The ePaperArchives

BatchXSLT for InDesign CS5 is here

2010-10-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

It was a long, stony way! The «BatchXSLT for InDesign V5» exporter to convert InDesign CS5 documents, finally, is ready at www.aiedv.ch. Now, we can provide exporters for InDesign CS5, CS4, CS3, CS2, all producing the same type of XML, HTML and flip page eBooks. All software (for Windows and OSX) can be downloaded, installed and tested for 30 days in DEMO mode. NO RISK! The product sheet,

PROGRAMMING: Hyperlinks in new or same window

2010-01-27T03:22:00.000-08:00

Q: We have publications with active hyperlinks pointing to our own web site and others pointing external companies' web sites. We want that 'external' links open in a new window and the ones pointing to us should open in the same window. Can we do this? A: Yes, you can. Open the Javascript file 'custom.js' in a plain text editor and locate the lines: // ******* re-target links // check,

CSS: How BatchXSLT for InDesign creates and handles CSS

2010-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

"BatchXSLT for InDesign" creates a CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) file for each exported document representing the document's internal paragraph, character and table styles. Such CSS files may be found in the XSLCSS folder within the 'Export' folder structure. CSS file names are ending with '.css'. CASE #1: If NO special CSS file name is stated in the export dialog, a css file is created with the

BUGFIX: Page PDFs and JPEGs are (partially) empty

2010-01-22T02:16:00.000-08:00

BUG: Few customers have reported that the generated page PDFs and JPEGs are partially or totally empty or InDesign crashes during a document export using "BatchXSLT for InDesign". SOLUTION: Until today, this problem was reported for Mac Power PC machines G5 with a total of physical memory of 2GB or less and huge InDesign documents with lots of PDF adds. This is not a "BatchXSLT for InDesign" bug

PROGRAMMING: Skills to adjust BatchXSLT for InDesign?

2010-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Skills needed to be able to adjust the output of BatchXSLT for InDesign: You don't have any programming skills? EASY! This does not seem to be your job, you have to do more important things like almost all others on this world! No problem: ask your web guy or ask me! IF you are a programmer or you are a member of the web team: Depending on what you want to adjust you need programming skills in

FAQ: Browser shows squares instead of text!

2010-01-12T03:09:00.000-08:00

Q: After exporting our documents with BatchXSLT for InDesign, the browser shows empty squares instead of the real text. What is wrong? A: This is not a bug of BatchXSLT for InDesign! It happens when documents are created using non-Unicode aware fonts. Such as fonts back from the 1990s, fonts created especially for you, fonts containing a company's logos and glyphs. Also some very popular (but

HINT: Expensive dedicated XML output formats!

2010-01-12T02:48:00.000-08:00

More and more, printers are asked by their customers to provide the content of print products as XML or HTML. Usually requested, besides the printed version, as an additional free service! Printers now are in the difficult situation to fulfill the request or to loose the print job. To achieve the desired result can be an easy one day job or can keep someone busy for weeks or even months.

FAQ: Articles spanning several pages

2010-01-12T01:21:00.000-08:00

Q: We are exporting technical books using BatchXSLT for InDesign. Most articles are chained over multiple pages. Now the problem: The text is exported as a single block and all images are AFTER this text block. Any solution? A: By default, BatchXSLT for InDesign does not split/break any text chains, text is exported as a whole even when running over multiple pages. Solution #1: When calling the

FAQ: Adjusting software contained in BatchXSLT for InDesign: What am I allowed to change?

