Skip to main content
Allgon
Allgon
Participant
November 1, 2019
Question

Loosing applied style settings when updating linked Excel-sheets

  • November 1, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 158 views

I am having some issues when linking Excel spreadsheets (there are a few, around 20). They way I link them is "formatted table" because the Excel sheets contain various bolding and lines (financial spreadsheets) which otherwise dissapear if I choose the other route.

I seem to have two problems compunding.

 

Problem 1. Cell insets

For the tables to look the way I want I need to have cell insets at 0 mm. Everytime my link gets updated Indesign wants do default to 1,411 mm insets top/bottom. I cannot counteract this with cell styles because if I use cell styles those bold/lines from Excel gets washed away. And besides, my cell styles seems to be removed when the link gets updated - I am guessing this comes from the "formatted table" link setting.

 

Problem 2. Align center

I need to have text aligned center, as with the above Indesign seems to think "align bottom" should be the default. 

 

Is there something I am missing to attack this problem, should I go about it some other way? If cell insets and alignment would remain at my preffered values I wouldn't have a problem, can I change these defaults somewhere?

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

L
Community Expert
LaubenderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 1, 2019

Hi krillokrokodil,

your issues can be solved.

 

What is required?

Before placing the Excel file create:

A new table style. ( E.g. "FinancialSpreadSheet" )

A new cell style. ( E.g. "BodyCells" )

 

Define in table style "FinancialSpreadSheet" that for all body cells cell style "BodyCells" should be applied.

Now define "BodyCells" so that all cell inset values are 0 and that vertical alignment of text is center.

Leave all other values at "ignore" ( empty fields ).

 

Now comes the trick!

If you import your Excel spread sheet turn on Show Import Options and pause for a while.

 

All screen shots from my German InDesign CC 2019:

 

 

What you here need is table style "FinancialSpreadSheet", but if you want to import as formatted table that style is not available. Only the basic table style is showing up and you have no access to a different table style.

 

To change that switch temporarily to unformatted table and then you have access to "FinancialSpreadSheet":

 

 

 

Back to formatted table, "FinancialSpreadSheet" is now the default table style:

 

 

The placed table is now formatted with the visual style of the Excel sheet:

 

 

Text centered to the cells vertically, no insets. If I update the table in the Links panel it will retain the Excel formatting and contains the changes made in Excel:

 

 

Important: Because of a bug with table styles the applied cell styles for the body cells is "None" but with overrides.

 

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

 

 

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