Skip to main content
Pedidos
Pedidos
Participant
August 4, 2026
Question

InDesign 21.5 Data Merge corrupts accented characters when running InlineMerge.jsxbin

  • August 4, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 19 views

InDesign 21.5 — Data Merge corrupts accented characters when running InlineMerge.jsxbin

After updating to InDesign 21.5, Data Merge no longer handles accented characters correctly when I run my InlineMerge JSXBIN script.

For example:

Sección becomes Secci—n

Descripción_ES becomes Descripci—n_ES

The problem affects both the Data Merge field names and the merged text.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Create a new InDesign document.
  2. Load a tab-delimited TXT file as a Data Merge source.
  3. The field names containing accented characters display correctly.
  4. Run the attached/linked inlineMerge.jsxbin script.
  5. Accented characters are replaced by incorrect characters, e.g. ó becomes —.

Important: The exact same TXT file and the exact same script work correctly in the previous version of InDesign.

I rolled back to the previous version and the problem immediately disappeared.

This appears to be a regression in InDesign 21.5 affecting Data Merge and/or the scripting API used by the script.

OS: macOS
InDesign: 21.5
Data source: plain-text tab-delimited TXT
Script: InlineMerge.jsxbin

Please investigate the regression in Data Merge/scripting character encoding.

    3 replies

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 4, 2026

    Hi @Pedidos,


    Thanks for reporting this issue.

    It looks like the InlineMerge.jsxbin script wasn't attached to your post. Could you please share the script file? It will help us determine whether the issue is related to a regression in InDesign 21.5 or something specific to how the script interacts with the Data Merge.

    If the script is proprietary or confidential, you're welcome to share it with me via Direct Message using a cloud-sharing service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or a similar service.


    Looking forward to your update.

    Abhishek

    Pedidos
    PedidosAuthor
    Participant
    August 4, 2026

    Hi,

    Thanks for getting back to me.

    Yes, of course. I have attached the InlineMerge.jsxbin script I am using.

    The script is the same one I have been using successfully with previous versions of InDesign. The issue only appeared after updating to InDesign 21.5.

    To reproduce the issue:

    1. Open a new InDesign document.
    2. Load a tab-delimited TXT file as a Data Merge source.
    3. The accented characters display correctly at this point.
    4. Run InlineMerge.jsxbin.
    5. Characters such as ó are replaced by —. For example, Descripción_ES becomes Descripci—n_ES.

    I tested the exact same TXT file and the exact same script in the previous version of InDesign, and everything works correctly.

    I have currently reverted to the previous version because I use this workflow daily and need the Data Merge to work reliably.

    I hope this helps you identify whether this is a regression in InDesign 21.5.

    Best regards

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 4, 2026

    I hope this helps you identify whether this is a regression in InDesign 21.5.
     


    Here are the release notes for InDesign 21.5:
    https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/indesign/desktop/whats-new/release-notes.html

    It includes this:

    • Data Merge enhancements

    Added support for multiline records and UTF-8 encoded data files.


    I wonder if the enhancements are what’s causing you the problem?

    Another user also reported Data Merge issues in InDesign 21.5:

     

      Firefly Community Gallery
      Adobe Firefly

      Remix with Firefly Community Gallery

      Thousands of free creations to fall in love with and remix in Firefly.

      Explore now
      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices