The Studio interface

Here is a very brief overview of the working area of ​​the Studio.

Note that this is more detail on pages 21 to 30 in the Studio manual

Menu bar: Here you can find all the features found in the studio and consists of the following categories: File (open, close, export, etc.), Edit (copy, paste etc.), View (zoom, hidden characters etc.), Jobs (job set up, preview etc.), Page (insert page etc.), Element (Group, define color etc.), Text (define styles etc.) Window (open template) and Help.

Project Panel: An isave.DIALOG template always consists of a project file (filename.pf) and two template files (filename.xdt and filename.tsl). It is the project file (filename.pf) that opens in the Project panel. It is divided into three sections (tabs); Variables, jobs and files. The jobs are named Print, Lowres, Preview, and Thumb and you cannot change these name in order to get the template to work within the isave.DIALOG framework, but you can change the settings in the existing jobs.

Toolbox: Here are the various tools Studio uses and they are very similar to tools in Indesign and Quark. The exception is the Area Template tool that can be described as a content container for multiple items, or as a clipping path if used around a picture box.

Standard Toolbar: Here you will find the most used shortcuts to features you will find again under the various menus. New Template (new template document) and Save All (which saves changes to both the project file and template file is definitely the two buttons that are used the most).

Pasteboard is the total work area you have in Studio while only elements that are within the template area (and bleed area) is used in the PDF creation process.  Note that if you have printed with the output with a bleed you must place the elements outside the template’s edge, and one has to add the Bleed area under the job called Print for imposition programs to interpret net measurement in the PDF file directly. Most common use of this is to set the position of the element to -3mm in height and width relative to the template’s starting coordinates.

Structure Panel: Here is an overview of the entire document, and this panel is divided into two sections: Layout and Pages. In the layout section you will find all the items on the active page and is similar to the Layers feature in Indesign (but note that the order is opposite than in Indesign, meaning that the item is physically located at the top of the list is actually the in back of the document). The second section is Pages and is divided into Master pages (template pages) at the top and existing pages in the document at the bottom.

Properties panel: Here you define the values ​​of the selected object or clause (size, position, margins, etc.). Under the Flex set rules regarding placement of photos in the frame and automatically hide paragraphs or items unless a variable is present. Under the tab. Rights set restrictions on an item to be edited in content and / or moved and changed in the editing interface we call Edit Document.

There are also some predefined keys that are useful to use for a fast workflow:

  • CTRL 0 — Fit In Window
  • CTRL 1 — Actual Size 100%
  • CTRL – (minus) — Zoom out
  • CTRL + (plus) — Zoom in
  • CTRL Spacebar — Hand Tool (change the work area view, by dragging the cursor around).

Useful tip is that you can configure your own shortcut keys, go to the Edit menu and choose shortcut keys.