Data Merge Hyperlink Automation

Is there a process or script(s) to automate assigning hyperlinks to anchor text during a data merge? I use the data merge process for print catalog production, which is then loaded to viewer online via PDF, but I would like to add URLs to the 800-1000 products included in each book.
I'm comfortable tweaking the basics of scripts, but do not have experience writing them from scratch. Appreciate any help!

Try the script mentioned in this thread. I haven't but maybe it'll get you started...or there altogether.
Data Merge with Hyperlinks

Similar Messages

Data Merge - Problem with multi paragraph text

Hi. Does anyone know how to use Data Merge for automating say a newsletter. The reason I ask is that when I produce a .csv file that contains stories with paragraphs, data merge reads the para returns as the next row/record of data. I have contained the story within " " marks and it reads OK into a demo of easy catalog, but data merge just gets all confused. Is anyone using data merge to automate newsletters / catalogues that have lots of text with para returns etc. I read in the adobe online manual that there cannot be any para returns in text because that's how data merge recognises a new record. Just thought someone might know a trick at the data source stage to get around this. Might be a stupid question but had to ask because it's annoying the hec out of me!
Thanks in advance.

wouldn't use data merge for this kind of automation, but rather XML, which is a bigger learning curve but worth the effort. a book by james maivald called
A Designer Guide to Adobe InDesign and XML.
data merge is great when the data being replaced is the same size, shape and position on each page, but with a newsletter, thats not normally the case and there is no way of threading the merged stories. i'd also imagine that having the stories within a CSV would limit characters which could be used such as " , and tabs (anything which separates the fields). as you say in your post, indesign doesn't have what a lesser program (word) DOES have, which is the "next record" field, allowing text to thread from one story to the next.
an alternative would be to use a word file with styles and use the mail merge (catalogue merge) which allows the "next record" field, merge it in word, and then bring the word file in. it's a yucky alternative but it does work.

PDF- Filename automated from labelscript (after data merge)

Hello,
first of all I'm quite new in javascripting... but some simular scripts I have found on the internet could provide a solution for my problem.
What I've done is the following: I've used Data Merge and created a 200-paged file with 1 label on each page. Each label has a labelnumber.
What I could do is export the file - split it up in 200 different pages - rename each file to the specific labelname. Seems a lot of work and this job I need to repeat about once a month.
I looked for a solution and came to these discussion: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/289666http://      http://forums.adobe.com/message/3178412#3178412
What I want to create is a script that I can run every month after I have updated my 200 labels and overrides all the pdf-files of the old labels.
With the different scripts I have found I constructed the code below.
The script works, it prints to multiple pdf's which have the correct labelnames, export is according to the requested presets, but the CONTENT of each label is the content of the FIRST label (first page).
I have tried a lot of thing (trail&error) but as I said, I'm quite new to this matter...
So.... I can use some help or advice on this one.
Thanks in advance,
Dheart
function getLABEL_A(page) {
          for (var currentTextFrameIndex=0;currentTextFrameIndex<page.textFrames.length; ++currentTextFrameIndex) { // Iterates over frames
               if (page.textFrames[currentTextFrameIndex].label=="LABEL_A") // if label is LABEL_A..
                    return page.textFrames[currentTextFrameIndex].contents; // ..returns text frame contents
          return null; // if not found, returns null
var LABEL_A;
     var pagesList=app.activeDocument.pages;
     for (var currentPageIndex=0;currentPageIndex<pagesList.length;++currentPageIndex) { // Iterates over pages list
          currentPage=pagesList[currentPageIndex];
          LABEL_A=getLABEL_A(currentPage);
          if (LABEL_A!=null) { // If we have a LABEL_A - PDF file name-
                var export_preset = app.pdfExportPresets.item("[Smallest File Size]");
               app.activeDocument.exportFile(ExportFormat.pdfType,"F:/.../"+LABEL_A+".PDF",false,export_ preset); //.. and save the file
          } else {
               alert("Page number "+currentPageIndex+" NO LABEL_A");
               alert(LABEL_A);

