Use Indesign data merge to insert calendar dates from CSV document

[RS New Jersey]

I am trying to create a planner that has dates that are going to be inserted using the data merge feature.

I saved an excel file as a csv and it contains all the information thats needed. It has hebrew dates and english dates (each is saved as a separate column).

I'm a bit confused how to go about this merge?

Does Indesign have a feature that's similar to the microsoft word "next record" idea?

If not, how do I tell Indesign to insert 5 different dates (which will be coming from 5 consecutive rows in my excel document)?

Any help on this topic would be extremely helpful.

Thank you.

[Mike Witherell]

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/data-merge.html

[Tziporah0101]

Hi RS, Were you able to figure this out? I am trying to do the same thing but can't figure out the merge with multiple records and a few pages...

[RS Circle]

Unfortunately not, sorry

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Tziporah0101, @RS Circle

The best way for calendars is to create InDesign Tagged Text from Excel.

Depends on your layout - you can either create a table or contents for linked TextFrames. 

[Tziporah0101]

Thank you. Do you have any tutorials or instructions on how to do that?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Can you post a screen shot of your layout? I'm wondering if a table layout might work.

[Tziporah0101]

Here is a sample from another calendar that is similar to what I want to do. See how there are the dates, the Hebrew dates, sunrise and sunset times, and more. I would need a few things in every box, and this is for a full year calendar.

Thank you for your help!

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS · Accepted solution]

I [probably] would use one of two methods:

• Tagged text as @Robert at ID-Tasker suggested. However, I would insert the formatting in Excel columns, export as tab-delimited, and clean up in Word. (For example, remove some tabs between code and content, replace other tabs with returns, etc.) Here is a reference for tagged text: https://pubassist-docs.paratext.org/articles/#!pa-6-1-user-manual/orientation-indesign-tagged-text
• Use a third-party database plugin, such as EmSoftware InData.