DocsFlow

Release: DocsFlow 3.11.1 for InDesign 2021-2023

This update fixes problems with link status updating and Google Drive drag and drop.

InDesign 2023 plugins released

All of Em’s plugins are now released for InDesign 2023. We released WordsFlow and DocsFlow a week ago (a day after the 2023 release itself), and released InCatalog, InData and Xtags for InDesign today.

We do appreciate your patience with us on these releases. Normally we’re ready with all of them on the day of InDesign release (we’ve even been a bit early in recent years), but these releases include wrapping up some multi-month complex engineering efforts that took us right up to, and just over the wire.

You can download these latest releases, as ever, from each product’s main page, sidebar Downloads for InDesign. Individual release notes are coming right up.

Release: DocsFlow 3.11 for InDesign 2021-2023

This release mainly adds support for InDesign 2023.

Subscriptions finally come to Em Software

Be sure to read the section Auto-upgrades to subscriptions at the end for a very important note about using pre-2023 licenses with the new MAX 2022 (InDesign 2023) release plugins. Understanding what it says may save you time and expense.

With the upcoming plugins for InDesign 2023 that Adobe will release (as usual) at MAX 2022 (October 18th) — and for newly-released plugins under InDesign 2021 and 2022 (we only officially support the latest and 2 years back) — we are making a major change in how we license all our products. This will affect everyone going forward, so we’re giving you a heads-up a month ahead of the big change, and we will be attempting to contact every user via email, pointing to this message.

Release: DocsFlow 3.10 for InDesign 2020-2022

This release adds hyperlink style mapping and improves emoji support

Release: DocsFlow 3.9.1 for InDesign 2020-2022

This patch improves performance and fixes a few problems.

New course Collaborative Workflows for Editors and Designers

We’re very happy to announce that our long-time friend, collaborator and world-class designer/trainer Anne-Marie Concepción of Seneca Design has released a course Collaborative Workflows for Editors and Designers on LinkedIn Learning, which includes two chapters respectively on getting started with WordsFlow and DocsFlow.

You know a collaborative workflow can benefit your editing and design teams, but how do you set it up inexpensively and effectively? In this course, instructor Anne-Marie Concepción walks you through a number of free solutions that allow mixed-platform designers, writers, and editors to work concurrently on a single publication, whether they’re on-site or remote. She shows best practices for local network servers, as well as for shared, local folders from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive/SharePoint, and Creative Cloud files. You’ll learn ways users can concurrently edit a file in Photoshop, Illustrator, Word 365, Google Docs, InDesign, and more. She presents detailed steps to set up and use an InDesign and InCopy workflow, so editors can open InDesign layouts in InCopy and write to fit. Anne-Marie also covers in-depth solutions that allow publishing teams to link Microsoft Word [WordsFlow] and Google Docs [DocsFlow] to live InDesign layouts, allowing for concurrent design and editorial development.

The good news is that, even if you don’t have a LinkedIn Learning (originally lynda.com) account, the link above gives you a free 30-day trial, which should be more than adequate to take advantage of this course.

Note that you can skip directly to the WordsFlow and DocsFlow chapters to learn more about how to use them, though you’d be wise to view the earlier chapters for a cornucopia of collaborative workflow knowledge.

Release: DocsFlow 3.9 for InDesign 2020-2022

This update improves Google Docs compatibility and adds a Deactivate License button.

Release: DocsFlow 3.8 for InDesign 2020-2022

This release allows Microsoft Word documents to be placed and linked directly from Google Drive.

Release: DocsFlow 3.7 for InDesign 2020-2022

This release adds support for InDesign 2022 and discontinues support for some older versions.

Release: DocsFlow 3.6.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This patch includes fixes for page breaks and improves product stability.

Release: DocsFlow 3.6 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This release mainly adds native support for Apple silicon.

Release: DocsFlow 3.5 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This release introduces a footnote/endnote option and improves Google Docs imports and exports.

Release: DocsFlow 3.4 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This release improves download quality and addresses usability issues.

Release: DocsFlow 3.3.2 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This patch release improves the Import Options dialog and adds endnotes support.

Release: DocsFlow 3.3.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This patch fixes a problem with table borders and improves stability.

Release: DocsFlow 3.3 for InDesign CS6, CC2019-2021

This release adds support for InDesign 2021 and discontinues support for some older versions.

Release: DocsFlow 3.2.2 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This patch release shows all Shared drives and improves stability.

WordsFlow and DocsFlow make top ten Most Valuable Plugins

Issue 137 of InDesign Magazine published a rundown of the ten most valuable plugins for InDesign, compiled from a survey of their board of experts. WordsFlow is #4 and DocsFlow is #8.

