One Line Bold In A List

[gregory_3768]

I have a list of over 2000 names with phone number, specialty and other info that I transfered from a Numbers document to InDesign. I want to go through and bold just the line with the Name. The nesting of a character style won't work because that only works in a paragraph. Is there another way to get that one line bold? Obvioulsy without going through each and every name over 2000 times.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

This method would be very easy to produce the desired results:

Import tab-delimited text into InDesign.

F/C tabs to line breaks.

F/C multiple line breaks to one.

F/C using GREP search to remove multiple returns.

Set up paragraph style to format first line as bold. 

The next-line method I described would be handy if any other lines needed formatting.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] 

The next-line method I described would be handy if any other lines needed formatting.

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

But ONLY if number of lines would be the same? 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

If you read my instructions, you see that every entry needs the same number of lines, which would occur when importing a tab-delimited file from either Excel or a database. The excess returns are removed after formatting. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Yes, you ar right.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] 

Set up paragraph style to format first line as bold. 

[...] 

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

If only first line of the block needs to be styled - why not do what OP already done - add extra symbol in the first column - or as an extra, first column - and then replace this symbol + tab / line break to just this symbol and apply ParaStyle?

Or why not just do what I've suggested twice already - import as a table, apply style(s) to column(s) - just in case, a different style to each column, to avoid doing it again if extra formatting will be needed in the future - then convert to text? 

I know I'm maybe pushing it too much - but it's an easiest, quickest and most effective way? Every other solution either requires more steps or is a paid solution... 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I perfer working with the easiest option to make format changes in the future. Because we know clients never change their mind (or as I like to say "change my mind for me"). While there are easist options to do the formatting quicker, none would be easier to change the formats of other parts of the directory. The next-style method would allow the easiest changes while only taking a couple of extra minutes to set up.

[Eugene Tyson]

You've doulbe returns between some items and I don't know why - you'd need to clean them up.

I'd have just did a GREP search for 

\r\r\K^.+?$

And changed to bold

But you'd need to tidy up the double returns

\r\r\r

change to 

\r\r

or something like that.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

As RT notes, we'd have to see a sample of the content to come up with any answers. I'm trying to visualize a list that isn't composed of paragraphs that might be a hook for one of the nested or GREP style options. You may have to do some processing to re- (better-) structure the content.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

It might be done "in reverse" - first, we would've to eliminate all paragraphs that are not names - phone numbers, etc - and apply some ParaStyles - then what's left - will be the Names. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Or if it's a "plain list" - it can be imported again as a table, styles set to columns - then converted to text - done. 

[BobLevine]

If it's an identical structure, create a paragraph style for each. Set each style to follow the previous and last one set the next style to the first.

Select all of the text, right click the first style and choose apply xxxx and next.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

There is always more than one way to skin the cat 😉 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

This is, or should be, a trivially simple task. But it depends on the structure of the list, and I am waiting for the other shoe to drop, here. 🙂

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Export out from Numbers as tab-delimited text, in a word processor search for the tabs and replace with returns (leave any empty returns/fields in place for now), use InDesign's next style to auto format in a repeating manner., search and remove empty returns. The "trick" is to have the last style linked back to the first style so it creates a cycle.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

There is one more option - InDesign Tagged Text.