Documented InDesign File Format

I am consulting for a large publisher who does not use InDesign at all. Their fundamental architectural rules require that they be able to repurpose content. That means being able to read the underlying file formats. For example, they save all their word documents in Word's XML export format so that their applications can read them and use the data for multiple purposes.
Is there any documented export format for Indesign that retains all the formatting information of the document?

No need to be an InDesign developer.
Just download the Adobe InDesign CS5 IDML Language Specification, which is linked from http://www.adobe.com/devnet/indesign/documentation.html.

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InDesign Trouble: CS4 not opening CS3 file formats

Hi..
For some reason, when I try to open a CS3 indesign file format in CS4, it freezes. I tried multiple files and it does the same thing... Any suggestions out there?
Appreciate the help.
Meazzo

You could try the InDesign forum here.

Creating indesign files using xml & c#

hey...
i need to make an indesign template/doc from an XML file using C# as the language. can anyone of you please help me in this.
Thanks in advance to all of you.

The InDesign file format is a proprietary binary format, which changes between releases. Your best shot is IDML, but that is only for CS4. There is also the INCX interchange format, but it has limitations.

File Format options not appearing in the Save As dialog box - InDesign CC

So i was working with a legacy file (an .eps from illustrator4) that i placed into InDesign CC, and when i went to export as a jpg, the option to choose a different file format from the bottom of the dialog box was gone. Did i hit some crazy shortcut to remove the options, or is this a bug that occurs when working with certain legacy files? I've restarted InDesign, rebooted my laptop, deleted my Adobe preferences, reset my adobe warning dialogs, and I still cant export or save as any other file format because the option doesnt appear. And it doesnt matter if i create a new file or open an existing one. Please help. See the pic below. No option for file format on the bottom of the dialog box.

Thank you very much!
Reinstalling worked, but i'd still kinda like to know what caused this problem & if this will continue to happen. To me, reinstalling is pretty much like having to reboot anytime you go to IT -- they dont know what the problem is, they just know how to fix/stop it.

I am running InDesign CS5.5 and trying to open an In Design File but getting an error message. " Cannot open the file "PDavidLCover.indd". Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file

I am running InDesign CS5.5 and trying to open an In Design File but getting an error message. " Cannot open the file "PDavidLCover.indd". Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file me be open in another application."Please help I really need to get this file open.

Since you've shown us the folder contents it's a good bet it isn't in use (no lock file). And it doesn't look like the file is mis-named as there doesn't seem to be anything else there that would be the .indd file (but just in case, open it in TextEdit and paste the first few lines here so we can see what the file header says), so the most likely case is the file is damaged. Is that on a removable device of some sort?
You can try the tool at Repair corrupt InDesign Adobe files on Mac OS X or send me a link to the file by private message and I'll try the recovery tool I have for Windows.

How to fix file when it says, "Cannot open file " ". Adobe Indesign does not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file may be missing, or file may be open in another application." It worked one second, I saved and closed the file, then tri

How to fix file when it says, "Cannot open file " ". Adobe Indesign does not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file may be missing, or file may be open in another application." It worked one second, I saved and closed the file, then tried to reopen and now it won't work. I am using Adobe InDesign CS5. It is the only version on my comp. I have tried opening on another comp & copying the file – same error comes up. PLEASE HELP

First check the version of the document with Jongware's script "Identify.jsx" (ExtendScript/JavaScript).
You can find it here:
[Ann] Identify Your InDesign File
If it is CS 5.5 or above, you need someone to open it in the version the script says and export an IDML representation from that. Another way would be to install a 30days version of CS6 or above (CC) and do it yourself.
In regards of the script showing a result for InDesign files higher than CS6:
CS7 = CC v9
CS8 = CC v10 = CC-2014 or CC2014.1
Uwe

Getting error "Cannot open the file "*****.INDD". Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file may be open in another application."

How to fix this problem
"Cannot open the file "*****.INDD". Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file may be open in another application."

When I have seen this message it is either when I try to open a document with an older version of Indesign E.g. an indesign 2014 document with Indesign CC.
The other time I have seen it is to open an Indesign CC document with Indesign 2014 which does not have Mindsuite - a plugin I use. Mindsuite, as yet, has not upgrade the plugin for Indesign 2014 therefore it recognises that a the document was created withe a plugin that the 2014 version does not have installed.
I believe your problem will be something like that.

How do I keep my text formating when pasting from other InDesign files?

I'm trying to post charts from one InDesign file to another. The chart I'm trying to paste has hand-made fractions in them. The font is superscript and baseline shifted. When I paste it into a new document, the text loses all that formatting. It seems like a preferance thing, but I can't find it.

