Linking a File to Another INDD File and Updating Changes

[RAILhead]

Hello folks

I have been searching high and low for several days to no avail. Apologies if this has been answered over and over, and I just haven't found the thread. My situation...

We create booklets, each with different topics, but all have certain portions that are consistent (Appendix, Resources, etc.). I would like to have the consistent portions as individual InDesign files and "link" them to the various booklets — the goal being, when I make a change to, say, the Resources file, all references in the various booklets get updated.

Right now, we must copy and paste the updated information across all individual booklets — tedious.

I know I can use the Place command, but that causes the link to be a graphic — not a text box.

If we try to use a Plain Text file, we lose all formatting.

Is there a way to do what I'm asking? Have I overlooked something?

THANK YOU!

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

Its technically not a graphic - its a link back to the original InDesign document.

If your text is formatted differently in each book, have you considered linking to a Word or other text document and applying a style in each InDesign document?

When you update the parent Word or text file, it would update via link inside the ID doc.

You'd need to turn this preference on under File Handling:

[RAILhead]

Ahh, linking is a huge step forward — that preference wasn't on. When I did a small test, things seem to be working as desired. I now wish Adobe could read the native Apple Pages format because we don't use MS Word, haha!

[BobLevine]

That's not likely to happen any time soon but I would recommend looking into InCopy for this.