Custom reader for InDesign (IDML)

[yanntrividic]

Hello!

I think this project is ripe enough to be shared here now: I wrote an IDML custom reader for Pandoc. It is basically a wrapper around idml2hubxml-frontend, which bridges the gap between InDesign and the Pandoc ecosystem by using the Docbook reader as an entry point.

I made it in the context of OutDesign (still WIP), a tool that helps graphic designers and publishing professionals liberate their files from the Adobe environment. It was used by a team I was part of to produce the multiformat book Déborder Bolloré, which was initially designed for print by InDesign experts and in which the IDML file was our single source of truth.

It also allowed me to convert the full catalog of our publishing house (éditions Burn~Août) into various formats, making our books more accessible than ever. Here is the book Politiser l'enfance for example 🙂

I share these various things to show how this bridge opens up quite a few possibilities, but it would definitely not have gone far without all the work done by the Pandoc community. So thank you all for making this ecosystem a reality 🥳

If you have any ideas or opinions on how I could build from here, I'm all ears!