Importing and Exporting Word Files as Chapters and Back into Files

[jesser40515445]

Hello,

I have InDesign CS6 and have used InDesign CC. My computer is a Lenovo ThinkPad 64 bit, 320 G HD, 8 G RAM, Windows 10 Pro. I am a beginner user of InDesign. I have designed nine books with InDesign but always had help in the process.

I am aware that InDesign has many incredible features and plugins that can be added. I was wondering if there is a way to import Word doc files as separate chapters for each file, edit them together and then export each chapter as a separate Word doc.

In other words, batch processing of multiple Word doc files. I am leading a transcription project and we have 1,668 separate Word doc files. Opening each one up and doing "Find and Replace," then saving and closing it and repeating that 1,668 times is not at all efficient.

The built-in-multiple-file editor in Word is not sufficient for my needs. I did find some software that can do what I want from Technocomsolutions.com. They have the Advance Word Find & Replace software. I tested out the trial software and it does most of what I need. However, I can't see and approve what the software is finding and replacing. I have used this feature in InDesign several times and the InDesign find and replace is far more advanced, as more capabilities and it gives me the advantage of seeing each "find" in context to see if I want to make a "replace" within that context. In other words, I have not yet found anything that can compete with InDesign's find and replace feature and wanted to know if it is a possibility to do what I am proposing.

InDesign runs fine on my computer and I can buy a short subscription to InDesign CC if I have to.

Thanks, Jesse

[Jongware · Accepted solution]

Are your files anything more complicated than extremely flat text? Roundtripping through InDesign is possible but both steps of importing into it and saving from it will lose something. By far not all features of Word translate naturally into InDesign, and the reverse.

My advice: stick to Word. If you want to automate, look in to its native Visual Basic scripting.