We’ve just released a new version of APID ToolAssistant – 1.0.48; click here for more info and the download links.

By itself, APID ToolAssistant does not ‘do’ anything apparent. Instead it assists other plug-ins to do their job.

You have this plug-in installed when you use most of the InDesign tools you can find on this web site.

As a result, this new 1.0.48 upgrade is a recommended download for all users of any of our tools (like TextExporter, TextStitch, MagnetoGuides, FrameReporter, Color2Gray…). Simply replace the older APID ToolAssistant plug-in in your plug-ins folder with the latest one.

This new version has a direct impact on FrameReporter: it fixes an issue with the frame labels shown by FrameReporter when a frame has a drop shadow applied. If you’re using FrameReporter, please upgrade your APID ToolAssistant!

This week, we’ve updated TextExporter once more – the new frame-by-frame export feature in the previous versions was not as intelligent as it should be and we think we’ve now found a better approach to export the frames in a logical ‘reading order’ – try our new TextExporter 2.1.2. We also fixed a problem with the ‘Convert Text To Black’ option on some files.

Keep in mind: TextExporter is free, but you get some cool additional features by purchasing a license for APID ToolAssistant, which is only US$25 per installed copy of InDesign.

We’re pretty sure that TextExporter will save you much more than US$25 in time and effort – so if you can spare US$25, don’t hesitate, and purchase an APID ToolAssistant license, and help us fund further development. And, last but not least, a license gives you access to a number of cool additional features in our free TextExporter, ImageLibraryLoader, and LayerLifter plug-ins.

The StylePainter freebie plug-in also got a long overdue bug fix. In a way, StylePainter is like bringing InDesign CS4′s GREP styles to InDesign CS, CS2, CS3, but it is also markedly different – even with the GREP styles in CS4, it still remains useful in a number of workflows. Check it out!