Adobe InDesign CS5 - Manual (Page 661)

655 USING INDESIGN
Automation
Last updated 11/16/2011
InDesign automatically detects the type of delimiter and encoding used in the data source file, so showing the import
options usually isn’t necessary. However, you can specify different encoding and delimiter options if you think they
haven’t been correctly identified.
5 Locate the data source file, and click Open.
6 If you selected Show Import Options, change the delimiter and encoding options as necessary, and then click OK.
The data fields appear in the Data Merge panel.
Note: If an alert message indicates that it cannot open the file, or if incorrect fields appear in the list box, you may need
to edit the spreadsheet or database file and save it as a comma-delimited or tab-delimited file.
Once the data source is selected and fields are loaded in the Data Merge panel, any changes made to the data source
are not reflected in the target document until you update the data source.
Insert data fields
When you select the data source, a list of data field names appears in the Data Merge panel. These names are identical
to the column heads from the data source file. Icons indicate whether the field is text or an image. When data fields are
added to your document, they become field placeholders, such as <>. You can select and format these
placeholders as you would any other text or graphic.
You can assign an image field to an existing frame to create a floating image. Or, if the insertion point is in a text frame
or if text is selected when you insert an image field, a small placeholder is inserted as an inline frame. You can resize
the image placeholder to determine the size of the merged images.
Once you insert a data field, InDesign remembers its data source. Any errors in the list of fields, such as typos, empty
fields, and unintended field types, must be corrected in the source application and then updated using the Data Merge
panel.
Insert a text data field in the target document
1 Create a text frame on a document page or master page.
If you’re adding data fields to a master page, see “ Adding data field placeholders to master pages ” on page 656.
2 Place the insertion point in the text frame where you want the field placeholder to appear, or select the text you want
to replace.
3 To insert a field placeholder, do one of the following:
• Click a field in the Data Merge panel list.
• Drag a field name from the Data Merge panel list, and drop it onto the text frame to add the placeholder. If you drag
a text field onto an empty frame, the empty frame becomes a text frame.
Text field placeholders appear in the target application within double angle brackets (such as <>) using the
current formatting attributes (such as font and size).
Note: You cannot create a valid field by simply typing the field name or editing an existing field. You must insert it from
the Data Merge panel.
Insert an image data field in the target document
• To insert a new inline graphic placeholder, drag an image field onto a text frame, or place the insertion point in a
text frame and click the image field.
• To insert a new floating graphic, drag an image field onto an empty frame or existing graphics frame. If you drag
an image field onto an empty frame, the empty frame becomes a graphics frame.