creating an interactive PDF retail catalog – button activation on multiple pages

Learn / Forums / General InDesign Topics / creating an interactive PDF retail catalog – button activation on multiple pages

Tagged: 

Viewing 1 reply thread
  • Author
    Posts
    • #67745
      Simply Serge
      Member

      Hi everyone. I have some difficulties with my InDesign project and I hope that someone will be able to help me.

      My project – create an interactive .PDF retail catalog with about 100 pages of products for sale.

      The structure of the page – I put on the page 12 images of product (3 in line and 4 in column). Each image is a button with on click function. Once activated a popup window (another button) opens with product description, this window disappears when we click on it.
      So I put on the page 12 buttons (products Image) and another 12 buttons (the pup-up windows with show/hide action for product details), in total 24 buttons on page. For each created button I have to specify/assign an action to take relating to other buttons, so for one page I have to specify 24 actions and on 2 pages I have to specify for each button an action to make relating to all the other 48 buttons (48 buttons, I mention this number as I saved the 2 pages as masterpage).

      The Problem I met: I created to facing pages, in total having 48 buttons, and saved them like a masterpage. I intended to simply apply the master page to another pages and change only the images and the product description (yep, too easy to be true ).

      Mentions:
      1) Applying the masterpage to a certain page I cannot simply make the changes, I have to “override the Master page Items” in order to have the possibility to modify the buttons. Once I make that, the buttons change their name automatically and I have to submit an action for new created buttons. On 4 pages it comes to apply an action relating to 96 buttons I have, I do not imagine how to make it for 100 pages without becoming insane!
      2) Supposing there is no problem with thousands of different buttons name. Than I have another problem – applying the master page to other pages the name of buttons do not change and in the created PDF catalog, when you click on a product (image button) the pop-up window with product description appears on each consecutive page (as on each page I have the same name for a particular button).

      Finally my questions:
      – Can I avoid overriding masterpage items in order to be able to make changes to buttons?
      – When I open a window I’d like the background to be transparent/foggy, is there an option for that or I have to create another button with transparent effect?
      – The main problem – Is there any possibility to bound/attach particular button action to a particular page and avoid the problem with button activation on multiple pages? I need the button “X” action to concern only the buttons on the page where is situated the button “X”, and if his action is to Show a popup window “Y” than he won’t open the pup-up windows “Y” on all other pages but only the one on the page where he (the button X) is situated.

      Many thanks for your patience while reading my long question !!!

      P.S. I’m using InDesign 9.0

    • #67763
      Kenneth Kish
      Member

      Hi Serge,

      Apply your master to a document blank page.

      Use the key command Mac Shift+command on the item you would like to change. It should become editable and this will not effect your masters. You can change photos, text, color. PC key command is shift control. Once you do this do not apply a new master to this edited page it will overwrite what you just changed. I hope this helps.

      The Wallcrawler

Viewing 1 reply thread
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
>