Thx for the reply, indeed this is a solution for consecutive numbering, however, the numbering is following another 'system' and in this case the numbering is given randomly.
Anyway, trying a lot of things, gave me a working script!!!
The script exports a multipaged indesign file to single-paged pdf files. The namegiving of the pdf-files is automated and follows a labelscript (textlabel) on each page.
function getLABEL(page) {
          for (var currentTextFrameIndex=0;currentTextFrameIndex<page.textFrames.length; ++currentTextFrameIndex) { // Iterates over frames
               if (page.textFrames[currentTextFrameIndex].label=="LABEL") // if label is LABEL..
                    return page.textFrames[currentTextFrameIndex].contents; // ..returns text frame contents
          return null; // if not found, returns null
var LABEL;
     var currentPage;
     var pagesList=app.activeDocument.pages;
     for (var currentPageIndex=0;currentPageIndex<pagesList.length;++currentPageIndex) { // Iterates over pages list
          currentPage=pagesList[currentPageIndex];
          LABEL=getLABEL(currentPage);
          if (LABEL!=null) { // If we have a LABEL PDF -file name-
              app.pdfExportPreferences.pageRange=String(currentPageIndex+1); // set up the export range..
                var export_preset = app.pdfExportPresets.item("[High Quality Print]");
                 app.activeDocument.exportFile(ExportFormat.pdfType,"F:// fill in destination"+LABEL+".PDF",false,export_preset); //.. and save the file
          } else {
               alert("Page number "+currentPageIndex+" without LABEL box");
               alert(LABEL);

Yearbook automation / scripting / data merge help

Hi,
I am looking at creating a yearbook and I am trying to make this as easy and automated as I can when it comes to getting the images into the page. I am trying to use a more dynamic layout so I am wondering if there is a way to tell InDesign that I want to use certain boxes for images and how to fill them. If I have Image place holders on a page and I have a certain number of kids in a class I was hoping to have it know to start filling certain place holders with images and when to go to the next page because its a different homeroom or class. PLEASE HELP!!! I have attempted to use a data merge but it doesn't seem to want to fill certain boxes just fill a page with multiples of something until the page is full and I'm looking for it to know when to move on to the next class.
Thanks,
Adam

David Blatner did a nice piece on automating the production of yearbooks here:
http://indesignsecrets.com/creating-a-contact-sheet-or-yearbook-page-in-indesign.php

200+ files Data Merge automation to PDF

I have many (200+) inDesign files in the folder that I would want to export to PDFs with the same name as inDesign files but,
these inDesign files has Data Merge text fields that would not export to PDFs and would be empty in the final PDFs.
My question is, is there any chance someone can help me with creating a script that would:
1. open the window to select inDesign files (that has data merge text fields lnked to csv) that needed to be converted
2. has option to autoutomatically update links that has been changed/updated
3. automatically data merge records from linked csv when exporting to PDF files
I would greatly appreciate your help,
Thank you,
Alex

I have many (200+) inDesign files in the folder that I would want to export to PDFs with the same name as inDesign files but,
these inDesign files has Data Merge text fields that would not export to PDFs and would be empty in the final PDFs.
My question is, is there any chance someone can help me with creating a script that would:
1. open the window to select inDesign files (that has data merge text fields lnked to csv) that needed to be converted
2. has option to autoutomatically update links that has been changed/updated
3. automatically data merge records from linked csv when exporting to PDF files
I would greatly appreciate your help,
Thank you,
Alex

Automation of text when doing data merge

I have a job to do every three weeks and it involves using data merge which is no problem. The problem comes as the amount of text to fit into boxes varies with each entry which cause a major headache sizing type as what is correct for one window will not be correct for the next one. So here is the challenge is there any way i can tell the various text boxes with their "fields" in to resize the text to fit if there is overmatter in them??
I am using CS3 on a Mac just so you know

with the "out of the box" indesign, sadly no. AFAIK data merge will place the text where the placeholder is, but can't tell the text what point size to be based on the amount of text being put in.
with a third party plugin like emdata... not sure as i don't use it, but there are many third party plugins which behave similarly to data merge but do much more. check out the third party plug-ins for indesign on the adobe main website.
with a scripted solution... not sure, something that the scripters in the indesign scripting forum might be able to answer.
harbs from intools has a solution but will only do one textbox at a time: http://in-tools.com/article/scripts-blog/fun-with-text-fitting-in-indesign/
in one of the last posts in his article, another poster has asked exactly what the OP has asked for, but at the moment it remains a one at a time solution.

