Fastest way from InDesign catalog to web

[Minarai]

Hi there.
We're using InDesign at a client's request to help them "automate" the production of their catalog from their product database.

I'm not at all familiar with InDesign at this point, (I'm sure I'll be asking a lot of questions here..) but it seems to be a very promising product so far.
(Yay as usual Adobe!)

What I'd like to know right now is, what's the fastest way to convert a catalog made in InDesign to a web ready format?

Our client wants the catalog up in web form within a week of getting the catalog done, so writing it out from the HTML level doesn't seem to be the answer.

However, since their site is very popular and the catalog is fairly graphic intensive, I'd like to get the pages as light as possible in very little time. (No bloated source code, optimized images etc.)

Do I use GoLive (Which I've never used) or some other function already included in InDesign?

(I'm using 2.0.2 Japanese and will be installing CS in English on a Japanese Windows OS and will use it for the web-making portion of the product if CS has more to offer)

 

[viol8ion]

There is no "fast" way to accomplish this. ID does have a save for web feature, and like every other app that has this feature, the results are deplorable. The code is ugly, the page layout is linear and amateurish, and it takes more time to c;ean up the mess than it does to create the web page from scratch.

I worked for a company where my responisbility was to not only design their catalog, but also design and maintain the website. Trust, start from scratch and your results will be much better.

I prefer DreamWeaver for web design, but if you are more comfortable with GoLive, by all means use it. If you have never designed a website before, I would suggest hiring a consultant, or a web designer as a temp.

If you have to do it yourself, checkout w3schools.com. It has an excellent tutorial on HTML and CSS.

Good luck!

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Minarai]

<b>viol8ion</b>
I usually use InterDev to make websites so I've not used either DreamWeaver or GoLive..

To ask a stupid question, like I said, I've hadno ID experience, and I'm having trouble finding where the "Save for web" feature is located.

Could you point me in the right direction?

 

[Minarai]

Aha!
I found it...

 

[Minarai]

Now...
Is there a way to save more than two pages as HTML at a time?

 

[jimoblak]

...catalog from their product database...

Would it be simpler to create web pages from the database directly?

In a Database->InDesign->Web system, you need to update the InDesign documents before you publish to web. The typical InDesign web output is static.

You could branch the database content into InDesign and Web simultaneously. You could create dynamic web pages by pulling directly from the database.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?