I agree that data merge would be how I would tackle this, but I wouldn't use the multiple record feature that comes with data merge. Instead I've created a method that I've outlined with the help of this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNbtRsMZVQI ... View more

@Joel Cherney that's close to how I'm using Ariel's script, though I assigned the shortcut ctrl+shift+tilde as it's a shortcut I don't use anywhere else.  To other readers of this post who are unsure how to assign a keyboard shortcut, check out Adobe's help article: https://helpx.adobe.com/au/indesign/using/customize-menus-keyboard-shortcuts.html ... View more

Not without scripting or a third party plug-in. There is a plug-in offered by ID-Extras called LiveTOC that may interest you: https://www.id-extras.com/products/livetoc/ - it is a paid plug-in. ... View more

Are you on a mac? There's an issue I've had repeatedly with InDesign that has to do with apple thinking the app is damaged. There is a similar thread here but for lightroom, but the fix is basically the same: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-ecosystem-cloud-based-discussions/lr-app-is-damaged/m-p/15421302#M105950 ... View more

Perhaps try this one: https://www.indiscripts.com/post/2009/09/clean-up-your-pasteboard It has an option to preserve text frames that have been threaded off of the pasteboard, BUT if removed, will reflow text so shouldn't be removed. ... View more

I've had this problem a few times when running ID on MacOS Sequoia. There is a fix but it's annoying to have to do it every time the application has an update - wondering if there's a bug with the dev signatures or authorisation with apple. Anyway, try this: Open System Settings. Click on Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the Security section. You will see a message asking about the damaged file, and you may see an "Open Anyway" button next to it. Click "Open Anyway" to bypass the security setting and run the app. The app will then be saved as an exception to your security settings for future use. ... View more

Gerald Singelmann has a script that might be able to assist you. It's an older script available from an archived site: https://web.archive.org/web/20140626212547/http://www.indesign-faq.de/en/images_by_contextmenu Otherwise the big craze at the moment is to get Omata MATE's plug-in to tailor a solution for you - this plugin is an indesign palette that connects to a series of AI/LLM models that can prepare scripts directly into indesign that you can run. It's a paid script, but extends InDesign's functionality in amazing ways. https://www.omata.io/mate/indesign ... View more

Done. Video is at this link:   https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ki3bk99wj9imduj97kxro/anchoredObject.mp4?rlkey=9ilk9e5snwraflqukwl5yo78e&dl=0     ... View more

@Barb that's a novel fix for this long-standing InDesign bug, but this is really something that the InDesign Devs should have resolved by now. I've shown it live to an InDesign Dev while at Adobe MAX and he told me to log it as a bug, but I said it's already there - in fact (at the time of writing) over 280 people have requested it and have BEEN requesting it since 2018:  https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/34501540-anchored-objects-need-be-able-to-apply-a-text-wrap If the dev team are reading this, please fix this - it's embarrassing that this issue only occurs in this application and not in software offered by competitors. ... View more

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS - @Eugene Tyson has basically said what I was going to say. Comparing Global Vision with Acrobat's compare feature is like comparing a Ducati to pushbike. Acrobat means well with its comparison facility but it is absolutely no match to the likes of Global Vision where forensic detail not just counts.  ... View more

If you need to perform a comparison then I wouldn't try exporting to any other format except a PDF, and then use a tool such as Global Vision or Diffchecker.com - two applications that their only purpose is to compare A to B ... View more

I've written an article about character/paragraph rule stacking orders for CreativePro that may help:   https://creativepro.com/understanding-the-stacking-order-of-paragraph-rules/   From the article directly is a lookup table based on stacking height (top row of the table being the highest layer, bottom row of the table being the lowest layer) as well as where the type sits within the stacking height.   In terms of its up/downposition, that can usually be adjusted with the offset value.   ... View more

I've written a data merge troubleshooting guide for CreativePro that can be found here: https://creativepro.com/troubleshooting-data-merge-errors/ For this specific error, usually is for one of two reasons: When attempting to import an Excel file as a data source rather than the CSV or TXT file that needs to be exported first. It often happens because the suffix of the file may be TXT or CSV, but during the saving process was still saved as an Excel file – with the file extension being changed manually instead of using the format dropdown in the save dialog box. When attempting to import a text file that is either completely blank; or has text on the first line only. ... View more

My peers have provided great solutions, but for posterity I thought I'd add my own solution. You will need a free plug-in to do this listed in step 4 below. Set up a one page record in one text frame exactly how you want it to appear with the appropriate formatting. Save your excel file out as either a CSV or tab delimited TXT file so that it can be used with InDesign. Use the data merge feature to replace the formatted text with the fields from the data merge file; and then merge the file to a new InDesign. This will prepare many pages with one text frame per page, but the stories won't be linked. To link the stories, use the TextStitch for InDesign Plugin from Rorohiko: https://rorohiko.com/wordpress/textstitch-for-indesign/ - The site is really good at explaining the install instructions. Prior to running the autostitch feature from the plugin above, in InDesign to to API, TextStitch, Configure, and make sure the two options in red are on:   ... View more

