How to Install Adobe Extensions

Installing the Adobe Extensions on your desktop computer or laptop could not be easier!

Licensing

To access Aproove via the Adobe Extensions, you need a valid Aproove user account. An Aproove user can log in to the Adobe Extension or the Web Browser; however, you cannot log in to both simultaneously.

When you download and install the Adobe Extensions you will be asked to agree with Aproove's Terms of Service. By using the Extensions you are agreeing to those Terms of Service.

Please note; the Aproove Adobe InDesign Extension is compatible with Adobe InDesign CC 2021, and 2022. It could work with earlier versions of InDesign, however they have not been tested and are not supported by Aproove.

How to Download & Install the Adobe Extensions

Notes prior to install

Soon, the Extension will be available for download on the Adobe store (we are awaiting Adobe to validate the Extension).
When installing directly on a Mac (not via the Adobe Store), you will receive a warning from Apple (Apple cannot check the package for Malicious Software). The message appears because the app is not on the Apple Store and is nothing to worry about.
The Adobe Installer is currently only available for Mac clients.

Steps to Install the Aproove Adobe Extensions

To directly download the installer (not via the Adobe Store), please follow the instructions below. (As per the video above)

Log in to Aproove via a browser.
Navigate to the hamburger menu and select "Adobe Extensions".
Select the Installer you require (only InDesign at the moment)
Once downloaded to your desktop, double click on the Installer.
If you receive a warning from Apple stating, "Apple cannot check the package for Malicious Software," go to your system preferences and click on "Security & Privacy."
At the bottom of the "Security & Privacy" window, you will see a button called "Open Anyway" next to the name of the Aproove Installer. Click on this button.
The Installer should now activate (if not, please double click on the installer again) and follow the installer wizard steps.
The Aproove Adobe Extension is now installed.

Download the Adobe InDesign Extension quick start guide here!

Case 1: Syncing an InDesign document to an Aproove Project

This is the most common use case. Syncing an InDesign document to an Aproove project is usually the first step you will perform when opening a new InDesign document that has a proofing counterpart in an Aproove project.

The user opens an InDesign file that is not synced to an Aproove project.
The InDesign Extension will prompt you to navigate to your Aproove project related to your InDesign file. (see message below)
When the Aproove project is selected, the InDesign Extension will automatically try to find a matching proof based on the naming convention settings you have set up in the Extension preferences.
If the extension finds a matching proof, it will prompt you to sync with that proof (see message below)
If the extension does not find a match, it will display all the proofs stored inside the Aproove project you selected, allowing you to choose the correct proof to sync with manually. (If the proof is not inside the project you can navigate to another project and start the process again)
Your document is now in sync with Aproove, and the InDesign extension will display all the notes applied to the PDF directly on your InDesign page.
Save your InDesign document (saving the InDesign file will keep it synced with the PDF, so you will not have to re-do the sync when you re-open the file however, please note you can un-sync your PDF by going to the preferences/maintenance/Reset metadata

Case 2: Sync Additional Document To The Same Project

This use case explores what happens when you open up another InDesign file (when one is open already)

The user opens another InDesign file that is not yet synced to an Aproove project.
By default, the Extension will try to find the matching proofs (using the naming convention) in the project you had already navigated to for the InDesign file that is still open. (This is by design to help designers "short cut" the navigation process by assuming it's likely the InDesign file will be from the same project)
If the extension finds a matching proof, it will ask if you wish to sync. However, you can say no, and you will be re-directed to the project list allowing you to select a different project, and now you will be back in the "use case 1 scenario)

See screenshot below
Save your InDesign document to keep your sync

Case 3: Manually Syncing A Page To A Proof

This use case illustrates how you can manually select a proof that matches the page you are viewing inside InDesign.

This method will override the existing binding between InDesign and Aproove or force a specific binding instead of the automated proposal made using a naming convention

The user opens an InDesign file that is not synced to an Aproove project.
The InDesign Extension will prompt you to navigate to your Aproove project related to your InDesign file. (see message below)
When the Aproove project is selected, the InDesign Extension will automatically try to find a matching proof based on the naming convention settings you have set up in the Extension preferences.
If the extension finds a matching proof, it will prompt you to sync with that proof (see message below)
If you do not like the match you can select "No, Take Me To The Flatplan" and this will take you to the flatplan view of the project you selected and display ALL the proofs available in that project.
Choose another proof in the project flatplan to sync with or navigate away from the project and select another.
Anytime, you can always go back to this project plan display to select any other proof manually.

Case 4: Re-sync InDesign Document To A Different Project

This use case illustrates how you un-sync the InDesign document from a project PDF and bound it to another project PDF.

