Airtable and Acrobat/InDesign

[Andrew_Enright]

Has anyone succeeded in merging Airtable data with InDesign CC layouts/style-sheets? :nerd_face:

We’d love to be able to leverage online datasets to populate nicely designed layouts for PDF export. This export will be done both locally, as final artwork files for professional print; and hopefully… automatically.

We’d :sparkling_heart: LURV :sparkling_heart: to be able to generate PDFs, in the cloud, using real-deal layouts, that can then be relayed/ingested via other integrated services like Dropbox, Slack, email, etc.

How would you build an Airtable-InDesign CC-Google Cloud Print-Slack/Email stack?

THANX YALL! :dancer:

A.

[Luis_Mendes1]

Hi Brent,

I certainly can and do for a number of clients now actually. The most difficult part is dealing with the JSON and component images, but I’ve solved for both of those use cases.

Let me know if you want to catch up

[rp2]

I use 65 bits EasyCatalog and it is really fantastic, for a lot of work I do I simply cant go back after getting used to it and their pagination module. it covers a really big missing gap in indesign's function with working with information that changes dynamically and can be accessible to others to edit let alone just being a much better upgrade to data merge which indesign really hasn't addressed at all in over a decade if not longer. However that is not without its own extra steps, and as you are pointing out, it is not simply a direct link.

Cost may be a deterent. it's very powerful and flexible so the cost of it isnt without merit and the value is more than their for professional needs but it does make it an out of reach option for personal use.

It also comes with its own extra connection needs. its very well thought out and has a wide array of typical import and connection but I dont think any of the modules can tie directly into airtable at this time. you have Csv ( not dynamic), xml (not dynamic), google sheets (dynamic), ODBC (dynamic) and all work really really well but all need to be exported to or connected to something other than airtable. what your needs are should weighed. as well as how many tables need exporting and importing. for Me I deal with a mass amount of information that changes all the time and need sto turn around really quick anti has been fantastic but Im just now switching my team into airtable so cant say for sure. I have noticed simply trying to copy and paste from airtable into google sheets is not as consistent as it should be, and I have come to rely on this type of direct and dynamic linked information ability to google sheets. csv is great to start with or your info won't change much but if it changes often this exporting and reimporting and reconnecting inside indesign becomes more problems than it solves.

That is also just on the data front and images are just as important for indesign connection. there are many DAM's now that have drag and drop capability with Indesign and will keep the link so updating an image can be as simple as refreshing the link in indesign and just feels much better than relying on image urls in data sets. I Haven't figured out how to do this as simply in airtable and am even finding it's Dropbox integration pretty lacking having essentially no dropbox business connection.

[rp2]

I dont disagree with you but one of the reasons I am actually moving my team into airtable and not just sticking to spreadhseets is it has this feature that many comparable programs do not. Most just focus on the data structures without giving attention to the importance of the visual relay of information including images and layouts. Page designer is in it's infancy and is pretty cool for certain things and they do seem to be developing so hopefully it will evolve fairly soon.

Indesign is completely different beast programmed specifically for layout and publishing so to expect the same level of professional design capability in a self building no code page designer isnt really the right match up.

if anything the expectation should be reversed and put on Adobe. It's professional software but they have ignored a big gap that is pretty important for most any client I have worked with at some level not just making a book. Their Data merge ability is archaic and they just dont seem to feel they need to change much in indesign at all, it has progressed id say the least in features of all of adobes apps and since they moved their digital publishing into yet another subscription tier they seem pretty content with themselves. 

The only reason I still use indesign and not Affinity publisher is 65 bits EasyCatalog plugin. this is simply the only tool ive found that addresses the need for data connection for todays needs. I use it to connect direct to a google sheet something google doenst even offer to indesign without a level of scripting that I don't want to get into and certainly not maintain on multiple projects. you would think by now indesign has this ability natively but it doesn't and neither does Publisher.

More plugins seem to be coming out but I stopped holding my breath for Adobe to address it. Airtable I didnt join for a long time because it had no page designer function and didn't even really have good that good of database ability until this year ( I still dont love you have to synch your table into the base to get the info _ 2way synch should be all tiers considering this... but that's another post). Im hoping they continue to put in effort into all these features and abilities and page designer does get better, multiple pages, connect to more than one table etc... . I think even just a few more simple capabilities, without even trying to be as capable as an indesign, it could be really powerful but for now I use EasyCatalog for the big projects and clunking along in page designer for some things it can currently handle at least better than any other airtable like software