InDesign and FileMaker Pro

Started by Joe, February 29, 2008, 02:45:57 AM

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Joe

February 29, 2008, 02:45:57 AM
I have a need to extract information from a FileMaker Pro database into an InDesign document. Anyone ever done this? If so what's the best way to do it?
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

David

#1
February 29, 2008, 07:33:39 AM
you can export the data to a CSV, Tab-separated, Excel or HTML table, or several other formats then place the exported file into Indesign.

Then, with a little (or a lot, depending on the amount of Filemaker data) formating later, you'll be set.



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Prepress guy - Retired - Working from home
Livin' la Vida Loca

Joe

#2
February 29, 2008, 10:57:58 AM
The data needs to be kept in FileMaker as this data will change constantly and be added to daily. And it's bindery people that will be doing it so it needs to be, shall I say, simple.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

DigitalCrapShoveler

#3
February 29, 2008, 11:01:33 AM
Joe, why do you need to take it to InDesign? A little more background/set-up please.
Member #285 - Civilian

Joe

#4
February 29, 2008, 11:32:29 AM
They need to print bundle tags. I was thinking of setting up a Master Page that gets it's data (ZIP, City, State plus job and bundle info) from FileMaker Pro and then have it print like a variable data job. I'm trying to make it as uncomplicated as possible for them...like open ID doc, select job and print. I can do it all in FileMaker Pro but it will require a little more user interaction than I'd like.
Mac OS Sonoma 14.2.1 (c) | (retired)

The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.

DigitalCrapShoveler

#5
February 29, 2008, 11:50:28 AM
I don't have FileMaker at work, so i'll go home and mess with it tonight...
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T

#6
March 05, 2008, 07:45:14 AM
Watch this video and see if you can use this option...

http://www.theindesigner.com/blog/episode-43-data-merge-video

DigitalCrapShoveler

#7
March 05, 2008, 09:48:31 AM
Quote from: DigitalCrapShoveler on February 29, 2008, 11:50:28 AMI don't have FileMaker at work, so i'll go home and mess with it tonight...

Dammit, sorry Joe, I forgot. I will look into this when I get a chance. I am buried today.
Member #285 - Civilian

Sparky

#8
March 08, 2008, 11:52:42 AM
Joe, it's been years since I last saw a filemaker document but as I recall you can you create a "Table" from the info then import that into InDesign, and set the import options before importing.

Anyone?
"No well engineered plan survives contact with reality"

carijansen

#9
March 10, 2008, 04:02:47 AM
You can export recrods from FileMakerPro as:
Tab-Separated Text Files
.CSV
Excel
or XML.

Esp. with XML you have a lot of options for import into InDesign.

You can build the structure of a single bundle tag, and upon import of the XML automatically generate the rest of them, and map XML tags to InDesign Styles during import 'on the fly'.

If the job's not too complex, DataMerge might suffice, you'd use the .csv file for that.
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