Linking excel cells/table into pre-existing Indesign table

[rhianbuckleyy]

 

Hello, Ive got this preexisting InDesign table, and I was wondering if I could link a table from Excel into those three free columns on the right? When I try to place it as unformatted text, it just all goes into the first cell. Is this possible or do I need to find a workaround? Thanks!

[leo.r]

I'm not sure but but you may need a tool like InData or EasyCatalog.

https://emsoftware.com/products/indata/

https://www.65bit.com/

It's quite possible that others may offer easier solutions.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rhianbuckleyy

You can only link whole Table.

Kind of a workaround would be to create "partial" table - only those 3x columns in Excel - then merge those 3x columns in your current table in the InDesign - then link XLS file with only those 3x columns.

So a table in a merged cell. 

But then you'll be limited by the height. 

Do you have / can you have those areas named in Excel?

[rhianbuckleyy]

Hi Robert, yeah I've managed to do that. Now I'm wondering if you know if its possible to import my conditional formatting from Excel when I place it into indesign.

Basically in my excel document, The cells turn grey when the number is 0, the cells turn light grey when the number is 1 or larger. Not sure if this is possible to do in indesign?

on the right is the indesign table that is live from my excel (but without the conditional formatting), and then on the right is what it should look like ...

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Can't check right now, but from quick googling, if you copy&paste your table - in Excel - and do Paste Special, it will retain formatting as well - or copy&paste to WORD and back - and then copy/link this new table to InDesign. 

If it won't work and/or you prefer to do it in the InDesign - my ID-Tasker tool can do this and a lot more - but isn't free and PC only.