Meeting Summary: XML - Automating Print and Web Workflows with James Maivald

Wed, May 27th, 2009 at 6:00 PM

Winter Park Civic Center

Event Details

Orlando Adobe Users Group

XML - Automating Print and Web Workflows with James Maivald
info@xmlfordesigners.com

Wed, May 27, 2009, 6:00 PM
Winter Park Civic Center
1050 Morse Blvd.
Winter Park, FL 32789

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Event Details

Our Adobe User Group meeting was a fabulous time and big success. Our lucky attendees enjoyed another amazingly huge spread of pizza, snacks, fresh fruit, desserts, drinks and more while soaking in a lecture/demonstration of Document Automation techniques in InDesign using Data Merge and XML at our great meeting place, the Winter Park Civic Center. The speaker was Jim Maivald, nationally known expert of InDesign's XML features and author of XML for Designers.

We got a quick overview of XML, which stands for Extensible Markup Language, including a demonstration of how XML can be created using TextEdit, Notepad, MS Word, Excel, Access, and Filemaker Pro. Jim then showed how InDesign can use XML to create all type of data-rich projects. He demonstrated several typical XML workflows, including business cards, cookbooks, catalogs, and variable data mailers. We also saw how XML can be used to import and format hundreds of pages of data quickly and easily. He kept surprising us with more amazing ways XML is a great tool.

Jim also demonstrated how to use XML to export the content of any document to quickly create other documents. Normally it would seem an impossible feat, but Jim showed us how to easily and painlessly take a regular newsletter, add XML tags to the layout and then export it to an XML file to create an instant Web page. Huzzah!

The meeting ended with a raffle of a full-copy of the winner's choice of CS4 product, several books, Kelby Training and Max Your Macs also raffled an iPod shuffle. How much more awesome can this group be?! We look forward to seeing YOU at our next meeting!

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Stump the Chumps
Ask Questions While You Eat, 6-7pm.

User Group members and our Adobe Certified Experts participated in a Q&A session called "Stump the Chumps" before the main meeting.

Q: How do you use text tabs to create columns in Photoshop CS4?
A: Drag a text box and type immediately and use tabs.


Housekeeping

Macintosh Users Group
We are invited to attend Macintosh Users Group of Orlando (MUGOO) to find out great tips, tricks, applications to make Mac Life even more exciting.
http://www.flmug.org/ (2nd Thursday of each month MUGOO meetings)

Raffle Tickets (see prize winners list below)
3 raffle tickets for $10, 8 tickets for $20, 15 tickets for $30;
Students with ID: 1 ticket for $5.
Raffle tickets are sold to pay for our wonderful Winter Park Civic Center Room
($300 per night), speaker expenses, pizza, desserts, utensils. Many thanks to
Kristen Braswell (the Prize Diva) for finding GREAT prizes every meeting: if you
have contributions or ideas contact: Kristen: kbraswell@watg.com

iPhone User Group meets 3rd Thursday at Panera Bread on University,
just down from UCF entrance and short distance from 417 Expressway.

Thank you

A special thank you to Faith Amon for helping with the auction, setup, and registration, Kristen Braswell for her help with prizes and Susan Pfeil for setup and cleanup.

Many thanks to Sponsors:

Camp Software Filemaker Pro experts and developers http://www.campsoftware.com

Thank you Max Your Macs, one of our newest sponsors. Please support their services. They ROCK!

Sponsor leads contact: Faith Amon: faith@frecklefootcreative.com

Thanks as always to our location and communication sponsors.

We appreciate everyone who attended! Tell your friends they can join us, too!

Next Meeting

Entry Level After Effects with Luisa Winters
UCF Executive Development Center Downtown
Tue, June 23, 2009, 6:00 PM

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Meeting Dates for 2009 - Wednesdays - We Have A Super Speaker Lineup!
July 22nd, 2009 (July may change to Friday July 24th)
September 23rd, 2009
November 18th, 2009

Photos from this Meeting

See the photos