XML into InDesign

Report · Sep 10, 2025

Hi All,

I generate XML from the content component tool. I want to to import this XML in Adobe InDesign. The InDesign output should be the samle like the PDF which is already published for public.

I did the following steps, but not getting result as I expected

1. Created template in InDesign with all the stylesheets

2. Imported DTD in InDesign

3. Imported XML in InDesign

4. Mapped Tags to Styles in InDesign (But same tag name given for many elements, so there is confustion here

This document has lenghthy table with 5 column head

Can someone help on this please.

Report · Sep 10, 2025

You’re generally doing the right things, but a few details can make a big difference in how cleanly XML content comes into InDesign.

One thing I do is set up a predefined table in the library (or template) first, then bring the XML in, so that structure + styles are already in place.

If your XML uses the same tag for very different things (say <para> for headings and body text and captions), InDesign won’t know which style to apply reliably. More distinct tags (e.g. <heading>, <body>, <caption>) make mapping easier.

The XML for tables needs to follow the structure InDesign expects, tags for table/cell (and sometimes row), correct attributes (rows count, columns, header rows etc.). If it's off, content may end up as inline text rather than a proper table.

Mapping tags to styles is powerful, use Map Tags to Styles after import, making sure each tag is linked to the correct paragraph, cell, table style etc.

If your source XML doesn’t match InDesign’s expected structure, sometimes a preprocessing step (an XSLT or other transform) helps tidy things up before import.

Also, ensure your template already has the styles defined (table, cell, header vs body rows, etc.) so the import has styles to inherit or hook into.