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When I import a .csv file, the data is displayed all over the place, very incorrect. Clearly there is something wrong with my source data doc. I think the problem is formatting. So I format it in a way that the data is not abbreviated due to not enough cell space. Very think is now readable by InDesign.
This is my issue: formatting does not save within a .csv. InDesign Data Merge requires a .csv. How do I save my formatting in a .csv so that InDesign can read my data correctly?
OK.
First, make a new template file for the data merge. Preview has been buggy for years and can cause bad merges, so I advise never to use it. If a preview has damaged the template, in my experience it cannot be recovered and must be rebuilt.
Running a test merge on a few records is one quick option, or just merge the whole data set without preview. If it's correct, great, else juast discard the bad file and find the problem before rerunnning the merge.
Are there any special characters in the f
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Sorry for all the typos! Was very tired. I think the TRIM function is my solution.
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Update-
The issue was that there was a question in the database that allowed multiple responses, messing up the data. I took that question out and the data merge worked perfectly. Thanks to those who helped along the way!
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Need a lot more information.
Version of InDesign, OS. Single record or multiple records per page? Do you preview the merge before running? Are the merge fileds on the Parent/Master page or the document page? (A screen shot would be very usefule here) How was your .csv file made? How is it encoded?
For what it's worth, you can use either .csv or tab-delimited text for your data source.
Are you able to share your template file and a sample of your data file?
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Thanks for the reply.
InDesign version 17.3 on Windows 10 operating system. Single record per page, generating a total of 250 records total. I do use the preview before running the merge and don't get any further than that because it does not preview correctly. I am not sure if the merge fields are on the parent/master page or document page. I'm thinking document page. Unfortunatley I can't share any screenshots or CSV's due to stakeholder confidentiality.
The .csv is created through an export on WizeHive (the database I use). I open in Excel and import into InDesign. Encoding is UTF-8.
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OK.
First, make a new template file for the data merge. Preview has been buggy for years and can cause bad merges, so I advise never to use it. If a preview has damaged the template, in my experience it cannot be recovered and must be rebuilt.
Running a test merge on a few records is one quick option, or just merge the whole data set without preview. If it's correct, great, else juast discard the bad file and find the problem before rerunnning the merge.
Are there any special characters in the field names? Check the first row of the file in Excel VERY carefully. Also look for line breaks in individual cells that might cause a problem.
You can also try resaving in Excel, and try saving as tab-delimited rather than .csv and see if that makes a difference.
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Peter,
This is so helpful. I am excited to try out these potential solutions. Will keep you updated!
Thanks!
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But, to emphasise: a CSV contains only text. There is no place in a CSV for anything else. No formatting is possible. Formatting has to happen in InDesign. TXT is the same.