PSD Layer Comps and updating links

I love InDesign's ability to show/hide PSD layers in InDesign, and especially to display Layer Comps of PSD files.
But InDesign seems to have trouble "remembering" which layers / Layer Comps to show when updating links.
An example:
Let's say a product exists in 3 versions: black, white and blue.
A PSD contains a productshot in these 3 color versions using some common and some color-specific layers. A Layer Comp with the color name is assigned to each set of layers that displays the according color version.
Now it's easy to place the PSD in InDesign, choose 'Object Layer Options' (which can contain multiple other layers) and set the correct Layer Comp (eg: "blue").
I set 'When Updating Link' to 'Keep Layer Visibility Overrides' to make sure InDesign remembers the correct color when the PSD is edited.
Now you feel the trouble coming… let's say an extra color red should be added. I add the red version (including a 'red' layer comp) to the same PSD and save it.
When updating existing links, InDesign messes up the existing 'Object Layer Options'. The black version will now show blue, etc…
'Layer Comp' in 'Object Layer Options' does actually show 'blue' while it was 'black' before the update.
Removing the red Layer Comp and save the PSD again doesn't restore the correct Layer Comp in InDesign.
I used this feature often, and updating links never caused me any trouble until now.
Is this a bug, or are the update link options not to be trusted (and was I just lucky in the past)…?

Thanks for the clarification!
I guess I was lucky with other files that retained the correct object layer options.
Too bad for this limitation. It makes the whole object layer options feature quiet limited.
I'll add a feature request.

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Robohelp is trying hard but the people who write things are not communicators. They are obfuscators.
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Question on templates and updating linked files

OK I have a master template file. Let's say it is named
a.dwt. I used a.dwt to create another template (b.dwt) that had
more content on it than a.dwt. I would use b.dwt to create a group
of similar looking pages which still had all the elements of a.dwt
but also the additional content of b.dwt.
Now if I make a change to the a.dwt template, all pages
created from a.dwt change except b.dwt. So either I forgot to
create the b.dwt by going to file->new->page from
template->and then save it as a .dwt OR maybe it's not possible
to have a secondary template that gets updated when the first
template gets updated thus causing all pages from the secondary
template to get updated?
Is there any way to go back and make b.dwt update
automatically whenever a.dwt gets updated? The scenario I have
right now is that I have to make certain site changes on both a.dwt
and b.dwt instead of just making the change on a.dwt and that
change flowing into b.dwt and its spawned pages.

>I think what possibly happened is that I opened a.dwt and
then made the
> addition of the form element to a.dwt but then simply
saved as b.dwt
> instead of
> FILE | New From Template
Yes, I think that's a possible scenario.
> There will be about 15 pages that will look the same
(have the
> same form) except that at the top it will say "Send mail
to Person X"
> where
> Person X will change.
I see. Are you using "mailto:" on each of those forms? This
method of
sending form data is notioriously unreliable, you know? It
depends on a)
your visitor's browser knowing what to do with such a link,
and b) your
visitor's email client knowing what to do with such a link,
and c) your
visitor not being put off by the security alert message that
may pop up when
they click. Nevermind the fact that it fails completely in
public locations
that do not have an email client installed.
Why not do this the right way with server scripting? In that
case you could
have a single page with a single form, and let the visitor
select a name as
the recipient from a list/menu field.
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
==================
http://www.projectseven.com/go
- DW FAQs, Tutorials & Resources
http://www.dwfaq.com - DW FAQs,
Tutorials & Resources
==================
"Johnny the boy" <[email protected]> wrote
in message
news:[email protected]...
>I think what possibly happened is that I opened a.dwt and
then made the
> addition of the form element to a.dwt but then simply
saved as b.dwt
> instead of
> FILE | New From Template
>
> Thus when I made changes to a.dwt, they did not
propagate to pages created
> from b.dwt
>
> I am asking you what I should do. Should I create a new
page from a.dwt
> and
> then paste in the form code (which is the additional
code that
> differentiates
> it from a.dwt)? There will be about 15 pages that will
look the same
> (have the
> same form) except that at the top it will say "Send mail
to Person X"
> where
> Person X will change.
>
> Or should I nest the templates by doing your steps:
> 1. Create a.dwt.
> 2. Spawn a child from a.dwt with FILE | New From
Template..., and select
> a.dwt
> 3. Edit this child, as needed, and then SAVE IT AS A
TEMPLATE, e.g., FILE
> |
> Save as Template....
>
> I do not understand how there will be a complex
maintenance price. The
> behavior that I would be looking for is that if I had to
make an addition
> or
> edit of the navigation using a.dwt, the change would
carry over to the
> b.dwt
> template and it's pages.
>
> I am kind of leaning towards copying the code that is
already present for
> the
> forms spawned from b.dwt and then pasting it into a
brand new page that is
> spawned from a.dwt but I don't know if that's the best
way to do it or if
> there
> would be consequences.
>

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"Messed up" could mean anything to a non-mindreader. Messed up in what way, exactly?
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So I've found a bit in the script that I think might be it (below). Can I remove that whole bit? Or would changing the 4 to a 0 do the trick (I tried and it didn't do anything)... Sorry, but I'm not a coder so don't really know if I'm barking up the wrong tree or not.
Thanks
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You could export the layer comps to files and then re-import them to a fresh file.

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davepinminn wrote:
Are the snapshots in History persistent across sessions?
No...
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Layer Comp

I like the idea using Adobe Bridge also as a font management software. Good. I'd also like to have Bridge be able to view Photoshop Layer Comps directly. I love using Layer Comps and would also like to see the feature in Illustrator. But there's no image viewer software that can view layer comps directly now, and I'd like to see them in Bridge.

> But there's no image viewer software that can view layer comps directly now, and I'd like to see them in Bridge.
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PSD Layer Comps and updating links

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