Using Elvis 6 with Adobe InDesign – Updating Elvis or Enterprise files placed on a layout

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

In this article, the process of updating Elvis files that are placed on the layout is described.

Note: It is assumed here that you are logged in to Elvis in InDesign.

Updating the content

Working on a publication is team work and involves many different people performing many different tasks. As a layout designer using InDesign, you could be working on the design of the layout while other members of the team are editing the files that are placed on it.

It is obviously important to know that the files you are seeing on the layout are the latest versions of these files so that you can make sure that they are displayed correctly in their frames.

Summary

Various ways of updating the files exist. Depending on the method chosen and the versions of the software used, the content is automatically updated or needs to be updated manually (note that manual updating is often preferred because this gives better control and visibility over any changes that are made).

A summary is shown in the following table, see the rest of the article for a more detailed explanation.

Method	How content is updated
Opening the layout	Elvis plug-in 3.3 or higher: Manually updating Elvis files is default, automatic updating needs to be enabled. Elvis plug-in 3.2 or lower:  All outdated Elvis files are automatically updated.
Elvis > Update All Content	Elvis plug-in 3.7.5 or higher and InDesign 2020 or higher: All outdated files (stored in Elvis, Enterprise1, or elsewhere) are automatically updated. 1 When Smart Connection is installed. Elvis plug-in 3.3 or higher: Manually updating Elvis files is default, automatic updating is optional. Elvis plug-in 3.2 or lower:  All outdated Elvis files are automatically updated.
Elvis > Refresh All Elvis Link States	Elvis plug-in 3.7.5 or higher and InDesign 2020 or higher: The status of all Elvis files is checked and where needed updated. The actual files are not updated.
Smart Connection > Update All Content	Elvis plug-in 3.7.5 or higher and Smart Connection for Adobe 2020 or higher: All outdated files (stored in Elvis, Enterprise1, or elsewhere) are automatically updated. 1 When Smart Connection is installed. Elvis plug-in 3.6 or lower:  All outdated Enterprise files are automatically updated.
Links Panel > Update All Links	All outdated files are automatically updated.

Workflow for Elvis files

When the files that are placed on the layout are stored in Elvis, updating them to their latest version is done in various ways, depending on the scenario and the version of the Elvis plug-in that is installed.

Refreshing the links

Info: This feature requires the Elvis plug-in 3.7.5 or higher and InDesign 2020 or higher.

Instead of updating the placed files, you may just want to know which links are outdated so that you can take appropriate action on a file-by-file basis.

To do this, choose Elvis > Refresh All Elvis Link States. The status of all Elvis files is checked and where needed updated. The actual files are not updated. To update the files, choose Elvis > Update All Content, or use the options in the Links panel.

Updating files when the layout is opened

Scenario:

• The layout is stored in Elvis
• The layout is opened from Elvis
• You are logged in to Elvis in InDesign

In this scenario, a check is done by the Elvis plug-in in InDesign to see if a newer version of the file is available than the version that is placed on the layout. If this is the case, one of the following takes place:

• For version 3.3 and higher: a message appears informing you that updates are available:

"This document contains links to sources that have been modified. You can update the modified links now, or update them later using the Links panel."

When clicking 'Update Links', the latest versions of the files are downloaded and the links are automatically updated.

When clicking 'Don't update links', the linked files will not be updated. However, the updated files will be downloaded in the background from Elvis to your local system. This makes them readily available should you choose to later update the links manually by using the options in the Links panel.

• For version 3.2 or lower: the latest versions of the files are downloaded and the links are automatically updated.

Manually updating files

When working on a layout on which files are placed that are stored in Elvis, it could be that a newer version of the file is available in Elvis. You may not be aware that such updates exist because of various reasons:

• You have opened the layout from InDesign but are not logged in to Elvis. The Elvis plug-in can therefore not connect to Elvis to check for any updated versions. When subsequently logging in to Elvis, changes to updated files are not detected.
• Another user has edited the file while you are working on the layout. Such changes are not automatically detected.

For these scenarios you can manually update the content by choosing Elvis > Update All Content.

One of the following takes place, depending on the version of the Elvis-plug-in:

• For the plug-in version 3.7.5 and higher: all outdated files (stored in Elvis, Enterprise, or elsewhere) are automatically updated.

• For the plug-in version 3.3 and higher: a message appears informing you that updates are available:

"This document contains links to sources that have been modified. You can update the modified links now, or update them later using the Links panel."

When clicking 'Update Links', the latest versions of the files are downloaded and the links are automatically updated.

When clicking 'Don't update links', the linked files will not be updated. However, the updated files will be downloaded in the background from Elvis to your local system. This makes them readily available should you choose to later update the links manually by using the options in the Links panel.

• For the plug-in version 3.2 or lower: the latest version of the files is downloaded and the links are automatically updated.

Workflow for Elvis files stored in Enterprise

When Elvis is used within a WoodWing Enterprise workflow environment, the files in Elvis can be used for producing publications such as newspapers, magazines, books, and more.

One of the ways of using Elvis files in Enterprise is by storing a reference in Enterprise to the original file in Elvis. This is known as a 'shadow object' in Enterprise.

The states of these files is automatically updated. The content of these files can be manually updated by doing one of the following:

• For the plug-in version 3.7.5 and higher with Smart Connection for InDesign 2020 or higher: choose Smart Connection > Update All Content or Elvis > Update All Content.

• For the plug-in version 3.6 or lower: choose Smart Connection > Update All Content.

Document history

• 19 February 2020: Renamed article from 'Updating all Elvis files placed on a layout'.
• 19 February 2020: Added section 'Summary'.
• 19 February 2020: Added section 'Refreshing the links'.
• 19 February 2020: Added section 'Workflow for Elvis files stored in Enterprise'.