Desktop Publishing Overview

You can adapt the output from CDM for use in a desktop publishing application such as Adobe™ InDesign.

For Excel objects, you must tag specific content for your desktop publishing application. For Word objects, you have the option of tagging specific content or enabling the desktop publishing utility to allow you to generate content to desktop publishing automatically without the use of tags.

The tags that you create in CDM will be stored in the form of XML when the report is generated. The generated XML file can then be imported in the specified application.

To set up desktop publishing styles in CDM, the administrator must set up styles and apply permissions to the appropriate users and user groups. Then, the users can apply those styles to content in Excel and Word objects.

Important: The functionality for desktop publishing products such as Adobe InDesign is beyond the scope of this guide. For more information, see the appropriate documentation or online help.

Automatic Generation Without the Use of Tags

To generate content to desktop publishing automatically without the use of tags, you must first modify the server-specific CDM.config file (default path is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\CertentCDM-Server\Config) by adding the <EnableDesktopPublishingAutomaticWordGeneration value="true" /> key. This enables the desktop publishing utility.

Also, to prevent styles from being duplicated during report generation, you must ensure the reduceStyles value is set to true in the <ReportGeneration imageDpi="200" reduceStyles="true" /> key. After modifying the CDM.config file, you must then perform an IIS reset of the server machine and then open the client.

To generate content to desktop publishing, the paragraphs and table styles being used in the Word objects must exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles. Contact your administrator to ensure the styles are present. The style names there must be identical to the ones in the Word objects (the names are case sensitive) you want to generate.

If a paragraph in a Word object contains a character style that does not exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles, but the paragraph style is present, then the paragraph's entire content is generated under the same XML node (in effect, tag). If a paragraph contains a character style that exists in the Administration desktop publishing styles, but the paragraph style doesn't exist, then the paragraph's content is not generated in the XML file.

To generate Word tables, the paragraph and character styles that exist in a table's cell must also exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles as well. If not, the generated table is empty. The Table Style must also exist or the table will not generate.

Range variables (##D for named ranges) are generated with the Table Normal table style and Normal paragraph styles in cells. These styles must exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles to generate the range variables to desktop publishing.

Objects other than charts and images are not generated (for example, text boxes, shapes, and so on). Paragraph styles on which charts and images rely must exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles to generate the chart or image. Charts and images that are not inline with text are not generated.

If you have a style that can be applied both to paragraphs and characters and it is used on characters, its name suffixed by a space and the Char text must exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles to generate that nested tag. For example, you have defined a style named My Style that can be used both for paragraphs and characters. To generate this style for characters, you need to have the My Style Char style added in the Administration desktop publishing styles.

All XML nodes for charts and images are generated with the name found in Alt Text Description for Word objects and actual chart or image names for Excel objects.

It is not recommended to use Word tables for automatic word generation to desktop publishing as there are limitations with resolving merged cells. It is recommended that you create the tables in an Excel object and tag them there.

The < and > characters are not escaped. If needed, a placeholder can be used instead that can be replaced with the appropriate content in the generated XML (in effect < for < and > for >).

When generating content to desktop publishing, the style names might be modified to comply with the XML naming rules. For example, for the Word style 1_My Style to be generated, the same style name, that is 1_My Style, must exist in the Administration desktop publishing styles and the XML node will have the name _MyStyle.