IDML file not opening in Indesign CC 2018

Report · Mar 07, 2018

Hi all,https://indesignsecrets.com/batch-change-hyperlinks-across-a-whole-indesign-document.php

I have been trying to change all the hyperlinks in an InDesign document (there are a lot!! need to change "http://" to "https://")

I found this tutorial

https://indesignsecrets.com/batch-change-hyperlinks-across-a-whole-indesign-document.php

the problem is that Indesign CC 2018 will not open the IDML file (whether I have modified the file externally or not) and the IDML was created in the same program. InDesign crashes when I try to open the IDML file.

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

either help with opening the file OR help with change 100's of hyperlinks in the InDesign file

Thanks

Report · Mar 07, 2018

If you have the original .indd file then you don't need an IDML to open an InDesign file using CC 2018. Since CC 2018 is the most recent version of the program it should be able to open any document created by an earlier version of the program. See if opening the original file works for you.

Report · Mar 07, 2018

thank you for your response

I have been trying to change all the hyperlinks in an InDesign document (there are a lot!! need to change "http://" to "https://")

I found this tutorial

https://indesignsecrets.com/batch-change-hyperlinks-across-a-whole-indesign-document.php

in the tutorial it says to export as "IDML" then open the file as a zip file......inside the zip file is the XML files which can be edited using any text editor..... but you can also "find/replace" across the entire file. which I did.

but after I recompress the files into an "IDML" file it will not open in InDesign cc 2018

so....

I attempted to export an IDML file then just open it in InDesign (no external editing)... but the file still fails to open in Indesign.

so I assume that editing the file with the text editor is not the problem, but that InDesign will not open IDML files.

Report · Mar 07, 2018

Are you doing this on a Mac or Windows?

Report · Mar 08, 2018

I'm on a mac, running macOS 10.11.6

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Gandhi4 wrote
... but after I recompress the files into an "IDML" file it will not open in InDesign cc 2018

That article does not mention "recompressing" at all. David uses a text editor that can extract one single file out of a ZIP file and also can put it back in the same place, without rebuilding the entire ZIP file – which is a crucial point of the structure of an IDML file.

Googling for your question resulted in this page (funny enough also from InDesignSecrets): https://indesignsecrets.com/topic/how-do-i-re-zipcompress-an-expanded-idml-file

Report · Mar 08, 2018

hi there,

that what I meant by recompressing.... put the file back in the IDML file... doesn't work either way.

I have just tried again.... to open the IDML that I create in Indesign CC 2018 in Indesign CC 2018 (no external editing, just export as IDML then open again in InDesign CC 2018)

it crashes InDesign.

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Hi Gandhi4 ,

how exactly was your workflow with the IDML file?

Did you inspect the IDML file with a tool like Springy where you could look into the package and designate an editor like TextWrangler for editing the XML files and also writing back the results directly to the package?

Regards,
Uwe

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Hi all,

I used Better zip to look into the IDML/ZIP file and then used text wrangler to edit the XML file.

the thing is.... even if I don't edit the XML files or open the IDML as a zip file..... the IDML file will not open in InDesign CC 2018... it just crashes.

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Gandhi4 wrote
… the thing is.... even if I don't edit the XML files or open the IDML as a zip file..... the IDML file will not open in InDesign CC 2018... it just crashes.

Ok. But that's an entirely different problem from editing an IDML file.

I would send Himanshu the file for inspection. Also send the InDesign document where you exported the IDML from.

Regards,
Uwe

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Hi Stuart,

Kindly share your file on corrupt_indesign_docs@adobe.com this email ID so that we can look into it.

Regards,

Himanshu Kapoor

Report · Mar 08, 2018

I cannot really provide the original file as is HUGE (2GB+) with 1000s of links and 100s pages and images.

ultimately what I need is to find and replace unique Hyperlinks (thats why i was looking into the XML file)

e.g

http://www.minispares.com/21A1879.aspx

http://www.minispares.com/MSRJM.aspx

http://www.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx

to

https://catalogue.minispares.com/21A1879.aspx

https://catalogue.minispares.com/MSRJM.aspx

https://catalogue.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx

I'm not well versed in javascript

can someone help me with some script?

thank you all for your help so far

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Gandhi4 wrote
I cannot really provide the original file as is HUGE (2GB+) with 1000s of links and 100s pages and images.…

That may be the real problem here.

Do you mean the InDesign document is 2 GB+ or is it the IDML file? Or both?
Working with file sizes like that seems to be the culprit here. Can you do something to reduce overall file size? Are there any images embedded instead of linked?

First action I would try is a Save As with the document.

Then see into the Links panel if there are any images embedded. Unembed them.

The next step would to test if there is any pixel data that has no link at all and is pasted to the layout.

That would require a script to be effective. We recently had that topic, I think:

Re: Clipboard images and report it

If you are on OS X read on what solution Rob Day provided for that.
If on Windows look after Peter Kahrel's script that is linked to there.

Regards,
Uwe

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Gandhi4 wrote
…
e.g
http://www.minispares.com/21A1879.aspx
http://www.minispares.com/MSRJM.aspx
http://www.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx
to
https://catalogue.minispares.com/21A1879.aspx
https://catalogue.minispares.com/MSRJM.aspx
https://catalogue.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx

What's not clear for me:

Should only URLs change where www.minispares.com is involved?

Or do you really want to change ALL

http://

URLs to

https://catalogue.

?

Or there are more cases to differentiate?

Regards,
Uwe

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Sorry. But the forum editor is a mess on formatting code where URLs or parts of URLs are involved…

I meant:

http://www.

to

https://catalogue.

Regards,
Uwe

Report · Mar 08, 2018

hello again,

INDD file is 316.5mb
IDML file is 22.3mb
packaged up 2gb (INDD + IDML + linked images)

if I knew how to create javascript I would create a script to find and replace the hyperlinks I wish to change, but I don't so this I why I was trying to use the IDML method and edit the XML file.

cheers

Report · Mar 08, 2018

I've never seen an IDML file that large. Are you embedding images?

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Hi Bob,

22.3 MB is not that large for an InDesign document IDML file with hundreds of pages.
Especially if there are tables involved.

Regards,
Uwe

EDIT: Meant IDML not InDesign document.

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Missed the decimal. Need more coffee.

Report · Mar 08, 2018

Hi again

the file has just over 100 pages.

every single page has a table on it and a lot of anchored objects (like every object!). (I'm not the original creator!!)

there are no embed images.

thanks

Report · Mar 08, 2018

so ive just check with the client

http://www.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx

to

https://catalogue.minispares.com/FAM7306

so

yes

http://www. to https://catalogue.

but

.aspx needs to be removed as well

thank you again

Report · Mar 08, 2018

http://www.minispares.com/FAM7306.aspx
to
https://catalogue.minispares.com/FAM7306

Did you test both versions of the URL?
The first one is working, the second one is giving my browser headache:
Wrong config of website and no security ( or no certificate ).

Regards,
Uwe