Import individual ID's from csv to each page in InDesign

[Loppias]

Hi guys,

I'm digging through the forum and the internet, but I do not found everything helpful, so I will try it here.

I'm working on our own product-catalog (Din A4 - single page). Our Catalog has currently 63 pages. In Addition to our catalog, I have created an CSV that follows the structure of the Catalog. all categories, all pages and their containing products are stored in this csv.

With this information in my CSV and some additional information's I have a unique ID for page.

Now I want to import this data in my already existing InDesign file (with already 63 pages) and insert each data record to each corresponding page.

data record 1 => insert on page 1

data record 2 => insert on page 2

data record 3 => insert on page 3

...

data record 63 => insert on page 63

I thought that is a super easy task for the data-merge tool, but i'm starting to think I used it the wrong way.

Is there an onboard-tool for that or do you know a right plugin for my needs?

TL;dr:

I want to import pagination from a csv into my already existing 63-pages InDesign file.

Thank you

best regards

Marvin

[SJRiegel]

Data Merge is a useful, but very simple tool. It cannot add new information to existing unique pages.

The best you could do native Data Merge is to create a new blank document in which to do your merge, and then copy-paste from the merge document to your catalog. 

There may be a scripting solution, or a third-party plug in that could help.

[vinny38]

What about placing your CSV directly?

To make it flow nicely:

First set your "pagination" paragraph style > keep option > paragraph starts: "next frame"

Create 2 threaded text frames on your master page for your custom pagination : one on left page, one on right page. Apply "pagination" paragraph style to those frames.

Then go file > Place (select File types: "all types". Dunno why but Indd doesn't seem to consider csv as an importable file, although it is) and select your csv file.

Go to page 1 and while holding Shift key, click on the master text frame.

Of course, if you have to add, move, delete pages, expect some headaches 😕

But at least, it's a pretty fast workaround

[John Mensinger]

Your objectives are beyond the reach of InDesign's Data Merge, and squarely in catalog plugin territory. Here's an example of which you can download a free trial: http://emsoftware.com/category/news/emcatalog/incatalog/

I think it bears mentioning, however, that based on the description you posted, you may have based your workflow on how you imagined a data-driven layout to work, on a pagination-recognized, one-record-per-page premise, and I fear you may have to scrap that approach. I'm not certain you can't make it work that way, but generally speaking, data-merging of just about every kind I've seen, is based on references within the data itself (and the corresponding references you place in the target document), and ignorant of the native features of the target document, like page numbers.

EDIT: Vinny's post above wasn't there yet when I posted, and I hadn't thought about about it in the way he suggests. Since you've already based your data on the document, rather than the more conventional other-way-around, you might be closer to making his suggestion work than you are to a plugin-based workflow.

[Loppias]

Wow, I'm totally amazed how quick I got so much helpful answers from many professionals! Thank you!

It's not a total disaster, But when the task came on my desk, i remembered the data-merge tool and thought, that would be a clean and fast solution + i can keep track of changes and possible catalog/page-revisions in my csv.

I will test Vinny's solution, and check, if there is a other, easier and faster solution than doing it manually.

Thanks!