How to change layers through the whole InDesign Book files?

[Lisa227640454ap4]

Hi everybody, i have a INDD book with 36 documents. All of these doc have the same LEVELS.

There is a way to change them from the book for all 36 doc?

Thanks for your time, and sorry for my english.

[jmlevy]

Levels? What do you mean? What do you want to achieve?

[Lisa227640454ap4]

oh sorry... no LEVELS but LAYERS.

[jmlevy]

What do you need to change about layers? Their name? I don't think it is posible to do this using the book features.

[Lisa227640454ap4]

i'm printing a PRICE LIST. I would like to "Activate" layer PRICE-1 or layer PRICE-2 only once for all 36 documents. Right now i have to open all documents, choose right layer, save and close, and then print all book. Not that fast!

I'm looking for some miraculous SCRIPT! ehehe!

thanks

[jmlevy]

Understood. Yes, maybe with a script but I am quite sure that you cannot do this using a book. I had tried @Peter Spier suggestion, but it does not work.

[Peter Spier]

Even if synching masters had worked to edit layers, it wouldn't have activated a layer throughout the book.

It does seem like it should be fairly straightforward to script, for those who write scripts, which does not include me.

[Peter Spier]

There doesn't seem to be a setting in the sychronize tool in the Book panel to synch layers, but you can synch master pages, so it's maybe possible you could do it through a back door.You can do some experimenting.

Layers are document wide, so if you change them on any page they change for all pages in the document. Try adding or editing a master page in one file, set it as the synch source, set the synch options to master pages only, and see waht happens. Do this on a test book, NOT your working project until you know what happens.

[Peter Spier]

Tried this on an old book file and it did not seem to work, but you should confirm.

[Lisa227640454ap4]

ehehe! i can't synch MASTER PAGES.

i keep experimenting and looking the web for a script. thanks a lot.

[Geоrge · Accepted solution]

Try this - https://creativepro.com/topic/any-way-to-synchronize-a-book-to-turn-onoff-layers/#post-56977

[Lisa227640454ap4]

LOVE IT!

thanks a lot!

[Peter Spier]

I definitely miss Jongware...

[pimt66400999]

Hello George,
Now after InDesign update 2023 18.0 x64 this magic script doesn't seem to work properly any more... I've used this script since CS5 for user manual book documents with a pictures layer, a lay-out layer and multiple language layers.
The script now gets caught up in a 'save as' loop and when you press cancel in stead of 'save' after unsuccessfully trying over and over again to save the concerning document... this is the result:

Does anyone else experience this problem?
Unfortunately the creator of this helpful script, Theunis de Jong, passed away in 2020... may he rest in peace.

[Peter Spier]

Try putting it in a folder in the Scripts Panel folder that is named "Version 7.0 Scripts" (without the quotes, but it is case sensitive). If the new version of InDesign doesn't recognize it that way, try changing the version number moving up until you reach the last version where it did work.

[pimt66400999]

Hello Peter,
Thank you for your fast reply!

You mean like this?

The new version InDesign does recognize the script, but it doesn's work (same error). Do I change the version to "Version 8.0 Scripts"? Up to 18.0?

[pimt66400999]

I see the version number is increasing, but unfortunately the same error keeps returning...

[Peter Spier]

I'm sorry this isn't working for you. The dialog certainly seems to indicate that it is trying to run as version 17.

I'm going to install it here and see what happens.

[Peter Spier]

OK, I installed version 18 (finally) and put the script into a Version 8.0 Scripts subfolder, opened an eancient book file with a dozen or so component files and ran the script. No Errors, so there's something else going on.

What version of Windows are you running?

It may not help, but it won't hurt and it might solve the problem if you replace the prefs. See Reset InDesign Preferences and Other Troubleshooting 

How long have you been working with version 18, and is everything else you've tried working OK?

[pimt66400999]

Wednesday (26-10) my InDesign version was automatically updated to version 18. Everything works fine in InDesign (hey, we now have a preview in Windows Explorer?!).
Yesterday morning I noticed the script wasn't working correctly, so I figured the version update must have had something to do with that...

I asked my colleague who works from home, and she encountered the same problem with running the script since her InDesign was updated to Version 18.


But, I think I found the problem... I tried a 'simple' manual with just one language (EN).

We have standard chapters that are the same for all manuals. These chapter documents contain all available language layers in the book document. The machine-specific chapters only contain the languages we need for that machine.
Now I removed all other languages exept the pictures, lay-out and EN layer: the script works fine!

I think this means we now need to have exactly the same layers in each chapter document in the book. This was not the case before Version 18... then you could choose the language layer you need (that is complete for all chapter documents in the book) and all the other language layers in the standard chapter documents were ignored.

This is not a very convenient new way of working for us...What a pity.

[Peter Spier]

Maybe one of the scripters can take a look at this.

[pimt66400999]

Reset InDesign Preferences and Other Troubleshooting 
By the way, this is a really helpful link! I will add this to my favorites.
Thanks Peter!