Comments on: Merging Two Tables Together in InDesign

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:57:50 +0000

In-Tools also has a free script that will merge two tables together: http://in-tools.com/products/scripts/

By: Howard Latimer

Howard Latimer — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:24:32 +0000

fm previous string, David Blatner wrote “If the table is still breaking from one frame to the next then there’s some other reason it’s doing that.”

I can’t duplicate the original issue, so I’ll chalk it up to my own operator error…

Thanks for the help, though, as well as the Tagged Text tip!

By: Howard Latimer

Howard Latimer — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:21:02 +0000

Trying to describe this a little better: The table is no longer breaking into 2 frames but instead is being treated as two tables in one frame (this is after I chose "Start Row Anywhere"). I could not replicate this using a basic table, no text in a new document. So perhaps I did do something else...I'll fool around a little bit and drop a note if I ever figure it out. Thanks!

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:21:35 +0000

@Howard: I don’t think using the break option (in Keep Options) will actually break the table into two tables. It’s probably still one table. If the table is still breaking from one frame to the next then there’s some other reason it’s doing that.

By: Howard Latimer

Howard Latimer — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:56:16 +0000

Hi – the original solution described above worked perfectly. One thing within ID CS3 still perplexes me as it relates to this problem:
1. I originally inserted a forced break at the end of a row.
2. The table text was later modified, so I need to remove the break.
3. I chose Table>Cell Options>Rows and Columns and then chose “Start Row Anywhere”
4. The break was removed but I still ended up with two distinct tables (it was originally one table until the force break) – you’d think the logic would be to combine the tables back into one, no?

Anybody have any thoughts or did I do something wrong?

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:06:49 +0000

@Ahmed: This is another good example of when XML is probably more complicated and difficult than you need. What you are describing is a great use for Data Merge. Do a search on this site for data merge, and you’ll find many good resources. However, you will need to export csv or tab-delimited text from Access.

By: ahamed meeran

ahamed meeran — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:35:02 +0000

hi
This is ahamed, i need some indesign ideas…i am using indesign CS3..
i have ms access file contain 7 columns.
1st column company name
2nd column postbox
3rd column city
4th column tel
5th column fax
6th column email
7th column web address

just i convert xml from ms access file. then i import to indesign it showing 7 lines per data.

my requirement for indesign
first line: company name
second line: postbox, city, telephone and fax
third line : email
fourth line: website

already i create tag for all. but how to two tag in one line

so please give me any ideas for this topic.

thanks

ahamed

By: ej

ej — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:29:32 +0000

What about a simpler solution for merging hundreds of tables? I’m using Data Merge to create a table of items from an excel sheet (with some complicated formatting) and I can create a table of one row for each record, but merging those tables has proved… troubling.

By: Liam

Liam — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:32:22 +0000

Thank you. Now that I’m up to CS3, I know I should have known this trick by now, but reading this has been a great help!

By: asarya

asarya — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:13:57 +0000

The copy paste is the obvious solution, but seems to trip up when things like embedded tables are inside the cells to be pasted.
And pasting cells doesn’t seem to keep all the attributes – it’s a little hit and miss.
So the tagged text was a good experiment for me, even if recreating and reformatting the cells might have been quicker in the end