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Cartwheels Kris
Participating Frequently
July 15, 2017
Answered

Merged data

  • July 15, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 3469 views

Hey guys,

I'm looking for help on a merged data issue I'm having in InDesign.

A bit of background, so I get biweekly adverts emailed to me form a travel recruitment company, it has 8 jobs on it and each one breaks down like this:

————————————
Business Development Manager

NSW, $80k + Super + Com, Ref: 2940SO3

This senior BDM position has huge potential to work with independent travel agencies across NSW to work for am award winning company and build and develop the network of agencies. You will be driven and have strong contacts within the NSW travel industry and will be looking to maximise on these relationships, relishing this diverse position. You will be an articulate communicator and you will able to manage a range of stakeholders and will enjoy the challenge of growing new business.

For more information please call Sasha on (02) 9119 8744 or click APPLY now
http://www.traveltradejobs.com.au/…/business-development-ma…
————————————

I get them through as a Excel spreadsheet I have set up for them with titles on each column and I have my indesign template that I add this text to, and it's standard every time, same layout etc. I have gone through all the relevant steps to set this up just so I can click merge data but it just only wants to add the first advert 8x over, it doesn't move 1, 2, 3, 4 etc etc... and yes, I am using multiple records.

A friend was helping me with this and I shot this quick video to explain what's happening... so here it is if you need a better example to answer me: https://youtu.be/VOEdxGr-OT8

Cheers guys

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer AnneMarie Concepcion

Hey Mike,

I open your dropbox link and see a text doc with a bunch of fields and an indesign doc. I open the indesign doc and see that you have one text box with the data field set out. If I create another box and add the fields it just duplicates, if I expand that text box and add new field it duplicates... I'm still totally missing how you get all the listings on the one page?


You only put the data fields in ONE text frame. Only one text frame for the fields should be on the page. To make the different records appear on the same page, you open Create Merged Document from the panel menu, and in there, choose Multiple Records from the dropdown menu.

I made a little video, excuse the air conditioner noise, it's hot here in Chicago! ;-)

YouTube

1 reply

MW Design
MW Design
Inspiring
July 15, 2017

There will likely be paragraph returns in the larger paragraph field. To see if this is the cause, it is easiest just to open your CSV file in a text editor and it should be obvious if this what is happening--the fields should be like they appear in the CSV, but if there is a paragraph return, the explanatory paragraph where a break occurs will continue at the left edge of the text editor.

But for 8 listings? I wouldn't bother with a merge file. Just copy the text for one record and paste it into the text editor, cleanup any needed paragraph breaks, add a hard return or two, do the next record. Once done (like in one minute), copy the whole and paste it into ID and format it.

Mike

    C
    Cartwheels KrisAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    July 15, 2017

    Thanks Mike, Did you check out the video and see that I have varying type styles through these 8 listings? Would that make what you're suggesting here possible still?

    AnneMarie Concepcion
    Community Expert
    AnneMarie ConcepcionCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 15, 2017

    So if you start over with a clean INDD file, and  make a single text frame just large enough to hold one record's worth of data, and you connect to the data source (your csv file), nothing should happen yet, right? Except for the Data Merge panel filling in with your headers.

    Then you create a single text frame on the page, large enough to hold one record's worth of data. Be sure to work in Normal view so you can see frame edges and Hidden characters (the end of paragraph marks).

    Then you click with the insertion point inside the frame, and click once on the first field in the panel. It appears surrounded by double brackets, and you format it. Then you hit the return key and in the second line, click the next field, and so on, until you've added the last field to the text frame, and formatted it.

    At that point, you click Preview. You should see just the first record appear in that frame. That's not happening?

    AM

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