Can you link a chart/graph from Excel into InDesign?

[bmulch]

Has there been updates to link an chart/graph from Excel into InDesign for ease?

[@mj]

Hi bmulch,

You need to enable a preference.

This resource might prove useful.

https://redokun.com/blog/link-indesign-tables-to-excel-spreadsheets

Some formatting does get thrown out.

If you need more, you may need to look at a plugin. Woodwing for example has one called Smart Connection.

hth

.mj

[Laubender]

Hi master_mo,

importing a linked Excel file does not mean importing a chart graph from an Excel file.

As far as I can tell InDesign cannot do this. Never could. Also not with the current InDesign version 15.1.1.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Mike Witherell]

My approach to graphs from Excel is to export a PDF from Excel to capture the image of the graph. I place this PDF into InDesign. 

A 2nd approach is to Save As the Excel spreadsheet as a simple .CSV file and use Illustrator's graph tools to import the data and build and decorate a graph. I then place this .AI file into InDesign.

We would all like a module within InDesign that builds graphs, of course, but such a feature does not yet exist.

[BobLevine]

If the chart contains only solid colors copy/paste works quite well.

[bmulch]

So, it looks like there isn't an update yet! Darn! When building a rather large document, I would like the option to refresh the graph in InDesign and it grab any changes made in excel. The charts are always updating. 

[JonathanArias]

I used this for a while:

https://www.cacidi.com/cacidi-charts-cc/

works great. However, anybody who wants to open the files has to have a copy installed with a license, it was expensive for us with a large team of users with indesign.