General Concepts

Placeholders and InDesign Connection

A placeholder serves as the functional link between an Adobe InDesign frame and the data stored in the priint:suite ecosystem. Consultants assign a placeholder to a selected frame using the priint:comet InDesign Plugins, which identifies the frame with a unique placeholder ID. Once assigned, the placeholder dictates how content—such as text, images, or tables—is rendered within that specific layout element based on its configuration.

Data Providers and Placeholders using AccPack Methods

A data provider is responsible for the retrieval and transformation of information into a format usable by the layout engine. AccPack methods act use standardized data providers by offering best-fit approaches for data-query and data-mapping mechanisms. These placeholders eliminate the need for project-specific Java development by providing pre-built logic for common tasks, such as finding a parent record in a hierarchy or aggregating multiple attributes into a single string.

Composability of methods is a big advantage of using separate data query and data mapping methods. Find out more about these concepts in the general priint:suite documentation.

Configuration in ISON

All placeholders rely on data providers that will prepare the data that will be evaluated in the placeholder.

Data Query

Data query retrieves the raw data for the placeholder. It is a general priint:suite concept, see Generic Placeholders. The screenshot below shows an example configuration used by the generic placeholders.

Data query ISON

Data Mapping

Data mapping transforms the queried data into the format the placeholder renders. It is a general priint:suite concept, see Generic Placeholders. The screenshot below shows an example configuration used by the generic placeholders.

Data mapping ISON

Data processing

Some placeholders add one or more data processing step that post-processes the placeholder output. It is a general priint:suite concept, see Data processing. The screenshot below shows an example configuration used by the generic placeholders.

Depending on your data you might want to duplicate the default placeholder from the Accelerating Pack and change data processing methods. This makes sense, when your KeyValue- or Text-Entities contain HTML tags. The data processing defines how HTML tags in your data should be processed. The default Data processing htmlToPlainText will strip all HTML tags. The htmlToTaggedText will instead try and convert the HTML tags inside your data to Text the InDesign can process (TaggedText).

Data processing ISON

The Role of Function Variables

Function variables allow consultants to define and adjust placeholder behavior directly within the "Placeholder Options" dialog in InDesign without modifying any underlying code. By configuring variables such as Key, Designator, Selection, and Result Entity ID, a consultant can control:

Data Selection: Filtering which specific records are displayed (e.g., only JPG images or specifically selected planning content).
Formatting: Choosing which fields of a record to show, such as a value with or without units.
Logic: Implementing complex retrieval rules, such as AND/OR gates for attribute lists or defining how many levels to traverse up or down a product tree.

Result Entity ID

Placeholder for "short description"

This variable could be set to define which would be the entity the placeholder would get result from:

Category attribute: if the value is an attribute of a Category
Product attribute: if the value is an attribute of aProduct
Attribute of attribute set: if the value is from an attribute defined by attribute set
Similar for Attribute of table configuration / Attribute of table layout configuration

Supported Entity Types

The AccPack methods cover a comprehensive range of entity types to support diverse publication needs, such as:

Key Values: Managed via placeholders like AccPack_AttributeKeyValue, these retrieve specific attributes (e.g., color, weight) assigned to a bucket or planning record.
Text: AccPack_Text is used for rich or raw text content (content blocks), such as long-form marketing copy and descriptions.
Media Assets: Multiple placeholders (e.g., AccPack_MediaAsset, AccPack_MediaAssetLabel) handle images by searching labels with regular expressions, using unique identifiers, or following PIM relations.
Document Parameters: AccPack_DocumentParameter loads values set at the document or publication level, such as a "Catalog Year" or a "Chapter Title".
Bucket Templates: AccPack_BucketTemplates and AccPack_ChildBucketTemplates are used for multi-frame layouts, automatically placing sub-templates for every matching bucket found in the data hierarchy.
Metadata: AccPack_ContentMetaData evaluates metadata assigned to entities such as planning records and buckets.
Static Content: AccPack_StaticContent loads fixed text from a staticContent.xml file, varied by language, country, assortment, or well.