Xtags for InDesign Beta Downloads

First, you must see important information about beta software if you haven't already. Then, download:

• Xtags 6/7.1.3 beta 3 for InDesign CS4/CS5 (Mac OS) (.zip)

• Xtags 6/7.1.3 beta 3 for InDesign CS4/CS5 (Windows) (.zip)

Also see the companion plug-in beta for InFlow.

This beta will expire August 8, 2010, and will work with your existing CS4 serial. The CS5 final release plug-ins will require a new serial number, distinct from CS2/CS3/CS4 serial numbers. (If you've bought a new copy or upgrade within the year before the release date, it's a free upgrade.)

Changes at 6/7.1.3 beta 3

• We've simplified the CS5 plug-in installation process (especially on Windows) by adding support for Adobe's Extension Manager. Instead of copying multiple files, now you may simply double-click the .zxp installer file located in the Plug-ins for InDesign CS5 folder. Doing so should start Adobe's Extension Manager and guide you through the installation process.

  If the Extension Manager doesn't start automatically, then find and start the Adobe Extension Manager CS5 application, click on Install and then select the xtags_7.1.3b3_installer.zxp file located in the Plug-ins for InDesign CS5 folder.

  In addition to making plug-in installation easier, the Adobe Extension Manager has the additional benefit of letting you know when updated versions of Em Software plug-ins are available.

• Fixed a problem in CS5 where Xtags would crash if a picture wasn't found. Xtags now properly inserts the missing picture proxy image without crashing.

• Fixed a problem in CS5 where exporting a PDF in the background was causing Xtags to crash.

• Added support for the import of XPress Tags via InDesign's Place dialog and drag'n'drop. There are currently no import options; instead, all current Xtags import preferences will apply except "include style sheets", which will always be set. Importing unanchored box tags using the Place dialog or drag'n'drop will cause an error. To import unanchored box tags, use File > Import Text with Xtags.

• Added support for the export of XPress Tags via InDesign's Export dialog. Note that any text exported this way will use platform encoding (Mac-Roman or Win-Latin). To export with a different encoding, use File > Save Text with Xtags.

• Fixed a problem where importing a missing picture with a non-native path (a Mac-style path in the Windows plug-in, for example) would result in no link being generated for the missing picture proxy image.

Changes at 6/7.1.3 beta 2

• Fixed a problem with CS5 scripting support which was preventing scripts from communicating with Xtags.

Changes at 6/7.1.3 beta 1

• Added support for InDesign CS5. Because CS5 required that we divide each plug-in into its UI and non-UI parts, there are now two plug-ins -- Xtags and Xtags UI -- which must be copied to InDesign's Plug-Ins folder to properly install Xtags. For CS5 on Windows, you'll need to copy the Xtags and Xtags UI subfolders within the zip's Plug-ins for InDesign CS5 to InDesign's Plug-Ins folder (or, preferably to an Em Software folder within the Plug-Ins folder). For all other platforms (CS4 on Windows and CS4 and CS5 on Mac OS X), simply copy the plug-ins from the archive's appropriate Plug-ins for InDesign folder to InDesign's Plug-Ins folder (or, preferably to an Em Software folder within the InDesign Plug-Ins folder).

• Missing pictures are now flagged by a proxy image (the red question mark) and the document is primed with a link to the missing picture's path. See pages 39 & 40 of the Xtags Users Guide (.pdf) for details about the "picture type" parameter and picture handling.

• Added support for above-line and custom positioning of anchored frames. In addition to A and B (see page 34 of the Xtags Users Guide), the "anchored alignment" parameter of an anchored box tag may now also contain the parameter sublist:

  • (O, flags, alignment, space before, space after) for "above line" positioning of the anchored frame, where alignment is one of L (left), C (center), R (right) or E (text alignment). If the S flag is specified (for spine-relative alignment), then R becomes "towards spine" and L becomes "away from spine"; or else,

  • (C, flags, object refpt, position refpt, x relto, x offset, y relto, y offset) for "custom" positioning of the anchored frame, where flags may contain S (relative to spine) and/or P (pin to column boundaries), object refpt and position refpt contain one of L (left), C (center), R (right) followed by one of T (top), V (vertical center) or B (bottom), x relto is one of A (anchor marker), C (column edge), F (text frame), M (page margin) or P (page edge) and y relto is one of B (line, baseline), H (line, cap height), L (line, top of leading), C (column edge), F (text frame), M (page margin) or P (page edge).

  For example,

  <&pb2(36,36,,,,(O,S,R,.25",.25"))>

  creates a picture frame with above line positioning (O) towards the spine (S + R) and quarter inch spacing both above and below.

  <&tb2(72,72,,,,(C,,RT,LV,F,0,H,2))>

  creates a custom-positioned anchored text frame (C), whose right-top corner (RT) is positioned relative to the left (L of LV) of the anchor marker's text frame (F) and the vertical center (V of LV) of the marker line's cap height (H) plus 2 points.

• Added support for the position lock flag (L) for inline and anchored frames.