Adobe InDesign Tagged Text User Manual

Using

ADOBE® INDESIGN® CS5

Tagged Text

Last updated 4/21/2010

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Using Adobe® InDesign® CS5 Tagged Text for Windows® and Mac OS

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Contents

Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

Tagged text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

InDesign tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

iv

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Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

You can use tags in Adobe® InDesign® or Adobe InCopy® to import and export formatting attributes with text-only
files. These tags, or codes, indicate style and list definitions as well as the character- and paragraph-level attributes you
want to apply to text.

Tagged text

When you import a tagged text file, InDesign or InCopy reads the tag codes and applies the attributes automatically.
When you export formatted text, you can generate the tag codes so that you can later edit the tags and import the
information with formatting intact.

1

Formatted InDesign document (left) and exported tagged text file (right), with tags shown in red

Only InDesign and InCopy can read InDesign tags. InDesign cannot read tagged text files formatted in Adobe
PageMaker® and QuarkXPress®.

Import and export tags

All tags begin with the less-than character (<) and end with the greater-than character (>). Type the tag immediately
before the text you want to format. For paragraph-level attributes, type the tag at the start of the paragraph. For
character-level attributes, type the tag at the start of the text you want to change. Most type attributes you specify
remain in effect until you use codes to cancel them or until you apply other attributes. For example, to apply
underlining to one word in a paragraph, you type <cUnderline:1> before the word and <cUnderline:> after the word.

To learn about using tag codes, export text with tags from a formatted document. Then view the exported text in a
word-processing application or text editor to see how the attributes are transformed into tag codes. You can then edit

and add tags before you import the tagged text file.

Export InDesign text as tagged text

1 Using the Type tool, click an insertion point in the story you want to export, or select the range of text you want to

export.

2 Choose File > Export.

3 For Save As Type (Microsoft® Windows®) or Format (Apple® Mac OS®), select Adobe InDesign Tagged Text.

Last updated 4/21/2010

4 Specify a name and location for the file, and click Save. (If you’re saving the file using Mac OS, add a .txt extension

USING INDESIGN TAGGED TEXT

Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

to the end of the filename if you want to open the file in Windows.)

5 In the Adobe InDesign Tagged Text Export Options dialog box, specify the following options:

• Select Verbose to show the tags in long form, such as <cStrokeColor:Green> or Abbreviated to show the tags in

short form, such as <csc:Green>.

• Select the encoding format, such as ASCII (the most common format for representing English characters as

numbers), ANSI (a collection of many international characters and special punctuation marks that can be inserted
using the Alt/Option key), Unicode (a standard that supports most language characters, including non-European
languages), Shift-JIS (MS-Kanji for Japanese characters), GB 18030 (the official character set of the People’s
Republic of China), Big 5 (encoding for Traditional Chinese characters), and KSC5601 (encoding for Korean
characters).

6 Click OK.

The story text is exported as a text file. You can use a word-processing application or a text editor to open and edit the
tagged text file.

Import tagged text

1 Open the document into which you will place the tagged text, and choose File > Place.

2 Locate and select the text-only tagged file.

3 If desired, select Show Import Options.

4 Click Open.

5 If you selected Show Import Options in the Place dialog box, select any of the following:

Use Typographer’s Quotes Ensures that imported text includes left and right quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophes

(’) instead of straight quotation marks ("

") and apostrophes (').

2

Remove Text Formatting Removes formatting such as typeface, type color, and type style from the imported text.

Resolve Text Style Conflicts Using Lets you specify which character or paragraph style is applied when there is a

conflict between the style in the tagged text file and the style in your document. Select Publication Definition to use
the definition that already exists for that style name in the document. Select Tagged File Definition to use the style as
defined in the tagged text. This option creates another instance of the style with “copy” appended to its name in the
Character Style or Paragraph Style panel.

Show List Of Problem Tags Before Place Displays a list of unrecognized tags. If a list appears, you can choose to cancel

or continue the import. If you continue, the file may not look as expected.

6 Click OK.

The text appears at the insertion point or replaces selected text. If there is no text selection or insertion point, a loaded
text icon appears. You can click inside an existing frame to place the text inside it, or you can click or drag to create a
new text frame.

