The Joys of Reuse
In This Chapter
ᮣ Working with templates
ᮣ Using master pages
ᮣ Organizing with libraries
ᮣ Working with snippets
Unless you enjoy continually reinventing the wheel, you’ll want to take full advantage of the features that InDesign offers to help you work more productively. After you make some important decisions about elements in your document that will repeat, page after page, in the same spot (such as page numbers, graphics, headers and footers, and so on), you want to set up mechanisms that make the process simple.
Fewer activities in life are less rewarding than doing the same job over and over, and publishing is no exception. Fortunately, InDesign includes some valuable features that let you automate repetitive tasks. In this chapter, I focus on three of them: templates, master pages, and libraries. Building and Using Templates
A template is a prebuilt InDesign document that you use as the starting point for creating multiple versions of the same design or publication. For example, if you create a monthly newsletter that uses the same basic layout for each issue, but with different graphics and text, you begin by creating a template that contains all the elements that are the same in every issue — placeholder frames for the graphics and text, guidelines, and so on.
86 Part II: Document Essentials
Creating templates
Creating a template is very similar to creating a document. You create character, paragraph, and object styles, master pages, repeating elements (for example, page numbers), and so on. The only thing you don’t add to a template is actual content.
Most often, you create a template after building the first iteration of a document. After you have that document set up the way you like, you simply strip out the content (that first issue’s stories and graphics in your newsletter example) and save it as a template.
Here are the steps for creating a template:
1.
Choose
File➪Save As (Shift+Ô+S or Ctrl+Shift+S) to display the Save As dialog box.
2. Choose a folder and specify a name for the file.
3. Choose InDesign CS4 Template in the Format pop-up menu (Mac) or Save as Type pop-up menu (Windows).
4. Click Save to close the Save As dialog box and save the template.
If you’re designing a template that will be used by others, you may want to add a layer of instructions. When you’re ready to print a document based on the template, simply hide the annotation layer. (See Chapter 4 for more information about working with layers.)
If you didn’t know better, you might think that a template is exactly the same as a regular InDesign document. It is, with one major exception: A template is a bit more difficult to override. When you open a template, InDesign actually opens a copy and provides that copy a default name (Untitled-1, Untitled-2, and so on). The first time you choose File➪Save (Ô+S or Ctrl+S), the Save As dialog box appears, so you can give it a real name. Modifying templates
As you use a template over time, you may discover that you forgot to include something — perhaps a paragraph style, a repeating element on a particular master page, or an entire master page. To modify a template, you have two options:
ߜ
Open it as a normal file, make your changes, and then choose File➪Save As (Shift+Ô+S or Ctrl+Shift+S) to save it again as a template (using the same name to overwrite the original template). To open a file as a normal file, be sure that Open Normal (Mac) or Normal (Windows) — the default option — is selected at the bottom of the Open a File dialog box. Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
87
ߜ
Open it as an original file (see Chapter 3), make your changes, and then choose File➪Save (Ô+S or Ctrl+S) to save it again as a template. To open a file as an original file, be sure that Open Original (Mac) or Original (Windows) is selected at the bottom of the Open a File dialog box —
forgetting to select this option is easy, so most people end up using the previous technique to resave the template.
Creating documents from templates
You can easily create a document from a template: Just open a template file and save it with a new name, making sure that InDesign CS4 Document — the default option — is selected in the Format pop-up menu (Mac) or Save as Type pop-up menu (Windows). Work on your document and continue to save changes normally.
A more complicated way to create a document from a template is to choose File➪New➪Document from Template. This command opens the Adobe Bridge program, which can contain InDesign templates that you open and then save as documents. Bridge is meant as a central place for all Creative Suite documents and many related files, such as color libraries, to help workgroups have one place for all their Creative Suite needs. It’s more complicated than it is useful, at least for InDesign users. (Many Photoshop users love it.) Building and Using Master Pages
A master page is a preconstructed page layout that you can use to create new pages — it’s the starting point for document pages. Typically, master pages contain text and graphic elements, such as page numbers, headers, footers, and so on, which appear on all pages of a publication. Master pages also include guidelines that indicate page edges, column boundaries, and margins, as well as other manually created guidelines to aid page designers in placing objects. By placing items on master pages, you save yourself the repetitive work of placing the same items one by one on each and every document page. Don’t confuse master pages with templates. Think of a master page for use within a document; with master pages, you can apply consistent formatting to document pages when desired, and you can have multiple master pages in a document so that you can easily format different kinds of pages. By contrast, a template is simply a document that, when you save it, you must provide a new name. Templates contain document pages, master pages, color swatches, style sheets — the entire file. You use templates for documents you want to reuse as a whole, such as each month’s edition of a newsletter or each new title in a book series.
