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Steven5E09
Participant
June 14, 2022
Answered

Using script to open InDesign file and update table data from an excel document

  • June 14, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 446 views

Hello,

 

My company makes data reports that are often replicated a couple hundred times. I've created a document that has table data attached to an excel file and can be updated through the links panel. My question is, is there a way to update the data in the tables just by running a script, pointing to the excel file within the same folder?

 

There are more complicated actions that need to be completed in the file, but this would be a great starting point!

 

Thank you in advance!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Kasyan Servetsky

I wrote a function that reads the data from Excel and returns them in InDesign as an array of strings.
I didn’t see your files, but off the top of my head, a possible approach could be like so:
If your table structure matches the spreadsheet, it’s quite easy: you may simply replicate the data in InDesign. For example, row 2 in column 1 in InDesign matches cell B2 in Excel.

Otherwise, you have to explicitly indicate the relationship between the cells in InDesign and Excel.
For instance, in Excel, you may have a ‘key’ field, say, a unique ID. In InDesign, you label cells with corresponding IDs so the script would know where to put the data.

2 replies

Kasyan Servetsky
Kasyan ServetskyCorrect answer
Legend
June 17, 2022

I wrote a function that reads the data from Excel and returns them in InDesign as an array of strings.
I didn’t see your files, but off the top of my head, a possible approach could be like so:
If your table structure matches the spreadsheet, it’s quite easy: you may simply replicate the data in InDesign. For example, row 2 in column 1 in InDesign matches cell B2 in Excel.

Otherwise, you have to explicitly indicate the relationship between the cells in InDesign and Excel.
For instance, in Excel, you may have a ‘key’ field, say, a unique ID. In InDesign, you label cells with corresponding IDs so the script would know where to put the data.

    Mike Witherell
    Community Expert
    Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 16, 2022

    Edit > Place and Link might give you the ability to update the main table and it would update in all the other documents that have a Place 'n' Link of that Table.

    Another approach: build the table InDesign document and place it into a page in the other documents. A placed InDesign file acts as if it were an image.

    Mike Witherell
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