Batch-convert/export documents (CS3 and later)
The script (batch) converts and exports files/documents. It can be used to export InDesign documents to PDF or other formats, but also to update large numbers of InDesign documents to a newer version, e.g. from ID4 to ID5. It can also be used to convert PageMaker and QuarkXPress files to your version of InDesign. Finally, the converter can be used to run another script against all selected documents.
Use
With no documents open, the script displays the dialog shown in the screen shot. At Input folder you enter the folder where the files are that you want to convert or export; to browse to a folder, press Pick folder on the right. To type a folder name, use the platform-neutral format (/d/books/) or any of the platform-specific forms (d:\books\ on Windows).
After picking the input folder, its name is entered at Output folder but you can change that either by picking a folder or by typing its name. To place the converted files in the same folder as the source files, leave the Output-folder field empty, so if you tick Include subfolders, you would probably want to leave "Output folder" empty. If you do specify an output folder and include subfolders, all files are placed in that output folder.
Tick Include subfolders to include all subfolders of the selected folder; tick Ignore errors to ignore errors such as missing fonts and missing links.
Select source and destination formats in the Source and Target dropdowns. Available options in the Source dropdown are InDesign, InDesign (template), INX (CS3 and 4), IDML (CS4 and later), PageMaker, and QuarkExpress. The output formats are InDesign, InDesign (template), INX (CS3 and 4), IDML (CS4 and later), PDF, EPS, RTF, XML, JPG, PNG (from CS6), and packaging.
If you convert to PDF, a preset can be selected at PDF presets. The option to Convert text to outlines is available when you export to EPS. (When converting InDesign to InDesign, make copies or convert to a different folder to be on the safe side.)
Instead of choosing a folder to select files to convert, you can also convert the currently open documents. If any documents are open, "Input folder", "Include subfolders", and the source formats can't be selected.
View PDFs after Exporting
This performs the same function as the one in InDesign's PDF export dialog: it opens all exported PDFs.
Convert text to outlines
This option is available only if you export to EPS.
Close open documents
This option is available only if any documents were open when you started the script.
Run a script
You can choose to run a script during the export or conversion. The script runs on every document you export. The script you want to run must be in the same folder as the folder where the batch converter is run from.
If you choose InDesign as both source and target format and select a script, you can in effect use the batch converter as a batch script runner.
Save documents on closing
Check this box if you're running a script during the conversion or export and want to save the changes the script made.
Troubleshooting
If the script won't run, please delete the file batch_convert.txt, which lives in the script's folder. (This file is used to store the dialog's settings.)
Version history
23 April 2012: Added PNG as an export format (from CS6).
20 February 2012: Fixed a bug that caused an undefined error.
1 November 2011: Rewrote the interface. Documents can now be saved after running a script.
31 October 2011: Added an option to run a script before a file is exported or converted. See text for details.
25 January 2011: Fixed problem with error reporting.
13 January 2011: Added QuarkXPress as a source document type.
1 January 2011: Added packaging.
29 December 2010: Fixed problem with unrecognised format error; PDF View preference wasn't restored: fixed.
2 December 2010: PageMaker conversion now recognises the PMD, PM6, and P65 file extensions: pick PageMaker and all files with any of these extensions are converted.
30 November 2010: added PageMaker conversion.
Sometime in 2003: First posted.
Installing and running scripts
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