88 Part II: Document Essentials
It may surprise you to know that every InDesign document you create already contains a master page, called A-Master. Whether you use the default master page or create and use additional master pages depends on what kind of document you want to create. If it’s a single-page document, such as a flier or an ad, you don’t need master pages at all, so you can just ignore them. However, if you want to create a document with multiple pages — a brochure or booklet, for example — master pages save time and help ensure consistent design. Creating a new master page
When you’re ready to create a new master page, here’s what you do:
1. If the Pages panel isn’t displayed, choose Windows➪Pages (Ô+F12 or Ctrl+F12).
The Pages panel is covered in more detail in Chapter 4.
2. From the Pages panel’s flyout menu, choose New Master.
You can also hold Option+Ô or Ctrl+Alt and click the Create New Page iconic button at the bottom of the panel. The New Master dialog box, shown in Figure 5-1, appears.
Figure 5-1:
The New
Master
dialog box.
3. In the Prefix field, specify a one-character prefix to attach to the front of the master page name and display on associated document page icons in the Pages panel.
The default will be a capital letter, such as the A in Figure 5-1.
4. In the Name field, give your new master page a name.
It’s a good idea to use a descriptive name, such as Title Page.
5. To base the new master page (the child) on another master page (the
parent), choose the parent master page from the Based on Master pop-up menu.
6. In the Number of Pages field, enter the number of pages you want to include in the master spread.
For a document with a single-page design, enter 1; if the document will have facing pages, enter 2.
7. Click OK to save the page and close the dialog box.
Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
89
Your new master page appears in the document window. The name of the master page appears in the Page Number field in the bottom-left corner of the document window. To make changes to a master page’s attributes, simply click its icon at the top of the Pages panel, choose Master Options from the panel’s flyout menu, and then change settings in the Master Options dialog box.
Note that you can move master pages to be at the bottom of the Pages panel —
rather than at the top — by choosing Panel Options from the flyout menu and enabling the Pages on Top option.
When you’re building a master page, you should think more about the overall structure of the page than about details. Keep the following in mind: ߜ
To build a document with facing pages, create facing-page master spreads. The facing pages are somewhat like mirror images of each other. Typically, the left-hand master page is for even-numbered document pages, and the right-hand master page is for odd-numbered document pages. ߜ
To have page numbers automatically appear on document pages, add a page number character on each page of your master spreads by drawing a text frame with the Type tool where you want the
page number to appear and then choosing Type➪Insert Special
Character➪Markers➪Current Page Number (Option+Ô+N or Ctrl+Alt+N). The prefix of the master page (A, B, C, and so on) appears on the master page, but the actual page number is what appears on document pages. Don’t forget to format the page number on the master page so that page numbers will look the way you want them to in the document.
ߜ
Specify master page margins and columns by first making sure that the page is displayed in the document window and then choosing Layout➪Margins and Columns. The Margins and Columns dialog box, shown in Figure 5-2, is displayed. The controls in this dialog box let you specify the position of the margins, the number of columns, and the gutter width (space between columns).
Figure 5-2:
The Margins and
Columns
dialog box.
You can place additional guidelines on a master page — as many custom guidelines as you want (see Chapter 10.)
90 Part II: Document Essentials
Basing one master page on another
Some publications benefit from having more than one master page. If you’re building a document with several pages that are somewhat similar in design, it’s a good idea to start with one master page and then use it as a basis for additional master pages.
For example, if the brochure you’re working on uses both two-column and three-column page layouts, you can create the two-column master spread first. (Be sure to include all repeating page elements.) You can then create the three-column master page spread, basing it on the two-column master, and simply specify different column formats. The child master page will be identical to the parent except for the number of columns. If you later change an element on the original master page, the change will apply automatically to the child master page.
