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Using Elvis 6 with Adobe InDesign – Installing or uninstalling the InDesign plug-in

  • Updated

This article is part of a series that describes how to use Elvis 6 with Adobe InDesign.

In this article, the process of installing and uninstalling the plug-in in InDesign is described.

The Elvis InDesign plug-in

The Elvis InDesign plug-in (also known as the Elvis InDesign client) is a plug-in that connects InDesign and InDesign Server to Elvis Server.

This makes it possible to open layouts that are stored in Elvis, to place files from Elvis onto the layout, to save changes made in InDesign back to Elvis, and more.

System requirements

For information about compatibility of the Elvis InDesign client with Elvis, InDesign and Smart Connection, see the WoodWing Compatibility Matrix.

License requirements

Each InDesign instance requires a separate user license. For details, see About Elvis 6 licenses.

Installation

Step 1. Download the installer from the Client Install page of Elvis 6 Server.

The Client Install page

ClosedShow me how to access this page

Do one of the following:

  • From the Avatar menu in the Pro client, choose Install clients.

The Avatar menu

  • Access the Elvis Server launcher and click Client install page.

The Client install page option

  • Enter the following URL in a Web browser:

<Elvis 6 Server URL>/install/

Example: localhost/install/

Step 2. Installing the Elvis plug-in can be done in the following ways:

  • By manually running the installer. This method is aimed at end users who want to install the Elvis plug-in on their system.
  • By running the installer via a command prompt. (Windows only) This method is aimed at system administrators who want to remotely control software installations.
ClosedRunning the installer manually

Step 1. Double-click the installer and follow the steps on screen.

Step 2. When done, click Close to close the installer.

ClosedRunning the installer via a command prompt

Info: This method is available for Windows only and requires the installer for the Elvis InDesign client 3.7.5 or higher.

Step 1. Make the installer available in a central location.

Step 2. Use the following command to perform the installation:

msiexec.exe /i "<path to installer>" /QN ADDLOCAL=<name of plug-in to install> <application ID>_PATH="<path to application>"

The following parameters are used:

  • ADDLOCAL: The name of the version of InDesign into which the plug-in needs to be installed.

Examples:

  • InDesign2020
  • InDesignServer2020
  • InDesignCC2019
  • InDesignCCServer2019
  • application ID_PATH: The ID and path of the InDesign application into which the plug-in needs to be installed. Use ID for InDesign and IDS for InDesign Server.

Example: Here, the Elvis plug-in is installed for InDesign 2020:

msiexec.exe /i "C:\Elvis InDesign.msi" /QN ADDLOCAL=InDesign2020 ID2020_PATH="C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2020"

Note: Installations for multiple applications can be run simultaneously. Here, the plug-in is installed in InDesign 2020 and InDesign CC 2019:

msiexec.exe /i "C:\Elvis InDesign.msi" /QN ADDLOCAL=InDesign2020,InDesignCC2019 ID2020_PATH="C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign 2020" ID2019_PATH="C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign CC 2019"

  • Log file. A log file can optionally be generated by adding the following:

/L*V "<path and file name>.log"

Example: /L*V "c:\tmp\elvis_install.log"

Assigning licenses

Using the InDesign client requires an Elvis Pro license. Make sure that:

Configuration

When using MacOS 10.14 Mojave or higher, make sure that the following security settings are set:

Step 1. In System Preferences > Security & Privacy, select Automation.

Step 2. In the list, locate ElvisInDesign and make sure that the check boxes for Finder and Adobe InDesign CC are selected.

The MacOS Privacy settings

Notes: 

  • When trying to open a layout from the Elvis Pro client while these options are not set, it may be that InDesign is opened but the layout itself is not loaded.
  • When running in to this problem and changing the settings described above, it may be needed to restart the system before the changes take affect.

InDesign Server startup

When the Elvis plug-in is used in InDesign Server, the Elvis server credentials need to be passed as arguments in the start-up command of InDesign Server. This should look as follows:

InDesignServer -port <port_number> -elvisserver "<elvis_server_url" -elvisusername "<elvis_username>" -elvispassword "<elvis_password>"

A sample start-up command is:

InDesignServer -port 18383 -elvisserver "http://elvis.woodwing.net" -elvisusername "username" -elvispassword "password"

To see if the log-in to Elvis was successful, verify the console.

Installed components

During installation, plug-ins are installed in the following locations:

  • InDesign folder > Plug-ins > Elvis
  • InDesign folder > Plug-ins > WoodWing

To make it possible to open layouts directly from the Pro client, the following file is installed:

  • On Windows: C:\ProgramData\WoodWing\ElvisInDesign.vbs
  • On MacOS: /Applications/ElvisInDesign

Components added to InDesign

After installation, the following components will have been added to InDesign:

  • An "Elvis" entry to the main menu. It contains options for connecting to and working with Elvis. For the InDesign client version 3.2 and higher, the menu also contains a Help option for accessing the documentation on the WoodWing Help Center.

The Elvis Log In menu

Figure: The "Elvis" menu contains options for connecting to and working with Elvis.

  • Options to the Links panel. The following entries are added for displaying in the panel:
ClosedShow me how to access these options

From the panel menu, choose Panel Options...

  • Elvis Path. The path of the linked file on Elvis Server.
  • Elvis ID. The Elvis ID of the linked file.
  • Elvis Url. The URL to the Elvis object of the linked file.

The Elvis options in the Links Panel Options dialog

Figure: The Elvis options in the Links Panel Options dialog.

The Links panel with Elvis options shown

Figure: The Links panel with Elvis options shown in the Link Info pane.

  • An About Elvis Plug-ins... option in the InDesign menu (on MacOS) or Help menu (on Windows). This will display which version of the Elvis InDesign client plug-in is installed.

The About Elvis Plug-ins window

Uninstalling the plug-in

To uninstall the files that were installed during the installation of the plug-in, do the following:

  • On Windows: In Add/Remove programs, choose Elvis InDesign and select to remove it.
  • On MacOS: Run the following file: InDesign folder > Uninstall Elvis InDesign plug-ins.

Document history

  • 25 February 2020: Updated section 'Installation' with information about silently running the installer.

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