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USING INDESIGN TAGGED TEXT

Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

Specifying numeric values in tags

Note the following tips for specifying numeric values or text within a tag:

• In the Tag Name column for the following tables, each tag includes the value type. String includes a list of

characters, such as the name of a color. (When the information is a text string, the case of the characters doesn’t
matter, unless you’re typing a specific color or style name.) Integer includes only whole numbers for values, such as
the number of drop-cap characters. Real can include any number, such as “23.578.” Boolean includes on/off toggle
values: “0” for off and “1” for on. Enum includes only specific string values, such as “Small Caps.” Definition
includes valid names of defined styles and lists.

• Numeric measurements are expressed as points.

• If you create a tagged text file in a word-processing application or text editor, any characters, tabs, and spaces you

type outside the angle brackets (<
no paragraph style assigned, type <ParaStyle:> on a new line.

>) appear in the document when the file is placed. To begin a new paragraph with

• To return an attribute to its default state, type the attribute name followed by a colon (:). For example, to return to

the default leading value, type <cLeading:>.

InDesign tags

3

Start file and definition tags

When you export text as tagged text, the text file includes a start tag that describes the encoding format (such as
<ASCII-WIN>) and a color table tag (<ColorTable>) that defines the colors, tints, and gradients in your document. If
you use paragraph and character styles, variables, table and cell styles, or defined lists in exported text, definition tags
for those items appear.

Note: If you create a tagged text file from scratch, you must include a tag that describes the encoding format (such as
<ASCII-MAC>) at the beginning of the text file. You must type the following text at the top of a text file you want InCopy
to treat as tagged: <ASCII-WIN> for files created in Windows or <ASCII-MAC> for files created in Mac
an encoding format other than ASCII, insert the name of that format in place of ASCII (for example, <UNICODE-
MAC>).

OS. If you use

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Attribute Format Examples and notes

Start file tag <Encodingformat-Platform> <ASCII-MAC>

Specify the encoding format (ASCII, ANSI, UNICODE, SJIS,
CGB18030, BIG5, or KSC5601) followed by the platform
(MAC or WIN).

USING INDESIGN TAGGED TEXT

Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

4

Color table <ColorTable:=<Swatch name 1:Swatch Type (COLOR,

Paragraph style
definition

Paragraph style
applied

Character style
definition

TINT, GRAD, or MIXED):Color Type (CMYK, RGB, LAB, or
MIXED):Color Mode (Process, Spot, or Mixed):Values of
color, tint, or gradient> <Swatch name 2>...>

A COLOR swatch requires 4 values for CMYK and 3 values
for RGB and LAB.

GRADIENT syntax: <Gradient name: GRAD:Fill

type:StopPosition1;StopColor1; Midpoint1 |
StopPosition2;StopColor2; Midpoint2>

TINT syntax: <Base Color:TINT:Tint value>

MIXED Ink Syntax: <MixedInk

Name:MIXED:MIXED:Mixed:Component1Name,
Component2Name:Component1value,Component2value
>

<DefineParaStyle:Style group name::Paragraph style
name= <attr1><attr2>...>

A paragraph style definition includes the character- and
paragraph-level attributes listed later in this document,
as well as <Nextstyle:style name> and <BasedOn:style
name>

<ParaStyle:Paragraph style name> <ParaStyle:Heading 1>

<DefineCharStyle:Style group name::Char style name=
<char attr1><char attr2>...>

A character style definition includes the character­attributes listed later in this document, as well as
<Nextstyle:style name>.

<ColorTable:= <Black:COLOR:CMYK:Process:0,0,0,1>
<Green:COLOR:CMYK:Process:1,0,1,0>
<Blue:COLOR:CMYK:Process:1,1,0,0>
<G/B:GRAD:Linear:0.0;Green;0.5 | 1.0;Blue;0.5>
<Blue:TINT:Blue;20>>
<MixedInk1:MIXED:MIXED:Mixed:Green,Blue:1.00,0.5>

The color table is a list of all colors, tints, and gradients
defined in the Swatches panel and used in the text.

You can use the abbreviation <Table>.

<DefineParaStyle:Style Group 1:Heading
1=<Nextstyle:Body Text> <cFont:AdobeGaramond>
<cSize:18> <pBodyAlignment:Center>>

The paragraph style definition includes a list of all styles
defined in the Paragraph Styles panel and used in the

“Tags for formatting characters and paragraphs”

text. See
on page 5.

The tag <ParaStyle:> starts a new paragraph with no
paragraph style. You can use the abbreviation <pStyle>.

<DefineCharStyle:Style Group
1:Emphasis=<Nextstyle:Emphasis> <cTypeface:Italic>>

The character style definition includes a list of all styles
defined in the Character Styles panel and used in the text.

