Linked Excel sheet replacing cell content with '-1'

[Luk Ramon]

Dear friends,

I linked an excel file in my Indesign file, but some explicit cells don't import correctly. The selected cell gets replaced with a "-1" in my Indesign file.

I have no idea why this happens and how to solve it. However it is fixed when I import it as a formatted table, but I need to remove all the style to fit it to the corporate identity.

Thanks already,
Luk

[Luk Ramon]

I did find out it has something to do with the '=CONCAT' Excel function.

[Luk Ramon]

More on this topic here, didn't include a solution: https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/link-excel-cell-with-concatenate-function/td-p/1...

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Here is the reason, but not solution:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/imported-excel-unformatted-table-text-based-form...

[Luk Ramon]

Doesn't seem to have a logical cause, thanks for the information though.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

A workaround would be to copy the data with the formulas to a new work sheet, pasting values only. 
If you need an update, you update the original worksheet with the formulas and repeat.

[Luk Ramon]

Yea, I'm wondering if it's easier to create table and cell styles, import it as a 'formatted table'(because then it works properly). 

[BobLevine]

Table and cell styles are designed to work with an unformatted table. A formatted table would bring in all of the Excel formatting.

[Luk Ramon]

Right, makes sense.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Certainly, maintaining the Excel formatting is an option. You might have to play with the table and column widths a little because in my experience, Microsoft measures things differently than InDesign does. 

If you plan on commercially printing your document, you can run it through Acrobat Pro to convert Microsoft's RGB black to percentages of black-only (K).

[Luk Ramon]

I'm better of styling the Excel file then, it's intended to print it over branded briefpaper. I do wonder why they closed the bug as 'fixed' when it's actually not.

[Luk Ramon]

According to the vote reactions it should be fixed. I'm running the latest version and it does not.
https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/31903918-import-xlsx-sp...

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Not fixed on my end using the latest versions of both.

I was able to import a formatted table and quickly remove any style overrides--then I could apply a regular table style. (I did not test with a linked Excel file to see what would happen during updates.)

[Luk Ramon]

The best thing to do in my experience is to import it as a 'formatted table' and style as much as you can in Excel. Table styles over a formatted table causes strange behavior sometimes. Indesign tables are sloppy, that's for sure.