Can't link text from word

[Tania23368984skkz]

I placed my text in indesign and is not linked. Did the update change something.?? How do I link the text?

[Laubender]

Hi @Tania23368984skkz ,

you can decide to place and link text with a change of the preferences.

This is a document specific preference. Means, if you change the preference only the currently active document is affected. Not open documents that are not active, not documents you will open later. Just the one that is the active one.

To change that:

Preferences > File Handling >

[ x ] Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheet Files

This option is turned off by default.

I would NOT change that if no document is open.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Tania23368984skkz]

Still does not work. Until I updated two days ago it worked fine. Not even doing place and link. 

[Laubender]

Just tested the workflow OK with my German InDesign version 17.4.0 on Windows 10. What I did:

[1] Opened a new document

[2] Went to Preferences > File Handling

[3] Enabled the option Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheet Files

[4] Unselected everything on the document page

[5] Went to File > Place and selected a file from MS Word with suffix *.docx

The text was loaded to the cursor.

[6] Drew out a new text frame with the loaded cursor and released the cursor.

The text frame was filled with text.

The Links panel is showing the text file's name listed.

So the text is placed and linked now.

When I change the contents of the Word file InDesign will recognize this and will indicate it with a yellow triangle in the Links panel.

If that is not working with your current document, see if it will work with a new document.

What's your operating system?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Tania23368984skkz]

Still does not work.  It's a long file, so I need it to update, it's too much to redo it.  I just don't know why it worked until the update. I'm using windows and is up to date.

[Laubender]

"Still does not work."

Even if you place and link to a new document? Are there any error messages?

Try this: Save your document to a new name, remove all the old text in that threaded story so that the only insertion point of the first text frame of the number of threaded text frames is selected. Then do File > Place. Now the text frames should be filled with the new contents.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Creamer Training]

Did you re-place the file? It will not retroactively link previously placed files. 

[Laubender]

Hi @Tania23368984skkz ,

do you work in an environment where IT controls everything?

Was perhaps a third-party plug-in installed that does a two-way communication to Word files like e.g. WordsFlow?

And the functionality is gone after the update to InDesign version 17.4?

Or are you working in a workflow that involves InCopy?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Tania23368984skkz]

I had workflow installed but is not active, it does show on my preferences. 

[Laubender]

Hi @Tania23368984skkz ,

do I get this right? You are working with WordsFlow installed? This one:

http://emsoftware.com/products/wordsflow/

And WordsFlow does not work anymore after you updated to InDesign 17.4.0?

Then I would contact the maker of the software, EM Software, and ask for help.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Tania23368984skkz]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. 

I wasn't using workflow but was still installed, that was what interfered with not linking the text. I uninstalled it but it was giving the same problem. I reinstalled InDesign and it finnaly worked. The text is linking againg.  What a pain it was. Thank You All.

[Jumpenjax]

Select all from word/ copy then go to InDesign page and paste. Then at the bottom of the box of the InDesign type, there is a red little box click go to next page and paste. Continue until all the text is placed.