5 Replies Latest reply: Apr 23, 2013 9:24 AM by John Hawkinson RSS

    Need total "real" page count on the book panel

    E Diane King Community Member

      I often use the Indesign book feature to collect files together that are numbered in ranges independently from each other. For example: ten documents that are each numbered 1-4, or a series of files that have various page ranges within them, which makes their page ranges unreliable. Also, if you turn on Absolute Numbering in Indesign preferences, the documents appear in the book with their absolute number ranges rather than section numbering. In both of these cases, the only way to know what the total page count of the book is to do the math or export to PDF to see the page count in Acrobat. I'd really like to see the book have a total "real" page count at the bottom of the book panel (like you see on the Pages panel). 

       

      I've submitted a feature request to Adobe, but was curious if there were any others that would benefit from this little feature that would show support for the request.

        • 1. Re: Need total "real" page count on the book panel
          John Hawkinson CommunityMVP

          I think it would be pretty easy to have a script calculate the number of pages in a book, i.e. "doing the math" for you.

          If you really wanted it could even be persistent in its own script-created window, though the easy/normal approach would be a script you ran that did the calculation for you at the time you ran it, and then exitted. Post in the Scripting forum?

          • 2. Re: Need total "real" page count on the book panel
            E Diane King Community Member

            I have no doubt that this could be scripted. I just wanted to see if other people would find something like that as useful as I would and perhaps support it as a feature request. Doesn't seem to me that it would be that difficult for Adobe to add into the book functions, either on the bottom of the panel or as a book info option under the panel menu.

            • 3. Re: Need total "real" page count on the book panel
              John Hawkinson CommunityMVP

              Well, if you script it, you can have it today.

              If you wait for a feature request you might have it in late 2014. Maybe.

              • 4. Re: Need total "real" page count on the book panel
                E Diane King Community Member

                Of course, but only I would benefit from it. I also cannot script. I've never been able to wrap my mind around javascript. I've tried to figure it out and can sometimes edit or adjust pre-existing scripts, but the syntax escapes me. Probably why I've never managed to learn another language. I could post this in the scripting forum and maybe some kind person would come along and provide me a scipt, but I still think it could be an easily added feature for future versions of Indesign that might or might not benefit other people besides myself.  I posted here because I wanted to garner support for such a feature--the purpose for this forum, correct?

                • 5. Re: Need total "real" page count on the book panel
                  John Hawkinson CommunityMVP

                  My expecation was the script would be posted on the scripting forum and everyone who googled for it would find it, etc. I think it's pretty likely you'd get your script from asking, yes.

                   

                  Purpose of the forum? That's a deep existensial question upon which reasonable people can and do disagree. I wouldn't want to weigh in on it. I'm just being pragmatic. Which can be disappointing.