How do I generate a data merge in InDesign from an excel spreadsheet which includes a barcode

Can you please advise if the following process is possible within InDesign CS 5.5? (Mac OS 10.8.2).
We need to create a data merge that includes a barcode. The data merge is for several thousand records.
We have a customer-supplied Excel spreadsheet that contains seven fields, one of which is a number that ultimately needs to print as a barcode when we make the data merge in InDesign.
As you would expect, the conventional six fields data merge perfectly - but we can't find a way to make the barcode print correctly within the data merge.
We have investigated several possible solutions without success.
Some solutions suggest a plug-in for Excel to convert the number into a barcode whilst still in the spreadsheet - but this doesn't come across correctly when we import the CSV file into the InDesign data merge.
We have investigated certain third party software applications but none provide the full solution we require. Some, for example, appear to create the barcode within the Excel spreadsheet but don't produce the barcode correctly when we data merge in InDesign; and some will allow us to create a one-off barcode within InDesign but have no automated way of retrieving the thousands of Excel numbers and turning them into barcodes.
We have also come across possible 'font' solutions but have had no success with these either.
For a previous job we needed to produce we outsourced to a specialist mailing company, who assured us they produced the whole job (very quickly) within InDesign. They, understandably, won't tell us how they did it. But, given the speed with which they produced the job for us, we imagine - with the correct software - the whole process is easy to do.
Can you please advise?

HI MIKE
Thanks again for your reply and your help with this.
I've downloaded the barcode font from the link you supplied.
I've tried three tests - and seem much closer to getting what we need. But I've come up against a couple of issues.
TEST 1 - almost just to see if the downloaded font worked, I simply data merged our source csv file and applied the downloaded barcode font to the serial number in ID. Probably unsurprisingly, this produced a perfectly printed barcode - that wouldn't scan.
TEST 2 - I manually added asterisks before and after the serial number in the first couple of fields and then tried the same process as TEST 1. It produced a perfectly printed barcode which this time DID scan correctly - but obviously the barcode had asterisks on it which I don't want. I just want the serial number. And with thousands of serial numbers we need the addition of the asterisks to happen automatically (which is where your text editor process seems the perfect solution, if we could get that to work).
TEST 3 - Noting your comments about using parenthesis around the serial number, I followed your example of (123456). But Excel won't let me type a parenthesis. It lets me type the parenthesis but then instantly substitutes it with a - (hyphen) before the number in the actual serial number cell and no character at all after the number.
If you have any suggestions or solutions for any of the above they'd be gratefully received! Thanks again for all your help with this.
Kind regards
Rob

How do I tailor a data merge to reverse the layout for facing pages?

I have used multiple record data merge to create a product catalog. I would like to reverse the content on only one side (i.e., the left pages) so that facing pages are mirrored. I can do this easily one page at a time using Flip Horizontal (and Clear Transformations), but I have not found a way to apply this to half of the document in a more automated way.
Any help would be much appreciated!!

Data merge with multiple records doesn't work that way. All the pages will be identical after the merge, no matter how you set up the template (and the template itself can have only one page).

CS3 Data Merge - Missing Fileds in Data Merge Dialog Box

Indesign CS3 5.0.1, XP SP2
Hi all,
I have a document that I have applied a Data Merge to.
I use a table in Excel 2003 with contact details, name, address etc...
When I open the Automation> Data Merge Dialog box I no longer see the list off all the fields as in Excel.
However, I can preview and create the mail merged document and place items using tags e.g <<Field 1>>.
When I try to remove the Data Source InDesign always crashes But I can relink to a new Data Source, this does not solve the problem.
Thank-you all for your time and help!
Alu

>>Did you perform the merge? Once you do, ID creates a new document. Which document are you looking at?
I am using the original document, not the product of the mail merge.
>>I assume it's a CSV file. ID can't use and Excel file for data merge.
Correct.
I have tried saving the document as an .inx file and then re-opening, but I still cannot view the .csv data merge fields from the Automation> Data Merge dialog box.
Any Ideas? - thx for the response Bob & K

[CS5.5/6] - XML / Data Merge questions & Best practice.

