Chapter 14: Preparing Text Files for Import
You can import text into your InDesign documents in several ways. InDesign is particularly adept at importing documents created in popular Macintosh and Windows formats. And through the use of the Macintosh and Windows clipboards (copy and paste), you can import file formats ‚ to a limited degree ‚ that are not directly supported by InDesign.
Determining Where to Format Documents
InDesign import capabilities may tempt you to do a lot of your text formatting outside the program; however, it's not always wise to do so. Here are some reasons why you shouldn't work outside the program:
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Because a word processor's formatting capabilities won't match all InDesign typographic features, it's often not worthwhile to do extensive formatting in your word processor. This is particularly true of layout-oriented formatting. Multiple columns and page numbers , for example, will be of a much higher standard in your final InDesign document than you could hope to create in a word processor. After all, even the sophisticated formatting features in today's word processors don't begin to approach those needed for true publishing.
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Similarly, formatting tables in your word processor or spreadsheet is typically a wasted effort because you have to re-create the tables using InDesign tab settings (see Chapter 21). If you turn your spreadsheet or chart into a graphic before importing it, you cannot edit the data. Nor can you resize the picture to fit a changing layout without winding up with different- size numbers among at least some charts ‚ a definite no-no.
It's increasingly common for people in publishing to work in a cross-platform (Mac and Windows) environment. Even if you do all your InDesign work on one platform, chances are high that you'll receive files created on the other platform. (Most text editing is done on PCs, while most graphics and publishing work is done on the Mac, for example.)
Even with the improved compatibility between Mac and PC (mostly thanks to additions to the Mac OS that makes it easier to share files with PCs), you may still encounter some trip-ups dealing with something as simple as filenames when sharing files across platforms.
Both Windows and the Mac OS use icons to show you (and tell programs) what format a file is in. Windows and Mac OS X (but not earlier versions of the Mac OS) use filename extensions (often hidden from user view) to identify the file type. InDesign uses the filename extension .INDD to denote InDesign documents. Without this filename extension, you won't be able to double-click a file icon to open it, although you can still open the file from InDesign's Open dialog box (File ‚ Open, or z +O or Ctrl+O), as long as you select All Documents from the Show pop-up menu (on the Mac) or All Files from the Files of Type pop-up menu (in Windows).
If filename extensions are hidden in Windows, choose Tools ‚ Folder Options and then select the View tab to get the pane shown in the following figure. (You have to have a disk or folder open to have the View menu.) Uncheck the Hide Extensions for Known File Types item, then click OK.
If filename extensions are hidden in Mac OS X, use Finder ‚ Preferences and then check the Always Show File Extensions option, as shown in the following figure, and close the dialog box. (You have to be using the Finder, not be in an application, to get this menu.)
The bottom line is to use InDesign for your layout and complex text formatting (fonts, leading, and hyphenation), and use your word processor for basic text editing, style-sheet assignments (identifying headlines, body copy, and so forth), and basic character formatting (boldface, italics, and other meaning-oriented formatting).
