CS4 and CS6 on same PC, how to invoke InDesign?

[bedauph]

We have been running CS4 Bridge on a PC on which InDesign CS4 is also installed. We have an HTML interface displayed in the top navbar interacting with javascript callbacks. This has worked beautifully for the past 2.5 years.

We recently installed CS6 on the same PC. There is now a problem with this line of javascript:

indesign.executeScript(scriptcontents);

Bridge returns an error message: "indesign is undefined"

Problem: According to the documentation, using "indesign" should cause the latest version to run. This is not happening.

If I change the line to: "indesign6.executeScript(scriptcontents);" it works by running InDesign CS4 (which is version 6).

Problem: If I change the line to: "indesign8.executeScript(scriptcontents);" it returns an error message: "indesign8 is undefined" !!! CS6 is version 8 so this should work.

Any ideas? How can I communicate with InDesign CS6?

Thanks.

[Paul Riggott]

To check the installed versions you could try running this line from ExtendScript Toolkit ...

alert(BridgeTalk.getTargets(null).join('\n'));

[bedauph]

Hi Paul, Thanks for the info. I have InDesign CS6 open. When I run the code you suggested "indesign-8.0" shows up. The problem is indesign-8.0 is improper syntax in my jsx file.

[Muppet Mark]

What do you see listed when you look at the ESTK data browser…? Mine lists CS5 as indesign7 which I would expect…

From what I understand you could omit the versioning and use the non specific indesign instead…

It should still use the lastest installed? Unless another version is running…

The other option would be to drop the in-built cross DOM functions and bridgetalk the script sending yourself…

That's pretty much what these do for you anyhow…

[bedauph]

Hi Muppet Mark. Thanks for the suggestions. If I check DATA BROWSER in ESTK CS4 I see only indesign6. There is no indesign and no indesign8. My script is running in Bridge CS4.

Checking DATA BROWSER in ESTK CS6 I see indesign and indesign8, neither of which are recognized by my script running in Bridge CS4.

[Paul Riggott]

I suppose the easiest way is to set your scripts to run in Bridge CS6 as CS4 may not be able to talk to CS6.

[bedauph]

Yes, Paul. I'm afraid that's going to require some re-writes because the javascript callbacks work with html in a Bridge navbar. From what I can tell that is no longer supported. Looks like it bit the dust in CS5. (We never had CS5 here). Crap.

[Paul Riggott]

You will have fun with Bridge CS6, there are many scripting problems, colours, font size, treeview, images, scrollbars do not work as they should also had problems with navbars. You will need some creative scripting!

[Muppet Mark]

I think these built-in functions are to comm with the current or previous intalls… Pauls snippet looks like its getting the correct specifier… Have you tried sending a bridgetalk message to this… My CS5 still has HTML sorry I don't have CS6 or CS4 to try…

[Paul Riggott]

That snippet should be run from CS4 ESTK, it would then show if CS6 Indesign is available via BridgeTalk.

[bedauph]

Thanks, Paul. I may be able to get this going after all.

[bedauph]

You know, I thought I had tried it but I must have been getting frazzled... I just did a quick test and "indesign-8.0" seems to work with BridgeTalk from Bridge CS4. When clients are off the system later this evening I'll do some more tests on it.

Thanks much.