Fellow Countrymen (and women),
I work as a graphic designer for a large outlet chain retailer which is constantly growing our base of centers. This growth has brought a workload that used to be manageable with but two people to a never ending sprint with five. Much of what we do is print, which is not my forte, but is also generally a disorganized, ad-hoc affair into which I am wading to try to help reduce overall strain.
Upon picking up InDesign I noted the power of the simple Data Merge function and have added it to our repetoire in mass merging data sources. There are some critical failures I see in this as a tool going forward for our purposes, however:
1) Data Merge cannot handle information stored and categorized in a singular column well. As an example we have centers in many cities, and each center has its own list of specific stores. Data merge cannot handle a single column, or even multiple column list of these stores very easily and has forced us into some manual operations to concatenate the data into one cell and then, using delimiter characters, find and replace hard returns to seperate them.
2) Data Merge offers no method of alternate alignment of data, or selection by ranges. That is to say: I cannot tell Data merge to start at Cell1 in one column, and in another column select say... Cell 42 as the starting point.
3) Data merge only accepts data organized in a very specific, and generally inflexible pattern.
These are just a few limitations.
ON TO MY ACTUAL DILEMMA aka Convert to XML or not?
Recently my coworker has suggested we move toward using XML as a repository / delivery system that helps us quickly get data from our SQL database into a usable form in InDesign.
I've watched some tutorials on Lynda.com and havent yet seen a clear answer to a very simple question:
"Can XML help to 'merge' large, dynamic, data sets like a list of 200 stores per center over 40 centers based off of a single template file?"
What I've seen is that I would need to manually duplicate pages, linking the correct XML entry as I go rather than the program generating a set of merged pages like that from Data Merge with very little effort on my part. Perhaps setting up a master page would allow for easy drag and drop fields for my XML data?
I'm not an idiot, I'm simply green with this -- and it's kind of scary because I genuinely want us to proceed forward with the most flexible, reliable, trainable and sustainable solution. A tall order, I know. Correct me if I'm wrong, but XML is that beast, no?
Formatting the XML
Currently I'm afraid our XML feed for our centers isnt formatted correctly with the current format looking as such:
<BRANDS>
     <BRAND>
          • BrandID = xxxx
          [Brand Name]
          [Description]
          [WebMoniker]
          <CATEGORIES>
               <CATEGORY>
                    • xmlns = URL
                    • WebMoniker = category_type
          <STORES>
               <STORE>
                    • StoreID = ID#
                    • CenterID = ID#
I dont think this is currently usable because if I wanted to create a list of stores from a particular center, that information is stored as an attribute of the <Store> tag, buried deep within the data, making it impossible to 'drag-n-drop'.
Not to mention much of the important data is held in attributes rather than text fields which are children of the tag.
Im thinking of proposing the following organizational layout:
<CENTERS>
     <CENTER>
     [Center_name]
     [Center_location]
          <CATEGORIES>
               <CATEGORY>
                    [Category_Type]
                    <BRANDS>
                         <BRAND>
                              [Brand_name]
My thought is that if I have the <CENTER> tag then I can simply drag that into a frame and it will auto populate all of the brands by Category (as organized in the XML) for that center into the frame.
Why is this important?
This is used on multiple documents in different layout styles, and since our store list is ever changes as leases end or begin, over 40 centers this becomes a big hairy monster. We want this to be as automated as possible, but I'd settle for a significant amount of dragging and dropping as long as it is simple and straightforward. I have a high tollerance for druding through code and creating work arounds but my co-workers do not. This needs to be a system that is repeatable and understandable and needs to be able to function whether I'm here or not -- Mainly because I would like to step away from the responsibility of setting it up every time
I'd love to hear your raw, unadulterated thoughts on the subject of Data merge and XML usage to accomplish these sorts of tasks. What are your best practices and how would you / do you accomplish these operations?
Regards-
Robert

