Automating Catalogue Production
Page 3

InDesign users:

Go to the InCatalog menu. (See figure 2a.)

 

Choose edit preferences > data snapshot.

 

From the resulting dialogue box, shown in figure 2b, choose the appropriate data format.

Click OK.

 

Figure 3a and 3b Using InCatalog for InDesign (bottom), indicate what delimiters you are using in your data source.

A static snapshot file does not mean that you cannot perform interactive updates. There is another setting in the Xcatalog and InCatalog menus that enables you to keep an open connection, so to speak, to the static file. If you update the file, the document will update.

To do this in QuarkXPress, choose Xcatalog > open data file. When you're finished using the data file, you can close the connection using Xcatalog > close data file.

To do this in InDesign, choose InCatalog > open data file. When you're finished using the data file, you can close the connection using InCatalog > close data file.

When you close the connection, you allow other users on the network to access the same file.

FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Runtime databases

If you read my articles regularly, you know that I am a FileMaker Pro fan. I have used it since v2.0 we first installed it in 1995. That Xcatalog and InCatalog, two of my other favorites, can connect to this application natively just reinforces my conviction in my good judgment.

Figure 4 There is nothing particularly special or fancy about my FileMaker Pro database — it contains simple text and container (picture) fields. FileMaker is extremely easy to use, so if you have not chosen a database application, I readily recommend FileMaker Pro — especially if you are considering a purchase of Xcatalog or InCatalog.

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