Exporting content from InDesign
Exporting content from InDesign to InCopy establishes a link between the two applications. You export InDesign text frames, graphics frames, and their contents to InCopy using either of two methods:
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Create a container file (*.inca)—called an assignment—and add related groupings of document items (such as the text and graphics of a story) to the assignment so they can be worked on together. Content within assignments is exported as *.incx files.
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Export text and graphics frames separately (including placeholder frames) using the Edit > InCopy > Export menu commands. Exported content is saved as *.incx files.
After content is exported, small icons appear at the top left of exported frames in InDesign and InCopy, and in the Assignments and Links panels. These icons indicate the status of managed frames and they differentiate managed frames from those that aren’t part of the workflow. All exported content appears in the Assignments panel. Content exported using the Export menu commands appears in the Unassigned InCopy Content section of the Assignments panel list. While both methods establish a controlled connection between InCopy content and an InDesign document, the primary method is to use assignment files.
Exporting content makes the content available for users to check out while maintaining a link to the original InDesign document. (This link is made from within InDesign; you cannot create the link from InCopy.)
Once the content is exported, InCopy users can see (but not change) the page layouts, styles, and so forth as they appear in the InDesign document.