With Adobe releasing new Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) versions every nine weeks, there’s a lot of confusion around whether to update to the latest version of the tools. While everyone wants to be current, there’s a valid reason to think twice before updating. In fact, Adobe recommends not adopting every one of the 10-12 upgrades that the company releases each year, in part due to the fact that your app may not support the newer features in the tools.  Every environment needs to test its combination of content, interactives, and app version to be sure that everything works soundly.

The most important thing to track is the version of the Folio Producer tools plug-ins, and the Viewer App. A separate plug-in for the Folio Builder panel will force required updates. The Folio Builder is essentially a file-transfer tool that makes sure files being pushed to the Adobe cloud are in the correct format and version for the servers to accept. It has no direct bearing on how the content or interactives are structured inside the file. Because of this, when something changes in the Folio Producer services in the cloud, or in the required format of the file being transferred, users will be prompted to update their Folio Builder panel and will not be able to move forward until they do.

What DPS users need to remember is that the Folio Producer tools (interactives) and the App Builder are dependent upon one another and must match up compatibly, or published content will fail.

When logged in to an organization’s account, the App Builder comes from the Adobe hosting service through the DPS dashboard. It’s configured according to the publisher’s account type. It generally updates every six weeks, just like the Folio Producer tools. It’s recommended that each version of App Builder be retained so that it’s easier to go back to an earlier version if needed.

When using the Folio Builder, any app that is generated should be created to align with the version of the App Builder. So if the App Builder is v24, then the app it generates is v24. A v24 app can only accept folios created with Folio Producer tools at v24 or lower. For this reason, managing the use, download, and retention of the correct version of the App Builder is essential to keeping your apps organized and working correctly. Also keep in mind that every time you update an app with App Builder, you need to resubmit your app, and your subscribers/purchasers have to update their app—which can can be problematic if it hasn’t been thoroughly tested.

DPS Update Best Practices

  • All members of the folio production team should be on the same version of the DPS tools.
  • Upgrades should be made at the same time to all workstations.
  • One workstation in an organization should be designated as a testing station. Download updates to this workstation first for testing and validating before updating user workstations. Test both the InDesign tools and newer versions of App Builder.
  • Stay apprised of  DPS updates to know what changes are included in each release and what’s planned for future ones.
  • Sign up for the TFP newsletter to receive a summary of each release’s features.

Check out TFP’s DPSPublish™ Handbook or DPSPublish™ app for more details about building and publishing iPad apps.

For other great tips, sign up for the TFP newsletter. Want to learn even more and become an expert? Check out all our best-selling products at www.tech4pub.com/products,  including our DPSCreate™ app at www.tech4pub.com/product/dpscreate-ipad-app/.

Note: Information contained in this post is current as of DPS v24. Visit the Technology for Publishing blog at www.tech4pub.com/tag/dps-version-update/  for the latest info on Adobe software releases and  functionality.

Posted by: tfpadmin