Participating Frequently

Question

InDesign crashes when updating InCopy ICML files

Forum|Forum|15 years ago
July 1, 2010
9 replies
43762 views

I created an assignment file with around 20 different stories. The next time I opened InDesign the writer had input text to most of the story files. One story file was a couple of pages of text, the rest were just a few lines of copy, nothing huge. Every time I tried to update the ICML files InDesign crashed. I didn't matter if I only tried updating one story or all of them, it always crashed. I was working on a PC when this happened. I moved over to my Mac to try and updated the ICML files and it crashed there too.

The actual InCopy ICML files on the server were fine. The writer never realized there was a problem. All of the copy was sitting there, so I was able to go back and re-import all the copy.

I did all the basic stuff to resolve the issue like restart, trash the prefs, convert to INX, and try on different computer. Nothing worked, crashed InDesign every time.

I'm currently using CS5, but this same issue came up last year on another project in CS4 as well.

Has anyone had this happen and/or know of a fix other than re-importing all the story files?

This topic has been closed for replies.

annav403564

Participant

Hi all!
My indd crashed when I was trying to apdate the assigned icml files. It was a nightmare until I found out it was trying to update an assignment in a hidden layer. When I deleted the hidden layers everything worked OK

C

CRoueche

Participant

Hi Folks,

I know this is a pretty old thread, but in case anyone is still watching or happens upon it...

We ran into crashing when importing ICML (the file format that backs InDesign-InCopy communications) with our suite of connectivity plug-ins (DocsFlow, for Google Docs, and WordsFlow, for Word/Excel/text files). We discovered that the crash is related to having Text Threads visible (View > Extras > Show Text Threads) when importing ICML containing "custom" anchored frames. Preventing this particular crash is as simple as hiding Text Threads (View > Extras > Hide Text Threads) in InDesign before updating any InCopy stories.

In case it's at all interesting, we beefed up our WordsFlow product

(http://emsoftware.com/products/wordsflow/) with a general (programmatic) workaround so that any ICML import will be protected and "just work" when WordsFlow is installed. Feel free to contact Em Software for more information at support (at) emsoftware.com.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Chris Roueche / Em Software, Inc.

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CRoueche

Participant

[Edit] Whoops, somehow I missed a year's worth (or more) of responses. My post is directed at the initial page of woes that involve InDesign, InCopy, and custom-anchored frames. I should note, too, that our testing found that the Text Threads crash occurs in InDesign CS5, CS5.5, CS6, and CC.

John Hawkinson

Inspiring

FabianaGO: As previously noted, you appear to be generating blank replies. If you are intending to reply via email, please come to http://forums.adobe.com/message/5690259#5690259 and enter your reply there. Otherwise, I'll assume that you have an autoresponder running and I'll ask a forum administrator to unsubscribe you from this thread.

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gwiebe

Participant

We are also using indesign cs 6 and incopy workflow - our crash had stemmed from a suitcase fusion plugin (auto activation) - by default a plugin was installed to automatically turn on the needed fonts for our documents. Since our indesign machines had this plugin and our incopy machines did not it created a mis alignment of software so when our editors finished with the incopy files and gave it back to us it would crash our indesign cs 6. As a test we turned off the Suitcase fusion auto activation - restarted indesign - wrotye new assignments and whola back in business. Adobe does not support any type of plugin so it got us to thinking that this was the only plugin that we use in our workflow so it had to be the issue - and it was. Now not sure if you have the same set up but it is worth a look into wheather you are running any plug-in in your indesign app.

BobLevine

Community Expert

Have you contacted Extensis about that? Their support is very good IME. You should also make sure you're fully updated with InDesign, InCopy and SF.

BTW, AFAIK, only SF 4 and 5 have plugins for CS6 and for CC you'll need SF5.

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Brian_Emery

Participant

Hello all. This is my first post here. Came across this thread while troubleshooting this same issue (ID-Mac IC-Win7) with CS6.

Through some blackbox troubleshooting I finally was able to find a common factor. Unfortunetly the designers have already removed and "rebuilt" the links so I don't have a case to test my theory.

The only common factor I found was in the icml files meta-data. All publications that were crashing had text boxes that have been rolled over and over to the point that the creation dates were in 2010 and the application they were created by were ID 4.x-7.x and the 28-page publication that didnt not have these errors showed the text boxes were created by ID CS6.

So it seems like CS5 and earlier saved the meta-data at 7.x and CS6 actually saved the meta-data showing it was made by ID "CS6".

Can anyone check this out for me? Click on the box, then go to "File Info..." and it's under the second from the right tab.

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Anonymous

Hi there,

We are also having issues with InDesign CS6 and InCopy CS6 crashing out of date assignments.

