Adobe InDesign Adobe InDesign Automation and Data Merge Questions and Answers

Question 1

What is the purpose of InDesign's Data Merge feature?

Accepted Answer

To automatically populate a template document with variable data from a CSV or text file to create personalized copies

Answer

Data Merge reads a data source file (CSV/TXT) and replaces placeholder fields in an InDesign template with each record's data to produce personalized output.

Question 2

Which file formats does InDesign's Data Merge accept as a data source?

Accepted Answer

Comma-delimited (.csv) or tab-delimited (.txt) plain text files

Answer

Data Merge requires a CSV or tab-delimited TXT file; Excel files must be exported to CSV before use.

Question 3

In a Data Merge template, how are variable field names indicated in the InDesign text frame?

Accepted Answer

By enclosing the field name in double angle brackets, e.g., <>

Answer

Data Merge placeholders use the <> syntax matching the column headers from the data source file.

Question 4

What does the 'Find/Change' dialog's GREP tab allow you to do in InDesign?

Accepted Answer

Use regular expressions to find and replace text patterns across a document

Answer

GREP Find/Change uses regular expression syntax to match complex text patterns (like all phone numbers) and replace them in bulk.

Question 5

Which InDesign feature automatically applies a character style whenever a specified GREP pattern is found in a paragraph?

Accepted Answer

GREP Styles, set in the Paragraph Style Options dialog

Answer

GREP Styles (inside Paragraph Style Options > GREP Style) apply a character style to every match of a regex pattern within paragraphs using that paragraph style.

Adobe InDesign Practice Test

Adobe InDesign Practice Test

Adobe InDesign Adobe InDesign Automation and Data Merge Questions and Answers