This article is outdated. Discover the new version of the script from the InGutter's Main Page.

[Update 10/26/09] InGutter 1.04b brings a better user interface. The obscure Free Gutter and Free Offset checkboxes have been removed. Now you can control in a single field the Rule Offset —signed value,— which specifies the moving off centre of the rules within the gutter:

The new Rule Offset feature.

[Update 10/09/09] The CS3 bug reported by Edfred is now fixed — thanks to Loic Aigon who helps me to find the needle in the haystack.

As shown in “Introducing InDesign Column Rules”, there is a way to emulate adaptative rules between the columns of any text frame. By ‘adaptative’, I mean that once the group is set and connected, it remains freely resizeable in the two dimensions, and it always makes the lines fit the gutters. The only trouble for the user is that s/he needs to manually build the magic subframe. Because the rule set is hidden by the main frame and embedded in a group, it is tricky to add a column, to modify the rule style or to change the background color. In addition, we lose the direct access to the “text frame options” dialog —since it isn't available to groups.

InGutter makes the whole job for you! Select a text frame —or put the insertion point within the frame— and just call InGutter.jsxbin from the Automation/Script panel. (Even better, link the script to a shortcut key, e.g. Cmd Alt B.) The dialog box allows you to create, position and customize the rule set as if it were an actual component of the text frame. Of course, you can also run the script on a frame or a group it has previously managed, and then change the settings.

InGutter Interface in Mac OS.

InGutter Interface in Windows.

Installation, requirements, limitations

Download and place the InGutter.jsxbin file in your InDesign scripts folder. That's all, InGutter is ready to rule!

The script is intended to work with InDesign CS3/CS4, Mac or Win. The Mac interface has no ‘steppers’ on the left side of the edit boxes —I don't know how to implement that widget,— but the user will obtain the same behavior with the keyboard arrows keys (Up/Down).

With CS4 only, the script process is undoable via Edition/Undo InGutter.

InGutter provides an English or French interface according to the application locale. English is the default language. Translation into other languages are welcome, please contact me at marc{at}indiscripts{dot}com.

The dialog interface is supposed to fit the measurement units to the UI current preferences. Anyway, you still have the possibility to key a value with an explicit unit in any measurement field.

The listboxes display the swatch names and the stroke style names only (without ‘rendering’ the corresponding colors or styles).

InGutter works accurately —I hope!— on transformed text frames having rotation and/or shear angle. It also supports frames contained in a group (and preserves their hierarchy).

The script can't originate the rule set from an anchored frame. However, once being created, it seems possible to cut/paste an inguttered group in a parent container and to invoke the script manager afterwards.

InGutter doesn't support corner effects and can't work as expected on non-rectangular text frames.

If needed, the rule set may cohabit with strokes (around the main frame).

The rule set is grouped with the main frame. This is a crucial condition to preserve the accurate behavior of the component. If by mistake you break the unity, you can still run the script in order to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.