Reply To: Best Practices for InDesign Version control when using InCopy for writers?

It’s okay to simply rename — not do a Save As or dupe it — an ID file (assuming no one has stories checked out of the layout for editing at the moment), but if you’re using an Assignments workflow, that’ll break the link to the Assignments. I personally don’t use that method nor teach it; I use use the INDD file (a “layout workflow”) as the central document and export the stories to the Unassigned Content category in the Assignments panel. One or more InCopy users can open the INDD file *in InCopy* and check out stories to edit even if the designer has the file open.

The whole point of the workflow is to *not* use versions of the ID file. No versionitis, no dupes floating around, no checking v1 vs v2 etc. That’s what saves a ton of time. I’ve not had clients regret this as far as I know and I’ve been teaching/consulting on it for 20 years. The one layout that gets shared with the editors is ultimately going to be the same file that is output for final. You can export PDFs for archival/date stamping if you want. Editors rely on track changes if they need to keep track of what words they’re changing.

That said, it *is* possible to do a Save As for these INDD files to change their names and make a new version of the file; but It’s not straightforward. You need to first open it in ID and be sure that all stories are checked in and up to date, then delete the links to them so they’re no longer editable. Then you can do the Save As, rename it, and re-export the stories to InCopy format in a new folder. If you neglect to do the unlink/rexport steps, you end up with a new INDD file linked to the same original stories, seldom what anyone wants/expects.

Hope that helps! I have a chapter on using ID/IC in my InDesign Remote Workflows course on LinkedIn Learning, the first video in the ID/IC chapter is free:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/collaborative-workflows-for-editors-and-designers/incopy-and-indesign-workflow