Documents are created from templates by the designer from imported .doc files, styled up with ID style sheets, Indesign files saved on the server, ICML files exported and saved on the server. Editorial staff then open the INDD files in InCopy and make their edits. Once edits are made then design team open INDD files and try to update links, this causes the crash. We have found the crashes are intermittant which is odd, it can crash 3 different machines with InDesign one day, but a few days later it can miraculously open! Unfortunately most of the time we are not able to update the links and having to create new INDD documents, importing the ICML, copying the text, unlinking the story in INDD and pasting over with the copied ICML files, then re-exporting the ICML file.

I have pasted my crash log here:

http://pastebin.com/fWjSurpJ

If you skip past the first error 'Lost network connection of open database' (we are unsure what this issue is also) and skip to the 'Error Code 0x20705: "The content is locked and cannot be modified." where we believe the issue is originating from.

Design team work on Win7 with up-to-date InDesign CS6 V8.0.1 and Editoral work on a mix of Win7 & 98 with InCopy CS6 8.0.1.

Thanks,

David

Gusgsm

Inspiring

Hi, there.

It's me again. After some weeks without trouble. We are having this issue again randomly. It's driving us nuts as we cannot pinpoint where to aim to avoid it.

Our environment and workflow is extremely similar to the one the previous poster, David Bevan, describes.

We could send anybody interested a zip file with the folders and files. Just in case.

Bad bad day.

Gustavo (posting from Madrid)

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ETC steph

Participating Frequently

Yep - me too. I am struggling again with InDesign crashes when opening an indd book file that has exported InCopy stories. Stories which have been edited and are ready for update back into the .indd file. Opening the .indd is fine, but when I try to check out/update the InCopy stories, InDesign crashes... hard and has corrupted the file now. Yippee!

So frustrating! I am ready to write off InCopy as an editing tool as it has always caused issues. Before there would be crashes and corruption of data when the InCopy editor would have a newer or older patch build of IC than the exported story. Now, who the heck knows why we have this issue. Ugh!

I have a book file with multiple indd docs, interactivity built-in, InCopy stories, tables, anchored graphics, links, embedded video, the whole package... and now, it is corrupt! Good news, I can open the .indd file in InCopy and see the edits perfectly. Updating the .indd file is just not going to happen. Now, on to plan B... again.

Sure wish Adobe could get this right. It would be an awesome tool if it worked. As of now, its just a good, yet expensive Concept!

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Anonymous

Hey Steph,

It's a work around, but it does work . . . open a new document and place the IC files that need to be updated into the new document. Select all the text in the story, copy it, then open your original ID file, DO NOT UPDATE the stories. Unlink them and then select with in the story, select all, and paste over. Make sure you paste the correct IC story into the correct story block in the ID file. Once you have all the undated stories in the ID document, export the document to IDML (InDesign Mark Up Language) and then open the IDML file and save over the old ID document. Re-export your IC docs and the crashes should stop.

I've managed to correct all the files that were crashing on me through this route. However, the IDML export seems to be necessary even if you've created the document from scratch. One thing that might prevent this hangup with complex files is creating the file with all it's complexity and then exporting to IDML before exporting to IC. Just a thought.

J

JamesMonroeDesignLLC

Participating Frequently

YES!

I have this happen on a regular basis.

I can't even re-import stories. If your document has too many images, or anything too complicated, this software just crashes your InDesign app.

If I HAVE to use InCopy in my workflow, I have the editor send me each assignment (not too big, because the app can't handle it) and test each one, so they aren't wasting all this time entering corrections.

Unless Adobe fixes this simple issue, this application is worthless.

Sorry, this doesn't help, but others are having these issues.

Very frustrating!

A

Anonymous

I discovered that I can place the InCopy story into a new empty document and then copy and paste it back into the layout. I have to unlink the IC story in the layout to do this, but once I have it up to date, I reexport it over the top of the existing ICML. A bit of a time-consuming work around, but at least I don't lose the edits. It's less cumbersome than exporting every single document to IDML--which I'm not sure will work in this instance. Luckily, I have flowed the whole complex text stream into a single story, so this work around isn't too bad. For multiple stories, it would be time-prohibitive.

I have exported the next lesson (of many) into IDML and back before exporting it to InCopy, but I'll have to wait to see whether that fixes it. My editor is out of the office today.

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Enchanted_inventor16B7Author

Participating Frequently

In a stable environment it should be working just fine.

I would avoid opening documents created in earlier versions of InDesign but besides that what you are seeing is most certainly not the norm.

Bob

I've worked on a few large document projects over the past couple of years with CS4 and CS5 and this issue always comes up

a few times during the project. I love the indesign/incopy workflow, so I just deal with the issue and keep hoping an update will fix it.

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Anonymous

Any resolution on this? I've just run into the same issue.

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Enchanted_inventor16B7Author

Participating Frequently

No, unfortunately I haven't found an answer to why or exactly what causes the issue. My fix has been to recreate the document. You can import the ICML files for the content, but you need to create a new file. Whatever gets corrupt carries through if simply you do a Save As.

Harbs.

Legend

Try IDML...

Harbs

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