How/Can you make copy/paste an initial text threaded boxes multiple times?

[xtremevette]

So I have a series of numbers that all drop into their own text boxes from an excel spreadsheet source. I have created the first text box and then I have been option dragging to create a 2nd box over the next item/resize that box and continue on to 3rd, 4th etc. All boxes are different sizes based on the product they are above. Approximately 40-50 items/text boxes per page. Once I am finished I go back and then click to flow text from one box to the other. Is there a process to kill 2 birds with one stone where I make the first box threaded and then somehow tell Indesign that I want all copied boxes from that original one to be threaded in order 1 after the other in sequence? I would have imagined that just threading the first box and then holding down the option key while dragging to make a new copied text box from it would have done the trick, but it doesn't work.

[Mike Witherell]

Textframes are linked/threaded only when you click the Outport of the first frame and click the interior of the next frame or drag to create the next frame. This does not work when you Opt/Alt drag to duplicate a textframe.

I'm trying to imagine why you want 50 product listings on one page. That is either a very big page or very small product listings. Do you really need 50 separate textframes, or do you need to use well-defined paragraph styles? Bear in mind I cannot see your design. You can post an example if you want.

[xtremevette]

4ft display rack that holds approximately 50 ribbon spools on each shelf. The display shelf liner is what I am working on. So yes has approximately 50 items that are butted up against each other with a divider in between each. Each spool is a different width so I can't use the paragraph or equal dividing trick. I added a screenshot of the beginning of the strip so to give a better visual. Iam trying to maximize my efficiency and time so anything that can cut back on keystrokes and shortcuts will help. Right now Iam just option-clicking each text box, dragging, resizing and then going back and autoflowing/text linking each box together per each shelf. I then copy and paste the information from excel to flow in.

[Peter Spier]

You can speed up the process a bit by clickint the outport of the just drawn frame then draw the new one. No need to use the text tool after the first one of go back to thread.

[xtremevette]

Yeah can't do that. 2 reasons why you can't. 1. Trying to create a new box the same height and position even with smart guides on can be finicky and challenging but more so, creating a new text box defaults it back to default text input and orientation. I guess my process will have to do. Definitely, something for Adobe to look into. In my mind it really should work that if you option drag or copy a loaded threaded text block and paste that, a new one should be created and threaded back to the original so on so forth.

[Peter Spier]

Threaded text will have whatever style you've assigned as the defualt, so if you create your styles properly and choose the default with nothing selected, you shouldn't have an issue with text formatting. As for dragging a new frame, if you're not confident in your ability to do that, that's a different problem.

I'm simply pointing out that it's possible to create a string of threaded frames without going back to thread them after creation.

[Robert Tkaczyk]

In what form do you have your data? Excel? Any kind of a database?

As long as your data is organised - it would be pretty easy to script it. 

[milko259349307s4y]

the answer is XML. very simple to do it

[xtremevette]

Sorry, no knowledge of XML markup especially integrating it into Indesign page layouts.

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

I'm wondering if the answer you're looking for is to use InDesign captions.

Captions pull the data from metadata in the file.

You might be able to add the metadata to your images that correspond to your image.

Can you tell us a bit more about the workflow - are the data above/below related directly to the images? 

There are threads like this:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/bridge-discussions/can-you-import-metadata-from-an-excel-database-to-...

We might be able to get you there.