Calendar Creation question

Started by DHG, December 06, 2012, 03:27:48 PM

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DHG

Hey folks, I need to create a calendar in InDesign. The calendar is for a school and is fairly basic. I remember using a script that I have called Calendar Wizard in the past that is pretty easy to use and works pretty good. Here's the thing..... I am going to be supplied a spread sheet in excel that list events, meetings, etc. for specific days. Not every day will have an event. What is my best way to import that info into the calendar? Not sure if CW will play nice with the spreadsheet if at all. I also thought maybe Data merge might work OK for this too but not sure. Copying and pasting could be a PITA. Any help on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

gnubler

Yay, it's calendar season! I was gonna start a rant thread but I already did...

https://www.b4print.com/index.php?topic=4784.msg118208#msg118208

Have fun.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

t-pat

I'll take mail programming over calendars any day.
vdp donkey
gmc inspire • sarcasm while you wait

gnubler

I'd rather work on a PC than do calendars on a Mac.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

frailer

Can't help you from here.... we always get calendars as finished PDF pages. Unfamiliar with creation upstream. And at the mention of Excel, eyes glazed over. But there may be someone here who does it from the point you're talking.
Forgotten good guys: Dennis Ritchie, Burrell Smith, Bill Atkinson, Richard Stallman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now just an honorary member.

dubstep

Quote from: DHG on December 06, 2012, 03:27:48 PMHey folks, I need to create a calendar in InDesign. The calendar is for a school and is fairly basic. I remember using a script that I have called Calendar Wizard in the past that is pretty easy to use and works pretty good. Here's the thing..... I am going to be supplied a spread sheet in excel that list events, meetings, etc. for specific days. Not every day will have an event. What is my best way to import that info into the calendar? Not sure if CW will play nice with the spreadsheet if at all. I also thought maybe Data merge might work OK for this too but not sure. Copying and pasting could be a PITA. Any help on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From my notes:
Custom Dates in Calendar Wizard

1. Format Excel File...2 Columns: Date, Event
1a. date should be in format of "1-1-12" or "1-1"

2. Export excel file as csv

3. Open csv in text editor and do some creative find/replace

ex: find "12, " | replace "12:"

4. Magically end up with a file that

looks like:

1-1-12:Get Drunk
1-2-12:Drink some More
2-1-12:Still Drunk? Great

Save as customholidayswhatever.txt

5. Open Calendar Wizard in ID

6. Make sure that "Layer Option | Add Holiday Layer" and "Holiday Options | From Custom Files" are checked

7. When prompted, add custom holidays file.

Basically, do whatever you can to reduce the excel file to a 2-column csv. (Date, Event) Open csv in text editor and find replace "12, " to "12:" where "12, " is literally year comma space.

Hope that makes sense.  Made sense when I wrote it :lmao: :drunk3:

gnubler

omg, a bunch of boozers here. WHY?

I just use Publisher to make calendars, then rip apart the resulting PDF. They kinda work, though.
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david

DHG

Quote from: dubstep on December 06, 2012, 07:32:40 PM
Quote from: DHG on December 06, 2012, 03:27:48 PMHey folks, I need to create a calendar in InDesign. The calendar is for a school and is fairly basic. I remember using a script that I have called Calendar Wizard in the past that is pretty easy to use and works pretty good. Here's the thing..... I am going to be supplied a spread sheet in excel that list events, meetings, etc. for specific days. Not every day will have an event. What is my best way to import that info into the calendar? Not sure if CW will play nice with the spreadsheet if at all. I also thought maybe Data merge might work OK for this too but not sure. Copying and pasting could be a PITA. Any help on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From my notes:
Custom Dates in Calendar Wizard

1. Format Excel File...2 Columns: Date, Event
1a. date should be in format of "1-1-12" or "1-1"

2. Export excel file as csv

3. Open csv in text editor and do some creative find/replace

ex: find "12, " | replace "12:"

4. Magically end up with a file that

looks like:

1-1-12:Get Drunk
1-2-12:Drink some More
2-1-12:Still Drunk? Great

Save as customholidayswhatever.txt

5. Open Calendar Wizard in ID

6. Make sure that "Layer Option | Add Holiday Layer" and "Holiday Options | From Custom Files" are checked

7. When prompted, add custom holidays file.

Basically, do whatever you can to reduce the excel file to a 2-column csv. (Date, Event) Open csv in text editor and find replace "12, " to "12:" where "12, " is literally year comma space.

Hope that makes sense.  Made sense when I wrote it :lmao: :drunk3:

Great, thanks! I will give it a shot. Will definitely be doing the get drunk part. Probably going to need it after this job!

DHG


StudioMonkey

I do Calendars in InDesign all the time.  Here is how I set it up to make it easier:

- Date numbers don't move so they get a text box to themselves
- Weekdays move so put them in a separate box too AND link the text boxes from month to month
- Customer's event days, if there are a lot of them, get a separate box - as long as everything has the same leading, it will all line up
- To avoid selecting the wrong text box all the time, put each (Dates, Weekdays, Holidays etc.) on a separate layer and lock/unlock as needed
- Holidays that are always on the same date (Xmas etc.) go in the text box with Date Numbers
- Holidays that do move (first / last Monday in the month etc.) go in the text box with the Weekdays
- Some holidays are awkward (Easter) so move those manually
- Weekends are defined by a background colour to the box (If you want the day+date in e.g. red then you will have to change this manually every year)

Once this is set up you can change colours, font, font size & leading to create different layouts.  Then for each new year just change the day of the week of January 1st and 90% of the work is done.  The linked text boxes change all the days through the year.  In a Leap Year you just have to add Feb 29th manually.  Finally double check the holidays and you're done.
Time flies like an arrow - fruit flies like a banana

gnubler

Something will still be wrong, guaranteed.  :drunk3:
Hicks • Cross • Carlin • Kinison • Parker • Stone •  Colbert • Hedberg • Stanhope • Burr

"As much as I'd like your guns I prefer your buns." - The G

Quote from: pspdfppdfx on December 06, 2012, 05:03:51 PM
So,  :drunk3: i send the job to the rip with live transparecy (v 1.7 or whatever) and it craps out with a memory error.

Member #14 • Size 5 • PH8 Unit 7 • Paranoid Misanthropic Doomsayer • Printing & Drinking Since 1998 • doomed ©2011 david