC, have you tried using a custom page numbering scheme for each section of the document? In other words, choose Page> Section, click the Section Start checkbox, then under Page Numbering type in your “section” number in the Prefix field.
Then, when you build a List, it should bring in the Section prefix as well as the page number. I think…
June 24th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Now about blasphemy: I’ve observed that many of the early adopters of InDesign either had a horrible experience with Quark (the company), or never liked QuarkXPress in the first place but were forced to use it.
Therefore, it’s totally understandable that their emotional response to having an alternative borders on religious fervor. A release. “Freedom from tyranny!” That sort of thing.
I don’t see that kind of fervor in QuarkXPress users. I do see some annoyance when an InDesign user says nasty things about QuarkXPress, but that’s about it.
We could go on and on, but that’s my comment for this morning. :-)
June 24th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Yes! I did figure out the section thing; I felt proud of myself for that :D I like that feature. I’ll have to see if ID has it. I am currently going back and applying styles to the document in order to use your list tip from the post, so I haven’t even gone so far as to actually create the TOC. It’s a relief to read that it should work as I imagined. Thank you!!
I only ever took up InDesign (with CS in 2004) and with the three times that Quark inexplicably crashed on me just today, I don’t think I’d use it if I had a choice. Still, it’s good to expand my repertoire of programs, so I’m glad to have the chance to learn it. I suppose Quark vs. InDesign is like PC vs. Mac (yes, I’m with the anti-designers on a PC, too).
Is there a good post around here on setting up bulleted and numbered lists? It seems that I have to manually create the bullets and numbers (it is not automatic if I hit enter for a new list item). As you can guess, ID can do this as a paragraph option, which can then be set to a style.
Oh, and is there a shortcut for the two tools at the top of the tools palette? The Object Tool (equivalent of the Move Tool in Adobe products) and the Content Tool I think they are called. I’m constantly switching between the two and having to go click the buttons. So slooooooow! They are divided into the Move Tool (V), the Direct Selection Tool (A) and the Text Tool (T) in ID. I love my shortcuts!!!
June 25th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Bullets & Numbers: For some inexplicable reason, Quark never got around to adding that feature. But for $59 you can buy Gluon’s ProBullets & Numbers, which lets you add and adjust bullets, numbered lists and indents. You can get it at http://www.gluon.com/product-probulletsnnumbers.html.
It’s also included in their $199 ProPack, along with about a dozen other incredibly clever XTensions.
Shortcuts for tools: Nope. Version 8 adds this feature, but in previous versions you need to Command/Ctrl-Tab to go DOWN the tools in the toolbox, and Shift-Command/Ctrl-Tab to go UP the toolbox. So, it’s a finger dance of Ctrl-Tab, Shift-Ctrl-Tab to toggle between them.
I agree that the lack of a shortcut for this is a real time-sucker. I assume that there were at least two reasons for Quark not including them (originally): first, everyone was using 15-inch displays with a resolution of 640×480 pixels, so you didn’t have to travel very far to snag the tool you wanted. Second, QuarkXPress was developed for Macintosh, which has/had far superior mouse tracking. It just wasn’t/isn’t as painful to position your mouse on a Mac.
June 25th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Thank you, Jay. Your help has been invaluable. I’ll be back if I have more questions :)
At least there is a sort-of shortcut for the tools. I only ever use those top two anyway. I just have to get out of my Adobe shortcut mode. T, V and Spacebar just don’t do the same things! Frustrating switching between Alt and Spacebar for the hand tool, though. At least Zoom is the same!
If any of my questions inspired a post, you are most welcome to use them! And if you’re ever lacking for ideas for resources/how-tos for beginning Quark users or ID->Quark users, you know who to ask!
June 25th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Ah! FANTASTIC! The list builder for my TOC worked perfectly. It even helped me see where I should have made items a particular style and I hadn’t (they were missing from the TOC).
The text anchors for the hyperlinks were super easy to add, too. Jay, you made this project a million times easier for me. Thank you!!
I do have one more question, though: Is there a way to make the hyperlink jump to the precise location on the page where the anchor is? Right now, the links are only going to the top of the page where the anchored text is, but I have several anchors on the same page and want it to go to, say, the anchor in the bottom third of the page. Bookmarks are acting the same way.
Oh, and unfortunately those shortcuts for the tools don’t work with Windows :(
June 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I think I got the shortcuts wrong. Try adding the Alt key (Mac users: add the Option key).
The Anchor problem is interesting. The way it’s SUPPOSED to work is that you create a named Anchor for your destination, then assign that anchor to the place where you want your user to click. When the user clicks the hyperlink, it takes them to that exact spot on the page.
But in my quick testing here, one anchor went to the right place, but the other one went to the same place as the first one. Odd. Perhaps your results will be better.
But Bookmarks never seem to take you to a place on a page. They just take you to the page. At least, that’s what we’ve seen at Design Tools Monthly. If someone else has an idea, I’m eager to hear it!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Ah yes, adding Alt makes the shortcuts work (though my fingers feel like they are playing Twister!).
Ooooh, reading your tutorial above more closely, you say to place the cursor in “a text box.” All of my text boxes are linked and I don’t have each section I’m linking to in a separate text box on the same page. I believe this is the issue. I would have needed to create a separate text box for each anchor? There’s gotta be a work around for this…
What if I create a small white box as an inline item next to the text where the anchor should be. Then I put the anchor on that box instead of the text. Do you think that would work? I’m sure inline objects are possible in Quark (they are called Anchored Objects in ID).
It seems that once you add a hyperlink to text, you can’t change it, even if you delete it. I’ve been trying to modify a link and to test my inline object anchor theory and it won’t link to anywhere but the original anchor point. I’m truly coming to understand the nickname Quirk!
Oh yikes, and we’re talking about the PDF links here, right? If I’m using the links from the Links Palette within Quark it works properly.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Ah ha! I GOT IT TO WORK! YAYAYAYA!!!!!!
Jay, you messed me up! ;) If you’re creating anchored links, you can’t check the box for the option to export Lists as Hyperlinks when exporting to PDF! If you do, it overwrites your anchors and goes to the top of the text box.
And I bet that’s why Bookmarks only take you to the top of the page and not the exact spot!
I hope you don’t feel bad about this. It’s rather difficult to troubleshoot when you can’t see somebody’s screen. There are so many other things I could’ve done wrong. Besides, I haven’t had so much fun problem-solving in a long time! Woohoo!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 10:32 am
You should be able to create a named Anchor anywhere in the flow of text. You shouldn’t need to create new objects just to add anchors to them. This feature was based (I think) on the ability in Web pages to link to specific text locations on a long page. So… it should work that way.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:34 am
re: Ah ha! YAYAYA
Well, now THERE’s a tip! So, if you want to use a List to create Bookmarks, then you can’t also use Anchors to make hyperlinks to specific places on pages? It’s either/or, but not both? Oy.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I did not have to implement the little box idea. It worked with the text anchors just fine. It was that checkbox in the PDF export options.
Yes, it seems to be either/or, not both. If you have one object you want to link to per page, the Export Lists as Hyperlinks works just fine.
Hey! I guess I taught you somethin’! :D