Element types

There are three types of Typefi Elements: Fixed, Inline, and Floating. Each type has its own characteristics and functionality in page design. However, the steps for inserting an Element in Typefi Writer are the same.

Fixed Elements

A Fixed Element is an Element inserted at the start of a Typefi Section and is inherently linked to that Section. Therefore, you can only insert a Fixed Element in its related Section. Additionally, you can only insert a Fixed Element once per Section.

For example, a Fixed Element could be the chunk of content at the beginning of each chapter in a textbook that contains the learning objectives. 

Inline Elements

Inline Elements are Elements that are inserted in, and move with, the text. Additionally, they may be located in ‘anchored object’ positions defined by the layout designer (such as outside the text column). You can insert Inline Elements as often as needed, and they may contain different content, such as an image and caption.

Floating Elements

Floating Elements are Elements that are placed as individual objects during the automated page composition process. They are positioned based on pre-defined layout rules added by the layout designer to the Typefi-ready template in Adobe InDesign. Like Inline Elements, you can use Floating Elements more than once per Section, and they may contain different content for each occurrence in a document.

Variants

In contrast to Inline Elements, which have one appearance, the layout designer can design Floating Elements to have multiple appearances. For example, you might have a figure Element with different designs for 1-column and 2-column layouts. Each of these appearances is referred to as an Element variant. If the variants are named, you can specify a particular variant when inserting an Element. If you leave the Floating Element’s variants unnamed, Typefi will automatically choose the most suitable variant (see Create a Floating Element for more details).

Here are more examples of variants:

• A figure Element that has both a Portrait (vertical) and a Landscape (horizontal) variation. Depending on the image’s orientation, you will select the relevant variant when inserting the element.
• A margin note Element that has a slightly different design for left and right pages. In this case, the layout designer would design the variations, and you would insert the margin note without specifying a specific variant. (Typefi will choose the correct variant based on whether the note appears on a left or right-hand page.)