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Grab "Last Time File Saved" as Text Variable

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    • September 24, 2010 at 11:52 am #57111
      LisaGal
      Member

      My company uses a job slug that shows the file name and the date the file was last saved, not modified. How can I do this in InDesign with text variables? I've got the file name variable working (that was easy) but the Last Time Saved is more difficult. We are using Quark now, and have an extension that does it for us. We are switching to InDesign but need this to work before we can make the move.

    • September 24, 2010 at 12:07 pm #57112
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      Last Modified is last saved, no?

    • September 24, 2010 at 2:03 pm #57116
      LisaGal
      Member

      Yes, if you close the file. I need it to work when I save the file and keep it open using Command + S.

    • September 24, 2010 at 2:13 pm #57118
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      No need to close the file. But you do need to refresh the screen! Text variables (such as last modified) only update when you change the screen view (by zooming in and out, changing pages, pressing command-option-slash, etc.)

    • September 27, 2010 at 6:34 am #57141
      LisaGal
      Member

      Hmm, that's interesting..that works, but I don't know if that will fly with out internal “Quality” people or not since it isn't an automatic update when the file is saved using key commands. We generate pdfs of the files and the date/time (from the operating system) of the pdf must be the same or later than the last modified (or saved) time on the job slug in InDesign. We are a pharmaceutical company and our group creates the labels used on the drugs. We have to have lots of checks and balances in our procedures. If ID can't do this, can you recommend a 3rd party plugin that can?

    • September 27, 2010 at 1:05 pm #57148
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      Interesting point, but the PDFs you export WILL have the correct timestamp even if it doesn't (for a moment) look right on screen.

      That is, if you open a document at 10:00 and work on one page for 20 minutes and then save at 10:20, the variable you see on screen (assuming you can see the slug while you're working) still says 10:00. (As I said, if you switch apps, or pages or scroll around even, it will update to 10:20.) However, if you export the PDF right away, the PDF does say 10:20 (the correct time) even if the screen hasn't caught up yet.

      So I can't imagine this would really cause any realistic problems.

    • September 28, 2010 at 1:38 am #57149
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I thought the modification date updated when you exported to PDF, regardless of whether you saved or not?

    • September 28, 2010 at 5:29 am #57150
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      Eugene: I don't think the “last modified” text variable updates until you save the document. At least it doesn't for me. But as soon as I do, then export a PDF, the pdf does show the new time.

    • September 28, 2010 at 5:52 am #57151
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Sorry i was thinking of the Output Date

    • September 29, 2010 at 12:57 pm #57177
      LisaGal
      Member

      Thanks David, that does work!

      (Still wish it would capture when I do command+S, maybe a future version will include a text variable of Last Saved.)

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