I am having the same problem with importing text from word. How do I run this script in Indesign?

Thanks, but it is not really working for me. Here is my problem... I have a

word document with paragraph and character style that I want to replace in

Indesign. I use the ID import option and then mapping to replace the word

style with my ID styles. When I place the text it does not change to my ID

style paragraph but only after I clear overrides +, which gets rid off any

bold or stalics in the text---I don't want this to happen... I want to keep

bold and stalics, or least know where they are so I can change the font to

match the ID paragraph style. Is there a away to keep them even after I

clear the overrides?My ID paragraph style uses garamond regular, I wish

there was a way that when it comes across italics within the text it changes

it to garamond italics or at least the option to do so.

Ok. Where can I find it?

I guess I just have make a separate character style for my bolds and italics, and change them

manually before I clear overrides...

That's exactly what the script that Bob is suggesting to you will do.

I prefer PrepText, but there are a few other script out there that do similar tasks. If I can find 'em, I'll post links.

I guess so. In my case, it's the difference between 10 clicks to get the script going and something like sixty clicks per language of a 100+page manual going into eight languages, but you'd be the best judge of the most efficient method for you.

The workflow I use to handle running English text out of ID documents into RTF for translators to work in Word, and to run their translations back in, is exactly what you're asking about.

Analyze ID file

Make sure the para and character styling in ID is absolutely perfect without any overrides anywhere

Export RTF

Send to translator

Receive translated file

Place RTF

Map styles in Import Options

Create new charstyles for new local formatting

Clear all overrides

... and then I crawl through the document doing little tweaks to the layout.

I have spent two days figuring out the best way to place a word document into Indesign

Only two days? It took me weeks to get this workflow to work at all. Now that I've been using it for years, it usually goes off without a hitch, but there are a very large number of variables that need to be watched carefully. (InCopy would be a much better solution, if I could get 100+ translators to pay for it, learn how to use it, and abandon their transation memory tools that work with Word but not InCopy... never gonna happen.)

Can you post your RTFs and your ID file? It might be easier to understand what is not working for you if we could try it ourselves.

I am currently working on a Magazine, where I have to place in Indesign unformatted doc files from the editor and then reformatting them using my ID styles. In any case, I'll try your approach and see if it works. Thanks.

It sounds like my approach won't work 100% for you; one of the advantages I have is that translators tend to hit the Insert key and type over the English with their translations, which more-or-less preserves the styles in the RTF that I built in InDesign. (Also, translators tend to both respect styles in Word, which is very unusual among Word users, and many of them use translation memory applications that preserve styles perfectly.) If your editorial contributors get to make up their own Word files, then using a script to turn locally-applied character formatting in Word to character styles in InDesign will save you some time, but you'll still need to apply your own paragraph styles to the text.

If your editorial contributors working in Word use their own styles in Word, you might be able to map their styles to yours (using the "Customize Style Import" radio button at the bottom of the screenshot in Peter's post no. 9), or you might just import their styles and do a (manual or automated) find & change on those styles. However, in a worst-case scenario where you work with a number of editors, each of whom have complete control over their own Word files, and each of whom has a unique approach to using or neglecting styles, then you will face a large amount of manual work no matter what, even with scripts to help. One useful tool is only available when right-clicking on a paragraph style; "Apply Style then Next Style" is useful when you want to apply a subheader style & then body style to a large number of paragraphs.

I've had some luck with imposing my own Word .dot template files on editorial contributors, but in each case where I've had this luck, I've convinced a boss to impose Word templates with locked-down styles on everyone involved in producing content for the project. This tactic may not work for you, depending on whether or not you have the ear of someone in the organization who can tell people "You must use this Word template."

This is one of the clumsier ways to lock editors into respecting formatting, but if you can't use a content management system or a structured authoring system or InCopy or anything like that, it may work for you.

It's worth a shot; best of luck.

If I were in your shoes, my order of suggestions would go like this:

1) InCopy

2) Word document template with heavy protection (user must start all new Word files with a given .dot; layout staff rejects any Word file not generated with correct .dot; .dot allows only typing of text and selection of styles)

3) Word file assignment with styles and heavy protection (user can't even change fonts, only type text and select styles)

4) Word document template with  styles, unprotected (user can deviate from styles with manual formatting; layout staff rejects any Word file not generated with correct .dot; .dot allows only typing of text and selection of styles)

5) Word file assignments with styles, unprotected (user can deviate from styles with manual formatting)