Managing Editor Inc. (MEI) has released a new version of its InPorter file-import utility for the vjoon K4 Cross-Media Publishing Platform.

InPorter 3 now supports version 6 of vjoon K4, the database solution integrating Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy. The server-side module streamlines and automates the process of getting content from external sources into the vjoon K4 database. InPorter handles any kind of object that vjoon K4 can handle -- InCopy documents, InDesign layouts, image files of various kinds, graphics, ads,
multimedia and more -- as well as XML content, such as text from a Web CMS.

It works by monitoring hot folders that are linked to customer-configured feeds from external sources, such as DAMs, Web CMS platforms, content repositories, business systems or archives. InPorter places the incoming files in specific locations within the vjoon K4 workflow, where editors and designers have immediate access to them.

It can input InDesign layouts from archived sources for new or updated projects, or replicate existing layouts and assign them to a new publication. It can translate XML files into formatted InCopy documents via XSLTs, and can perform preliminary steps, such as resizing a batch of InDesign pages to be reused, as part of the automated import.

Customers use the browser-based InPorter Admin interface to set up feeds based on the specifics of their workflows; no custom programming is needed. Incoming metadata can be defined in the feed, embedded in the object’s XMP metadata or contained in an XML sidecar file. JavaScripts extend the options for file transformations and are incorporated right into the feeds.

InPorter 3 offers many improvements over earlier versions, including the ability to place the same file in multiple workflows, says Linda Bruce, MEI's vice president of enterprise sales. Version 3.2 is available now.

It's compatible with vjoon K4 version 6.3 and higher and Adobe CS4 and CS5. For more details, go to http://www.maned.com/products/inporter .