Table formatting and scripting

When designing in InDesign or Quark, you often need to layout and format tables. Both programs have basic table tools built in and will take an existing Excel table, place it and make it easy to format. Subsequently changing and updating the data can be a challenge, but there are some tricks.

Tables are easy to create in InDesign. You can import an Excel file or Word table file -  instant table. You can import comma or tab-separated text and convert it to a table. You can insert a table by defining the number of rows and columns and start typing.

Using the Table Menu we can now fix the borders up, add alternating fills, lines and make attractive headings. We can add drop shadows, gradients and high-resolution inline graphics. For large amounts of data, the data will flow from one table to the next with headers on each page. The loaded cursor will keep making formatted, linked tables until it runs out of data.
What happens when the customer sends a new Excel file?

If you originally linked the table to the InDesign document thinking you could update the link, you'll find that all your formatting is lost. The Object Styles in CS2 don't apply to Table settings so it must be redone manually.

Next, you try to copy the cells from the Excel file only to find that all the data is pasted in the first cell of your table. Then there's the scary thought that each cell must be pasted one at a time.  Don't worry, the easiest way to do this is to bring in the new excel file as a table and place it on the pasteboard. Copy the rows, columns or cells in InDesign and paste into the formatted table. This is fine for small tables but can cause problems for those that span several pages.

Scripting to the rescue, there are many javascripts written for InDesign available on the Adobe Studio Exchange – www.studio.adobe.com. I found a javascript at www.pdsassoc.com called Populate Table from Clipboard (PopTabFmClip.js). This script adds a new dimension to your tables. Using the script from the Window->Automate->Scripts palette, you can copy and paste new data into an existing table. You can copy rows, columns or the entire table. This is shareware and it comes with install instructions. There is a version for CS and CS2. I tested the CS2 version and it worked very well.

If you would rather do the link and update workflow, there's a plug-in available from Teacup Software. The TableStyles and CellStyles plug-in allows you to create a style from the Table Options dialog and the Cell Options dialog so that when you bring in your table . . . click, it's formatted!  Cost is $99 on their website www.teacupsoftware.com, and you can try a demo first!

The table tool in Quark 6.5 and 7 is very similar to InDesign and can follow the Place and Paste rule mentioned above when editing data. Quark does not give you the option of bringing in a Word Table (only Excel), but it does have some neat extra features.  Quark treats each cell as a box that can be designated as text, picture or graphic.  Pasting an inline graphic in Quark will result in a low resolution file, however, you can place a linked picture in the table and manipulate it the same as any other picture.

Quarks Linking Tool can also be used in a table when the option is checked to Link Cells. You can flow text any way you like through the cells and when the tool is selected, the arrows will show the links. Quark's text formatting rules apply here so the "next column" command will break to the next cell.

I checked the Quark XTensions website but could not find any that specifically apply to Tables.  Quark does come with a built in Applescript that applies alternating fills to the table, but that's all I found so far.

Give the table tools another try if you had previously abandoned them, and keep your eyes open for scripts, plug-ins and extensions that make the tools in these programs easier to work with.•

Andrea Mahoney
TriBay Enterprise
T: 416.72939687
E: andrea@autoflowforprepress.ca
www.tribay.ca