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joshuasamuel
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data merge malfunction

Nov 23, 2012 10:22 AM

I have an Excel file (which I export as a csv) and an indesign file that's set up perfectly in my opinion, but I don't know.  I've put Paragraph styles on it and have he csv file in the images folder. the csv file has the right set up with @images etc... but it is just working for the first one.  when I go to "Create Merged" then choose multiple record, the preview comes up wrong. Ive tried without doing preview and it still comes out bad. Ive filled all the blanks with "---" as place holders, still won't work. 

 

Basically my first product comes in great, but then the rest of them come in mixed up. For instance the description will go to the title or the "type" will go to the "Title" etc... Its just having issues and I can't pin point it. I have a client who is waiting for his product cataloge and I am struggling. hopeing I dont have to do it all by hand, but I really need help. 

 

Any ideas? 

 

Thanks so much either way,  josh

 

http://f1.creativecow.net/4990/csv

 

I can put on the image files and the indesign file too, but I feel like its a problem with my Excel file.

 

I am using a mac, indesign cs5

1101 Views   13 Replies   Latest reply: Larry G. Schneider, Nov 24, 2012 10:45 AM
 
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  • Peter Spier
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    1. Peter Spier,
    Nov 23, 2012 10:38 AM   in reply to joshuasamuel
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    Try merging without pressing preview first. There are some bugs....

     
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  • joshuasamuel
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    2. joshuasamuel,
    Nov 23, 2012 10:42 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    seriously thank you so much for your time! I actually did try this.

     
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  • joshuasamuel
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    3. joshuasamuel,
    Nov 23, 2012 10:47 AM   in reply to joshuasamuel
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    Here's the Indesign file too.

     

    http://f1.creativecow.net/file/4993/4993_buylabcatalog.indt.zip

     
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  • Peter Spier
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    4. Peter Spier,
    Nov 23, 2012 10:50 AM   in reply to joshuasamuel
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    Did it work?

     
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  • Peter Spier
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    5. Peter Spier,
    Nov 23, 2012 10:55 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    I looked at your file. Multiple record mereges only work with single-page masters, as far as I know.

     

    Try going back to Doucmtn setup, uncheck facing pages, and assign the None master to the document page, then run the merge without doing a preview.

     
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  • joshuasamuel
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    6. joshuasamuel,
    Nov 23, 2012 11:05 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    when you opened the file, was the facing pages box checked? It wasnt for me. but I applied the none master to the page, and it still has the same result. The fields are sparatically placed in random places.

     
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  • soulglowdeej
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    7. soulglowdeej,
    Nov 23, 2012 12:44 PM   in reply to joshuasamuel
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    Might be an obvious one, but you haven't got tabs or comma's in any text you're trying to bring have you? that would mess up the placement as the data merge would see the commas/tabs as seperation markers...

     
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  • joshuasamuel
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    8. joshuasamuel,
    Nov 23, 2012 2:20 PM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    thanks so much for your time by the way. I really appreciate any help I can get.

     

    When I opened the file, I just didnt see the double page spread checked, and once I tried what you suggested, unfortunately it didnt work.

     

    I was curious if you had a chance to try it?

     

    here is the csv file if you wanted to try it out or if anyone wants to.

     

    http://f1.creativecow.net/file/4994/4994_products.csv.zip

     

    I dont think you need the image files to test if the text comes in right, but I may be wrong.

     

    Thanks either way!

     
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  • Peter Spier
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    9. Peter Spier,
    Nov 23, 2012 2:47 PM   in reply to joshuasamuel
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    I downloaded your excel file and I'm pretty sure that's where the problem is. Not only do some fields have text containing commas, making .csv a poor choice for format, but some also appear to have line breaks, and those just aren't properly supported when you save as text formats, so you've got records that are short fields and others that start with the second line of waht was the last field in the previous record, and that sort of thing. I didn't spend a lot of time poring over the file, but I think if you clean up the data, the merge will probably work.

     
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  • joshuasamuel
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    10. joshuasamuel,
    Nov 24, 2012 1:19 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    awesome!! thanks so much! I will try it, but that sounds like exactly what the problem is.

     
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  • Larry G. Schneider
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    11. Larry G. Schneider,
    Nov 24, 2012 10:06 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    Would a tab delimited data file work for this instead of CSV?

     
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  • Peter Spier
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    12. Peter Spier,
    Nov 24, 2012 10:43 AM   in reply to Larry G. Schneider
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    I actually saved one from the excel file inthe first link and that failed as well. As I said, I didn't comb through the file, but I I did see at least one cell with two lines of data separated by a balnk line, all within the same cell, and I suspect there may be more than one. Though I'm not sure how you enter the data with the breaks, Excel does allow them.

     

    I've take another look and the description cell are rampant with this (and with commas). I've also looked again at the CSV that Joshua linked, and it has the same problem. There's jut no way ID is going to accept those breaks in those positions.

     
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  • Larry G. Schneider
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    13. Larry G. Schneider,
    Nov 24, 2012 10:45 AM   in reply to Peter Spier
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    Thanks for the reply, Peter.

     
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