Conditions and applied conditions

Conditional text is wired through a <Condition> toggle, an optional <ConditionSet> that groups toggles, and an AppliedConditions attribute that attaches a run to one or more conditions.

In short: Three named pieces make conditional text work in IDML. A <Condition> defines an on/off visibility toggle, an optional <ConditionSet> groups several toggles for an editor, and an AppliedConditions attribute on a run names the conditions that govern it. The <Condition> and <ConditionSet> elements live once at the document level in Resources/Styles.xml; the AppliedConditions attribute lives on a <CharacterStyleRange> inside a story. This page is the reference for each of these — the attributes our parser reads, which ones drive layout, and how a run opts in.

Conditional text is wired through three named pieces: a <Condition> that defines a toggle, an optional <ConditionSet> that groups toggles, and an AppliedConditions attribute that attaches a run to one or more conditions. The first two live in Resources/Styles.xml; the third lives on a <CharacterStyleRange> inside a story.

The example below is one story with two runs. The first carries no condition; the second names Condition/Draft, which the document declares Visible="false". Because that condition is hidden, the second run is dropped before layout: our parser reads two runs from the story, but the rendered page reports one.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<idPkg:Story xmlns:idPkg="http://ns.adobe.com/AdobeInDesign/idml/1.0/packaging" DOMVersion="20.0">
  <Story Self="ustory">
    <ParagraphStyleRange AppliedParagraphStyle="ParagraphStyle/$ID/[No paragraph style]">
      <CharacterStyleRange AppliedCharacterStyle="CharacterStyle/$ID/[No character style]">
        <Content>Ship this. </Content>
      </CharacterStyleRange>
      <CharacterStyleRange AppliedCharacterStyle="CharacterStyle/$ID/[No character style]" AppliedConditions="Condition/Draft">
        <Content>DRAFT — do not print.</Content>
      </CharacterStyleRange>
    </ParagraphStyleRange>
  </Story>
</idPkg:Story>

<Condition>

A document-level visibility toggle, declared once in Resources/Styles.xml alongside the style groups. Its Self id is the value a run refers to in AppliedConditions. Our parser reads the four attributes below; the remaining indicator-appearance attributes and the IndicatorColor child are read past, not acted on, because the renderer never draws the indicator (see visibility resolution).

Visible is the only attribute the layout pass reads. When it is false, every run that names this condition is removed; when it is true or absent, those runs are kept. There is no inheritance and no cascade here — the value on the <Condition> element is the whole story.

AppliedConditions on a run

A <CharacterStyleRange> opts in to conditions through a single AppliedConditions attribute: a space-separated list of <Condition> references. A run with no AppliedConditions (the common case) is never gated and is always laid out.

The combination is AND: listing two conditions means the run survives only when both are visible. A reference that does not resolve to any declared <Condition> is treated as visible (an unknown name cannot hide a run), so a stray or mistyped condition id never silently removes text.

<ConditionSet>

A <ConditionSet> is a named grouping of conditions — the unit an editor's Conditions panel toggles together (for instance, a "Print preview" set that flips several conditions at once). It also lives in Resources/Styles.xml. Our parser reads it for round-trip fidelity, but the layout pass does not branch on it: a run is gated by the individual conditions it names, never by which set is "active". See visibility resolution for why.

With the three pieces in hand — a condition that defines a toggle, a run that names it, and the visibility value that decides the outcome — the next page walks the resolution rule end to end and pins down which parts are drawn and which are not.

Frequently asked questions

Which attribute on <Condition> decides whether text is shown? Visible is the only attribute the layout pass reads. When it is false, every run that names the condition is removed; when it is true or absent, those runs are kept. There is no inheritance or cascade — the value on the element is the whole story.

How does a run reference more than one condition? Through a single AppliedConditions attribute holding a space-separated list of <Condition> references. The combination is AND: the run survives only when every referenced condition resolves to visible, so naming two conditions means both must be on for the run to be laid out.

What happens if AppliedConditions names a condition that does not exist? An unresolved reference is treated as visible, so a stray or mistyped condition id never silently removes text. It takes a declared <Condition> with Visible="false" to hide a run.

Does a <ConditionSet> control what gets rendered? No. Our parser reads <ConditionSet> for round-trip fidelity, but the layout pass never branches on set membership. A run is gated only by the individual conditions it names, never by which set an editor considers "active".