How to update some values in an In Design table from an EXCEL file ?

[Thierry Del Socorro]

Hello everybody.

Here is my problem: I am using a rate list formatted using a table with 2 columns REFERENCE | PRICE.
This table has several dozen lines.

I am looking for a way to automate the price update (column 2) from an excel file.

Any idea how to proceed please?
Thanks in advance.

[jmlevy]

You must have linked the Excel files before having imported it in the InDesign file, by ticking this preference:

but you have to know that you will loose any local formatting that you have made in InDesign on the table (cell color, font, type size, stroke color). So before updating your table, create cell styles, table style and so on…

[Laubender]

Hi Thierry,

if you want to place and link an Excel file, make sure that the table sits in its own story.

Otherwise any update of the link will remove all text around the linked table.

If you want to go one step further you can redo all or some of the local formatting of an linked and updated table with a plug-in like Woodwing's Smart Style. See into it, there is a free trial for 30 days:

https://www.woodwing.com/en/smart-styles-adobe-indesign-plugin

It always depends on how many tables you have and how often data will change if this workflow is cost effective.

Copy a column from the Excel file, selecting the first cell of your InDesign column and paste the new data is also a method. It may be a bit more time consuming, but its the most cost effective method if you do not account for your own time.

Other things to consider:

If you want a full automation process you could hire a scripter to write you ExtendScript code that is able to make changes to the table if necessary if you open your InDesign document. Just a thought…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Here is a Word file detailing the Excel linking process.