Concepts

Our AccPack for Page Layout provides a set of reusable components for the priint:comet plugin in Adobe InDesign. The package includes Layout Conditions, Layout Rules, Placeholders, and Panel Actions. Use them as a starting point for common project requirements.

Layout Conditions and Rules

A Layout Condition evaluates to true or false. Attach one to a Layout Rule to control when the rule runs.

A Layout Rule performs an action on a frame or page. It runs at a defined point during document generation.

Both types support up to four parameters. You configure those parameters directly in InDesign, while assigning the rule or condition during templating. Each condition and rule can execute in five different situations, which gives you control over timing and context.

The included rules and conditions are standalone. They do not rely on other scripts or external IDs unless the individual reference page notes an exception.

Frame and content checks

Condition	Description
Frame_Is_Empty	Returns true if the current frame is empty, e.g. after loading a placeholder
Has_Specific_Textcontent	Returns true if the current frame contains a specific text content
Has_X_Repeating_Elements	Returns true if the element list for the current multiframe contains X entries

Document and data checks

Condition	Description
Has_Document_Attribute	Returns true if the current document has a specific XML attribute with a specific value

Page

Condition	Description
Left / Right Page	Returns true if the text frame is on a left or right page

Images

Rule	Description
Scale_Image_X%	Scales the inserted image to a configured percentage
Enlarge_First_Repeating_Element	Resizes the first repeating element of a multiframe to the full size of the multiframe

Tables

Rule	Description
Table_Adoption_[Index]	Edits the columns of an inserted table; column selection and widths are defined by index
Table_Merge_Cells	Merges equal cells in a table across a configurable cell range

Frames and positioning

Rule	Description
Lock_Frame	Toggles the lock state of the current frame
Extend_To_Bleed	Modifies the current frame to match the bleed properties of the document
Move Frame based on xml attributes	Moves a frame based on XML attributes, typically from priint:planner document parameters
Resize frames based on xml attributes	Resizes a frame based on XML attributes, typically from priint:planner document parameters

Styles and pages

Rule	Description
Apply_Objectstyle	Assigns a specific object style to the current frame
Set_Parentpage	Assigns a master page to the current page

Leading Frames

Many catalog productions need leading numbers to connect images with their corresponding text content, for example to label product images with a reference letter or number that appears in a caption or legend.

Leading Frames implements this with three components that work together:

• Leading Number Parent placeholder: placed on the image frame. Two function variables set the numbering style (1,2,3 / 01,02,03 / A,B,C) and the numbering area (page or spread). The placeholder itself has no load action; its function variables are what the Panel Action reads.
• Leading Number Child placeholder: placed on the text frame that should receive the matching number. No configuration needed beyond the placeholder ID.
• Set_Leading_Numbers Panel Action: run after building. It iterates every page, collects all Parent placeholder links sorted by position, assigns sequential numbers starting from 1, and writes the same number to the corresponding Child placeholder by matching the record ID.

By default numbering resets at the start of each page. With the spread area it continues across the pages of a spread.

Additional features

Dialog Class provides a utility for building custom dialog windows within Panel Actions. The included example, Unlock_Layer_Frames, demonstrates checkboxes and dropdown selection. Available in InDesign Desktop only.