multiple files using the same text - can link the text from one text file

[rf6]

I create a lot of product documentation that uses similar or same text paragraphs.

the moment the product specification changes I have to go through all the documents and update the tables or text parts

Is there a way to create a master text file that holds the text and that text is used on multiple files so they can be easily refreshed and updated straight away without looking for specific sections in each of them?

Thanks in advance,

[Barb Binder]

Hi rf6:

I don't think InDesign offers a perfect solution for this scenario yet. Some ideas to explore:

1. You can link tables from Excel into InDesign documents. Updating the table will prompt updates in InDesign when you open the files using them. To maintain a link to the spreadsheet, select the Create Links When Placing Text And Spreadsheet Files option in File Handling preference settings.
2. If the text parts are super short—like part numbers—you can use variables. Updating the variable definition will update each occurence in the document. You can load updated variables from one file to another. The reason I specify "super-short" is that variables can't break across columns yet. Vote to get that changed here: Make text variables/live captions breakable like normal text – Adobe InDesign Feedback​.
3. Depending on the layout, a CC Library item might work: you can add a text frame to the CC Library, then delete the original frame on the page. You can then drag the frame from the CC Library to multiple InDesign files. If you edit the CC Library item and save, it will update in all the files. The limitation here is that you can't update a paragraph in the middle of a text flow—it needs to be a stand-alone frame.

Maybe someone else will think of something I forgot. I hope so—FrameMaker (Adobe's other page layout application) offers a few ways to handle this workflow.

~Barb