StoryParker

Goal

StoryParker is a tool for InDesign CS5, CS4, CS3, CS2, CS that helps you cope with cluttered pages.

Every page item can be temporarily ‘parked’. You can put it aside, somewhere on the pasteboard, and quickly move it back to where it came from later.

Linked text frames can also be parked all together. The idea is to help you get one or more page items out of the way quickly, for example because you want to reach something that’s underneath. Later on, you can easily move the page item back to its exact original position.

The neat thing is that parked page items ‘remember’ where they came from – you can ‘unpark’ them, which causes them to fly back to the exact location they had before you parked them.

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$149.00 – each such coupon code allows you to install StoryParker 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$999.00.

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$149.00, click this ‘Buy Now’ button:


To order a 100-install coupon code for US$999.00, click this ‘Buy Now’ button:


You can also purchase a single install license of StoryParker for US$29.00. 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 StoryParker after the demo period lapses, restart InDesign, and click the ‘Get License…’ button when StoryParker 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 StoryParker plug-in will work fine with an unlicensed APID ToolAssistant.

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. A licensed StoryParker will not stop working when this happens.

A licensed StoryParker works with an unlicensed version of APID ToolAssistant, and purchasing a license for APID ToolAssistant is optional.

Download

Before you can use the StoryParker plug-in you also have to install our free APID ToolAssistant plug-in, which is available as a second, separate download.

Download the StoryParker plug-in (version 2.0. Time-limited, fully functional demo. For InDesign CS, CS2, CS3, CS4 or 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)

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, 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 StoryParker 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

StoryParker adds a number of context menus to various page items (i.e. select page item, and do control-click (Mac) or right-click (Mac, Windows). Look for the Active Page Item Runtime menu).

It also adds a number of menu items in a submenu of the API menu on the menu bar. These menu items can be assigned a keyboard shortcut if so desired.

Every page item can be temporarily ‘parked’. Meaning: you can put it aside, somewhere on the pasteboard, and later quickly move it back to where it came from.

The idea is to help you get one or more page items out of the way quickly, for example because you want to reach something that’s underneath. Later on, you can easily move the page item back to its exact original position.

The neat thing is that parked page items ‘remember’ where they came from – you can ‘unpark’ them, which causes them to fly back to the exact location they had before you parked them.

Parked items are put on the pasteboard, and can be moved around freely from there – any movement while they are parked is ignored and forgotten the instant you unpark them.

There is a neat extra trick for text boxes: the context menu you get by right-clicking or control-clicking a text box will also allow you to park the whole story.

All text boxes that contain parts of the same ‘text flow’ or story can be parked together

.

Have a play first: grab a cluttered document, make a copy (don’t try this out on a ‘real’ document until you’re familiar with the working of this plug-in).

Context-click a page item and look for the API… menu – it should contain a few submenus (parking, unparking,…) – the contents vary depending on the type of page item and whether the page item is currently parked or not.

Let us know if this plug-in is useful to you, at pluginsupport@rorohiko.com. Thanks!

Version history

21-July-2010 Version 2.0.0:

  • CS5 support
  • StoryParker is not a freebie any more

30-June-2007 Version 1.0.7:

  • Speed improvements based on 1.0.42 runtime improvements – resolves issues with long delays when selecting items.

21-May-2007 Version 1.0.6:

  • Bug fix. Fixed conflict with CS/CS2 that was introduced in version 1.0.5

9-May-2007 Version 1.0.5:

  • CS3 Support
  • Improved menu handling speed

18-Jul-2006 Version 1.0.4:

  • Parking operations can now also be accessed via menu bar
  • Shortcuts can be assigned to parking operations via InDesign’s Keyboard Shortcuts editor

7-Jun-2006 Version 1.0.3:

  • Fixed possible cause for ‘wild menus’, where the menu labels in the context menu are displaying the wrong menu texts.
  • Fixed issue with ‘Unpark All’ operation.

26-May-2006- Version 1.0.2:

  • Fixed timing issue that caused context menu content to ‘lag’ behind
  • Fixed conflict with AppleScript
  • This version does not affect the script labels of page items any more – unlike the previous versions.

20-May-2006- Version 1.0.1:

  • Initial public release
  • Added ‘Repark’ option to context menu of previously parked items

16-May-2006- Version 1.0:

  • Beta Release

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