InDesign Actions

[dtpartner_Suzz]

Make Actions in InDesign (like in Illustrator and Photoshop)

[Peter Spier]

This is something I've wished for from time to time.

InDesign allows for scripts, which are far more powerful that simple actions, and you can use the transform again commands to repeat what you just did, but there is no way to record a sequence of operations and save them for later re-use, which would be a real bonus for the non-scripters among us.

Peter

[lightal65]

I totally agree. We need actions in InDesign - scripting is way too complex (and I'm a web designer who writes JS!). Photoshop has had them for years, and they are absolutely wonderful.

[PA-Sami]

I can't believe it's over 12 years since this post and it still isn't a thing.

Absolutely agree. Illustrators actions aren't as robust and can't call on specific presets which is upsetting and the export panel is a laugh. 

I have about 50 different actions in photoshop which I have mapped to hotkeys and then to a stream deck. If anything there should be more options available for conditional loops, simple variables, input boxes. I'm sure someone will say scripting is available. I used to do scripting with Microsoft products but the point is the basis is there in actions and it should be available without the need for detailed scripting. 

I mean if Apple can implement Siri shortcuts what is Adobe's excuse?

[rob day]

When InDesign was released QuickKeys was available on OSX and it allowed you to record actions, but the variables with InDesign are so complex that, depending on the state of the application, the actions routinely broke and QK was unusable for anything other than the simplest routines. Photoshop documents are a single bitmap object, so there are far fewer variables.

[PA-Sami]

That's like saying when some cars were made they didn't have seatbelts and we tried putting some in and they didn't work so we ditched the idea. 

Actions can be incredibly powerful and save a huge amount of time. Especially for professionals who use their software and have an increasing amount of repetitive tasks which could be automated.  case in point I use an amazing exporting app from Zevrix which handles my hundreds of exports I do every month. Now while I am happy to support another developer (and he is so helpful and very responsive), there is so much that could be automated by having actions within Indesign (and giving more power to actions in Ps and Ai). 

The reality is, Adobe doesn't see value in it, their focus is elsewhere. 

[rob day]

case in point I use an amazing exporting app from Zevrix which handles my hundreds of exports I do every month.

But the Zervix plugins are either Javascript or SDK code. That’s exactly the kind of thing that would break with a recorded action.

[rob day]

Consider an apparently simple action like making a 1" filled rectangle in the upper left corner of page 7 with an object style applied. What happens if page 7, the object style, and the fill color swatch don’t exist when the action is run? What’s meant by page 7, is it absolute page 7 or a section number 7? What if the rulers are set to points instead of inches, the ruler’s zero point isn’t [0,0], and rulers are set to spreads?

Even for that simple task you need a scripting language to consider the conditions, save, set and reset the ruler and other preferences, and handle the errors when the page, object style, and color swatches don’t exist.

[_Ron_M_Anderson_]

You are so right "there is no way to record a sequence of operations and save them for later re-use, which would be a real bonus for the non-scripters among us." I'm constantly running into cases where I want to create an action, like I used to be able to, where I can save a series of keystrokes to reuse.

Why in the world would Adobe discontinue this useful capability??

Ron

[BobLevine]

> Why in the world would Adobe discontinue this useful capability??

You can't discontinue something that never existed. You must be thinking
about something else.

Bob

[Scott Falkner]

> Why in the world would Adobe discontinue this useful capability?

I don't believe they did. Actions have never been a feature of InDesign.

[ascript_guy]

If you are working on a Mac, Applescript isn't that hard.  I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack and I can do it.  Start by opening up some of the supplied scripts in Script Editor.  There are Applescripts that are very complex, but an "action" script is usually limited in scope and simple.  Do you have an example Action that you'd like to have?

[dtpartner_Suzz]

Placed a Word document with mathamatic formulas which origanally came from Scientific Workplace (This program is based on Latex).

All formulas are inline graphics AND imbedded .eps files.

The .eps files need to bee unembed in the link panel menu

In the folowing Popup shows the text "Unembed file ... Do you want to link to the original files"

Answer: Yes

The dialog Choose a Folder follows. Then you need to choose or create a folder.

Answer: Choose

Followed by selecting the inline graphic in InDesign

Palet menu Links choose Edit Original

The .eps file will be opened in Illustrator

In Illustrator i allready made some Actions

After editing the eps file in Illustrator i go back to InDesign

Relink the files in het Links panel

With a few hundred formulas (imbedded inline graphics) you can understand that it whould be great to have Actions in InDesign. But if you think it is possible to make a script... Just let me know...

[Guest]

Does the upcoming CS5 have actions? Is there a automated way of

exporting to ePub?

[Peter Spier]

Nobody participating in thei s forum is in a position ot be able to answer questions about what might or might not be included in any future release. We'll all have to wait for the public announcements.

[Jo_si_ah]

+1 for Actions in InDesign.  Or perhaps a "script recorder" that let you see how to accomplish actions via javascript or whatever language you choose.

I need to import an XML file, export pdf, import a different XML, export pdf, etc etc 150 times.

[Guest]

There is a server version for Indesign. Maybee the reason for this.

[MAmanogabriel1]

Actions are a time saver in Photoshop. Don´t know why they doesn´t exist in InDesign. I need to place 235 tables from illustrator: Place, scale 65%, rotate 90° and center on page... 235 times!

[Guest]

if you need to do this more than one time you will be faster if you write a script that does it instead of doing it manually each time.

[Peter Spier]

If you are doing the same transformations repeatedly, you can do one frame, then select as many more as possible (i.e, the rest that are on the spread or all that are on another spread), then Object > Transform > Transform Again > Transform Sequence Again Individually. This is not quite as nice as an action, but comes fairly close, and you can edit the keyboard shortcuts to assigne a shortcut to the command if yo need to use it a lot.

[abelcher1987]

There is an action script recorder out there, by Rorohiko nonetheless.  However you'll have to fork over $100 for it.

https://www.rorohiko.com/wordpress/action-recorder/

[elaineg94828332]

It's 2015 and some of us continue to wish for actions in InDesign. I've read the apple scripting tute from start to finish and searched dozens of forums and I still can't accomplish the simplest tasks. Did you ever get it to do what you wanted?

[Marketing Allan Dale]

+1 Agreed. It's 2016 and there is still no way to do this? Doesn't Microsoft Word have a macro recorder? How about answering user requests instead of adding feature bloat? Or fixing some bugs? I love Indesign but come on Adobe, listen to your users....

[AnticaPress]

PLEASE!!!  It's a fantastic feature in Microsoft Office - because you can record a Macro so that you don't just have to magically know what all the variables are called, and then edit to your heart's content.

I'm about to place text anchors and hyperlinks for 432 endnotes... IF ONLY I could just record what I was doing one time, then I could easily write a script to repeat. Sigh.

I think I'm going to call Adobe and have them tell me all the variable names I need, and express this desire.

[Guest]

AnticaPress  wrote

I think I'm going to call Adobe and have them tell me all the variable names I need, and express this desire.

Good idea! I might, too...