On WordsFlow:

Em Software’s WordsFlow is a no-brainer; I use it and couldn’t live without it. I used to send a PDF to my client, have her mark it up with PDF commenting, then spend a couple of hours deciphering her notes, scratch outs, word changes, and other tiny issues. Now, I send my client the exported Word file, and she makes all the minor changes. When she sends it back to me, I relink it with WordsFlow. The two hours that I would have worked on the minor changes is done in about a minute. —Laurie Ruhlin

On DocsFlow:

I think DocsFlow is a miracle plug-in. I’ve used it for many client projects for years because it’s rock solid and it turns me into a rock star in my client’s eyes. “What? We can still have all our users editing all these Google Docs remotely and we’ll have no problems updating the publication with our changes? What a relief! Thank you!” —Anne-Marie Concepción

You can read the article online at InDesign MVPs: Most Valuable Plug-ins.

To help with reading the whole issue (and future issues), InDesign Secrets is also offering a $10 discount code for membership: MVP.

Release: DocsFlow 3.2.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This quick release addresses problems with placing, exporting, and updating.

A romp through WordsFlow and DocsFlow with Terry White on Adobe Live

Joe Mathia (with Chris Ryland kibitzing) had a great time showing our WordsFlow and DocsFlow products on Adobe Live yesterday, hosted by Terry White. Terry’s the best, and the audience was alive with excellent questions.

You can watch a replay here.

Release: DocsFlow 3.2 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This release adds Google Drive shortcuts, improves the Import Options dialog, and addresses product stability issues.

Release: DocsFlow 3.1.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This quick release mainly improves 3.1’s new Google Docs Import Options dialog.

Free webinar “Successful Remote Workflows for Publishing Teams”

One of our very favorite InDesign gurus, “Her Geekness” Anne-Marie Concepcion, will be presenting three very timely free webinars on remote workflows for publishing teams, May 12, 13, and 14th. The final presentation on the 14th will be covering our WordsFlow and DocsFlow products.

Release: DocsFlow 3.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This release introduces an enhanced Import Options dialog and improves product stability.

Release: DocsFlow 3.0.1 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This patch improves stability and addresses issues with importing and updating.

Release: DocsFlow 3.0 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

We are excited to announce the release of DocsFlow 3.0, which offers a totally new & improved Place from Google Docs… experience and an updated Export to Google Docs dialog. Sites who have been previewing this new version say they can’t drag it away from their users. We hope you love it too!

Release: DocsFlow 2.18 for InDesign CS6, CC2018-2020

This release adds support for InDesign 2020 and discontinues support for some older versions.

Release: DocsFlow 2.17.3 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This patch addresses issues with exporting and updating linked documents.

Release: DocsFlow 2.17.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This patch mainly fixes an issue with link status reporting.

DocsFlow at the Star News Group

Super-consultant Gil Poulsen has written a fantastic overview of how the New Jersey-based Star News Group has adopted DocsFlow for their editorial workflow.

Release: DocsFlow 2.17.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This patch release fixes compatibility with Google Drive Shared drives and improves stability when working with endnotes.

Release: DocsFlow 2.17 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This release centralizes import settings, improves support for hyperlinks and cross-references, and enhances product stability.

Release: DocsFlow 2.16.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This patch responds to an upcoming Google server change and fixes a problem with drag’n’drop from Google Drive FS.

Release: DocsFlow 2.16 for InDesign CS5–CC2019

This release adds support for just-released InDesign CC 2019 and fixes some minor issues.

Release: DocsFlow 2.15.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This patch release includes a fix for the Import Options dialog in InDesign CC 2018.

Release: DocsFlow 2.15 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release prevents unnecessary Missing Plug-ins messages, overhauls progress bars, reduces document load times, and improves stability when updating stories.

Release: DocsFlow 2.14.4 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release addresses issues with column breaks, Team Drives, exporting, and updating.

Release: DocsFlow 2.14.3 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release works much more efficiently with large tables and fixes a couple minor problems.

Release: DocsFlow 2.14.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release fixes a connection issue with Google Team Drive accounts.

Release: DocsFlow 2.14.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release fixes a problem with connections to some non-Team Drive accounts.

Release: DocsFlow 2.14 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release adds support for Google Team Drives and Google Drive File Stream.

Release: DocsFlow 2.13.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This patch addresses incompatibilities with CC 2018’s new endnotes feature.

Release: DocsFlow 2.13 for InDesign CS5–CC2018

This release adds support for just-released InDesign CC 2018.

