CEO Connect for InDesign

First time setup:

To download CEO Connect for InDesign, click here. 

Once installed, you will want to set up your InDesign User. You do this by opening InDesign, going to File > User. There, you will enter your name and user color if your team uses those. Setting your user allows other members of your team to see who has a document checked out, who has made notes, and see if someone has content checked out in InDesign. If you personally plan to work in both InDesign and InCopy, we recommend differentiating those two users by adding “InC” to the end of your InCopy username.

---

To get started with CEO Connect, open InDesign and the extension by going to Window > Extensions > CEO Connect.

A new window will open and prompt you to enter your CEO login information. It will also ask you for your 3-letter client code. If you don’t know your client code, check with a manager.

 

A new window will open and prompt you to enter your CEO login information. It will also ask you for your 3-letter client code. If you don’t know your client code, check with a manager.

Setting your server path

Before you place any content, you will need to tell CEO where you are keeping your files by setting your local server path. Click on the gear icon then click on "Settings." Navigate to the shared folder your IT team has created. Click save. (You should only have to complete this step the first time you log in.)

Be sure to keep the plugin window running, either opened or minimized, the entire time you're working. If the extension isn’t running CEO won’t be able to record changes. Once you are logged in, you will be able to view assignments and content within your CEO system.

Before placing any CEO Content, make sure your InDesign document is saved on the file server. If it isn’t this can cause problems with files tracking and assignment creation.

Once you are logged in, you will be able to view assignments and content within your CEO.

Placing items on the page

To place content on the page, simply double click on the item.

Your cursor will be loaded with the content, and clicking on the document will place it. To edit it, check it out. Once you are done editing content, be sure to check it back in to CEO Connect by right-clicking the text box and going to InCopy > Check In.

Grouping content into assignments

If there are multiple pieces of content on a page all related to the same story, you can group them into one assignment using CEO Connect. Select all related content (Pull quotes, fact boxes, etc.) and click on the new assignment icon in the extension. (It looks like a clipboard and is to the right of the search bar.)

All your content will now be grouped in CEO. This will make it easier for editors and other members of your team to edit the text in InCopy while the page is being designed.

If you add content to an assignment after its initial creation you may be prompted to save the new file on the server. Navigate to your shared folder, find the issue date folder you are working on and the appropriate assignment folder.

Editing Assignments vs. Content

As the designer, you’ll want to be sure to check is you are on the Assignments tab or the Content tab. If you are placing content, you’ll want to be on the Content tab. If you are checking on the status of a layout, you’ll want to be on the Assignments tab. 

Pushing & Pulling Content

Placing items on a page with CEO Connect and editing text will not change the web version of the text — unless you want it to. 

Items placed using CEO Connect can still be checked out using the web application. If changes are made in either version that you want to sync, follow these steps:

Click on the three vertical dots in the right hand corner. A menu will pop up.

From there, you can pull what is in the CEO web app to the print version.

If you want to pull content from the Add-On into the CEO web app, log in to the web app, navigate to the content you want to pull, and select "Update from Print."