The user opens an InDesign file that is already synced to an Aproove project.
From the Aproove extension, close the project you currently have open, and you will get redirected to the home tab.
You can now navigate to another project in the home tab or project tab. Find the project you wish to sync and select it. You will now be back in the "use case 1" Syncing an InDesign document to an Aproove Project.

Tip: If you want to go back to the original project you left, you can click on the "revert" icon in the top right corner of the project list.
If the extension finds the matching proofs, it will prompt you to sync. You are now synced with the new project, and all the notes inside InDesign will now revert to the notes inside the Project/PDF you just synced with.
Save your InDesign document to keep that sync.

Case 5: Un-sync InDesign Document from an Aproove Project

This use case shows you how to remove any project/proof links with your InDesign file so that it is no longer synced and does not contain any annotation layers inside the InDesign document.

The user opens an InDesign file that is synced to an Aproove project.
The Aproove extension automatically displays the project the InDesign document is bound with.
Navigate to the preference menu (from the hamburger menu top right corner).
In the preferences tabs, go to the "maintenance" tab and click the "reset Metadata" button.
This clears any bindings between the InDesign file and an Aproove project/proof, including all the notes, etc.
Save your InDesign document, and now you have a clean, Aproove's Metadata-free InDesign document.

Tip: Please know that the Aproove layers inside Adobe InDesign are never visible when you print or export the PDF it is not necessary to clear the bindings to create a PDF

The Adobe Extensions will allow your production teams, freelancers, or external agencies to access Aproove without ever leaving the native application!

The information below will show you how to get started with the Adobe Extension and detail the Extension functionality.

The navigation and general use of the Aproove Adobe InDesign Extension is straightforward; however, the pallet will display differently based on the function you utilize. Below you will find a description of the navigation and buttons within the Extension.

The topics below relate to the Adobe InDesign Extension - please click a category for more information, or download the quick start guide here!

Launching the Extension & Logging In

When Adobe InDesign is launched, you can open the Aproove Extension by navigating to, Window > Extensions > Aproove
Now enter your Aproove login and Password.
Now enter your server URL but remember the server URL should not contain https://www or a closing /. e.g., https://demo.aproove.com would become demo.aproove.com
The Aproove Pallet is now active but will not display anything until you open an Adobe InDesign document.

Please note; the Aproove Adobe InDesign Extension is compatible with Adobe InDesign CC 2021, and 2022. It could work with earlier versions of InDesign, however they have not been tested and are not supported by Aproove.

Introduction to the Home and Project Tabs

The video highlights the two main tabs on the Adobe Extensions home screen.

Home Tab
The home tab displays the 15 most recent projects you interacted with (The home tab is the same as your home tab when you log in to Aproove via the web browser)
Projects Tab
The Projects tab will display every project you have permission to view. You can navigate through your folders and click on any project to open them

Home Tab Functions

The screenshot below shows the functions on display when you first log in to the Adobe Extension. By default, you are on the "Home" tab, which displays the last 15 projects you interacted with.

InDD_Step1-1

Search for any Aproove projects you have permission to view
This is where you find the preferences for the Extension (explained below)
Back button allowing you to return to your previous window
Your last 15 projects that you accessed are listed and contain a preview and information about the project, such as how many proofs are in the project, the workflow step the project is currently in (eg. project kickoff), and a number to indicate how many steps are in that workflow. Click on any project to open it.

Project Tab Functions

The screenshot below shows the functions on display when you click on the "Projects" tab, which displays all the projects you have permission to view along with a file tree navigation pane.

Indd_Project

File tree navigation allows you to navigate through your folder structure. As you click on folders and sub folders the contents are displayed
In this example the user has clicked on the packaging folder and all the project proofs related to that folder are showed on the right hand side. The proofs have a preview, project name, and displays how many proofs are inside that project

Introduction to Annotations & Notes

Once you have synced your InDesign document with the correct project/proofs, you will see the notes and annotations in your pallet. (See "Use Case Examples & FAQ" for information on syncing your InDesign page with your project/proofs)

Notes and annotations functions inside the InDesign pallet.