DocsFlow at Agidea

Matt Dunton, digital UX (user experience) designer at Agidea, has written a very helpful overview of their use of DocsFlow and how it solves “the problem of inflexible workflow between copy and designers.”

Release: DocsFlow 2.12 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release improves browser-based drag and drop and fixes updates of spanned table cells.

Release: DocsFlow 2.11 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release adds support for Relink, enhances the Place dialog, and improves the Export dialog.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10.5 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release improves stability, enables InDesign’s Missing Plug-ins alert, and addresses connectivity issues.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10.4 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This quick release works around a crash bug in just-released InDesign CC 2017.1.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10.3 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release fixes style mapping, supports list continuations, and improves stability.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release improves stability and fixes issues with exporting images to Google.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This patch addresses minor issues with Unlink, bullet lists, and change tracking.

Release: DocsFlow 2.10 for InDesign CS5–CC2017

This release adds support for just-released InDesign CC 2017, improves drag’n’drop, and addresses a few issues with exporting.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.6 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release fixes Export and Unlink and includes a number of stability improvements.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.5 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release includes fixes that improve the quality and stability of updates.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.4 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release includes fixes for a few crash issues and addresses a problem with the Unlink menu.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.3 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This patch provides fixes for problems with placing and updating documents.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This quick release fixes an issue with DocsFlow’s Place dialog.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release fixes a PDF export conflict and includes a number of internal improvements to make DocsFlow link management more efficient and responsive.

Release: DocsFlow 2.9 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release improves support for embedded images, broadens our definition of “empty paragraph,” and addresses issues with updating and exporting stories.

Release: DocsFlow 2.8 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release adds an Update Linked Google Docs Document option to the main menu and fixes a few problems including an uncommon-but-obnoxious application freeze.

Release: DocsFlow 2.7 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release officially introduces our custom installers, adds import control for cell insets, and fixes minor issues with licensing and export.

Release: DocsFlow 2.6 for InDesign CS5–CC2015

This release adds support for just-released InDesign CC 2015 and abandons Extension Manager CC in favor of, for now, a manual installation procedure (see below).

Release: DocsFlow 2.5.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This patch release addresses a problem with yesterday’s 2.5 release that was causing successful sign-ins to be ignored.

Release: DocsFlow 2.5 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release adds picture export, updates the Sign In to Google Docs process, and includes a number of other improvements and fixes.

DocsFlow users: switch to browser login immediately

On April 20th, Google is going to shut down the old-style API (application programming interface) employed when you use a direct login in DocsFlow. (You may have gotten a scary-looking notice from Google that says “ACTION REQUIRED: Your Google Apps account is using the Documents List API, which will stop functioning on April 20th, 2015”.)

Release: DocsFlow 2.4.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release mainly addresses issues with anchored, linked items causing damage to the parent story’s DocsFlow connection.

Release: DocsFlow 2.4.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This quick release deals with a recent Google Drive change that was preventing drag’n’drop from working.

Release: DocsFlow 2.4 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

With this release we’re introducing a new, fully functional, Pro-product trial mode with a 15-day evaluation period (details below). This release also includes improvements for text updating and exporting.

Release: DocsFlow 2.3.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release improves compatibility with OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and fixes problems with the Place dialog and with table updating.

Release: DocsFlow 2.3 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release fixes an incompatibility with the just-released InDesign CC 2014.1 update, changes how documents are displayed in DocsFlow’s Place dialog, and includes minor fixes for document updating.

Release: DocsFlow 2.2.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This maintenance release adapts to recent Google service changes and addresses problems with drag’n’drop and sheets.

WordsFlow and DocsFlow user guides now printable/pdf-able

In this Age of the Web, hard copy (physical or virtual) doesn’t matter to most people, but it really matters to some. So we’ve just made important parts of our web site printable or pdf-able for when you want to take some part of it offline with you in paper or digital form, for study, reference or just light vacation reading.

Release: DocsFlow 2.2.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This patch release addresses an issue with the recently-introduced story status indicator on the DocsFlow link icon.

Release: DocsFlow 2.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release mainly adds support for back-saving to previous versions of InDesign, but also addresses a few minor issues.

Release: DocsFlow 2.1.2 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This quick release fixes a build problem with the CC 2014 Windows plug-in and improves update behavior in low memory conditions.

Release: DocsFlow 2.1.1 for InDesign CS5–CC2014

This release adds compatibility with InDesign CC 2014 along with a few fixes.

Release: DocsFlow 2.1 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This dot-release improves ODF support, adds support for exporting InDesign’s various story breaks, and improves overall stability.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.11 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This DocsFlow patch corrects a plug-in packaging problem.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.10 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This DocsFlow quick release fixes an issue with links to placed GDrive documents and also story export.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.9 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This DocsFlow quick release fixes minor issues with updating and exporting.