If you are using an Elgato Streamdeck after March 2025 it is possible to use the "action" technique but instead of assigning a hotkey, you can now assign an action directly into the Elgato Streamdeck as a button. EDIT - ONLY FOR PHOTOSHOP. Realised this is an Illustrator question. Oops. Here is an example that I added to one of my Streamdeck button screens so that I could quickly run a photoshop action after editing a file in acrobat (acrobat would launch photoshop and I could run the script using my Elgato Streamdeck button). Unsure if this also works with the Logitech MX Creative Console - if it does, I'll edit this post once I'm at home (currently at the office)   ... View more

the paid version of my data merge to single record script will export to interactive PDF. it exports to a temporary indesign file and then exports as an interactive PDF based on the last saved interactive PDF export settings used. ... View more

I too have experienced this on my work machine. Is there any other way to turn the survey notification off? ... View more

I've written an article about a similar issue here: https://colecandoo.com/2016/12/17/data-merge-pdf-export-vs-regular-pdf-export/ That said, I have read your note that you are merging to InDesign first, but looks like you have issues with everything after page one. If you were to merge a 1pp file to a new indesign file, and then merge the next record to another indesign file, do both records articles appear correctly? Wondering if you could use the script mentioned in the article to merge to uniquely named indesign files and then run Peter Kahrel's batch convert script to export to interactive pdfs afterwards. ... View more

Completely agree. Unless a book is saddle stapled OR bound in a way that uses folded signatures to make book blocks (e.g. section sewn or burst bound), then a page count can be divisible by two. My previous employer used to print perfect bound books on either their Konica Minolta or Oce high speed inkjet - both sheet fed printers (former is toner the latter is high speed inkjet) and these would produce book blocks that just needed a cover to wrap around them. Much more efficient use of paper - less make-readies and overs; no need for offset plates... wasn't offset quality though but if you're printing a book that's mostly text, does it matter? Even if a book is burst bound or section sewn, a page count divisible by two can be done via a tip-in, but it's a pain. That said, ALWAYS consult your printer! ... View more

I don't know, but there is the ability to try the software without purchase as a freemium model.   ... View more

There is a script on the CreativePro site that will take a list of data that you want in a dropdown field and will add it to the dropdown field without the labor of going through the user interface yourself. Script and instructions are here: https://creativepro.com/combomambo-script-updated-indesign-cc-2014/ So far as centering or any formatting, this is something that would have to be tackled in Acrobat itself - as stated by @Robert at ID-Tasker , form formatting within InDesign is quote limited.  There is a request for better formatting for forms within InDesign Uservoice (the site maintained by the InDesign developers for bug reports and feature requests) - suggest adding to the pile: https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/32820841-it-d-be-so-much-more-efficient-to-be-able-to-put-i ... View more

Using the example image I gave earlier, note how I have a second preset there called 16pp A4 that I've made. If I go file, document presets, and select 16pp A4, I'm presented with the new document prompt. If I OK it, close it, and then go Ctrl+Alt+N, InDesign will make another 16pp A4 document preset based file. To get back to the default, I have to: go back to file, document presets, select [Default], OK the document prompt,  close the file it makes, then Ctrl+Alt+N and now the next document will be based on the [Default] setting. ... View more

If you are on a mac, you may want to consider the paid MyDataMerge application: https://mydatamerge.com/ I did review this software some time ago for CreativePro Magazine, but haven't tried it recently. ... View more

There is a workaround to this shown in Daniel Solis' video here: https://youtu.be/zaPnChlt0rE?si=iU2bNC_6Ix3z-IFh It does however require a compromise in formatting - that is, the text must not be justified.   I've edited this comment as this does NOT apply to text variables - I'd misunderstood the question of data merge variables, rather than text variables, which is a different issue. Kudos to @Dave Creamer of IDEAS and @Robert at ID-Tasker for correcting me on this issue, my apologies. ... View more

Author of the article being referenced there. Looks like I have it incorrect as the Adobe source below says it is MathJax TeX, so will adjust that shortly. There is an InDesign Uservoice request that indicates they may be adding future features now that it's there (but for now there isn't) https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/32805088-mathml-support ... View more

InDesign sort of has this for photos - called generative expand - but Mike Rankin at CreativePro has a good reason to use alternatives for the time being: https://creativepro.com/why-you-should-use-generative-expand-in-photoshop-not-indesign/   Adobe Acrobat - via its preflight feature - can add bleed, but either does so by stretching the artwork or mirroring it (not great) An Adobe Acrobat plug-in called Enfocus Pitstop has an Action list that will stretch rectangular vectors past their trim box to the bleed box - this works well...  ...but they have an even better one for labels where the trim edge isn't always a rectangle (e.g. could be an oval, circle, or freeform shape defined by a cutter shape) and this is nearly magical, but again not perfect.  In terms of AI though, Acrobat's AI Assistant focuses more on text content rather than print requested features like auto bleed. Believe me, if they added an AI bleeds feature as part of the Acrobat Preflight, I'd jump on it. I'd written a parody piece in late 2023 after attending Adobe MAX in LA and watching the presentation about the "new" features in InDesign. The piece is here https://colecandoo.com/2023/10/19/new-features-in-indesign-2024-and-about-time-too/ and in that piece I talk about a "new" feature called "magic bleed". So far as an AI to add bleed in InDesign, if you are using the Omata Mate plug-in, you may want to try "make the artwork bleed to the bleed edge" and see the results... but it depends what the element is (a vector in InDesign or PDF placed art for example), does it contain a gradient or clipping path... there are always complications.   ... View more