Before using AdBuilder, you must create an InDesign document that AdBuilder will use as a design template. Indesign documents must be:
- Limited to a single page.
- Saved as either an .indd or .idml file type.
- Saved using a version of InDesign which either matches your site's InDesign server or an earlier version. See Checking Indesign Server version for instructions on how to find the version of InDesign your site is integrated with.
Adbuilder templates use text and image blocks that represent frames in an InDesign document. Custom script labels are used to determine whether users can edit block content in AdBuilder.
While an InDesign template may be created using any PPI resolution setting, it should be understood that all Adbuilder files customized via the portal are downloaded using a hard-coded 72ppi resolution. If the InDesign template uses a different PPI setting, it should be tested alongside a regular AdBuilder workflow to ensure that any PPI difference between the template and this hardcoded setting does not affect the quality of the finalized AdBuilder download.
Text frames
Text frames allow you to define your template's text content. The sizing and styling of this content will apply to any custom text your users input while customizing their templates in AdBuilder. As you build your documents in InDesign, make sure to reference the AdBuilder administrator guide so you can plan how your text frames will be used with the AdBuilder tool.
Creating a text frame
- Click the text button along the toolbar.
- Drag your cursor across the template page according to your desired placement and sizing.
- To resize your frame, use the selection tool button along the toolbar and select the desired frame. Drag the corners of your frame across the screen to adjust its size.
- Apply a script label to your new frame, or it will not appear while configuring your template with AdBuilder.
Only rectangular text frames are supported by AdBuilder at this time. Unassigned, circular or otherwise uniquely shaped frames will not appear while configuring content for the AdBuilder tool, even if they have a script label.
Styling text frames
Only standard fonts are compatible with AdBuilder by default; to learn more about expanding this default font list, please contact support or your account manager.
Any styles applied to text in your text frames will also apply to published templates after they have been put through AdBuilder. Style customizations may include:
- Font type
- Font size
- Font color
- Font weight and decoration such as regular, bold, italics, underline, or
strikethrough - Alignment, e.g. left, center, right, justified
Image frames
Image frames allow you to define your AdBuilder template's image content. The sizing of this content will apply to any NetX images your users input while customizing their templates in AdBuilder. As you build your documents in InDesign, make sure to reference the AdBuilder administrator guide so you can plan how your image frames will be used with the AdBuilder tool.
Creating an image frame
- Click the image button along the toolbar.
- Drag your cursor across the template page according to your desired placement and sizing.
- To resize your frame, use the selection tool
button along the toolbar and select the desired frame. Drag the corners of your frame across the screen to adjust its size.
- Apply a script label to your new frame, or it will not appear while configuring your template with AdBuilder.
Only rectangular image frames are supported by AdBuilder at this time. Unassigned, circular or uniquely shaped frames will not appear while configuring content for the AdBuilder tool, even if they have a script label.
Fitting images to frames
The way images fit into image frames can be adjusted on a frame-by-frame basis. Any fitting option applied to a frame will size any image added accordingly when customizing templates in AdBuilder.
- Select an image frame.
- Right-click over the frame; choose Fitting.
- Select from the fitting options. Any image already in the frame will resize based on your selection.
Script labels
At this time, grouped layers are not supported for use with AdBuilder and will not be read even if a script label is applied to the layer.
Your text and image frames must have script labels applied and saved or they will not appear while configuring or customizing the template. These script labels must be applied in InDesign.
- Use InDesign's Window dropdown at the top of your application.
- Highlight Utilities, then select Script labels. A new pane will appear.
- Select the frame you are adding a script label to.
- Enter a script label value to the new script label pane.
On occasion, InDesign will not properly save applied script labels when the document is saved; before uploading your file and configuring your AdBuilder blocks in NetX, check that InDesign has actually saved your labels. This issue presents most often with text frames.
Linking assets
Any image content added to an INDD template can be linked to an existing asset in NetX.
- Upload any images you will use in your INDD template to NetX. These images must have unique file names, e.g. file names that are not applied to any existing assets.
- Place those images in the InDesign template. The original images must have file names that exactly match the assets uploaded to NetX in step 1.
- Upload the template to NetX.
- View the template's relationships tab on its asset detail page; the image assets from step 1 will appear.