Creating Unique Portrait and Landscape Layouts

One of mag+'s core advantages has been the ability to create one layout to support both portrait and landscape orientations on a device. There are times, however, when you want an entirely different layout to load when a user turns the device—to show a full crop of a photo for instance — or to reveal hidden content. The dual layout function allows you to create separate portrait and landscape layouts on any given Vertical. You can even have fewer pages in one orientation than the other.

Note: The Dual Layout feature only works in InDesign CS5 and higher.

How to Create a Dual Layout

1. Open a Mag+ template document for the device you’re targeting.

Device templates are stored in the folder Mag+ > Mag+ Templates > Document Fonts and end with the extension ".indt".

2. In InDesign, go to Window > Pages and drag one of the three master pages onto Page 1 of your document.

In InDesign, go to Window > Pages and drag one of the three master pages onto Page 1 of your document.

The three master pages are:

  • A-Auto Master: Used for a single layout that supports both portrait and landscape orientations
  • H-Landscape Master: Used to define a landscape layout only
  • V-Portrait Master: Used to define a portrait layout only

3. In the dialog box that appears, click the "Use Master Page Size" button.

In the dialog box that appears, click the "Use Master Page Size" button.

4. Lay out your content for that orientation.

Lay out your content for that orientation.<br />

5. Drag the other orientation master below Page 1 in your Pages panel to create an alternate layout.

Drag the other orientation master below Page 1 in your Pages panel to create an alternate layout.

The system will match up the first V layout with the first H, the second V with the second H, and so on no matter what order they’re placed in the Pages panel.

6. Place the content you want to appear in that orientation.

Place the content you want to appear in that orientation.<br />

7. Drag more V or H masters into the Pages panel to create additional orientation-specific pages in your layout.

Drag more V or H masters into the Pages panel to create additional orientation-specific pages in your layout.<br />

Things to note

  • If you have an uneven number of portrait and landscape layouts in a document, and the user turns the device on a page that has no corresponding alternate orientation layout, the mag+ app will show the last viewed layout in that orientation.
  • You cannot mix Auto pages with orientation-specific pages in a single Vertical. A dual layout Vertical must use the H or V master pages only.
  • You cannot have a Vertical with only one orientation-specific page - ie, one V or one H page. You will get an error when you try to export. If you want to lock a Vertical to one orientation, use the Auto master page in the InDesign layout and the Orientation pulldown menu in the Designd Vertical Panel.
  • Any mag+ Issue with at least one dual layout will crop all of the portrait layouts to the visible area defined in the InDesign document. mag+ refers to this as Crop Portrait Orientation. This means users will not see a separator between portrait layouts when swiping between Verticals in the mag+ app. With one dual layout in a mag+ Issue, users will, however, see a separator when swiping between Verticals in the landscape orientation. See the image below for a visual explanation.

    For more information on orientation options, refer to the article "Orientation Options for Your Issue and App".

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