All designs in mag+ begin on a mag+ template. This is a blank InDesign document, sized to fit the device you're designing for, and programmed to work with the plug-in to output your mag+ design at the right resolution for that device when you export. It's crucial that you use the mag+ template for the device you're designing for to get predictable results.
When you run the mag+ Installers, you'll get a folder in your Applications folder called mag+. Inside that folder, you'll find a folder called mag+ Templates, which has design and TOC templates for each of the devices we support. Unless you're designing a pop-down TOC for your navigation menu, you'll always want to use the template marked magplus_template_CS**.indt. If you're translating a print design, just copy and paste your content onto this template, then move it around. If you're designing from scratch, just start laying out your page, bearing in mind the unique shape, orientation control and layers of mag+ - read on for more.
Shape of the Template
Each InDesign document represents one page in your publication, also called a vertical. Think of a vertical like a page that’s as wide as the device screen and as long as you want it to be. The template is the width of the device in landscape mode and six times as long as the height so you can have lots of A layer content scrolling over a single B layer image. If you want a second B layer slide, just add another page in your InDesign document. You can change the height of the mag+ template, but note that it will lead to unpredictable results if you use multi-device export, so always save a copy of the template if you're going to make it shorter or longer.
mag+ layers
You'll notice that when you open the template, it contains predefined layers. Objects placed on the different layers will have different behavior. If you are a mag+ newbie we recommend starting to learn how to use the three main layers (B -Slides - Main Content, B- Slides - Pinned blocks and A - Main tower - for inline body content) and when you are ready, learn how to use the remaining popup layers to create popups.
B - Slides - Main Content
This is the main background layer. Content on this layer rotates, but does not re-orient depending on tablet orientation —it simply crops differently. So depending on the device orientation, different parts of your page are visible. In the InDesign templates that you are using there are guidelines for each orientation (landscape/portrait) and the square made up in the middle by the guidelines is the safe area. Meaning, objects within this square will always show, no matter how the reader holds the device.
Bp - Popup - Main Content - Popup
This layer is used to add popup objects that are anchored to a hotspot on the B - Slides - Main Content layer.
B - Slides - Pinned blocks
This layer is used for objects that you want on the background layer, but that you also want to move with the rotation of the screen when the user rotates the device so that it is always shown. Read more about Pinning.
Bp - Popup - Pinned blocks - Popup
This layer is used to add popup objects that are anchored to a hotspot on the B - Slides - Pinned blocks layer.
A - Main Tower - for inline body content
This is the free-scrolling layer that moves over the top of the B layers, and can be hidden by the reader if he/she taps twice on the screen (you can also turn off the double-tap in the plug-in). Content in this layer can also be made to snap to a particular position as it comes into view. Read more about Snapping here.
Ap - Popup - Main tower - Popup
This layer is used to add popup objects that are anchored to a hotspot on the A - Main Tower layer.
C - Clickable Areas
This layer contains hotspots. Hotspots reference selected objects placed on the main layers (B -Slides - Main Content, B- Slides - Pinned blocks and A - Main tower - for inline bode content) so that it can follow any pinning settings on the button image or text that you want your user to click. Hotspots can, for example, trigger web links or videos. By default, this layer is not shown in the layers palette. It is created when you add media or a link in the main layers. Don't add content to this layer - always click the Add Link or Add Movie buttons in the plug-in and it will create your clickable area for you with the right reference in place.
D - Media Areas
This is the layer where video and audio objects will be stored. The objects are automatically populated when you press the Add Audio or Add Video option in the mag+ InDesign plug-in.
Device layers
There are 3 device layers. These non-printing layers are just there to show you how the content will look on the device in each orientation. The Bezel layer shows both visible areas at once..
Device Landscape layer
Device Portrait Layer
If you want an object to be seen both when the device is in portrait and in landscape, make sure to place it in the safe area, designated by the purple square in the middle of the page.
Transition guides
Use this layer only to drag in a guide that will force the point of transition to the next B slide. If you don't set a transition guide, the transition will happen at the bottom of the last object on that page. You can only make the transition lower, not higher, than the last bit of content on the page.
Other Relavant Articles
- Read more about the mag+ layering
- Read about the other master page sizes present in 4.1 and beyond in Dual Layouts.
- Read more bout Popups.
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