HistoryLog
This is a free download; it supports Mac & Windows versions of InDesign CS, CS2, CS3 or CS4.
Goal
This is a very simple tool that can perform two tasks:
- On every save, insert a simple ‘live’ time stamp into a designated text frame
- Keep an automated log of file modifications to an InDesign document in another designated text frame
Be aware that this tool depends on goodwill and cooperation between the members of the team – no attempt has been made to guard against any ill-willed user who refuses to use the tool properly. It is quite easy to mis-use this tool if you are so inclined. As a result, this tool will probably be most useful in small teams where there is full mutual trust between the team members.
The tool is very simple to use once a document has been prepared by designating one or two text frames to respectively keep the time stamp and/or the document history.
For both functions, the tool uses a tracking ID – it is up to the user to decide what information to use for this tracking ID. Most often this will be the user’s full name, initials, first name – whatever is most appropriate.
The tool will auto-update a designated text frame (the timestamp box) with a time stamp consisting of
- Document name
- Tracker ID
- Time and date of the last save
The tool will also append a log entry at the end of a designated text frame (called the history box) on each ‘open’ and each ’save’ . The log entry consists of the tracking ID together with a time stamp. The history box typically resides on your document’s pasteboard.
Over time, the history box accumulates a history of who has opened or saved the document, and when.
This tool is not meant to be used for time tracking – it simply keeps track of who opened the document, and when – not for how long the document was edited.
Download
This is a free download. Before you can use the HistoryLog plug-in you also have to install our free APID ToolAssistant plug-in, which is available as a second, separate download.
Download the HistoryLog plug-in (version 1.0.3. Free download. For InDesign CS, CS2, CS3 and CS4 on Mac or Windows; does not include the APID ToolAssistant. Don’t worry about the icon of the .spln file: it might not be a ‘regular’ icon, and that’s OK)
- Macintosh APID ToolAssistant:
- Windows APID ToolAssistant:
You don’t need to purchase a license for APID ToolAssistant (but we’re always grateful if you do – it helps us fund further development). The HistoryLog plug-in will work fine with an unlicensed APID ToolAssistant.
To encourage us by purchasing the US$25 optional license, select the API – APID ToolAssistant… menu item, select the ‘APID ToolAssistant’ entry in the list, and click the Get License… button. Purchasing a license helps us fund further development of cool stuff!
If you don’t purchase a license, APID ToolAssistant will show itself as ‘Demo’ for the first 20 days after it was first installed, and after the 20 days are up, it will change to ‘Unlicensed’. Don’t be alarmed by this. It will not stop working. HistoryLog works with an unlicensed version of APID ToolAssistant, and purchasing a license is optional.
Let us know if this tool is useful to you, at pluginsupport@rorohiko.com. Thanks!
Installation
Please make sure you have a copy of the APID ToolAssistant plug-in installed.
Make sure you install the proper plug-in for your version of InDesign. InDesign CS, CS2, CS3 and CS4 plug-ins are mutually incompatible.
If you already have an APID ToolAssistant plug-in installed (e.g. because you use one of our other plug-ins), make sure it is up-to-date.
APID ToolAssistant used to be called ‘Active Page Item Runtime‘ – if you have any copies of Active Page Item Runtime or Active Page Item Developer installed, please remove them, and replace them with APID ToolAssistant.
When installing plug-ins make sure you copy plug-in files, not the folders they are contained in.
Copy the HistoryLog.spln into the same folder as the APID ToolAssistant plug-in you installed (typically that will be the InDesign Plug-Ins folder). Don’t worry about the icon of the .spln file: it might not be a ‘regular’ icon, and that’s OK.
Usage
Below a step-by-step instruction on how to add a history or a timestamp box to your document.
To keep a log of file manipulations:
- Create a text frame somewhere. A history box would typically be created in the pasteboard area of page 1; a timestamp box would instead sit on the first page, last page, or on a master page.
- Select the text frame using the selection tool (black arrow tool). Make sure you are not in text selection mode.
- Use the Window – Automation – Script Label menu (in InDesign CS2 or CS3) or theWindow – Scripting – Script Label menu (in InDesign CS) to bring up the palette where you can define a label for the text frame.
- Label the frame either with the word history (all lowercase) or timestamp (all lowercase).
- After typing the label, click somewhere else in the document window to deselect the box.
- Close and save the document.
- Re-open the document; do some modifications and save. Either on open or on save or both, a dialog for the tracking ID will appear. Fill in your name or whatever text you want to use as a tracking identification.
- You’ll want to adjust the width of the history text box and its tab settings to make sure the log entries each fit on a single line.
This operation creates a ‘live’ text box.
If you have a history box, each time the file is opened or saved, a dialog for a tracking ID will be opened. Then this tracking ID is appended to the history together with a time stamp.
If you added only a timestamp box, the dialog will only appear each time the file is saved.
Let us know if this plug-in is useful to you, at pluginsupport@rorohiko.com. Thanks!
Version history
24-Jul-2007 – Version 1.0.3:
- Added support for InDesign CS3
- Added ‘time stamp’ function
23-Dec-2005 – Version 1.0:
- Initial release
25-Aug-2006 – Version 1.0.2:
- Resolved conflict with InDesign CS2 Data Merge
- Fixed ’scroll’ problem in history box
31-Jul-2006 – Version 1.0.1:
- Now also tracks ‘Save’ operations
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