Automatic catalog creation with Adobe InDesign: use external data sources directly in the layout

Every manual update of a catalog has the potential to be a nerve-wracking ordeal: new prices, changed articles, fresh images—and you shove data from Excel to Adobe InDesign over and over again. But what if your catalog automatically pulled all the changes into the layout? What if it pulled data directly from Microsoft Excel, your ERP system, or your PIM system—without time-consuming copy-paste routines, without errors, and without stress?

Reduce update times by over 90% by integrating external data sources into Adobe InDesign.

An intelligent and direct connection to external data sources through an InDesign extension from T+S not only lets you avoid typical mistakes made during manual update processes, but also saves you time. Companies that automatically synchronize their price data report a decrease of over 90% of the time needed to update a catalog or price list, which means much shorter production runs. Your team can gain time for working on design rather than spending hours wasted on tedious copying and pasting.

The typical data formats for product data transferred to InDesign extensions are:

• CSV files
• Excel files (.xlsx)
• XML files
• JSON files

Generally speaking, an InDesign extension can make use of any of these data formats to read product data. The right data format can make a big difference, though, when it comes to automating catalog production in InDesign. The choice often depends on how complex your layout or task is.

If you’re simply updating prices—for example, you just need to pass along the basics such as item number, tiered quantities, and the actual price—then a simple CSV file will do the trick. It keeps things lightweight and efficient.

But if you’re dealing with a large catalog that includes images, nested product categories, or multi-level hierarchies, then CSV quickly reaches its limits. In those cases, a richer format such as XML or JSON is a better choice. These structures can handle complex relationships and visual assets in a way that makes it easier for your InDesign extension to put everything in the right place in your layout.

5 ways to integrate product data into InDesign extensions

1. Copy-paste from data in tables—a good start

You open Excel, copy a block of cells to the clipboard, and paste it directly into a text field inside your InDesign extension. That’s it.

From there, the extension immediately checks whether all the required column names are present. This little safeguard ensures that mistakes from copy-and-paste slips are caught before they cause trouble in your layout.

Once the data is verified, the real magic happens. The InDesign extension takes your freshly inserted data and automatically puts it to work—either generating a brand‑new catalog layout or updating an existing price catalog in seconds. What normally could take hours of manual adjustments suddenly becomes a smooth, nearly effortless workflow.

2. Import data using a dialog—a solid basis

You get started by opening a file dialog inside your InDesign extension.

Then you navigate to your data file and load it in—whether it is a CSV, XML, Excel (.xlsx), or JSON file. The InDesign extension then runs a quick consistency check on the data, importing only the data which is free of errors.

From there, the data flows directly into action: The InDesign extension automatically generates a complete catalog or updates pricing with zero manual effort. What used to be a tedious, error-prone task becomes a streamlined workflow that saves time and reduces stress.

3. Integration using a REST-API—for professionals

The most efficient method of all to pull data into your InDesign extension is to directly connect InDesign to an external application, such as an ERP system or PIM system. Many ERP and PIM solutions offer a REST API (application programming interface) that the InDesign extension uses to automatically retrieve data. The kicker: It takes only one click to make all the current information available to you in InDesign—ready to be processed further without any additional effort.

4. Automatic import (file watcher)

The file watcher method is a clever way to automatically pull up-to-the-minute data into InDesign. When you launch the InDesign extension, it can automatically pull in data files (XML, CSV, JSON) from a preconfigured directory. The beauty of this setup is that those files can be updated by external programs, keeping everything in sync. Each time a change is made to the files, the extension immediately reloads them, ensuring your InDesign project always works with the most up-to-date information.

5. External trigger with Adobe InDesign Server

For large quantities of data in the background: The Adobe InDesign server automatically generates finished product data sheets or an entire catalog as soon as external applications make new data available. The process is suitable for fully automatically generating publications without user interaction.

Real-world results: updated publications in minutes, not weeks

Just imagine: Instead of spending hours and even days on copy-paste routines, you can completely update your catalogs, price lists, product data sheets, or other publications in just a few minutes. Customers that have used an InDesign extension from T+S to automate their publishing processes regularly report time savings of over 90%—and avoid expensive correction runs as well.

A custom InDesign extension boosts your efficiency

Automated data integration makes InDesign into your most productive tool ever. Rid yourself of tedious manual work and turn out perfect price tables—clean layouts in record time! This is the right time: Schedule a live demonstration from our experts to see for yourself how easy it is to automate your catalog publishing process.