Unlinking text frames in master pages?

[AndresAbarca]

Unlinking text frames in master pages?

I too have been bitten by this “feature.” What I would like is the ability to COPY a template, rename it, then make changes that don’t affect the original template – to me, that is counter-intuitive. If I wanted those changes on the original template, I would have made them there. The whole point is to have a copy with a few changes, and not affect the original (which might be fine for some layouts). It is very time-consuming to re-create those pages exactly, with just a few changes. It wo…

I have found a workaround to unlink duplicate Master Pages (AKA Page Template?), so you can do as @dwlarson describes he would like it to work:

1. Identify the Master Page you would like to duplicate. Identify the Page Template Set (from now on “Main Set”) it belongs.
2. Go to the ‘Page Template Sets’ area (right panel, Engrave mode) and duplicate the Page Template Set that contains the Master Page you want to duplicate.
3. In the ‘Page Templates’ area, make sure the ‘Current Set’ is the Page Template Set you just duplicated (from now on “Duplicate Set”).
4. Identify the Master Page you want to duplicate (now in the Duplicate Set), and click ‘New Page Template’.
   4.0 In the dialog box:
   4.1 Name the new Master Page. Beware: The name you choose cannot exactly match any of the names in your Main Set.
   4.2 In the ‘Based on:’ option, select the Master Page you would like to duplicate.
   4.3 CRITICAL: In ‘Type’ select ‘Custom’
5. Go back to your initial Page Template Set and click ‘Import Page Template’.
   5.0 In the dialog box:
   5.1 Select the Duplicate Set (where your just duplicated Master Page is located)
   5.2 Select your duplicated Master Page and click OK.
6. Success! In your Main Set, you now have 2 identical Master Pages that are not linked to each other

Notes regarding step #4:

• The reason you cannot just skip this step (#4), and instead simply import into your Main Set, is because if you do that, you will be importing a ‘First’ or a ‘Default’ Master Page type. Since each Page Template Set can only have one of each, when you import directly Dorico immediately overwrites the existing ‘First’ or ‘Default’ Master Page, effectively not duplicating at all.
• The reason you must name the duplicate Master Page differently, is because if you name it to something equal to a Master Page in your Main Set, Dorico will overwrite the Master Page, effectively not duplicating at all. This is true even if you are importing a ‘Custom’ Master Page into another ‘Custom’ Master Page (not a ‘First’ or a ‘Default’, which we know is overwritten immediately, regardless of the name).
  ** Even a single character difference is enough for Dorico not to overwrite the Master Page in your Main Set when you import.**

It’s fair to say this is a bit of a hassle. However it is far quicker than to recreate the Master Page manually.