DocsFlow helps out at Syracuse University

Seth Gitner, Assistant Professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University, writes:

In early 2012, a dozen students in the Multimedia Projects course at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University set out to create an interactive storytelling mobile tablet application on Central New York’s notorious winters.

Famous for frigid temperatures and record-crushing snowfalls, Central New York averages 116.9 inches of snow annually. During the previous winter, more than 179 inches of snow accumulated, making “winter” a natural choice for an interactive storytelling project.

The story ends with a call-out to DocsFlow:

The stories for this application were inserted using a content management system that combined Google Documents and InDesign using the InDesign plugin DocsFlow, from Em Software.

Go read the whole thing—it’s a great story.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.8 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This patch release resolves several problems with exporting stories and with updating a story’s associated Google Docs document.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.7 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This patch release addresses issues with updating Google Docs documents from Adobe InDesign (via Update Original) and improves the quality and general stability of updating.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0.6 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6/CC

This release adds support for InDesign CC and includes improvements to product stability and usability.

Release: DocsFlow 2.0 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

It’s with a great sigh of relief that, after nearly half a year of substantial internal re-engineering and intense development, we today release DocsFlow 2.0, the much anticipated follow-up to our acclaimed Google Docs connector plug-in. DocsFlow 2.0 offers many customer-driven improvements and new features. The new Pro level gives you full export to Google Docs, and full updating, where you can push-merge your changes from InDesign back into your linked Google Docs document, along with spreadsheet support.

New lynda.com course showing DocsFlow and WordsFlow

Anne-Marie Concepción has published a new online video course Using Word and InDesign Together on lynda.com that includes brief overviews of both WordsFlow and DocsFlow.

The course itself looks great, as you’d expect from Anne-Marie, and the two short overviews of our products are spot on. She mentions DocsFlow 2.0, which includes two-way linking to Google Docs, and which we’re just about to release in the next few days.

Beta release: DocsFlow 2.0 beta 4 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This beta adds support for OpenOffice (ODF) files, enables multi-document import, and addresses minor issues found during testing.

Beta release: DocsFlow 2.0 beta 3 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This beta introduces Pro and non-Pro-level licensing, adds visual indicators to DocsFlow-managed stories, increases import flexibility, and addresses issues found during testing.

Beta release: DocsFlow 2.0 beta 2 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This beta addresses some initial issues found during testing.

Release: DocsFlow 1.6.1 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This patch release of DocsFlow resolves a conflict with our WordsFlow product and adds quality and stability improvements for InDesign story updating.

Beta release: DocsFlow 2.0 beta 1 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

We’re happy to announce the immediate availability of DocsFlow 2.0 beta 1, which adds long-awaited support for exporting InDesign stories to Google Docs. In addition, Google Docs documents can now be updated from their linked InDesign stories. We’ve also made improvements to the Place from Google Docs dialog and redesigned DocsFlow’s internals to better support some planned features in upcoming releases.

Release: DocsFlow 1.6 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This release of DocsFlow introduces major improvements to table handling and improves the overall quality of the merge process.

Release: DocsFlow 1.5 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

We’re happy to announce DocsFlow 1.5, which adds support for Google Drive files, improves the drag’n’drop workflow, converts page breaks to InDesign frame breaks, and enhances the quality of story updating.

Release: DocsFlow 1.4.8 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This patch release addresses a loss-of-connection issue and includes several improvements for updating from Google Docs.

Release: DocsFlow 1.4.7 for InDesign CS5/CS5.5/CS6

This release supports placing public documents even when not in the user’s account, and fixes a slew of minor bugs.

Release: DocsFlow 1.4.6 for InDesign CS5/5.5/6

This patch release addresses Mac OS X 10.7 & 10.8 installation issues and improves link handling.

In general, we’re happy to donate software to qualified educational institutions (for teaching applications) and to non-profit organizations, and we did so for Wisconsin Literacy a few months ago. Sheila McGrath kindly reports back with a very positive review of using DocsFlow with InDesign for their annual report production.

Thank you so much for giving us DocsFlow. Wisconsin Literacy produced their annual report using DocsFlow, with me as an off-site volunteer graphic designer.

(Click on the annual report cover for the full pdf version.)

DocsFlow for CS4 worked very well for flowing text into InDesign. I was not able to get custom style-mapping to work automatically (likely an older Mac Javascript version on my machine rather than a DocsFlow problem) but I had no problem importing text into InDesign smoothly. I just re-imported text after changes and my styles were retained, so all was well. The Links panel indications of file changes worked fine also.