How do you export a full document as plain text, or text-based markup?

[Thomas_Calvin]

I've seen several posts claiming that you can just go to File/Export and choose text. No; this option does not exist.

I have a file that's 20+ pages, all one story. I tried exporting to "InDesign Markup," which is utterly useless because it's not a markup; it's just another binary file format.

Then I tried exporting to XML, which is utterly broken. What I got, for a 27-page document, was one screenful of XML with only 11 elements that contain one line of text... text that doesn't appear in the original document! I have no idea where it came from.

Then I tried HTML, and got nothing but blank pages... albeit with the master pages' headers (which were graphics). The page count at least looked appropriate, unlike the tiny fragment of XML.

At this point I am utterly stumped as to how this tool can be used in any kind of quality-controlled workflow. I need a way to compare the text of two documents and detect where it changed. This is esssential to our work. How are we to accomplish this, when there is no way to get text out of this application?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Global Vision sounds similar to Acrobat's basic function if both files are PDFs, but I can see where where GV does much more. I would think the cost per user/per month puts GV out of the range of most users. 

[Eugene Tyson]

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS it's a million times better than Adobe Compare Files - there's really no comparison. 

It can scan barcodes, braille, etc. and save reports - as well as compare pixel by pixel differences in changed areas. It's really useful. 

And agree, it's price is not for the average user, it's a lot more commercial price. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I realize it is a lot better--it should be for the cost. I was saying for basic PDF comparision, Acrobat can suffice. I've had it mark areas of photos (in a PDF) that were lightened in Photoshop. 

[Eugene Tyson]

Absolutely can be used and I've used it before with great sucess. 

I've had less sucess with complex documents but it's still very viable. 

[Colin Flashman]

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS - @Eugene Tyson has basically said what I was going to say.

Comparing Global Vision with Acrobat's compare feature is like comparing a Ducati to pushbike. Acrobat means well with its comparison facility but it is absolutely no match to the likes of Global Vision where forensic detail not just counts. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I did read up on Global Vision after it was first mentioned and saw what it was capable of (and what it cost!). I even mentioned that in a follow up post. My point was, as posted, for _most_ users, the compare feature in Acrobat should suffice.