The video above illustrates;

You can see the notes directly on the InDesign page indicated with yellow labels and a number (this represents the note number)
If you have multiple pages in your InDesign document, the notes and annotations will change to reflect the markup applied to each page as you scroll through the document
If the page has no annotations or notes it will tell you in the Extension
When you click on a note it will automatically zoom in on the InDesign page and display the annotation. The zoom level used is the actual zoom level used by the reviewer when they made the annotation
The pallet gives you the same experience as the review interface in Aproove allowing you to hide notes, comment on notes, and @mention people etc. (not shown in video)
If a reviewer is annotating and adding notes in the review interface and the InDesign document is open and synced to the proof being reviewed all the annotations and notes will appear in real-time inside InDesign (not shown in video)

Annotation & Note Functions

The screenshot below shows the functions available when you are viewing annotations and notes inside the Adobe Extension

InDD_Step2-2

Close window (returns you to Home Tab)
Return to Project Plan (with proof thumbnails)
Expand and collapse Note Content
Toggle button to hide and show notes on the InDesign page
Delete a note (only if you have permission)
Resolve note (only if you have permission)
Any applied Note Tags will display here, any note with the page icon indicates that the note tag contains a form
+ allows you to add an additional tag (only if you have permission)
The content of the annotation note is displayed here
The ability to reply to a note or @mention can be done here
Information area shows the InDesign file name, amount of proofs, file size, etc.
Information showing what PDF your InDesign document is synced with and what page is synced with the InDesign page you are viewing

Project Plan Functions

The screenshot below shows the functions available when you are viewing the project plan

InDD_Step3

Return to Home Tab
Workflow step - if you have a workflow setup in Aproove the workflow step will display here (the steps are custom to each company/workflow)
Project Plan Filters - This displays all the proofs within your selected project with filters to show all pages, annotated pages, approved pages and rejected pages
Preview of your proofs within the project you have selected
Preview slider to increase or decrease the size of the preview

Extension Preferences

The video below illustrates;

Selecting preferences from the hamburger menu
The "Proof matching" tab is explained in the "Linking InDesign Docs to PDFs with Naming Convention" tab
The maintenance tab contains the "Reset Metadata" button. By clicking this button you will un-sync your InDesign document with the PDF and erase any Aproove annotation layers on your InDesign file.

"Out the Box" the Adobe Extension will automatically try to find and match the correct PDF with your InDesign document. It does this by looking at your InDesign file name and then seeing if it can find a PDF that matches that name.

Default setting explained

(.*).indd This part of the regular expression states that the extension should take the name of the InDesign file but ignore the .indd extension

#1.pdf This part of the regular expression states is telling the plugin to find a PDF that matches the InDesign name (minus the .indd extension) but with .pdf at the end fo the filename instead

For many the default settings in the proof matching tab are sufficient.

Reset Defaults Button

If you experiment with the regular expression and it does not give you the results you expect you can use the reset defaults button to reset the defaults explained above.

File Name Check

The file name check is helpful if you plan to change your regular expression and want to check what pdf filename Aproove would try to link your InDesign file with.
Enter an InDesign file name and click on "Check," Aproove will display the PDF filename it would search for based on your regular expression settings.

The example below uses the default regular expression.
(e.g., when we check for "test.indd," it shows that it would search for a PDF called "test.pdf").

Example of a more complex regular expression

The video below illustrates a more complex regular expression.

(.*)_(.*)_(.*)_(.*)_.indd This regular expression states that the Design file name will be four components separated with an underscore between each one.

For example; jobnumber_jobname_section_date, which could translate into 1234_Test_S4_010122

#1.pdf This tells Aproove to only look for the first component of the name (the job number in our example above), ignore the other three components (job name, section & date), and look for a .pdf extension at the end of the filename.

Please note: Setting up regular expressions is done by each customer to suit individual needs. Aproove support does not set up or support the regular expressions.

Adobe Extensions

Installing Aproove Adobe Extensions

Use Case Examples & FAQ

Navigating the Aproove Extensions

Linking Your InDesign Docs to PDFs with Naming Convention

Installing the Adobe Extensions

Use Case Examples & FAQ

Navigating the Adobe Extensions

Linking your InDesign Documents to PDF's using a Naming Convention

Aproove put a considerable amount of thought into building the Adobe InDesign Extension. Every company works differently, so we created the naming convention feature that gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility!

Below is a screenshot of the Proof Matching preferences tab

Company

Product:

Information:

Adobe Extensions

Installing Aproove Adobe Extensions

Use Case Examples & FAQ

Navigating the Aproove Extensions

Linking Your InDesign Docs to PDFs with Naming Convention

Installing the Adobe Extensions

Use Case Examples & FAQ

Navigating the Adobe Extensions

Linking your InDesign Documents to PDF's using a Naming Convention

Aproove put a considerable amount of thought into building the Adobe InDesign Extension. Every company works differently, so we created the naming convention feature that gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility!Below is a screenshot of the Proof Matching preferences tab

Company

Product:

Information:

Aproove put a considerable amount of thought into building the Adobe InDesign Extension. Every company works differently, so we created the naming convention feature that gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility!

Below is a screenshot of the Proof Matching preferences tab