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A
adina@thevoiceoflakewood.
Inspiring
December 20, 2018
Answered

Magazine automated date

  • December 20, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 542 views

Hi,

I design a weekly magazine and I am wondering if there is a way to automate the date on the footer to be the date we publish ( we print the day before). I have 4 indesign template documents in an indesign book which I work off of every week.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Barb Binder

    Hi Adina:

    I use a date variable in quarterly journals because date appears in multiple places: on the front cover, the inside front cover, the spine and the running heads of the body pages. I use it because I'm afraid I'll forget to change one of them.

    This may not be a timesaver for you.

    ~Barb

    2 replies

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 20, 2018

    Hi Adina:

    In that scenario, I define a new variable with the publication date (New > Name/Custom Text).

    Insert the variable in the appropriate places in the document and edit the definition each week. InDesign will update the variable in each location used in a single file.

    You can then load the updated variable definition from that one file into the other three files each week.

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    A
    adina@thevoiceoflakewood.Author
    Inspiring
    December 20, 2018

    thanks.

    Got it.

    Right now I have the date set on my master page and linked to all the other ones in that book so I just fill in one and the rest update. Not sure the text variable method will save time or help avoid errors,

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    December 20, 2018

    Hi Adina:

    I use a date variable in quarterly journals because date appears in multiple places: on the front cover, the inside front cover, the spine and the running heads of the body pages. I use it because I'm afraid I'll forget to change one of them.

    This may not be a timesaver for you.

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    JonathanArias
    JonathanArias
    Legend
    December 20, 2018

    you can created a variable.

    here:

    Using Text Variables for InDesign Masters - YouTube

    A
    adina@thevoiceoflakewood.Author
    Inspiring
    December 20, 2018

    that video showed me how to create a text variable like a chapter number, but I am looking to put in the date each week - for example each Thursdays date (we publish Thursday).

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