Cacidi Extreme CS4

Cacidi Extreme CS4 is the most advanced and yet easy to use standard software available for automating graphic design. Whether you produce catalogs, brochures, pricelists, business cards, or other single or multipage documents containing text, image and barcode content, Cacidi Extreme CS4 optimizes your production by bringing down tedious and repetitive tasks like copy pasting and local formatting of text, manually importing and scaling images and barcodes, as well as updating content for future productions, to an absolute minimum.

Cacidi Extreme CS4 offers four different production methods of choice, allowing any type of job the most suitable production flow. The production methods included with Cacidi Extreme CS4 are:

Step'n Repeat method
Create one single either simple or advanced design with Adobe InDesign¨, save it as a Cacidi Extreme Item Design and have Cacidi Extreme CS4 automatically produce as many content variable objects as number of records in your data source. The StepÕn Repeat method is very often used for simple but effective production of business cards, mail merges, price tags, labels, etc.

Pre-defined method
Combine as many Cacidi Extreme Item Designs as you like on a single page or queue of pages, and
build your automated documents totally controlled by the designers choice of layout. Very often used for brochures and catalogs with a page range from
1 to 50 pages, where the designers general overview is in charge of the production flow.

AutoCalc method
Using the AutoCalc method allows a production setup partly driven by the designers full creative freedom combined with a database setup for arranging records in groups, select pre-defined Adobe InDesign paragraph- and character styles, define Cacidi Extreme module use, etc., that will let Cacidi Extreme automatically dispatch and arrange the layout in the Adobe InDesign¨ document. The AutoCalc method is very often the better choice for production of extensive catalogs, price lists, manuals, brochures, etc., typically including from 50 pages up to thousands of pages.

Update method
The Cacidi Extreme Update method applies to all the methods above. No matter what type of production method a first build of your document is based upon, the Cacidi Extreme Update method will at any time let you progressively update text, image and barcode content in your layout, as changes apply to the data source. Practically all Cacidi Extreme customers utilise the Update method, when publishing future editions of their initially automated productions.

New Cacidi Extreme CS4 features:

New and improved user interface
The Cacidi Extreme CS4 has been optimized to take advantage of the most high-end technical and designer friendly features, and is now in full integration with the Cacidi LiveMerge CS4 product (see specific product sheet for Cacidi LiveMerge CS4).

Direct database connection
Cacidi Extreme CS4 allows you to connect directly to a MySQL database for a live feed of data. With no stops in between, you draw data directly from the database during your catalogue production. This new feature builds on top of the existing and previously implemented feature for building the catalogue based on a static text file export. Optionally you are able to query directly from Cacidi Extreme CS4 by SQL queries or regular text search directly within your database.
Each separate project created with Cacidi Extreme is allowed itÕs own settings and definitions for database and querying.

Built-in data grouping
Using an intuitive user interface, you can set up preferences for product group selections, directly within the Cacidi Extreme CS4 project settings. This feature makes it easy to create complex price lists and similar productions, without the necessity for external consultancy services.

Custom data feed
The feature Custom data feed, brings an unique possibility, by the means of scripts, affect import of data in Cacidi Extreme CS4.
It is not complex to create a script, which by the request XMLHttpRequest (part of Web 2.0 and AJAX), extracts data from all kinds of web services.
Custom data feed provides information about product groups and queries from InDesign/Cacidi Extreme CS4 to the script.

New amazing positioning engine
New and revolutionizing approach to page building:
Build in first automated process the required amount of pages, continue in a following process adding more pages, and apply even more dynamic content on top of already built content.

New methods of dynamic design positioning
Chess Position Placement and XY Placement are new Cacidi AutoCalculation methods, adding to the previously already implemented AutoCalculation methods. These apply new advanced possibilities for placing dynamic designs by instruction set from the data source, and is implemented in Cacidi Extreme CS4 for even more flexible and accurate placement methods.
Chess Position Placement allows poduction schemes, where the data source includes information about which page and grid tile in an automated InDesign production, and similar to the concept of a chess game, places itself on eg. A3 in a predefined grid.
XY Placement allows a production to place dynamic design objects, including variable content, on exact point positions in the InDesign document, and by such provides the option for extreme accurate positioning of dynamic designs.

New data validation methods
Cacidi Extreme CS4 includes much more data validation features, such as built-in text field formatting, including a so called ÓimageÓ of the actual formatting ###.###.,##.
Built-in ÓIFÓ statements allows for eg Ó0Ó or Ó1Ó values (equal to true or false), to easily make sense when included in data text fields. Even automatic removal of empty data lines, deletion of empty image frames, and new visual adjustment options for images.

Automatic pre- and post document processing
The new Pre og Post-Script features can trigger a script to perform before or after the actual Cacidi Extreme CS4 catalogue building process, and can as an example, be used to change document setup/margins by instructions from a data source prior to the automatic catalogue build. In another example Post-Script can be applied to achive automatic print of the finished automated document, or create an index or table of contents within InDesign. Or, even be used to instruct InDesign to export the finished catalogue in one or more PDF settings. These are just inspirational examples. Only the imagination of the catalogue producer sets the limit.

Even faster job processing
With the introduction of Cacidi Extreme CS4, the performance and speed in processing automated catalogues is upped dramatically. An automated price list of 200 pages heavy data content, setup by Cacidi Extreme CS4 to process in a single linked textbox througout the document, can be processed in just approximately 30 seconds!