When you create a new master page, the New Master dialog box provides the option to base it on an existing master page. To help you keep things straight, when you base a master page on another master page, InDesign displays the prefix of the parent page on the icon of the child page.
If you base a master spread on another master spread, you can still modify the master objects (that is, the objects inherited from the parent master) on the child master page. As with regular document pages, you have to Shift+Ô+click or Ctrl+Shift+click the object inherited from a parent master to release it before you can edit it on a child master.
Basing a master spread on a document spread
You may be talented enough to create an effective spread, one that is so handsome that you want to create a master page from it to use on future documents. Simply highlight the spread by clicking the page numbers below the relevant page icons in the Pages panel and choose Save as Master from the Pages panel’s flyout menu. The new master is assigned a default name and prefix. To change any of its attributes, click its name in the Pages panel and then choose Master Options from the flyout menu.
Duplicating a master spread
Create a copy of a master spread by selecting its icon and then choosing Duplicate Master Spread from the Pages panel’s flyout menu or simply by dragging its icon onto the Create New Page button at the bottom of the panel. Note that if you duplicate a master spread, the duplicate loses any parent/
child relationships.
Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
91
Importing a master page
Sometimes, another document has a master page that you’d like to use in your current layout. InDesign lets you import those master pages: Just choose Load Master Pages from the Pages panel’s flyout menu, select the source document in the dialog box that appears, and click Open. InDesign will import all master pages from that document into your current one. (Sorry, there’s no way to select specific master pages.)
If any of the imported master pages have the same name as your current document’s master pages (such as the default name A-Master), a dialog box will appear giving you the choice of replacing the current master pages with the imported ones that use the same name or of renaming the imported master pages, so you keep what you have and add the imported ones. InDesign does the renaming for you.
Note that InDesign will also alert you if the imported master pages use different dimensions than the current document’s pages. It won’t adjust the imported pages, so some items may appear off the page if the imported master page has larger dimensions than the current document.
Deleting a master page
To delete a master page, select its name and then choose Delete Master Page from the Pages panel’s flyout menu. You can also drag the master icon to the Delete Pages iconic button at the bottom of the Pages panel.
So what happens when you delete a master page on which document pages are based? Don’t worry — your document pages are unchanged, though they no longer have a master page. (In the Pages panel, the page icons won’t display the letter of a master page in their upper outside corners.)
You can remove a master page from a specific document page without removing the master page from your document (and thus other pages), by applying the [None] master page to the document page using the process described in the following section.
92 Part II: Document Essentials
Applying a master page
to document pages
After you build a master page, you can apply it to new or existing document pages. (See Chapter 4 for information about adding and removing document pages.) For documents with facing pages, you can apply both pages of a master spread to both pages of the document spread, or you can apply one page of a master spread to one page of the document spread. For example, you can apply a master page with a two-column format to the left-hand page of a document spread and apply a master page with a three-column format to the right-hand page.
To apply a master page to a document page, select the name or icon of the master page in the top part of the Pages panel and then drag it onto the icon of the document page you want to format. When the target document page is highlighted (framed in a black rectangle, as shown in the left side of Figure 5-3), release the mouse button. If both document pages are highlighted, and if you’re applying a master page to the document, both sides of the master spread are applied to the document spread.
Figure 5-3:
Applying a
single
master page
to a
document
page.
You can also apply a master page to the currently displayed pages by choosing Layout➪Pages➪Apply Master to Pages.
Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
93
Changing master items on document pages
As you work on a document page that’s based on a master, you may find that you need to change, move, or delete a master object. Any change you make to a master object on a local page is referred to as a local override. Whenever you remove a master object from a document page, you sever the object’s relationship to the master-page object for that document page only. If you subsequently move or modify the object on the master page, it won’t affect the deleted object on the document page — it remains deleted on that particular document page.
The Show/Hide Master Items command in the Pages panel’s flyout menu lets you show or hide master objects on document pages.
To change a master object on a document page, you must first select it, which can be a bit tricky. To select a master object on a document page, hold down Shift+Ô or Ctrl+Shift when you click the object with one of the selection tools. (You can also Shift+Ô+drag or Ctrl+Shift+drag to select multiple master objects within the selection marquee.) After you select a master object on a document page, you can modify it just as you would objects that aren’t part of a master page.
