MagnetoGuides
Goal
This tool helps anyone who needs to lay out structured, repetitive documents, for example, paper forms. It allows to automatically coordinate adjustments to the positioning and size of multiple page items that are scattered over the layout. Click here to see an on-line demo. Also, more info further down in this page.
Purchase
Thanks to our unique approach to licensing, we’re able to offer licenses for our tools for a very low per-install cost. Please read http://www.rorohiko.com/licensing.
There are options to purchase a single install, or order multiple installs.
For
- people who have multiple versions of InDesign installed
- people who use more than one computer
- small workgroups
we recommend the 10-install coupon code for US$399.00 – each such coupon code allows you to install MagnetoGuides up to 10 times – which comes in handy if you have multiple versions of InDesign on your computer and/or multiple workstations.
For larger workgroups, we also have 100-install coupon codes for US$2999.00.
Important: if you’re in a hurry, don’t order a multi-install. Purchase one or more single installs instead. The multi-install coupon codes are manually generated, so it can be some time – even more than 48 hours – before you receive it, depending on time zones, our working hours, and a host of other factors. The single install license, on the other hand, is fully automatic – you normally get it within the hour. And don’t forget to check your e-mail spam folder!
To order a 10-install coupon code for US$399.00, click this ‘Buy Now’ button:
To order a 100-install coupon code for US$2999.00, click this ‘Buy Now’ button:
You can also purchase a single install license of MagnetoGuides for US$59.00. To do that, simply install the software and click ‘Get License…’ when the ‘beg’ dialog appears. There is no ‘Buy Now’ button for single licenses. These single install licenses are generated by an automated system, and typically arrive by e-mail within the hour.
Attention: licenses are not transportable between computers or InDesign versions.
If you want to continue using MagnetoGuides after the demo period lapses, restart InDesign, and click the ‘Get License…’ button when MagnetoGuides puts up a ‘beg’ dialog.
You’ll be asked for your coupon code (if you have one) or else you’ll be guided through a payment process.
Eventually you’ll receive a license file via e-mail. Please check your spam-box – often, our licenses are mistaken for spam.
You are not obliged to purchase a second license, for APID ToolAssistant (but we’re grateful if you do – it helps us fund further development). A licensed MagnetoGuides plug-in will work fine with an unlicensed APID ToolAssistant.
If you don’t purchase a license, APID ToolAssistant might 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. A licensed MagnetoGuides will not stop working when this happens.
A licensed MagnetoGuides works with an unlicensed version of APID ToolAssistant, and purchasing a license for APID ToolAssistant is optional.
Download
Before you can use the MagnetoGuides plug-in you also have to install our free APID ToolAssistant plug-in, which is available as a second, separate download.
Download the MagnetoGuides plug-in (Version 1.0.6. Time limited, fully functional demo version; also contains user manual and cookbook in PDF format. For InDesign CS, CS2, CS3, CS4 and CS5 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:
Installation
(for more extensive installation information with sample screen captures, click here)
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, CS4 and CS5 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.
When installing plug-ins make sure you copy plug-in files, not the folders they are contained in. On Windows CS5 plug-ins also come with an additional folder with a parenthesized name – these folders also need to be copied along.
Copy the MagnetoGuides.spln and the com.rorohiko.lilmagnet.png files 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
MagnetoGuides allows you to ‘magnetize’ one or more guides. Magnetized guides are special: they push or pull any ‘snapped’ items along when they are moved.
To better understand how these magnetic guides help the design of structured documents, I suggest you work through the cookbook section of the user manual that is included with the downloaded files, or watch the online demo below.
If a page item is ‘snapped to’ a magnetic guide at only one side, then the page item simply moves along when the guide is moved.
If a page item is ‘snapped to’ more than one magnetic guide, then the page item will stretch or shrink as needed so it can stay ‘snapped’ to all magnetic guides.
This allows you to reposition and resize multiple page items concurrently without having to group them.
For more complex structures, groups of two or more magnetic guides can be ‘linked’ together – so when one guide of the group moves, all linked guides follow suit (and all attached items get repositioned accordingly).
The simplest linking arrangement uses ‘rigid’ links between the magnetic guides – two guides are simply linked together, and stay at the same distance from each other at all times.
Another common linking arrangement uses ‘stretchy’ links between the guides. When three or more guides are arranged in a stretchy way, and one of the guides is repositioned, the whole linked guide arrangement is stretched or shrunk while respecting the relative distances between the guides.
Let us know if this tool is useful to you, at pluginsupport@rorohiko.com. Thanks!
Version history:
19-July-2010 Version 1.0.6:
- CS5 support
10-November-2008 Version 1.0.5:
- CS4 support
- Magnetic guides now carry a visible ‘marker’ just outside the page area
25-July-2008 Version 1.0.4:
- Fixed bug with ruler origins set to page instead of spread
28-June-2008 Version 1.0.3 – Final release:
- Fixed conflicts with some In-Tools (http://www.in-tools.com).
- Fixed issues with super-magnetic items: sometimes they would behave incorrectly, and seem disabled, or ‘grab’ unrelated guides.
- Can now move multiple-selected guides reliably (e.g. using shift-click to select multiple magnetic guides, then drag them).
26-June-2008 Version 1.0.2:
- Fixed issue causing guides to ‘fly off page’ in the sample docs (created in
- InDesign CS) when used in InDesign CS3.
23-June-2008 Version 1.0.1:
- New features: wrap object in guides; center-magnetic and super-magnetic items
- Force user-created items off the magnetoLayer
16-June-2008 Version 1.0:
- Initial beta release
Online demo
Click image to play
Go back to the top of this web page to get more info about how to download and purchase this time-slashing tool for only US$59.00!
It does not 'do' anything apparent, but you need it installed for most of our tools to function.
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