InDesign and Unified Extensibility Platform (UXP)
InDesign, along with its counterpart InDesign Server, supports UXP.
UXP is a JavaScript ES6 (ECMA2015) based extensibility platform that helps you automate, optimize and extend the capabilities of your favorite Adobe Creative Cloud products. It provides a comprehensive solution that lets you use web technologies to build controls for the desktop application.
An IMPORTANT thing to note is that though UXP enables you to use web technologies, it should not be mistaken as a browser. Certain concepts of the browser will never be available in the UXP world but the platform offers a plethora of capabilities that allows you to build powerful and creative solutions.
With UXP you can,
- Automate the myriad, small, annoying tasks that you face every day.
- Achieve creative effects that would be difficult or impossible to attain by other means.
- Customize InDesign to match your work habits and layouts.
- Create a fluent user interface for users to interact with.
UXP is also available in other apps such as XD and Photoshop. And in the future, it will be added to more applications.
Developing in UXP requires you to have basic knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. But don't worry if you aren't there yet. We have suggested a few courses and materials that will help you begin and understand our APIs.
You can choose to write a single JavaScript file and execute them as scripts. Or, create something more complex and elaborate with persistent and fluent UI in the form of plugins. Within plugins too, you can either write a 'command' or a 'panel' plugin based on how you would like the users to interact with them. We will learn about all these in the subsequent section that will help you make the right choice suiting your needs.
Lastly, you can share your UXP plugin and scripts with others as well. Plugins can also be distributed in Adobe's Marketplace giving you access to millions of application users at once. Alternatively, you can distribute them via your distribution channels.
Welcome once again to UXP! The next few sections take you one level deeper into the UXP world. Make sure to read further and set up the essential developer tools.