If you modify one or more master objects on a document page and then decide you want to revert to using the original master objects, you can remove the local overrides. To do so, display the document page that contains the master objects you’ve modified, select the objects, and then choose Remove Selected Local Overrides from the Pages panel’s flyout menu. If no objects are selected, the command name changes to Remove All Local Overrides. If the selected spread doesn’t have any modified master objects, the command isn’t available.
Sometimes, you don’t want people to have the ability to override a master page object. InDesign gives you a way to block such overrides: With the master page open and any objects selected that you don’t want to be overridden, deselect Allow Master Item Overrides on Selection in the Pages panel’s flyout menu. With this option deselected, someone won’t be able to override the selected master page objects on any document pages using them — unless, of course, they reselect the Allow Master Item Overrides on Selections option.
94 Part II: Document Essentials
Building and Using Libraries
An InDesign library is a file — similar in some ways to a document file —
where you can store individual objects (graphics, text, and so on), groups and nested objects, ruler guides, and grids (see Chapter 10). Once an item is in a library, every time you need a copy, you simply drag it out of the library. Creating a library
Creating a library is easy:
1.
Choose
File➪New➪Library.
The New Library dialog box appears, with essentially the same options as the Save As dialog box (see Chapter 3).
2. Choose a location in which to save the library.
3. Give the library a name.
4.
Click
OK.
You can create as many libraries as you want and store them wherever is most convenient, including on a networked server so that other InDesign users can share them. You can also open libraries created on a Mac from a Windows computer, and vice versa.
Right after you create a new library, you see an empty library panel group. Each library that you create or open will appear as its own panel within that panel group, with its name displayed in its tab, as shown in Figure 5-4. To add items to the library, you simply drag them to the desired panel. Here is an explanation of some of the controls and commands shown in Figure 5-4:
ߜ
The numbers in the lower-left corner of the panel indicate the number of items currently displayed in the pane and the number of items in the library. ߜ
The Library Item Information iconic button displays the Item
Information dialog box, as does the Library Item flyout menu option. Here, you can give each library item a name, a type (for example, image or text), and a description. Later, you can search for library items based on these attributes.
ߜ
The Show Library Subset iconic button displays a dialog box that lets you locate and display items that meet certain search criteria, as does the Show Subset flyout menu option.
ߜ
The Delete Library Item iconic button lets you delete highlighted items in the library, as does the Delete Item(s) flyout menu option.
Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
95
Figure 5-4:
A library
and its
flyout menu.
Library Item Information
Delete Library Item
Show Library Subset New Library Item
Why you’ll love snippets
InDesign has a neat option called snippets
easily shared as file attachments. By contrast, a
that lets you take pieces of your document library is meant to keep in one place a bunch of and create a file that other InDesign users can
objects you intend to use over and over again.
bring into their documents, preserving all forThe process of creating snippets is easy: matting and effects applied to them. Snippets
Select the objects and drag them outside your
in InDesign CS4 have the filename extension
document window onto the Mac or Windows
.idms; snippets in previous versions have the
desktop or onto a folder. InDesign automatifilename extension ,inds — InDesign CS4 cally creates the snippet file containing those can work with both types.
objects and their formatting. You can also
Snippets are sort of like libraries, with a key select the objects you want to be make the exception: Each snippet is a separate file, so
snippet from and choose File➪Export (Ô+E
they’re not as easy or as convenient as libraries
or Ctrl+E); choose InDeisgn Snippet from the
when you have lots of document pieces that you
Format pop-up menu (Mac) or Save as Type
want to share or make available for reuse. So
pop-up menu (Windows), select the destination
snippets are best for sharing specific elements
folder, and then click Save.
on an as-needed basis, whereas libraries are
You can then send that snippet to other users
better for having, well, a library of standard, on storage drives, via e-mail, or over the shared elements. For example, a snippet is a
network — like any other file.
great way to give another designer a specific
element, such as a masthead or a formatTo use the snippet in another document, just ted photo, for use in their own documents —
drag the snippet into your document window.
especially by e-mail, because snippets are That’s it!
96 Part II: Document Essentials
Putting items into a library
You can place individual items, such as text and graphics frames, into a library. You can also place multiple selected objects, groups, nested frames, ruler guides, guidelines, and all items on a document page.
