Major BLOX Total CMS features that are NOT available with Creative Suite versions.

Distributed Production and Automated Production

Distributed Production was first function with BLOX Total CMS client for Adobe InDesign and InCopy version 5.53.x. But this same version required changes to the communication library that is used and this prevented MacOS sites from being able to use OS versions where Creative Suite could still launch. Windows versions will require a similar communication library change to support Windows 11 though until that time, distributed production is theoretically possible on Windows 10. 

All of the Clone and Move related functions are limited to Creative Cloud versions only

This is a very useful piece of software for hub sites. It allows items on pages to be copied or moved to other pages. For hub sites this allows, for example, a national news, sports, or entertainment page to be quickly cloned, with unique assets, to different publications even across domains. 

Worth the cost of monthly Creative Cloud subscription.

The Pre-Placed Asset Policy can duplicate children in Creative Cloud

It is not easy to be brief and explain the impact of this. But, if more than one publication in a domain, needs to use the same asset, this feature allows the asset and its children to be replicated as it is placed on a page so that it can be edited uniquely. With Creative Suite, the children cannot be simultaneously duplicated. And this then means the secondary publications are using the same children (and overriding any caption edits) or a user must return to the browser to replicate the children, attach to the replicated article, and then place on the page. Takes lots of time in Creative Suite. Is completely automated in Creative Cloud. 

You can think of this feature as providing a Clone and Move style of automation on the asset level. Alas, you need Creative Cloud to do it.

Edition Reports

Edition Reports provide details, in .csv format, on the pages that were built and the time each user spent at each phase of the building process.

Requested by hub sites to track workflow and user efficiency. 

It also provides reports on assets used.

Page Tracker has a visual indication of page workflow and while it does not require Creative Cloud, it also has no reporting. 

Automatic Advancement of Page Workflow on Asset Placement

Means that when an asset is placed on a page, the workflow assigned to the Page is advanced to the 2nd Workflow Process. This then allows the Edition Reports above to have a valid way to know when production started.

Provides a way to track page production in the browser, as Page Tracker's status would also update.

Related Content Write-back

The write-back of Related Content from Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy requires Adobe Creative Cloud.

Add as Child

There is a feature that allows any placed asset to become as child of any other placed asset. This is at BLOX Total CMS > Add as Child... in the Creative Cloud versions of Adobe InDesign.

Minor BLOX Total CMS differences between Creative Cloud and Creative Suite Versions of Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy.

• The Auto Search feature of the Asset Manager will auto update in Creative Cloud when the search menus are changed. This saves a mouse move and click. This doesn't happen for Creative Suite users.
• No advanced search options in Syndication Tool for Creative Suite users. This includes Import During Preview, Indicate Placement, and Import multiple Items, and auto Limit the Search to Last 72 hours.
• Keyboard shortcut to import toned images is not an option with Creative Suite versions.
• Preflight during output is not an option with Creative Suite versions.
• Snippet Previews are not an option Creative Suite versions.
• Editing within a snippet's geometry with Adobe InCopy prior to the asset being placed is not an option with Creative Suite versions.
• Spawn Template cannot backup fonts for disaster recovery
• No Progress Bars for BLOX Total CMS actions anywhere in Creative Suite. 
• The Option Utility Scripts can be sorted by subfolder creating menus in Creative Cloud versions.
• Working with every asset is slower because the Creative Suite can't convert to/from JSON on its own. This might only be several thousandths of a second slower per operation, but they add up across a hub site.

Other Considerations

Adobe no longer supports the Creative Suite versions. You are one OS update away from being dead in the water. CS versions to NOT run in MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) and Adobe never supported Windows 10 with Creative Suite.

You can't license Creative Suite if you need to add new users. 

The BLOX Total CMS client is no longer develops with Creative Suite in mind. We don't even test our client software with Creative Suite. 

BLOX Total CMS OS and Adobe InDesign & Adobe InCopy Compatibility and Support Matrix

The following table asset shows the supported versions.