CPAN Module for InDesign?

[sumeetgrover]

Hi Monks, I have already checked the CPAN site, but just thought of asking you. Just like we have Spreadsheet::WriteExcel module that does an excellent job of text formatting and creating an '.xls' file, are you aware of any similar module but for InDesign so that I can print data as well as control formatting whilst creating an InDesign file? I don't know much about InDesign, but am trying to be a bit helpful to fellow designer by trying to see if I can automate something. Thanks!

[luis.roca]

The quick answer is no. (Re: InDesign Module)

Automating an Adobe application, including InDesign, can be done using AppleScript, JavaScript (through Adobe's Scripter application in recent versions of the Creative Suite) and possibly still VBscript. If your friend is on a Mac and intends on doing regular automating, I would strongly recommend they use AppleScript.

They would also do themselves a favor by picking up Script Debugger which makes writing AppleScript a lot easier and reading an application's dictionary sane.




UPDATE
Same Day :: 2:55 PM EST ::	Added link to Late Night Software's Script Debugger.

[sumeetgrover]

Thank you, much appreciate it.

[luis.roca]

If you can give a few more details about the kind of projects your friend works on regularly there are likely a few Perl, as well as other, production solutions that will make their InDesign (and graphic design) experience a lot smoother.

For example: Are they designing books that will be printed and distributed digitally? While repetitive color separations and conversions from CMYK (and/or Pantone spot colors) to RGB may be best handled by AppleScript, the content for the book could be munged with Perl. Using a similar process to templating websites, book chapters, titles, footers, pull quotes etc. can all be broken apart and tagged (likely xml for InDesign). Your friend could then import all the separate chunks of content into an InDesign template with styles specified for every chapter using AppleScript.

An aside: If they are not already using a version control system for thier design files I would strongly encourage them to do so. Even though digital asset management was the buzz word in creative departments 5+ years ago, designers' hard drives are still filled with files like: BookDesign_v1, BookDesign_v2, FinalBookDesign, FINALBookDesign etc.