Link to word doc in google docs works... once!

[turner111]

I just tried out droppping a word doc into google docs & linking it on import.

Worked great.

So, I tried adding a line to see what happens... as soon as I updated the link, ID decided I wanted a page break after every paragraph.

[spoiler alert!]

I don't.

Any way around this?

[BobLevine]

I don't even understand WHY you're doing that. But if linking to either Google Docs and/or Word, you should check out WordsFlow and DocsFlow from em software: Em Software

[turner111]

Hey Bob-

Kind of a workaround to InCopy. Thanks for the link, but based on the subscription pricing, I'll find a different workaround 😉

Siderant: HOW is MS Office even still alive? I mean... you've used it, right?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Siderant: HOW is MS Office even still alive? I mean... you've used it, right?

Not really the place to discuss it, but there are no particularly good replacements for Word or Excel. The rest of MSO is crap.

(And no, kinda-clones with 75% of the feature set aren't really an alternative; near-universal compatibility can only be dismissed by someone who wasn't there when no two programs on earth used the same format and massive file conversion programs were a necessity for many businesses.)

[Frans v.d. Geest]

It is no workaround because you will loose formatting when updating, if you don't want to go the InCopy way then go the Wordsflow/Docsflow way or you will be stuck reformatting your text over and over.

(And MS Office has great, great features).

[turner111]

Hi Frans,

I have styles set up to replace anything brought in with word, but I don't know if you mean everything is lost and/or "recompiled" if a linked Word doc is updated. ( I assume so, and am trying out InCopy.)

Regarding great, great features... well... if so, MS sure does a great job of keeping them secret. IMO it's some of the dumbest, most convoluted software I've ever used, and I've use it for years. Can you drag rows and columns in Excel yet?

As noted, though, this isn't the place to bash Office, but it's... easy and fun.

(Though in their defense, for the past few weeks, MS support has been actively trying to help me locally create a subfolder in Outlook for Mac. Maybe next they can help me get rules working again... fingers crossed...)

[BobLevine]

InCopy is $5/month standalone and is included with a full CC subscription.

[turner111]

Yeah, I've been testing it out - seems reasonably good, though as you may have seen my other post, I'd love it if it had built-in functionality to keeps view synced between IC and ID.

[BobLevine]

Why would that be at all desirable? Two separate apps being used by different people. I don't get it.

[turner111]

As noted, I'm testing it out, and like the word-processor feel, but need to see what it's doing in context regarding images, reflow, etc. I realize I could use the Story editor, and I've been trying that out. It's ok so far, but I think it should have its own dedicated "Find" function.
Back to InCopy - search isn't working. I honestly can't tell what's going on here. Expected to search & find a word. I'm searching for a word right there in front of me, and it's not finding it.
And what's the search window up at the top of the IC window for? It opens up a search of the Adobe site? I mean... why?

[Barb Binder]

InCopy most definitely has its own find and change dialog box. It's in the Edit menu just like InDesign.

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

And what's the search window up at the top of the IC window for? It opens up a search of the Adobe site? I mean... why?

Oh I forgot to address your closing statement, the Search field on the top right of both InDesign and InCopy will allow you to look up how to use a feature. Had you adding "find" it would have opened up a help file to show you how to locate and use the Find/Change dialog box. 

Why? To be helpful for a new user.

~Barb

[turner111]

Hi Barb,

My InDesign "Search Bar":

For those who need help:

So, I guess I'm overlooking something pretty obvious here... 😉

Regarding search: If it's software, I'll break it. I broke it. I'll have to look again at InCopy, but cmd-f opened search, which didn't work. I assume cmd-f also closed it, but I don't remember.

[Barb Binder]

So, I guess I'm overlooking something pretty obvious here... 😉
From your second screen shot, choose InDesign Help and type in whatever feature you need help with. 

I'll have to look again at InCopy, but cmd-f opened search, which didn't work. I assume cmd-f also closed it, but I don't remember.

Cmd+F will open and close the Find/Change dialog box in both apps. And yes it works in InCopy, you can see that in my video, above. 

You might find it helpful to track down a class that will introduce to the interface and then show you how to use InDesign. These feel like very painful first steps for you, and it doesn't need to be that way. 

~Barb

[turner111]

Hi Barb - taking a class sure wouldn't hurt. It would have to be the right class though.

That said, I've put together tens of thousands of pages of content in ID; unfortunately, knowledge and working around doesn't undo poor choices in interface design (cmd-f closing find dialogs) or add features (inline endnotes).

These things do in fact feel like first steps sometimes, because... they're fundamental.

At least I can finally embed .webp, though... 😉

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

When an app has thousands of commands that can be used in a thousand or more possible workflows, some hierarchy and organization has to be applied. The choice is thus to learn the UI as it's used by many thousands of pro users, with the knowledge that it it somewhat customizable... or complain that the five features you use don't have ribbon icons.

One of those is productive. The other... well, it's not rare. 

But WEBP answers any remaining questions I might have had. Keep up the good fight.