Where to start

[howardw89718023]

Hi, I am fairly new to I design but fairly IT proficient and looking for a starting place to research the following.

I have a table, and in column A there will be a key with a set of numbers, eg 1 3 5 6 or 2 3 4 6 Or whatever the sequence may be.

I want to replace each number with the corresponding image file (these are tiny image files) to act as a visual key in a price list.

Is this done through scripting or through find and replace or through some other method I have not yet discovered?

Any help appreciated.

Howard

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

This sounds like a job for InDesign’s data merge feature.

Look into that and if you have specific questions come on back and ask away.

[howardw89718023]

Superb Thankyou, now I know the correct method to use I should be able to research this now.

Many thanks

Howard

[ScooterD76]

ID has the Data Merge function that will do this.

Merge data to create form letters, envelopes, or mailing labels in Adobe InDesign

[howardw89718023]

Thankyou, your answer Is much appreciated!

Howard

[Laubender]

Hi Howard,

there are several ways to automate this.

Let's start with the UI.

Place the images on the pasteboard. Resize them to the final size you want to use them in the table.

Copy image 1 that may correspond with digit 1 to the clipboard.

Select Column A of your table on the page.

Go to Find/Replace GREP.

Find: 1

Replace: ~C

Find in: Selection

That's: Replace every found 1 in the selected text ( column A of your table is selected ) with the contents of the clipboard.

Do that with the other numbers and images as well.

If there are numbers with two digits first do the two digit numbers, then the one digit numbers.

If a GREP pattern is hard to see for a single number we have to know more about the contents of the table's column to single out the right numbers to suggest a pattern. What can go wrong with my pattern above? The digit 1 in "Year 1984" will also be found and replaced with an image.

Regards,
Uwe

[howardw89718023]

Hi

Thanks for your answer. I thought this may be the simplest solution but I am not sure it is as it would appear that you can only specify the entire contents of the pasteboard as the replacement for the number.

Each Number corresponds to an Icon so Number 1 is one image (an icon) and number 2 is another and so on.

The numbers in column A (The Key Column) need to show all of the icons

So in column A

1357 would be four icons showing

15678 would be 5 icons showing,

Each number denoting a different icon

Appreciate your time though

[Laubender]

howardw89718023  wrote

Thanks for your answer. I thought this may be the simplest solution but I am not sure it is as it would appear that you can only specify the entire contents of the pasteboard as the replacement for the number.

…

I think it is the simplest solution, if numbers are only used as key for the images.

You do 9 or 10 ( if 0 is used as well ) Find/Change actions. You only have to populate the clipboard with the right image.

And that is done with a copy action of an image.

Regards,
Uwe

[howardw89718023]

Ah ok, thanks i will try again

[howardw89718023]

Hi again...I think i worked out what i was doing wrong the first time but now following your method i am getting an error message "Current clipboard contents cannot be used for change".... any ideas?

I am using a PSD photoshop file but have also tried using a PNG image file.

Howard

[Laubender]

Hi Howard,

did you selected the container frame of the image when you used menu command Copy?

Or did you select the image inside the frame?

It should work either way.

If you repeat your little experiment first paste the contents of the clipboard elsewhere to see if you have the right contents.

Hm. Maybe the image is too large for the target cell? Did you perhaps get some overset cells when trying the first time and now the found digit is perhaps in overset text?

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Also make sure that you select one single item before doing Copy to populate the clipboard.

Best,
Uwe