From what I've gleaned through watching Lynda tutorials on the subject is that what I'm hoping to do is indeed possible.
Peter, I dont disagree with you that there is a steep learning curve for me as the instigator / designer of this method for our team, but in terms of my teammates and end-users that will be softened considerably. Even so I'm used to steep learning curves and the associated frustrations -- but I cope well with new learning and am self taught in many tools and programs.
Flow based XML structures:
It seems as though as long as the initial page is set up correctly using imported XML, individual data records that cascade in a logical fashion can be flowed automatically into new pages. Basically what you do is to create an XML based layout with the dynamic portion you wish to flow in a single frame, apply paragraph styles to the different tags appropriately and then after deleting unused records, reimport the XML with some specific boxes checked (depending on how you wish to proceed).
From there simply dragging the data root into the frame will cause overset text as it imports all the XML information into the frame. Assuming that everything is cascaded correctly using auto-flow will cause new pages to be automatically generated with the tags correctly placed in a similar fashion to datamerge -- but far more powerful and flexible.
The issue then again comes down to data organization in the XML file. In order to use this method the data must be organized in the same order in which it will be displayed. For example if I had a Lastname field, and a Firstname field in that order, I could not call the Firstname first without faulting the document using the flow method. I could, however, still drag and drop content from each tag into the frame and it would populate correctly regardless of the order of appearance in the XML.
Honestly either method would be fantastic for our current set of projects, however the flow method may be particularly useful in jobs that would require more than 40 spreads or simple layouts with huge amounts of data to be merged.

Can you place text from a word document using data merge?

I'm working with a charity that is giving away scholarships/grants. I need to create a ducument that pulls in various application data plus their submitted essay (docx format). I would like to do this via data merge but cannot find any reference if it is possible.
Please help, I really need to automate as much as possible since this is a side project.
Kevin

Data merge only collects info from CSV format - which I expect you would export from Excel. (I think it'll take tab-delimited as well, but that's it.)
MS Word files can be placed, but Data Merge is not the tool to automate placing of Word-file content. If there is no formatting of their essays, I suspect you could use VBA to cause entire essays to occupy a single cell in Excel. But that would be the only way to use Data Merge to automate import of essays into InDesign.
Maybe if you tell us more we can give you some more automation suggestions. (I spend a lot of time automating translation workflows, but I still place Word files. All day long, in fact.)
(edited for spelling)

How can I generate a data merge that includes a barcode from excel spreadsheet to InDesign?

Can you please advise if the following process is possible within InDesign CS 5.5? (Mac OS 10.8.2).
We need to create a data merge that includes a barcode. The data merge is for several thousand records.
We have a customer-supplied Excel spreadsheet that contains seven fields, one of which is a number that ultimately needs to print as a barcode when we make the data merge in InDesign.
As you would expect, the conventional six fields data merge perfectly - but we can't find a way to make the barcode print correctly within the data merge.
We have investigated several possible solutions without success.
Some solutions suggest a plug-in for Excel to convert the number into a barcode whilst still in the spreadsheet - but this doesn't come across correctly when we import the CSV file into the InDesign data merge.
We have investigated certain third party software applications but none provide the full solution we require. Some, for example, appear to create the barcode within the Excel spreadsheet but don't produce the barcode correctly when we data merge in InDesign; and some will allow us to create a one-off barcode within InDesign but have no automated way of retrieving the thousands of Excel numbers and turning them into barcodes.
We have also come across possible 'font' solutions but have had no success with these either.
For a previous job we needed to produce we outsourced to a specialist mailing company, who assured us they produced the whole job (very quickly) within InDesign. They, understandably, won't tell us how they did it. But, given the speed with which they produced the job for us, we imagine - with the correct software - the whole process is easy to do.
Can you please advise?

See second posting atHow do I generate a data merge in InDesign from an excel spreadsheet which includes a barcode

How do I automate a large catalog with several unique sections using Data Merge and Microsoft Excel?

