Automating a Table Fill - utilizing list from Excell

[TKcPRINT]

I have a form that I need to fill in InDesign.  2 columns of varying lengths, 20 rows per page in the document. Previously I have just copied and pasted 20 rows at a time, filling the pages.  There are some that need to spam 120+ pages... and that process will turn tedious quickly.  Just didn't know if there was a way to automate this.

Thanks!

[BarlaeDC]

Hi,

Can you post a sample finished document? so that we can see what needs to be created, it would also be useful to know if you know the number of columns before hand (even the number of pages) or if that is all data driven from Excell?

regards

Malcolm

[TKcPRINT]

It is a number sequence that I have built into excel.  Each page of the document looks like this, for as long as the list might be.  It differs from location to location.  Ideally I could link to that data and fill A1, A2; B1, B2... etc  throughout the document. Does that make sense?

[Colin Flashman · Accepted solution]

Is there a reason that the Excel file has to be cut/pasted into InDesign? Perhaps the Excel file that contains the list of numbers in its entirety could be imported via the place menu and the formatting retained, and when placing, click autoflow.

[Jongware]

I was wondering the same thing. "Place" should work just fine for this – even though InDesign has some quirks when working with tables, they should flow from one page to another without a problem.

If you are going to script this: looking at that sample of your table, I think it'd just as easily could be build inside ID from scratch.

[Colin Flashman]

I've actually made a script for a task at work where I have to make a manifest of variable data to be printed, and I know the range value of each row is 300. Here is a video of it in action:

It doesn't require excel at all, just a start value, end value and step value. Is this similar to what the OP is after?

[TKcPRINT]

Would that span over multiple pages if needed?

[Colin Flashman]

Yes. My script exports to PDF without saving to ID but can easily change.