To add items to a library:
ߜ
Select one or more items and then drag them into an open library panel. (Open an existing library by choosing File➪Open [Ô+O or Ctrl+O].) ߜ
Select one or more items and then choose Add Item from the flyout menu of an open Library panel.
ߜ
Choose Add All Items on Page from the flyout menu of an open Library panel to add all items on the current page or spread as one library item. Choose Add All Items on Page as Separate Objects to add each object on the page in one step as separate library items.
ߜ
Select one or more items and then click the New Library Item iconic button at the bottom of an open Library panel.
If you hold down the Option or Alt key when adding an item to a library, the Item Information dialog box is displayed. This dialog box lets you add searchable attributes to the library item. If you import a graphic into a document and then place a copy of the graphic into a library, the path to the original graphics file is saved, as are any transformations you’ve applied to the graphic or its frame (scale, rotation, shear, and so on). If you save text in a library, all formatting, including styles, is retained. Tagging library items
A library can hold as many items as you want. As a library grows, locating a particular item can become increasingly difficult. To make InDesign library items easier to find, tag them with several searchable attributes. To tag a library element:
1. Select the library element and then choose Item Information from the library panel’s flyout menu.
You can also display the Item Information dialog box by double-clicking a library item or by clicking once on a library item and then clicking the Library Item Information iconic button at the bottom of the library panel. (It’s the i in a circle.)
2. Specify a Name, Object Type, and/or Description.
In the Description field, use a few words that describe the object so that you can easily find it later.
Chapter 5: The Joys of Reuse
97
3. Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the document. Searching for library items
You can search for library items based on the information specified in the Item Information dialog box. For example, if you place several different icons into a library that includes many other items, and if you use the term icon in the Name or Description field, a search of these fields that includes “icon”
will find and display those items stored in your library.
Follow these steps to search a library:
1. Choose Show Subset from a library panel’s flyout menu or click the Show Library Subset iconic button at the bottom of the panel.
2. Decide whether to search the entire library or only the items cur- rently displayed in the page and select the appropriate radio button.
3. In the Parameters area, choose the Item Information category you want to search from the first pop-up menu.
Your choices are Item Name, Creation Date, Object Type, and Description.
4. From the next pop-up menu, choose Contains if you intend to search for text contained in the chosen category; choose Doesn’t Contain if you want to exclude items that contain the text you specify.
5. In the Parameter’s area text-entry field, type the word or phrase you want to search for (if you selected Contains in Step 4) or exclude (if you selected Doesn’t Contain).
6. Add more search criteria by clicking the More Choices button; reduce the number of search criteria by clicking Fewer Choices.
You can create up to five levels of search criteria. If you select two or more levels of search criteria, you will be able to choose whether to display items that match all search criteria (by selecting Match All) or to display items that match any of the search criteria (by selecting Match Any One).
7. Click OK to conduct the search and close the dialog box. The library items that match the search criteria are displayed in the panel (unless no items matched the search criteria). To display all items after conducting a search, choose Show All from the Library panel’s flyout menu. Deleting items from a library
To delete a library item, drag its icon to the trashcan icon at the bottom of the panel or select the item and then choose Delete Item(s) from the library panel’s flyout menu. You can select a range of items by clicking the first one and then Shift+clicking the last one. You can select multiple, noncontiguous items by holding down the Ô or Ctrl key and clicking each icon. 98 Part II: Document Essentials
Copying library items
onto document pages
After an item is in a library, you can place copies of that library item into any document or into another library. To place a copy of a library item onto the currently displayed document page, drag the item’s icon from the library panel onto the page. As you drag, the outline of the library item is displayed. Release the mouse button when the outline of the item is positioned where you want it to end up. You can also place a library item onto a document by clicking its icon and then choosing Place Item(s) from the flyout menu.
Copy an item from one library to another by dragging its icon from the source library panel onto the target library panel. To move (rather than copy) an item from one library to another, hold down the Option or Alt key when dragging and dropping an item between libraries.
Managing library panels
You can close an individual library panel by clicking its close box or choosing Close Library from its flyout menu. You can close all libraries at once by clicking the panel group’s close box.
You can move panels into their own panel groups by dragging their tab outside their current panel groups. Likewise, you can combine library panels by dragging them by their tabs into another panel group (including those that contain nonlibrary panels).