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amyweeze
amyweeze Calculating status...
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Need Help with Paragraph Styles

May 4, 2012 7:59 AM

Hi,

 

I am having to add thousands of addresses to newsletters that I am doing for work. The addresses were given to us in a Microsoft Exel file, and I copied and pasted them into a word document then placed into Indesign. I am trying to figure out a way to auto format the addresses so that I do not have to individually format each address, which would take hours. I'm sure there is something fabulous indesign can do to help me out!

 

The addresses are currenty in one line... for example "John Smith   1212 Main St.   Utopia, California  55555" and they need to be:

John Smith

1212 Main St.

Utopia, California 55555

 

I have been trying different things for a while now. Any ideas on formatting that could save me a lot of time? I'll try anything!

 

Thanks!

509 Views   6 Replies   Latest reply: jmlevy, May 4, 2012 8:51 AM
 
Replies
  • [Jongware]
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    1. [Jongware],
    May 4, 2012 8:10 AM   in reply to amyweeze
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    It's not the "formatting" that's wrong here, or anything you could fix with a style.

     

    Are those a single tab between name and address, and address and city? Search for these, replace with a hard return, and you're done.

     
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  • amyweeze
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    2. amyweeze,
    May 4, 2012 8:26 AM   in reply to [Jongware]
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    Is hard return the same as forced line break?

     
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  • Peter Spier
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    3. Peter Spier,
    May 4, 2012 8:30 AM   in reply to amyweeze
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    No. It's a paragraph break.

     
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  • AMreso
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    4. AMreso,
    May 4, 2012 8:32 AM   in reply to amyweeze
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    Hi

     

    You can do one thing use data merge option of indesign as you already have a Microsoft Exel file.

    so its easy to use data merge. Data merge will definetly help you.

     
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  • amyweeze
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    5. amyweeze,
    May 4, 2012 8:33 AM   in reply to AMreso
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    How do you use Data Merge? I am unfamliar with it.

     
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  • jmlevy
    209 posts
    Oct 30, 2004
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    6. jmlevy,
    May 4, 2012 8:51 AM   in reply to amyweeze
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    Why don't you import directly your Excel file as a table, then convert your table to text?

    You will be asked to choose what character you want to use to replace the column separator. Choose tab and then replace the tabs with a hard return. Depending on how your table is set, you may be able to choose directly a hard return to replace the column separator

     
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