Applying Same Text formatting to multiple lines of text

[cutty382]

I am working on a phone directory (see photo) where I need to apply 4 separate character styles to 500 doctor listings. Is there a quick way to do this or do I have to just go through and apply each character style individually?

I have tried to look up nested styles but couldn't figure it out yet.

At the moment all I have set up is separate character styles for Doctors Name, Practice, Address and Phone number.

Any point in the right direction would be a big help, I don't really work in InDesign as much.

[BobLevine]

Those should all be separate paragraph styles with each one set to follow the previous one and the first set to follow the last.

There is zero need for a character style here.

[Steve Werner]

Here's the Help file. Read the section on "Next Style" if you're not familiar with that feature:

Apply paragraph and character text styles in Adobe InDesign

[hammer0909]

Next style could work but usually information such as what you are showing is contained in an excel file somewhere. You might have better luck with Data Merge.

[BobLevine]

Good point, Chad.

[cutty382]

I have all of the information already out of Excel and in linked text boxes. Next Styles is working but I think I need to clean up all of my text. I watched a video on Data Merge and will have to research it a bit more as the video I watched imported the Data all to new pages and I need the data to fill 5 lines of text then move on to the next doctor and so on...

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

If everything is in InDesign already AND if the text frames are linked:

Select all with cursor in a text frame (cmd/ctrl+A) and then right click on the first paragraph style. Choose that and next style.

If you’ve set everything up properly, the entire document will be formatted. If each entry is in its own frame, I would suggest having the first style always begin in a new frame.

[Alexandre Becquet]

Hello, maybe this script can help you

Présentation de notre script InlineMerge chez InDesignSecrets | Ozalto

[hammer0909]

That is one of the limitations of Data Merge but the benefit is that it can create all of your content automatically from the Excel file (actually a .csv or .txt file saved from the Excel file). You can also use a script that allows data merge to create flowed text. You can find that here https://indesignsecrets.com/data-merge-into-inline-anchored-objects-so-they-flow-in-a-story.php

[hammer0909]

Bob's right but you'll need to trick InDesign (so to speak). You'll need a unique style for the 3rd and 4th lines even though they appear the same. That way the next style feature can format all lines with one click. Your styles might look like this…

Name

Company

Address1

Address2

Phone

[cutty382]

Thanks guys, a lot of good information and I am on the right track now I believe. A bit of tinkering here and there and I think my life just got made a lot easier!!!