OK...VD (not the STD variety)

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Yes but the spaces remain because they were made in InDesign. My point was to try and get the leading spaces in the variable.

Example      space,space,space,space,spaceq (q being the dingbat character for a check box).

[Tracy]

I think there is a way but I don't know it. It will be in excel tho

put the dingbats before each column in excel that needs them, you can sort by that column copy the q in that column for the data that needs it, do that for each column etc... then put your sort by back where you
need it.
unless their data is all mixed together, arg

not sure but that might give you extra spaces
It's trial and error.

[Joe]

So "spacespacespacespacespaceq" (without quotes) in the cell it doesn't work?

[Farabomb]

Sometimes it does. I once had a problem with printing but I hit print 23,534,234,236,009 more times and it eventually printed.

[Joe]

Sometimes it does. I once had a problem with printing but I hit print 23,534,234,236,009 more times and it eventually printed.

Persistence pays off!

[Tracy]

indy doesn't pick up the space before a character I think there is a way, not sure what it is.

can you use an odd character and change to a space in indy with find change?

[pabney]

use ~~~~~q in Excel and then a grep style to color the ~~~~~ as paper

[Mikie]

Maybe I'm missing a part, but can you do a find and replace for 5 spaces and leave the replace field blank? That works for me. 1st screeny has 5 spaces in the find field. That's too simple so I have missed something

[Joe]

Maybe I'm missing a part, but can you do a find and replace for 5 spaces and leave the replace field blank? That works for me. 1st screeny has 5 spaces in the find field. That's too simple so I have missed something

That would work...unless there are other q's in the document that doesn't need the 5 spaces in front if it?

[Mikie]

oh... lulz didn't think that one through did I. I will send myself home early as punishment

[pspdfppdfxhd]

Maybe I'm missing a part, but can you do a find and replace for 5 spaces and leave the replace field blank? That works for me. 1st screeny has 5 spaces in the find field. That's too simple so I have missed something

That would work...unless there are other q's in the document that doesn't need the 5 spaces in front if it?

yes but it is a variable field, not a regular live text indesign document. If the spaces are in the excel cell then all should be good. Either  the 5 spaces plus q is there or it is empty and does not appear.

Got a quote from a sotware maker that will handle this easily but at 4000 US we cant justify the cost at this point in time. 4000 US is about 500000000000 Canadian nowadays.

[Joe]

Yeah it is weird. I can get Excel/Libre Office to add the 5 spaces and it keeps them in the CSV file but InDesign evidently ignores leading spaces. I'm not an InDesign GREP expert but I would almost bet you can do the search and replace using GREP to change the variable data. I have no idea how to do it though.

[Tracy]

If you want to give me a sample of your excel and a sample of the text the way you want it to look
I can give it a go, I have made weird things work, but sometimes it can't be done.

[pabney]

Using grep styles would be a much better way to go than a find and replace. Here is a quick sample of how it could work.
The URL will expire on Dec 22.

  http://files.emprinting.com/_Zh1Z8v0tpBgNpR

[Tracy]

That's pretty cool!

How do you create the style?
I figured out how to do the Grep to make it white
but how did you tell it the tilde only?