About assignment files between InDesign and InCopy

Content can be exported individually or grouped into assignments, which help organize related items such as the text and graphics of a story. Assignment files connect InDesign and InCopy, allowing designers and editors to work on the same document while maintaining layout control.

How assignments work

Designers export selected text or graphics from an InDesign document, creating linked InCopy story files (.icml) that editors can update in InCopy. These files remain synchronized with the original InDesign document, allowing multiple contributors to edit content while preserving the layout.

Only InDesign users can create assignment files, while InCopy users open and edit the assigned content. InCopy users see only the content assigned to them, along with the layout context needed to understand how it fits within the design.

What assignment files contain

Assignment files (.icma) serve as containers for organizing content for collaborative editing. When you create an assignment in InDesign, the application creates a folder next to the InDesign document. This folder contains the assignment file and a content subfolder with the exported InCopy story files (.icml).

Each assignment file includes:

• Links to page items: References to text frames, graphic frames, and placeholder frames assigned to users.
• Transformation data: Details about changes to graphics, such as scaling, rotation, or repositioning.
• Page geometry: Layout information that shows how frames fit within the overall design.
• Visual indicators: Color highlights that mark assigned frames in InDesign and InCopy.

Assignment file options in InDesign

When creating or editing an assignment, you can configure several settings that control how the assignment appears and how InCopy users view the document context.

• Assignment Name

The name used to identify the assignment in the Assignments panel. The name must follow your operating system’s file-naming rules.

• Assigned to

The name of the user responsible for the assignment. This appears in parentheses next to the assignment name and is informational only and does not control permissions.

• Color

Highlight color for the frames that belong to the assignment and to the assignment name in the Assignments panel. This helps distinguish assigned frames from other frames.

• Location for Assignment File

Location where the assignment folder is stored. By default, the folder is created in the same location as the InDesign document.

• Placeholder Frames

Option to show the frames in the assignment, along with empty placeholder shapes for other frames on the page. This provides the fastest performance but shows only minimal layout detail.

• Assigned Spreads

Option to display assigned frames along with the full content of other frames on the same spread. Content outside the assignment is visible but not editable.

• All Spreads

Option to include all document pages in the assignment file. This provides the most layout context but may reduce performance because more content is loaded.

• Linked Image Files when Packaging

Option to include copies of linked images when creating an assignment package. This allows InCopy users to view images but increases the package size.