2010-01-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

Q: I feel like adjusting some look and feel and also some functions in the flip book output created by BatchXSLT for InDesign. What files am I allowed to change without breaking the license agreement? A: Behavior and look and feel of a flip page eBook in a Browser is controlled by Javascripts, XSL, CSS and images contained in the folder 'XSLCSS' within the Export folder structure. You may change

FAQ: My own dedicated output data in one step

2010-01-12T00:15:00.000-08:00

Q: I need my own dedicated transform to deliver data to an external company and already have created the XSLT. Can I simplyfy the whole export operation (base export and my transform) by "chaining" my XSLT to BatchXSLT for InDesign's standard export? A: Yes, you can. SOLUTION #1: a) Put your created XSL style sheet into BatchXSLT's MASTER XSLCSS folder. You can find it in the Applications path

FAQ: HELP! on creating XML and/or HTML

2010-01-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Q: HELP! The web guys of my customer ask me to send them XML (or HTML) of their publications. I do not have any idea what they are asking for! Can you help? A: Sure! Send me an email (view my profile for the email address) and describe your needs (the needs of your customer) as close as possible. If you have a description of 'what your customer wants' and what YOU have to start with (an InDesign

HINT: HTML with embedded inline styles only

2010-01-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

In almost all cases when exporting documents to HTML, an external and linked Cascading Style Sheete ( CSS ) is required to be able to adjust fonts and formatting for web display. This is done automatically by BatchXSLT for InDesign as default behavior. In very rare cases however, one might look for HTML which is formatted with inline styles only - no class names - no external CSS. We have heard

HINT: Styling documents for dedicated XML

2010-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been challenged by your customer to create a special XML format from his documents? Have you tried to dig into InDesign's "Styles to XML mapping"? Tedious! Try this way: Ask your customer for an example XML document AND the technical XML reference OR a complete example containing ALL possible XML elements. Make a list of all XML elements that may appear by opening the example

HINT: Print and web document in a single step

2010-01-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

InDesign documents to print and to use its content for web purposes can be done with almost no additional work. Compositors should follow this abbreviated list of rules: a) Use character and paragraph styles and properly mark titles, leads, text and image captions. b) If an article consists of several boxes like title, caption and image, group them together for they can be recognized as an

FAQ: Testing a new version

2010-01-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

Q: I need to test a new version of BatchXSLT for InDesign but I do not want to trash or overwrite my current production installation. What is the best procedure? A: First: Rename all folders of the current software installation: a) Rename the main application: in the Applications folder rename the folder "BatchXSLT4InDesign" to "OLDBatchXSLT4InDesign". b) Rename InDesign scripts: in InDesign's

FAQ: XML template?

2010-01-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

Q: Do I have to create a special XML template to be able to export document content using BatchXSLT for InDesign? A: No. BatchXSLT for InDesign exports detailed style information and a CSS (and much more). This enables the web guys to create a transform to map styles to dedicated XML elements - if they want... So, XML mapping should be done by web folks. Compositors should be freed from the

FAQ: XML output format

2010-01-11T02:03:00.000-08:00

Q: How does the XML output created by BatchXSLT for InDesign look like? A: As an abbreviated summary, the main structure is:

the rich tagged article content....

.... more page elements

the rich tagged article

FAQ: Article by article XML files

2010-01-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

Q: Our web departement asks us to deliver the content of our Newspaper in XML files - each article in its own XML file. Can BatchXSLT for InDesign provide this? A: No. A document always is exported in one single XML file. But there is a simple way to get the same effect: Articles are enclosed in

elements. Your web guys simply can access each article using this element.

FAQ: iPhone and similar devices

2010-01-10T00:42:00.000-08:00

Q: Is there a way to use BatchXSLT for InDesign's export to publish Newspapers to iPhone users? A: Sure. Today's mobile devices have a built in standard web browser and can display such eBooks. However, do not expect readers to read your publication as a flip page eBook on such a small screen (connection speed usually is too low anyway)! Instead create a dedicated web site for mobile devices. It

FAQ: eBook Reader

2010-01-09T00:22:00.000-08:00

Q: Can the eBook exported by BatchXSLT for InDesign also be used for the Sony eBook Reader? A: NO - not directly. eBook readers (like Sony or Adobe's epup) need their own special output format. The screen of eBook readers is too small to let the user navigate through a flip page eBook. By the way - eBook readers text browsersers are 'kind of limited' and can not provide the functionality to

