Palette Manager User Guide

Simple, elegant solutions for Adobe InDesign

Automatically Manage Palettes

Thanks for using Teacup Software's Palette Manager! The Palette Manager makes it easier for you to organize your palettes by allowing you to lock palettes to document windows and to page items. The Palette Manager is designed to work seamlessly with Teacup Software's other palette-focused product, the Workspace Manager. Together, the Workspace Manager and the Palette Manager will revolutionize the way you work with InDesign.

Introduction

WHY LOCK PALETTES?

Have you ever lined up your palettes next to a document window, only to have to move each and every palette every time you move the document window? The Palette Manager takes care of that problem by automatically keeping a palette locked to a document window..

Additionally, the Palette Manager lets you lock palettes to page items themselves. This is useful for doing repetetive tasks where you have to select different items and go back to the same palette. For example, say you're modifying the transparency for many items on a page. With the Palette Manager, you can have the transparency palette automatically move next to whatever page item you select..

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LOCK A PALETTE?

When you lock a palette to a document window, the palette will move when you move the document. When you lock a palette to a page item, the palette moves with the page item, and when you select a different page item, the palette moves next to the new selection -- automatically!

CONTEXTS IN THE PALETTE MANAGER

The Palette Manager has two modes: Context Sensitive and Non Context Sensitive. In Context Sensitive mode, you can create different palette sets for each item type -- in other words, for graphic frames, there can be one set of palettes locked to document windows and page items, while for text frames, there can be a different set. In Non Context Sensitive mode, there is only one set of palettes that you can have locked for all page item types. The main advantage of Non Context Sensitive mode is that it is considerably faster than Context Sensitive mode.

Using the Palette Manager

To lock a palette, simply right click (control-click on the mac) on the palette title and a new menu will come up. The menu has two items: Lock Palette and Unlock Palette. Selecting Unlock Palette will unlock the palette from the current context. Selecting Lock Palette will bring up at least two sub-menu items:

To All Doc Windows

To All Page Items

In Context Sensitive mode, you will see two additional sub-menu items:

To Doc Windows ([selected page item type])

To [selected page item type]

When you lock a palette to a page item, the Palette Manager will always keep the palette in the same place relative to the page item. For example, say you lock the Character palette to a page item when the palette is at the upper right of the page item. Now every time you move the page item, the Character palette will move with it so that it remains towards the upper right of the item.

When you lock a palette to a document window, the Palette Manager will always keep the palette in the same place relative to the document, even as you resize and move the document.

If you want to change the position of a locked palette relative to a page item or document window, just move the palette. The Palette Manager will always keep the palette the last place you left it.

Context Sensitive vs. Non Context Sensitive Modes

You may notice that both modes have menu items which allow you to lock palettes To All Page Items or To All Document Windows. These two menu items actually do slightly different things in the two modes.

CONTEXT SENSITIVE

Context Sensitive mode has a different set of locked palettes for each page item type. Click on a graphic frame, and the locked palettes for graphic frames are brought up. Click on a text frame, and the locked palettes for text frames are brought up.

When you lock a palette to all page items, then a separate lock is created for each palette set. As a result, if you move a locked palette when a graphic frame is selected, and then select a text frame, the palette will go back to where it was the last time you had a text frame selected.

NON CONTEXT SENSITIVE

In Non-Context Sensitive mode, you only have one set of palettes for all page items. As you go from graphic frames to text frames to splines, the set of locked palettes always stays the same.

Non-Context Sensitive mode is also considerably faster. This is because the Palette Manager doesn't have to rebuild palettes every time you select different type of page item.

SWITCHING MODES

Switching modes is done through the Window > Palette Manager menu. You will see a menu item labeled Context Sensitive. If the menu item is checked, the Palette Manager is in Context Sensitive mode. If the menu item is not checked, it is in Non Context Sensitive mode. To switch modes, simply select the menu item. Switching modes in the Palette Manager. Since the menu is not checked, that means Context Sensitive mode is off .

Registering the Palette Manager

In order to unlock the full working version of the Palette Manager, you must have a serial number given to you by Teacup. These can be purchased at Teacup's web site, www.teacupsoftware.com. Once you have a serial number, you must enter it into the Palette Manager. Select Help > Register Teacup Product. This will bring up the registration dialog.

Copy and paste your serial number into this dialog, click OK, and your copy of the Palette Manager is registered! Access this dialog from Help > Register Teacup Product...

©2003 Teacup Software