Data Merge checkboxes

[ctgizmo]

I'm using InDesign data merge to merge employee data from an Excel csv file to InDesign. The text import is no problem but am stumped with marking the checkbox fields from the csv file (like 1 = Female, 2 = Male, if 2 then ckBoxM1 = on). How does this work? Thank you for your help.

[John Hawkinson]

In your original thread in the General forum, Re: Data Merge checkboxes & radio buttons, I wrote:

You cannot do this directly with Data Merge.

Data Merge can merge text fields and images, and that is it.

So what can you do?

Basically you need to use scripting.

You can, for instance, merge your checkbox field into a textframe on the pasteboard, and then write a short script to run through your document and set each associated checkbox based on its corresponding textframe's contents.

I'm rusty enough on radio buttons that I'm not going to give you an example now, since I don't have a ready-to-go radio button example. Post a screenshot of how you have the radiobutton setup (Is it a multi-state object?)?

Please post a screenshot.

[lynnanchio]

I created an hilarious, but perfect, solution.  I have checkboxes in my database file (Bento, but could be Excel or Numbers), and in my merged document in InDesign it comes out as "1" and "0."  So...I created a new font on my iPad called Checkbox, and drew a box for 0, and put a check in the box for 1.  Now I just put that font where I want the checkbox in my InDesign form file, and when it merges, I have my checkboxes!!!

[Colin Flashman]

I don't think it's a hilarious solution... it works and it's what I would have done. Youtube's Daniel Solis has a video series called "Card at Work" where he makes card games using variable data, and this is quite literally one of his solutions, though turned up to eleven. Check out his video here: https://youtu.be/X5eTBrXRhyk

EDIT - I meant to say that the original post from 2012 however wasn't referring to characters that appear to represent checkboxes that are either blank, ticked or crossed; but actual interactive checkboxes using the buttons and forms feature... but the original poster actually asked this question in a separate post – one that is now too old and has been removed from the server.

[lynnanchio]

It is hilarious to me, because it is so simple, and I didn't find your linked video with the searching I was doing.  Plus, I created my own font.  That link you sent also gives me another idea for an issue I have been trying to solve:  Getting a line feed to work in an InDesign merge.  There was something about that in that video background.  Thank you.