My boss would like me to use data merge to create a catalog with 300+ pages and unique data fields on almost every page. It is an informational catalog that would contain pictures and several unique fitment and specification fields for each product that we sell and manufacture on each page. For years the catalog was made and modified manually in quark express. Is it possible to use data merge to recreate such a complex document? Does anyone have any useful reccomendations or links for tackling this project? I really appreciate any advice or help.
Thank You,
Kevin
Message was edited by: kpalombi

Online video
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/instant-indesign/automating-a-catalog-with-data-merge/
Software
http://www.65bit.com/home/home.shtm
Data Merge Tips
http://www.theindesigner.com/blog/episode-43-data-merge-video

Best approach to creating a TOC for product catalog using data merge

What is the best approach for creating a TOC for a product catalog (over 1,000 items) using Data Merge?
The TOC would contain the product Categories.
So for example, Category A items could go from pages 1 - 3, and Category B items would start at pg 4, but if new items were added to Category A, then Category B may start from pg 6.
From the Data Source, there are 5 Data Fields I've chosen to be displayed. If this were a regular digital print document, I could use the Paragraph Style method for creating a TOC, but if I make any one of the Data Fields a certain Paragraph Style and use that for the TOC, it'll populate the TOC with that Data Field for all the items.
Any suggestions?

Peter Spier wrote:
TOC is not interactive in the ID file, though it can be in a PDF that you export (there's a checkbox to create PDF bookmarks). You might want to think about using Cross-references (rather than hyperlinks, I think) to build the TOC. You have to do it manually, but once done it should maintain itself, whereas a TOC is built automatically, but must be regenerated after you edit the doc.
One caveat witih TOCs created from cross-references: Although changing the text of an x-ref source paragraph (for example from "Patatas and tamatas" to "Tomatoes and Potatoes,"and/or when the source paragraph flows to the next or previous page) update automatically or when invoking "Update cross-references," MOVING a cross-reference source paragraph to a location before or after another source paragraph, does not change their sequence in the pseudo-TOC. You'll need to manually move the reference in the pseudo-TOC to the correct position in the sequence of cross-refs. So, put the task of checking the order of x-refs in the pseudo-TOC on your before hand-off check list.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

IDCS6/IDCC MACOSX 10.6 and up: Inability to create tagged PDF during "Export PDF" in Data Merge

I have a rather odd question concerning an obscure feature of InDesign but have to ask it concerning a somewhat over-engineered solution to an ongoing problem. I will try to give an abridged version but forgive me if I ramble...
I have a solution that splits a large PDF based on bookmarks in the document. The InDesign file doesn't use bookmarks itself; but has paragraph styles that have been tagged using the expert tagging feature of the paragraph style. Once in Acrobat, I am able to make new bookmarks from structure and voila... bookmarks that were based on tags.
For this solution to work, a checkbox in the General window of the export PDF dialog box called "Create Tagged PDF" needs to be checked
This checkbox is normally available when exporting PDFs from InDesign. However, when attempting to export PDF from the Data Merge panel, the dialog changes.
The parts highlighted in green I expect to change; but the red change is unexpected and for my purposes, fouls up what I'm trying to do.
I should stress that if the data merge file is merged to one large new InDesign file, then this problem doesn't happen. However, the amount of data that I'm dealing with (tens of thousands of records) would take too much time and be double-handling.
Is this greying out of the checkbox a glitch; is it intentional; or am I missing something?
Concerning alternative ways of making bookmarks from a data merged PDF:
I have tried using manual bookmarks applied to form fields and only the actual words that were made as a bookmark appear in the PDF;
Merging to a new InDesign file is not an option given the record lengths that I work with (from 10,000 - 100,000)
Acrobat does have a way of automatically tagging an untagged document; however the results have been less than desirable so far.
There are a few third party applications for Acrobat that allow dynamic bookmarks based on type in certain positions, but many of these applications are Windows based. Mac compatible PDF-SAM looks promising but have had no testimonials on whether or not tasks like mine are possible.
Colin

Can also confirm that too Uwe. I thought those particular issues may just have to do with using the default [High Quality Print] setting... but no, Create Acrobat Layers and Include Hyperlinks can't be done regardless of how sophisticated the options within the export Adobe PDF dialog box (during data merge) is.
I know this is a user-to-user forum but from time to time I see Dov Isaacs on here and was hoping he may have some insight. Even if the answer still remains that it can't be done, at least I can then consider more alternatives for this uncanny and frustrating procedure.
Colin

Data Merge Hyperlink Automation

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