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N
neel_2293
Participant
May 5, 2025
Answered

Code 39 Extended acting different in Indesign than in MS Word. Coverstion wrong

  • May 5, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 479 views

Hi There...

 

I have importet Code 39 Extended Charset to build Barcodes.
When I am using .csv file as datacource some charecters are showing up "incorrect" in Indesign.
- The csv file has all the charectors showing correctly, and when you are adding the datasource the small preview it gives you before actualling loading data is also correct. But the minuttet is displaying the bar code its showing some charectors with a wrong encoding(?).

I believe this has something to do with charect encoding for my 'textbox' in Indesign.

 

Its very easy to reproduce the problem:

Here is what I found :

 

If I type a $ in Ms word with the Code 39 Ext charector set and then in a textbox in Indesign type 

a $  is it showing differently...
It simply 2 different BAR CODES that is displaying..

And if I change the font to something human readable it is showing a $ as expected..
its allmost as this a diffent font - but it is not...  

This is making my skanner fail to read barcodes "genereted" in Indesign..

%&#"! PLEASE HELP as im going crazy very soon..

 

Correct answer Joel Cherney

I tried to convert my text file til UTF-16 (online), but that didn't change a thing.


If the text encoding of your data source is the issue (it sounds like it is) then you need to match the encoding of your data source to the encoding that InDesign is expecting. So, assuming that you're using Excel on Windows, then the best file type to pick when saving out of Excel is "Unicode Text". Don't try to convert your file outside of Excel.

 

Or maybe you are building your data source by hand in Word? If so, then I imagine you should be picking Plain Text as your file format, and Unicode (UTF-8) as your encoding. But, once again, don't go trying to fix encoding after export with some third party tool. 

 

Then, when you Select Data Source in InDesign, you have to make sure that the "Import Options" box is checked:

 

Then you can specify the encoding, platform, and separator character:

 

There are lots of ways to handle matching source encoding to InDesign, but they have to match. And if you're not checking the Import Options box, there's no way to tell what encoding or platform InDesign is set to recieve. 

 

1 reply

Robert at ID-Tasker
Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
May 5, 2025

What is the encoding of your CSV file? 

 

N
neel_2293Author
Participant
May 5, 2025

Hi 

I choose "CSV UTF" when I export. And the "$"  is displaying just fine in the file if I open it in fx. Notepad
I tried all the export options and CSV UTF seems to be the onlyone that get all my national charectors correct.

thanks,
Theis

 

 

Joel Cherney
Community Expert
Joel CherneyCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
May 5, 2025

I tried to convert my text file til UTF-16 (online), but that didn't change a thing.


If the text encoding of your data source is the issue (it sounds like it is) then you need to match the encoding of your data source to the encoding that InDesign is expecting. So, assuming that you're using Excel on Windows, then the best file type to pick when saving out of Excel is "Unicode Text". Don't try to convert your file outside of Excel.

 

Or maybe you are building your data source by hand in Word? If so, then I imagine you should be picking Plain Text as your file format, and Unicode (UTF-8) as your encoding. But, once again, don't go trying to fix encoding after export with some third party tool. 

 

Then, when you Select Data Source in InDesign, you have to make sure that the "Import Options" box is checked:

 

Then you can specify the encoding, platform, and separator character:

 

There are lots of ways to handle matching source encoding to InDesign, but they have to match. And if you're not checking the Import Options box, there's no way to tell what encoding or platform InDesign is set to recieve. 

 

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