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How-to guide

How to bring Google Docs tables into InDesign as real tables

Tables are where copy-and-paste hurts most: every revision means rebuilding rows and restyling cells. DriveSync brings a Doc’s tables in as InDesign tables and, on later syncs, changes only the text in the cells.

Updated 2 min read

Choose how tables arrive

  1. On the Connected tab, press Import Options… and open Tables.
  2. Make sure Import tables is ticked.
  3. Set Tables arrive as to Real InDesign tables.The alternative, Tab-separated paragraphs, brings each row in as a line of text with tabs between the cells. It’s the most cautious choice, and you can turn the text into a table later with Table Convert Text to Table.
  4. Optionally choose a Style for tables DriveSync adds from your document’s table styles. Otherwise new tables use [Basic Table].
  5. Close the dialog and sync.

The first sync

Each table in the Doc arrives as an InDesign table with its cell text filled in. DriveSync reads the text of each cell only. The Doc’s cell colours, header shading and borders aren’t brought across, and neither is formatting inside a cell, such as a bold word. Apply a table style, with the cell styles it uses, to get the look you want.

Every sync after that

Once a table is in your layout, DriveSync doesn’t rebuild it. It updates the cell text in place and leaves the rest as you set it:

  • The number of rows and columns
  • Table styles and cell styles
  • Strokes, fills and cell insets

Because the table isn’t rebuilt, adjustments you’ve made to it by hand, such as narrowing a column to fit the page, stay in place too.

When the writer adds or removes rows

The Doc has more rows than your table
DriveSync doesn’t insert them. It names the extra rows in the Activity log instead. Add the rows in InDesign with Table Insert Row, then sync again to fill them.
The Doc no longer has a table
A table already in your layout is never deleted by a sync, and neither is the paragraph holding it. Remove it by hand if it’s no longer wanted.

Tips for tables that sync cleanly

  • Build tables in the Doc with Insert Table. Columns lined up with tabs or spaces are just text to Google Docs, and arrive as text.
  • Agree the rows and columns with the writer before you style the table, since extra rows have to be added in InDesign.
  • Put the look into a table style rather than formatting cells by hand, so every new table can use it.

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