Inspiring

Answered

Scripting - moving around pages of a spread (Book cover made of 3 pages)

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
May 23, 2024
4 replies
3819 views

Hi guys,

I would like to create a script that helps me deal with Book covers files in a faster way.

One thing I've no idea how to handle it is to **move pages on the pasteboard** in Indesign, via script and more precisely, put them next to each other.

What do we have:

- I've got a spread made of 3 pages (Back Cover - Spine - Front Cover)
- The width of the spine always needs to be adjusted (upon printing house demand)

What do I need to do:

- Change the dimension of the Spine (this part is ok)

- Move apart the pages to help me deal with the new Spine dimension

- Get the pages stacked again to get a nice spread

For the sake of precisions:

I need to move apart the pages to get some space and deal with the designs, artworks, texts that need to be adjusted, shrink or expand, and fit better the new dimension of the spine

Any help would be nice

Thanks

PS: I've had a look at HurryCover from Indiscripts/ M.Autret but I'd like to keep the 3-pages Cover thing and share my script to our subcontractors so they can speed up their work too. So this can not be an option unfortunately

Scripting

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Laubender

Hi @Fred.L ,

you said:

"What do I need to do:

- Change the dimension of the Spine (this part is ok)

- Move apart the pages to help me deal with the new Spine dimension

- Get the pages stacked again to get a nice spread

"

Well, change the dimension of the spine, move apart the pages surrounding the spine page horizontally.

That can be achieved automatically when using the option Facing Pages enabled in the document setup dialog.

All that without a script…

FWIW:

If Facing Pages is not enabled you have to move the back page and the cover page every time when you change the width of the spine page. For projects like yours I always use Facing Pages enabled and two spreads with 3 pages each for the cover of a book.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@Fred.L

Or maybe this will help you:

https://www.indiscripts.com/category/projects/HurryCover

Courtesy of @Marc Autret

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

If you set up the document as double sided, and not as single pages, the change of the width of the spine moves automatically the pages to their correct position. I never move them appart and move it back. I change the spine width and the other pages move correct to their new position.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

If you set up the document as double sided, and not as single pages, the change of the width of the spine moves automatically the pages to their correct position. I never move them appart and move it back. I change the spine width and the other pages move correct to their new position.

By @Willi Adelberger

Exactly.

L

Laubender

Correct answer

Community Expert

Hi @Fred.L ,

you said:

"What do I need to do:

- Change the dimension of the Spine (this part is ok)

- Move apart the pages to help me deal with the new Spine dimension

- Get the pages stacked again to get a nice spread

"

Well, change the dimension of the spine, move apart the pages surrounding the spine page horizontally.

That can be achieved automatically when using the option Facing Pages enabled in the document setup dialog.

All that without a script…

FWIW:

If Facing Pages is not enabled you have to move the back page and the cover page every time when you change the width of the spine page. For projects like yours I always use Facing Pages enabled and two spreads with 3 pages each for the cover of a book.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

Fred.LAuthor

Inspiring

Hey,

Thanks for your answer
I didn't actually think about that way of doing it…
Just tested second ago. Works fine indeed.
I think you just proposed something that may well be an easier solution than using a script…

We could work on the Master pages and the Spread could only be a way to gather/ exploit the datas then. Nice ^^

I think I'm actually going for it 😊

Thank you very much Uwe 😉

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Hey,

Thanks for your answer
I didn't actually think about that way of doing it…
Just tested second ago. Works fine indeed.
I think you just proposed something that may well be an easier solution than using a script…

We could work on the Master pages and the Spread could only be a way to gather/ exploit the datas then. Nice ^^

I think I'm actually going for it 😄

Thank you very much Uwe 😉

By @Fred.L

That's why I couldn't understand what you were doing - changing width of the spine page will automatically "move" back and front cover pages.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

I can never understand why people want to work on 3x separate pages - instead of working on a single wide page? Same as when working on X-fold leaflets.

Just add guides to mark the spine / fold lines.

And if someone really needs all elements to automatically move when size changes -> Liquid Layout.

m1b

Community Expert

Hi Robert, OP is looking for a way to adjust their design quickly once the spine thickness is known. - Mark

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Hi Robert, OP is looking for a way to adjust their design quickly once the spine thickness is known. - Mark

By @m1b

I know - that's why I've suggested Liquid Layout.

No need to adjust anything - when it's been done right in the 1st place.

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