How to put a "floating" image or text box inside a multicols text without overlap

Question

I'm new with LaTeX and I was searching a lot what I want to do with text in multicols, all the results were like this. And only works without multicols (besides this solution doesnt have coordinates or someting like that and I need it).

This is the proof I was doing with the code in the previous solution:

\documentclass[10pt]{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}
\usepackage{float}
\usepackage{wrapfig}
\usepackage{framed}
\usepackage{lipsum} % for dummy text only
\usepackage[alpine,misc]{ifsym}
\textheight=9.0in
\pagestyle{empty}
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{0in}

\usepackage{hyperref}

\newcommand\invisiblesection[1]{%
  \refstepcounter{section}%
  \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{\protect\numberline{\thesection}#1}%
  \sectionmark{#1}}

 \begin{document}

\part{Title}
\textit{\small subtitle}

\section*{Plain}

\begin{wrapfigure}{l}{5in}
\begin{framed}

\invisiblesection{\textit{Side Bar}}
\subsection*{Side Section A}

\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{golem.png}

\end{framed}
\end{wrapfigure}
\lipsum[1-6]

\begin{multicols}{2}

\section*{Multicols}

\begin{wrapfigure}{l}{5in}
\begin{framed}

\invisiblesection{\textit{Side Bar}}
\subsection*{Side Section A}

\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{golem.png}

\end{framed}
\end{wrapfigure}
\lipsum[1-4]

\end{multicols}
\end{document}

And the result:

Now it's time to show what I'm looking for in the next image. The left page has an image that occupies 2 of the 3 columns and the right page has a text box in orange floating over the text in multicols without overlap. How can I do this:

Not easy. See http://tug.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/wrapfig/multiple-span.txt. — JPi, Feb 15 '17 at 13:52
Note: if you want to insert wrapfig into the middle of a paragraph, or in a column to the right, you will need to manually do so in the precise location needed. You might also want to look at the flowfram package, but it also needs help when the column width changes. — John Kormylo, Feb 15 '17 at 17:34

Laura Eld · Answer 1 · 2017-06-08T09:47:55.287

It works with this, commented by jpi. Thank you.

the code here:

Using wrapfig to span multiple columns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wrapfig can't automatically make matching cutouts in adjacent columns
because it doesn't know which text will land in just the right place
in the column next-door.  It certainly can't handle floating in such
situations!  

Here are some methods for doing such layout "by hand".  They are
practical for one or a few such figures where you can tweak the
layout for the final copy.  It is too painful to do this for long 
or frequently-revised documents.  If you do have multiple fiddling, 
fix the first one in each chapter (or after any forced page break), 
rerun, then fix the second, etc.

(These examples use calc.sty to evaluate overhangs in place.)

Cutouts in Matching Columns

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                    ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Initially, write the document without the wrapfigure, and locate the
desired natural linebreak at "X".  (This first step is used for all
methods described here.)  Then change to

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[.5\width+.5\columnsep]{6cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....

and run LaTeX again. This will print the figure overlapping the right
column, but no matter. Use this run to locate position "Y" in the text.
For the final run, switch to: 

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[.5\width+.5\columnsep]{6cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....
...~~~~~~~Y
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{l}[.5\width+.5\columnsep]{6cm}
\vfill
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~~~~~~~~


Taking a whole column plus a cutout

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Locate "X" first, without any figure, as above, then write the 
document like:

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[\columnwidth+\columnsep]{9cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....

and ignore the overprinting of the right column.  Then, after locating
"Y" in the text, switch to:

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[\columnwidth+\columnsep]{9cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....
...~~~~~~~Y\vspace{6\baselinskip}
~~~~~~~~~~~
for the final layout 


a whole column preceding a cutout

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
                             ~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After locating "X", write the draft document like:

~~~~~~~~X\vspace{6\baselinskip}
~~~~....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~

run LaTeX to locate "Y", and then switch to:

~~~~~~~~X\vspace{6\baselinskip}
~~~~....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{l}[\columnwidth+\columnsep]{9cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~~~~~~

Spanning (parts of) three columns

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Y  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~                                        ~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This uses a combination of the above.  First locate X, then use

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[.5\width+.5\columnwidth+\columnsep]{12cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....

Locate Y from this, and change to

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[.5\width+.5\columnwidth+\columnsep]{12cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....
~~~~~~~~~~~~Y\vspace{6\baselineskip}
~~~~~~~....

which allows you to locate Z, to end up with 

~~~~~~~~X
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{r}[.5\width+.5\columnwidth+\columnsep]{12cm}
...
\end{wrapfigure}
~~~~....
~~~~~~~~~~~~Y\vspace{6\baselineskip}
~~~~~~~....
~~~~~~~~~~~~Z
\begin{wrapfigure}[6]{l}[.5\width+.5\columnwidth+\columnsep]{12cm}
\vfill
\end{wrapfigure}


(Of course, to do matching cut-outs properly requires typesetting
the text to a grid.)

Links can stop working and it's always helpful to have examples hosted here on the site - could you post the fixed version of your MWE here in your answer? — Dai Bowen, Apr 05 '17 at 09:54

How to put a "floating" image or text box inside a multicols text without overlap

1 Answers1