Datasheet

Customizing aPPliCation defaults
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Within those folders, you should see a subfolder for Workspaces. Open that, and you’ll find
an XML file of the workspace you just created. Go back up to the Menu Sets folder to find your
recently created menu set. At the same level as both of those folders, you’ll find others, called
InDesign Shortcut Sets, Autocorrect, Find-Change Queries, Glyph Sets, Print Presets,
Preflight Presets, and more. Note that you may not see all of those folders; they’re created the
first time you save a customization in that respective area of InDesign. If you’ve not yet created
Autocorrect replace pairs, saved Find/Change queries, or created a custom Glyph set, you won’t
have folders for them. All of these folders store personal, per-user settings that are machine and
even platform independent. You can pick up these files by copying the entire Version 7.0 folder,
carry them to any other installation of InDesign CS5 on the same platform (Windows or Mac), copy
them to the same locations on the new machine, and have access to them at that workstation just as
you would your own. When you launch InDesign, your copied workspace will be on the Window
Workspaces menu, your keyboard and menu sets in the Keyboard Shortcuts and Customize Menu
dialog boxes’ Sets drop-down lists, and your Autocorrect, Find/Change, and Glyphs sets where
they belong (I cover each later in this book). In fact, if you’re handy with scripting, you could prob-
ably write an AppleScript or VBScript or BAT file that, upon execution on a target workstation,
copies the Version 7.0 folder from the USB drive to the hard drive.
You can even store your portable InDesign settings on your iPod, which, if you didn’t realize
it, can hold any type of data, not just music and videos. That would sell a few copies of this book!
I can see the cover line now: Run InDesign from Your iPod! I’ll have to talk to my publisher’s
marketing team.
Customizing Application Defaults
Is there a way to change the default font/swatches/hyphenation options/whatever? Collectively, its
probably the most common question I’m asked. Answer: Yes. If you can change the font family
and style in the Character panel, you can change the default font. Likewise with creating new
default swatches and removing the swatches with which InDesign ships. In fact, if you can do
almost anything, you can make it the new default. Just do it with all documents closed.
Open InDesign without a document and look at the panels. If an option is grayed out, you
cant change its default. If it isn’t grayed out, well…there you are. Do you want hyphenation
turned off by default instead of on? Uncheck the Hyphenate box on the Paragraph panel (choose
Show Options from the panel flyout menu if you dont see it). To remove swatches you rarely
use, open the Swatches panel and delete them. Add new swatches you use regularly—like
corporate colors—by adding them to the panel with all documents closed. Every new docu-
ment from that point forward will use only the swatches you see there, or will leave hyphenate
unchecked, or whatever change you want to make.
To change the default font, open the Character panel and change the font. Done. Well, not
entirely. You see, InDesign has a default paragraph style. When you change type options on the
Character or Paragraph panel, you are indeed setting new defaults. However, you arent chang-
ing the default styles, which can lead to problems later on if you reapply the default styles to
text. If you’re sure of your new font (or other type styling defaults), make the changes in the
Character and/or Paragraph panels, and then open the Paragraph Styles panel. Highlight the Basic
Paragraph style, choose Style Options from the panel flyout menu, and then repeat your changes
there, making sure to save the style. Now your changes will survive a reapplication of the style.
Experiment with different controls and options. You can set new defaults for a great many
things when no documents are opened.
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