Importing and flowing multiple text docs into InDesign CS3

Question

I have multiple plain text files where each runs several pages long that I want to import into one document in ID CS3. I want to import them and have them flow in a single threaded text frame one after another over multiple pages. With a single multi-page text doc all I have to do is select Place and hold down the shift key and InDesign will add the necessary pages and flow the copy until the end of the doc. However, if I shift select the docs and try import them into a text frame by holding down the shift key, it will just flow the first doc in the group with no indication of overset text. I have tried placing multiple text docs holding down the shift and command key and that brings in all my docs on the first page but in separate text boxes with overset text for each doc. Is there a way to do this in InDesign or perhaps a plugin that can do this?
Thanks
Randy

Answer 1

I tried to find this. It was posted 4/21/08 by Peter Kahrel (I can tell, because I can see my side of the discussion in my Sent folder) in response to a post I made entitled "Multiple Files". Maybe I'm not searching the forum archives properly, or maybe this was during the time last year when Adobe was trying (and failing) to update the forums. In any case, I'm sure at this point that Peter posted this for public consumption, so I don't think he's going to mind if I post it again:
// Description: Place multiple textfiles as one story
#target indesign
preset = "/d/books/test/*.doc";
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.useTypographersQuotes = false;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.convertPageBreaks = ConvertPageBreaks.none;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.importEndnotes = true;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.importFootnotes = true;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.importIndex = true;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.importTOC = false;
app.wordRTFImportPreferences.importUnusedStyles = false;
mask = prompt( 'Enter a file path/mask.\r\r' +
   'Examples:\r' +
   'd:\\books\\test\\*.rtf   /d/books/test/*.rtf', preset );
if( mask == null ) exit();  // Cancel pressed
ff = Folder( File(mask).path ).getFiles( File(mask).name );
if( ff.length > 0 )
   placed = [];
   missed = [];
   tframe = app.documents.add().textFrames.add(
      { geometricBounds : [36, 36, 400, 400] } );
   placedstory = tframe.parentStory;
   app.scriptPreferences.userInteractionLevel = 
      UserInteractionLevels.neverInteract;
   pb = initprogressbar( ff.length, 'Loading');
   for( i = 0; i < ff.length; i++ )
      pb.value = i;
      try
         placedstory.insertionPoints[-1].contents = '£0';
         placedstory.insertionPoints[-1].place( ff[i] );
         placedstory.insertionPoints[-1].contents = '\r\r';
         placed.push( ff[i].name );
      catch(_)
         missed.push( ff[i].name );
   app.scriptPreferences.userInteractionLevel = 
      UserInteractionLevels.interactWithAll;
   inform = '';
   if( placed.length > 0 )
      inform = 'Placed ' + ff.length + ' files (in this order):\r\r' + placed.join('\r');
   if( missed.length > 0 )
      inform += '\r\rCould not place:\r\r' + missed.join('\r');
   delete_empty_frames ();
   alert( inform );
else
   alert( mask + ' not found.' );
// End
function delete_empty_frames ()
   app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = null;
   app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = '\\A\\Z';
   var empties = app.activeDocument.findGrep (true);
   for (var i = 0; i < empties.length; i++)
      empties[i].parentTextFrames[0].remove()
function initprogressbar( stop, title)
   var progresswindow = new Window('palette', title);
   var progressbar = progresswindow.add( 'progressbar', undefined, 1, stop );
   progressbar.preferredSize = [200,20];
   progresswindow.show()
   return progressbar;
Copy and paste everything between the hyphen lines (not including the hyphen lines) into a text editor and save with a .js extension and put it in your scripts folder. Should be something like:
D:\Program Files\Adobe\InDesign CS3\Adobe InDesign CS3\Scripts\Scripts Panel
After alphabetizing your files and putting them in their own folder, copy the path and run the script. It will make a new folder and place all your files in one continuous story. I don't know how it will work with .txt files.
Ken Benson