“Tags for formatting characters and paragraphs” on

See
page 5.

Character style
applied

Table style definition <DefineTableStyle:Style group name:table style

Table style applied <TableStyle:Table style name>

<CharStyle:Character style name> <CharStyle:Emphasis>

name=<table attr1><table attr2>...<cell style>...>

A table style definition includes the table attributes listed
later in this document followed by the cell styles used in
the table style. The <BasedOn:style name> attributes can
also be included.

The <TableStyle> tag appears before the <TableStart>
tag.

The tag <CharStyle:> ends the character style definition.

<DefineTableStyle:Style Group 1:Income
Table=<tBeforeSpace:6> <tLastColCellStyle::Blue Fill>
<tLastColUseBodyCellStyle:0>>

For information on hyperlink tags, see “Table tags” on
page 15.

<TableStyle:Income Table>

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Attribute Format Examples and notes

USING INDESIGN TAGGED TEXT

Adobe InDesign CS5 Tagged Text

5

Cell style definition <DefineCellStyle:Style group name:cell style name=<cell

Cell style applied <CellStyle:cell style name> <CellStyle:Blue Fill>

Define list <DefineListStyle:list name=<list attr1><list attr 2>>

Variable definition <DefineTextVariable:variable

Variable inserted <TextVarName:var name> <TextVarName:Chapter Number>

Conditional text
definition

attr 1><cell attr 2>...>

A cell style definition includes the cell attributes listed
later in this document, as well as <BasedOn:style name>.

The two attributes you can include are
<ContinuesAcrossStories:0 or 1> and
<ContinuesAcrossDocuments:0 or 1> (0=off; 1=on)

name=<TextVarType:type><var attr 1><var attr 2>...>

A variable style definition includes the type of variable
and variable attributes listed later in this document.

<DefineCondition:condition
name=<ConditionColor:color>
<ConditionIndicatorMethod:Enum>
<ConditionIndicatorAppearance:Enum>
<ConditionVisibility:Boolean>>

<DefineCellStyle:Style Group 1:Blue
Fill:<tCellFillColor:C\=75 M\=0 Y\=0 K\=0>>

The <CellStyle> tag appears after the <CellStart> tag,
and the <End:CellStyle> tag appears after the <CellEnd>
tag.

<DefineListStyle:Level 1=<ContinuesAcrossStories:0>>

<DefineTextVariable:Chapter
Titles=<TextVarType:ChapterNum>
<tvTextBefore:Chapter>>

TextVarType attributes include CreateDate, ModDate,
OutputDate, PageCount, FileName, CustomText,
ChapterNum, ParaStyle, and CharStyle

<DefineCondition:Vista=<ConditionColor:0.6,0.4,0>
<ConditionIndicatorMethod:Highlight>
<ConditionIndicatorAppearance:Solid>
<ConditionVisibility:1>>

Valid values for <ConditionIndicatorMethod> include
Highlight and Underline. Valid values for
<ConditionIndicatorAppearance> include Wavy, Solid,
and Dashed. For <ConditionVisibility>, 1 is displayed and
0 is hidden.

Conditional text
applied

Cross-reference
format definition

Cross-reference
format

<cConditionalText:condition name> <cConditionalText:Vista>

<XRefFormatDefn:=<FormatName:variable name>
<CharStyleRef:style name>
<BuildingBlocksLength:Integer>
<BuildingBlock:=<BlockType:Enum>>>

A cross-reference format definition includes the format
name, the name of the character style that’s applied to
the cross-reference source, the number of building
blocks used, and building block tags.

XRefFormat:format name <XRefFormat:Full Paragraph \& Page Number>

<XRefFormatDefn:=<FormatName:Full Paragraph \&
Page Number><CharStyleRef:>
<BuildingBlocksLength:4>
<BuildingBlock:=<BlockType:CustomString><CustomTe
xt:\"><CharStyleRef:><IncludeDelim:0>>
<BuildingBlock:=<BlockType:FullParagraph><CustomT
ext:><CharStyleRef:><IncludeDelim:0>>
<BuildingBlock:=<BlockType:CustomString><CustomTe
xt:\" on page ><CharStyleRef:><IncludeDelim:0>>
<BuildingBlock:=<BlockType:PageNumber><CustomTe
xt:><CharStyleRef:><IncludeDelim:0>>>

For information on hyperlink tags, see “Hyperlink, cross-

reference, and index tags” on page 20.

Tags for formatting characters and paragraphs

The following tables describe character- and paragraph-level tags.