Even if Placing an .indd file retains the formatting, it's a non-starter. The reason I needed to paste the formatted text in the first place was to create a variation of the ad for a different purpose, so I need to be able to edit the text - something you can't do with a placed file.
For instance, I created an ad for an exhibit that includes the date of the reception and the address of the museum, etc. Then I want to create a poster for the wall of the exhibit, so I create a new document with different specs. Placing the ad copy would serve no use since I have to edit the copy (removing the address and reception date) and then readjust the emphasis of each line slightly.
Then I created another new file (RGB, tall and skinny) for the email invite. So I needed to copy the ad copy and again put emphasis in different places.
I hope you can see that there is a real need to be able to copy and paste manually formatted text from one document to another while retaining the special formatting. In these kinds of jobs there is no need to create a new style for each line of text since each line is tweaked and tweaked to death.
This copy & paste behavior is not intuitive and is obviously causing problems for users for no reason whatsoever except that "Adobe knows best". Why can't Adobe trust that I knew what I was going when I applied the formatting in the first place?
Considering how easy it it to remove formatting and revert to the original style, I would say the nod should be given to retaining formatting upon pasting. Both Word and Quark do this, so it's not anything unusual. Or give us the choice with a Paste Special dialog. But saying this behavior is "as designed" or suggesting you need to place a file or PDF, is not the solution.

Line Drawing best file format for import in InDesign

i was wondering what is the accepted and recommended file format for files to be imported in InDesign. I was under the impression that AI files should be saved as EPS but I just read an article that says that Adobe's Dov Isaacs said that eps will be shortly obsolete.What should I do. I work on curriculum that contains both photographs and line drawing and we use tiff for the former and eps for the latter. Most of our line drawing is done in AI. Howeverwe have a cartoonist that sends us files in jpg format. What would be the best file format for him and for us as we draw in AI?
Article link: http://www.prepressure.com/library/file-formats/eps
The future of the EPS file format
EPS is rapidly becoming an outdated file format which is being replaced by PDF just like PostScript itself is also being phased out and replaced by PDF. Don’t just take my word on this. Here is what Dov Isaacs from Adobe said in a discussion on a PrintPlanet forum about the future of PostScript: “ …Adobe will continue to support EPS as a legacy graphics format for import of non-color managed, opaque graphical data into Adobe applications (such as InDesign and Illustrator). Although we certain do not recommend that new graphical content be stored in EPS format (except to satisfy the need to import data into page layout programs that aren’t quite PDF-centric — no need to mention names here!), our user base should feel comfortable that there is no need to worry about a need to convert their very sizable libraries of EPS-based graphic assets.”

Yes, I drag the AI file in.
If after it's in place I need to change I can just right click and chose edit original make the changes and save and the illustration in inDesign will reflect the changes.
On the other hand I can make changes to the original and all iterations of the file will automatically update, say if I used the illustration in several documents.
As an example I had completed a set of documents for a new company, i.e., biz cards, brochures, product labeling, stationery, etc. and in their wisdom they decided to make changes in their logo, which, of course, is on everything. I opened the AI file with the logo made the changes saved and all the documents then reflected the changes. The only caveat to do this seamlessly is to make sure that your file logo size is the same as the original or you might have to tweak placement in the other documents
It is this interoperability that to me makes the Creative Suite so much more than the sum of their parts.
Craig

InDesign may not support this file format message?

What do I do when I get a Adobe InDesign may not support this file format, a plug-in that supports this file format may be missing message?

Do you understand the difference between embedded (all of the image data is stored within the file) and linked (what happens when you use File > Place.... where a pointer to the file stored in the file along with a screen preview)? You must deliberately embed images -- there's no way to do it automatically. Pasted graphics are also stored internally.
As to why it no longer works? Probably a write error while saving, especially if this is saved on a network drive. Writing 9 gb takes some time, if the file was really that big and isn't cross-linked to something else.
To keep ID file sizes down always Place images and graphics rather than pasting, and do a periodic Save As to remove old change data that will become useless file bloat when you close the file. I tend to add a version suffix when doing the Save As at any major change point, rather than overwriting the original, as it gives me an automatic backup chain and a way to go back to a previous version if I need to move in a different direction.
Do you have a backup?

Are photoshop file format plug-ins supported by the InDesign SDK?

