Legacy InDesign ingest: Prepare a Content Automation file for upload

This article applies to the legacy InDesign Ingest feature offered in Content Automation. The new experience allows you to seamlessly convert an InDesign package into a multi-page drag and drop template. 

What is an InDesign template?

An InDesign template is a template that was created using a file that has been prepared and then imported from InDesign into Content Automation. 

Creating a template through InDesign Import is useful when: 

• The design is low complexity/low customization. 
• You have a static design that doesn’t require layout changes.
• You need to get content to market very quickly.
• You have a one-off piece of content.
• You’d like to test a template before further investment. 
• You’d like to take ownership of template creation.

Prepare the InDesign File using tags

Any data you would like to be transferred from InDesign to Content Automation so it can be edited by the wider team will need to be labeled with XML tags in the InDesign program.

When importing from InDesign, Content Automation identifies XML tags in the IDML and converts these to inputs.

1. In InDesign, select Window>Utilities>Tags to open the Tags panel.
2. Show tagged markers via View>Structure>Show Tag Markers.
3. Show tagged frames via View>Structure>Show Tag Frames. If you still can’t see the tags visualized on your document, try pressing ‘W' which toggles InDesign’s Preview Mode.
4. Follow InDesign’s detailed help guide that can take you through how to create tags and tag elements.
5. Double check your tagging before exporting to avoid having to re-upload your IDML file to fix errors.

Any effects or formatting that is applied to a tagged element in InDesign will also be applied to the output in Content Automation. E.g. if you set a black and white filter to a tagged InDesign image, any images that are uploaded into the image input will also appear in black and white.

Package the file as an IDML

The InDesign integration requires a package to be exported from InDesign including IDML files, linked images, and fonts. 

To package an InDesign file:

1. In InDesign, select File>Package.
2. In the package dialogue box, ensure you click the checkbox that reads Include IDML. 
3. Click Package.

Your InDesign package with IDML, image links, and fonts will then be downloaded as one folder on your device.

InDesign has a detailed help guide that can take you through how to package an InDesign file available here.