In InDesign, assignment files are containers for organizing collections of page items. For example, you might want to select all the items in a story (headline, byline, copy, graphics, and captions), and then assign them to one InCopy user. Adding those items to an assignment provides a convenient way for InCopy users to access only the content for which they are responsible. Assignment files (*.inca) appear in the file system, in the InCopy story bar, and in status messages. Only InDesign users can create assignment files; only InCopy users can open them.

When you create an assignment, a folder is created in the same location as the InDesign document by default. This assignment folder includes the *.inca assignment files and a content subfolder that contains any exported InCopy story files (in INCX format) that are part of images or other resources. Once the assignment is created, store the project folder in a location where all users have access to it, or create and distribute an assignment package. If content is exported before it’s added to an assignment, the files on disk are not moved to the content folder of the assignment file.

Assignment files include the following:

• Links or pointers to the associated page items, including placeholder frames. These elements let the InCopy user open a single file in InCopy and have editorial access to multiple page items.

• Any transformations on the graphics included in the assignment, such as moving, scaling, rotating, or shearing.

• Page geometry, so InCopy users can see the layout of the frame and its content that they’re editing without opening the entire InDesign file.

• Color-coding of assigned frames in the document.

  

  Illustration of page in InCopy showing page geometry and color coding