Auto-updating links

[CreatorOfMyth]

Hello all. My current project involves a complex structure of files in a library to make everything fit together nicely. It's great and all, but the problem arises from when I update an image at the bottom of the stack. This causes a link to need to be updated in every one of my files.

Image -> Small Adobe indesign file -> Large indesign file

I have a pic in an Indesign file that's in an Indesign file. All of these files are linked, not embedded (and I want it to stay that way!!)

If I change the image file and then try to print the large indesign file, it warns me saying that a link needs to be updated. I want it to print with the updated version of my linked image, but that requires me to first open the small indesign file, click update links, and save it. Then I can do that same in the large file and everything's fine and dandy.

My problem is that I have hundreds of files that use that image. If I change it I have to go through all those files clicking update and then save / close. Is there any way to make InDesign automatically update all links, including links within a linked file?

Sorry if this is confusing....

 

[efxgraphx]

Hello all. My current project involves a complex structure of files in a library to make everything fit together nicely. It's great and all, but the problem arises from when I update an image at the bottom of the stack. This causes a link to need to be updated in every one of my files.

Image -> Small Adobe indesign file -> Large indesign file

I have a pic in an Indesign file that's in an Indesign file. All of these files are linked, not embedded (and I want it to stay that way!!)

If I change the image file and then try to print the large indesign file, it warns me saying that a link needs to be updated. I want it to print with the updated version of my linked image, but that requires me to first open the small indesign file, click update links, and save it. Then I can do that same in the large file and everything's fine and dandy.

My problem is that I have hundreds of files that use that image. If I change it I have to go through all those files clicking update and then save / close. Is there any way to make InDesign automatically update all links, including links within a linked file?

Sorry if this is confusing....

Are you working with a master file? If it was set up with a master then you would update it once and it would be done...... Maybe im confused... did a google search as well and got this link.... not sure if it will help.

 

[CreatorOfMyth]

Thanks for the link. Those are some helpful tips. Unfortunately they don't answer my problem. Let me try to make this a little bit more clear by explaining what I'm doing.

I have 3 collections of files.

Collection 1 - a bunch of images used in my files.

Collection 2 - these are indesign files of unique cards I designed for a card game I'm making. Each one using several of the image files from the above category. Each one of these files is completely unique from the others.

Collection 3 - these are indesign files that contain a bunch of indesign files from the above collection. I dragged the files into indesign, creating a new document with many cards in it, aka a deck of cards. These files are simply made up of links back to the cards, not the actual cards themselves.

As you can see from this, collection 2 files (the cards) contain links back to collection 1 images, and collection 3 files (decks) contains links back to collection 2 files (cards). The problem is that if I change an image in collection 1, several collection 2 files will need to have links updated, which then causes several collection 3 files to need to have their links updated as well.

Opening a collection 3 file and clicking update links won't work until I've updated all the collection 2 files used in the opened file. I could go through every collection 2 file and update the links, but this is a very mundane and time consuming problem, since each collection contains hundreds of files.

I was wondering if there is any more efficient method by which to have indesign update the links?

 

[CreatorOfMyth]

Might Adobe Bridge help in some way to accomplish this? I can't figure it out...