Indesign data merge add objects to excel12/29/2023 Double Quote bugĪlso featured in the video was an issue that once again arose from a real-world example where a customer had provided a database that had double-quotes at the beginning of fields, but no closing quotes, resulting in rather unusual results. Using this technique would make finding the field codes much easier to see. I’d demonstrated this technique following a real-world example of a live file where fields were very hard to see, and the file had to have an offset shell printed with variable data printed afterwards, so making sure the shell had no variable data on it was crucial. It also means the document has to be styled correctly. It relies on the style using a GREP style that contains a large highlight, and that any other styles in the document are based off of the style. The video also shows a method for highlighting field-codes when Data Merge is not in the preview mode. Again, rather than simply repeat the technique, please see his original video here.Ī similar method can be employed using Indiscripts’ Indyfont script, but rather than swapping phrases with glyphs, will swap single characters. Swap characters for glyphsĭaniel Solis also features a clever trick to swap phrases with glyphs during a Data Merge that uses both GREP styles and ligatures. I’m a fan of this trick, but emphasise that this is a workaround rather than a long-term solution, given that formatting is limited and there are more appropriate ways of accomplishing this task such as dedicated plug-ins or an XML workflow. The faux-returns technique is written about elsewhere, so rather than spoil their presentations, please read the articles directly from the appropriate sources: A bug that occurs when a double-quote is at the start of any field in a Data Merge text file.Highlighting field codes so that they are easier to see when not showing live data and.Using GREP styles to swap a character for a glyph during a Data Merge.Adding faux-returns to a data merge field to split over lines, and subsequent limitations of this technique.In the latest Colecandoo Youtube episode, four Data Merge specific features are covered, namely: The original Data Merge to Single Records script offered by Colecandoo remains free and can be downloaded from the scripts page. The script can be purchased for A$15 from the Buy Now button below. When exporting to certain file formats – the ability to run a user-selected additional script before the export.Add a primary key to either the start or the end of a filename.Exporting to various additional file formats, such as interactive PDF, EPS, PNG, JPG, direct to print, or PDF via InDesign first.This script improves upon the free original by: On that note, the PRO version of this script is now available! This improves Adobe InDesign’s default – naming each file Untitled- N and is only available for InDesign files, not PDFs. Since 2016, Colecandoo has provided the free version of the Data Merge to Single Records script for Adobe InDesign – a script that allows single records to be exported from Data Merge with unique filenames available from the Data Merge database itself. The ability to merge to an interactive PDF.I have written about this before but ultimately when exporting a PDF directly from Data Merge, it makes a variety of PDF that is similar but not the same as a usual PDF, as the following options cannot be chosen. PDF made from merge is different to regular PDF However, this does not extend to the source data of a Data Merge file, nor any links that the source data may refer to. When InDesign packages an INDD file, it will save a copy of the file and copy any links used in the document into a Links folder, and any fonts used (within licensing restrictions) to a Document fonts folder. Can’t package the data or links used in the data Given the amount of tutorials already available online elsewhere concerning basic tutorials for Data Merge, the Colecandoo site focuses more on articles about Data Merge in relation to scripts, GREP styles, or advanced techniques.īut there is a middle-ground that hasn’t been covered in many Data Merge tutorials, nor here on Colecandoo, so over the next two articles, I will attempt to bridge that gap and highlight some lesser known issues that can become a problem if users aren’t initially aware of them. Regulars to the site will know that many of my articles relate to InDesign’s Data Merge feature.
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