Stupid question of the day

[JMc_1972]

Morning all!
So, here's the situation:
Colleague 1 creates an InDesign file, saves it on the main server. Then creates an InCopy Assignment, saving it on the CC Files Server.
Colleague 2 opens the icma file on his/hers computer, corrects the file and checks everything back in.
Colleague 3 opens the InDesign document, but on her/his computer, the connection to the InCopy Assignment file is gone.
Colleague 1 still has all the connections active.
Is InDesign not able to work across different workstations when working with icma files?

Cheers all!

[BobLevine]

Stop using assignments. There is zero reason for them with such a small work group.

Export the InCopy content from InDesign making sure it's accessible to all users and then open the INDD file in InCopy.

BTW, I'm no big fan of CC storage. Dropbox and Onedrive are, IMO, superior.

[JMc_1972]

I think it is pretty clear to all of us, that you are not a big fan of Assignments 😉

But, if colleague number 2 is NOT connected to our main server, how can we work without Assigments?
Is there something I have misunderstood? 

Oh and, I have had really BAD experiences using Onedrive, so that is a big no from here. Dropbox is noted.

Cheers.

[BobLevine]

Assignments require more work and more organization than a straight layout based workflow. So, yes, you're missing something but without knowing your full workflow with details it's impossible to tell you exactly what that is.

[JMc_1972]

So, here is the workflow. Unfortunately, as we are sitting hundreds of kilometers away from some of our colleagues, and a VPN is not an option, this is what we have to deal it.
STEP 1.
The layouter prepares the document for a member of the editorial staff. 
Saves the Assigment file on an external cloud server (CC) as we haves colleagues NOT connected to our main server.
STEP 2.

The editor/writer, opens the assignment file directly from the CC server. Writes the text directly in the assignment file. Saves and closes the file.

STEP 3.
Proof reader (Not connected to our main server) checks the assignment file and does the corrections directly on the CC server.

STEP 4.
The editor checks the changes and accepts or declines the changes.
STEP 5.
When the text has been approved, a layouter updates the assigment in InDesign and finishes the artwork.

So, to repeat my actual question, does the InDesign file lose 'connection' to the Assignment file when the Indesign file is opened from another workstation/InDesign user than the original?

Cheers.
 

[BobLevine]

You cannot change an assignment. You can only edit InCopy stories so I'm still not 100% sure of what's happening here.

I can tell you this...skip the assignment and just export the InCopy content to a subfolder and have the InCopy user open the INDD file. Check out any content, edit, check back in and assuming everything is synching properly, when the INDD file is opened by the InDesign user they'll get an alert that content has changed and prompted to accept the updates.

[JMc_1972]

This would the best way, this we can agree on.

BUT, we can only save our INDD files on our own server. (For reasons not important here)

AND, one or more of the people involved in the projects ARE NOT and CAN NOT be connected to our server. (For reasons not important here)

This is the reason for the Assigment file on the CC server. I cannot see another solution as long as we are forced to leave the INDD on our own server?

Cheers

[BobLevine]

You can't separate the INDD from the ICMA/ICML files. You can try the remote workflow where you package the assignment but that workflow is not one I can recommend and it's been 10 years since I even looked at it.

[JMc_1972]

OK, I think this is what I expected. Unfortunately we cannot change the workflow because of our client.
And the package option is also not an option. 

I think we just have to live with the lack of flexibilty on this project. 

Thanks for taking your time.

[BobLevine]

Sorry to hear that. I hope this doesn't mean going back to faxing changes.

[JMc_1972]

ha ha, well it's not that bad... 

[Geоrge]

>> So, to repeat my actual question, does the InDesign file lose 'connection' to the Assignment file when the Indesign file is opened from another workstation/InDesign user than the original?

AFAIR, — one user can work with one assignment in one moment of time.