FAQ: Marginalia position

2010-01-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

Q: We have books with marginalia. However, the marginalia text exported by BatchXSLT for InDesign appears at top or bottom of the main text. A: Marginalia should vertically flow with the main text. To achieve this, anchor the marginalia box at the proper text position and give it the desired position offset. Anchored boxes behave like a single character and therefore their text content is output

FAQ: Server connection failed

2010-01-08T02:47:00.000-08:00

Q: The FTP and SQL database transfer tools contained in the BatchXSLT for InDesign package can not connect to our servers on the Internet. Any solution? A: Until today, this problem was reported when the internal network was protected by a proxy server. BatchXSLT currently can not connect through a proxy. SOLUTION: Ask your web team to open the Proxy server (for you only) to allow a direct

FAQ: Incredibly slow flipbook load

2010-01-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Q: When publishing the XML file of an exported InDesign document the load time is unacceptable slow. What is wrong? A: Nothing is wrong. BUT NEVER publish the XML file on the Internet. BatchXSLT for InDesign exports a publication to XML (which is media-neutral) and also creates a human readable version as an HTML flip book at the same time - both look and act the same in a browser. Publish this

FAQ: Direct access to article in flip book

2010-01-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

Q: We have a huge catalog exported to XML using BatchXSLT for InDesign. Now we should be able to send out direct links to an item of interest. This link should open the catalog, flip to the page and show the desired article. Possible? A: Yes, possible: the information on article id and page number is needed. This information can be obtained from the html flipbook file. Search for your article

FAQ: Extracting articles for archive database

2010-01-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Q: The articles from our Newspaper must be pushed into the database of our web site. We do not need a flip page e-Book like exported from BatchXSLT for InDesign. Is such an export mode available? A: YES - indeed! The standard export created by BatchXSLT for InDesign shows up in a browser as an eBook. This is one out of many possible view modes only! This exported XML also can be used directly -

FAQ: Articles positions on a page

2010-01-07T01:16:00.000-08:00

This is a frequent question from system integrators creating their own epaper solution. Q: We have our own ePaper solution based on PDF pages. Does BatchXSLT for InDesign's XML export provide article/box positions so it can be mapped on a PDF page? A: Yes. The page numbers, positions and size of articles/boxes are reflected in the exported XML.

FAQ: Adjusting eBook fonts

2010-01-06T03:11:00.000-08:00

Q: I need to change the appearance of fonts in the flip book exported by BatchXSLT for InDesign. How can I do this? A: An external CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) can be found within the Export folder structure in the folder 'XSLCSS'. It was created automatically during export procedure to represent the original InDesign styles as close as possible. Its name is similar to the original document's

FAQ: Media-independent XML

2010-01-05T03:22:00.000-08:00

Q: I need a media-independent XML output, DocBook, from my InDesign documents. However, reading the XML file exported by BatchXSLT for InDesign shows class attributes for paragraph and character styles. A: The exported XML always is media-independent. A class attribute is nothing more than 'information'. It says: 'this text part originally was styled with this style sheet'. It does NOT style

Press Release - Publishing InDesign Documents

2010-01-05T01:26:00.000-08:00

AiEDV.ch and ePaperArchives.com announce the next version of a tool in the category "XML Export and ePaper Software" for publishers. «BatchXSLT for InDesign» «BatchXSLT for InDesign» converts InDesign documents to understandable 'all purpose' XML and HTML with a mouse click. Exported data can be viewed and navigated as a flip page e-book website in any Browser. Cost-efficiency, quality,

BLOG restarted for 2010

2010-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Thought to restarted this BLOG to have up to date content for the new year. Feel free to send me an email when you have problems, need a special solution or simply want to say that everything works fine for you. HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! Andreas