If not, is it possible to read new file formats into InDesign? Thanks,
Rob

I'm trying to import NITF image files. I already have a photoshop file format plugin that can read these images and was hoping that it could (somehow) be used to import images into InDesign as well. It appears as if this is definitely NOT possible.
My use case is that I'd like to read a NITF image into Photoshop. The images I deal with are typically single channel 16 bit images. I'd like to then use Photoshop to process the image (e.g., brighten certain parts of the histogram and/or crop the image). I'd then like an easy way to get the image into InDesign. My initial thought was to use a function that could just pass it over, but it appears as if that is not possible.
It looks like I'll either have to figure out if cutting/pasting is acceptable and, if not, save the image to disk and re-read it. Next I must find answers to these questions:
a) Does the InDesign's SDK API provide the ability add to the list of supported image types that can be imported?
b) Does InDesign's SDK API provide the ability to create new document save types?
c) Does it make any sense to use a 16 bit/channel image in InDesign? I notice that it can read a 16 bit tiff file, but there doesn't appear to be any photoshop like controls to adjust the visible dynamic range.
Thank you all for your help!
Rob

How do I get Import and File Format Documentation

I requested access to the CS2 SDK spcifically requesting that I wanted to create an Import or File Format plug-in but the documentation and the sample code is missing for those kinds plug-in types. Where can I find the documentation that I need to develop these plug-ins? Thanks. Rich

You'll have to request that separately (or again). Contact your ASN rep and tell him/her that you need access to Format and Import info. You should be sent (pending approval) the "Advanced SDK" via e-mail.

IWorks File Format Documentation?

I've been hunting around the iWorks resources section (http://www.apple.com/iwork/resources/), but I can't seem to find any details anywhere on documenting the iWorks file formats. Does anyone know where I can find this?
(I'm trying to write something to read iWorks 09 files, such as pages and numbers, without needing a copy of iWorks. For the other Office file formats, such as ODF/ODP, DOC/XLS/PPT and DOCX/XLSX/PPTX, you can get file format documentation which defines what that file structure is like, what individual parts and elements mean, what are allowed values and structures etc. I'm after something similar for the iWorks family of formats, but I've thus far been unable to track it down)

AGagravarr wrote:
Today's fun challenge was detecting password protected files - they seem to use some entirely non-standard encryption at the zip file level.
(1) I repeat that there is no iWorks product !
(2) I repeat that it's very rare to get format specs from Apple.
AppleWorks files formats were never published. As far as I know, iWork ones which are modified by every major update were never published too.
(3) Encrypting with a non-standard scheme may be a good way to protect confidentiality. Isn't it ?
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) samedi 28 avril 2012
iMac 21”5, i7, 2.8 GHz, 12 Gbytes, 1 Tbytes, mac OS X 10.6.8 and 10.7.3
My Box account is : http://www.box.com/s/00qnssoyeq2xvc22ra4k

Can Photoshop File Format Plug-ins be used by InDesign?

If not, is there another way to get new image file support for importing images into InDesign? Thanks,
Rob

I'm trying to import NITF image files. I already have a photoshop file format plugin that can read these images and was hoping that it could (somehow) be used to import images into InDesign as well. It appears as if this is definitely NOT possible.
My use case is that I'd like to read a NITF image into Photoshop. The images I deal with are typically single channel 16 bit images. I'd like to then use Photoshop to process the image (e.g., brighten certain parts of the histogram and/or crop the image). I'd then like an easy way to get the image into InDesign. My initial thought was to use a function that could just pass it over, but it appears as if that is not possible.
It looks like I'll either have to figure out if cutting/pasting is acceptable and, if not, save the image to disk and re-read it. Next I must find answers to these questions:
a) Does the InDesign's SDK API provide the ability add to the list of supported image types that can be imported?
b) Does InDesign's SDK API provide the ability to create new document save types?
c) Does it make any sense to use a 16 bit/channel image in InDesign? I notice that it can read a 16 bit tiff file, but there doesn't appear to be any photoshop like controls to adjust the visible dynamic range.
Thank you all for your help!
Rob

Crashing inDesign, bad format file, and more

InDesign has started playing not very nice over the past three weeks. It started with the app not responding if I left it idle for a period of a few hours. I would have to force quit. Then it started saying bad file format when i try to make a pdf. It has also told me that I it doesn't have enough memory and I should delete some files. Most recently it has escalated to crashing when I start the program and use Command O to open a doc. I am running a new MacBook Pro (6 weeks old) with OS 10.7.2, using CS 5.5. I use Suitcase Fusion 3 to manage fonts.
This was part of the last crash report generated:
Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000000000000
Does this mean anything to anyone?
Help! I need to get some work done!

It started with the app not responding if I left it idle for a period of a few hours. I would have to force quit.
Next time, run Activity Monitor and then View > Send Signal: Abort (SIGABRT) and upload the crash report to http://pastebin.com/ and post a link here.
I use Suitcase Fusion 3 to manage fonts.
I'll bet you 2:1 this is the source of problems.
This was part of the last crash report generated:
Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000000000000
Does this mean anything to anyone?
Yes, it means InDesign crashed. 90% of crashes are this variety. The rest of the crash report is necessary. Upload to http://pastebin.com/ and post a link here.

Documented InDesign File Format

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