Static vs Dynamic Tables in InDesign

[James_Tissot3404]

I am hoping to create a dynamic table using TableStart:LineItems and TableEnd:LineItems in Adobe InDesign.

I'm wanting to know if this is somehow possible or if InDesign only makes static tables?

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @James_Tissot3404,

InDesign primarily supports static tables, but dynamic tables can be created using Data Merge or scripting. For your case, you can integrate InDesign with XML or Data Merge tools for dynamic content updates.

Let me know if you have any further questions. 

Best,
Abhishek Rao

[James_Tissot3404]

Hi Abhishek,

Thank you. Did you have any videos or could you record something to show me
what you mean?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

What — precisely — do you mean by a "dynamic table"? Dynamic under... what conditions?

[James_Tissot3404]

So that I have the ability to place tablestart and tableend merge fields as well as other dynamic placeholder merge fields

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Is the data coming from an Excel file, CSV file, or database?

[James_Tissot3404]

It is coming from an online softwares database

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Unless you have some custom script, you won't be using the tablestart/table end merge field per se. You can create a merge document. The built in data merge is not very sophisicated. You will probably need a third party plugin or XML.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Look into data driven plugins such as Em Software, Teacup Software, DesignMerge Pro, and 65bit (to name a few). Most have solutions that can import Excel/CSV data or hook directly up to a database for immediate data updates. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@James_Tissot3404

There is nothing like that in InDesign's DataMerge.

You could simulate it by placing contents of the table as a text - with some unique separators for columns and rows - then convert to table as a post-processing.