URGENT: Completely remove all XML/Data Merge Info

Learn / Forums / General InDesign Topics / URGENT: Completely remove all XML/Data Merge Info

Tagged: , ,

Viewing 5 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • #126523
      David Richter
      Participant

      I have a sales document with about 40 data merge tags that I need to remove so I have a clean copy to make a more limited version (with fewer data merge entries), but regardless of what I do ID is still expecting all the old placeholders to be connected to something (when those sections aren’t even there any more).
      I’ve gone through with Hidden Characters turned on and untagged all the data merge placeholders, unlinked the source file, relinked the new source file (with fewer data merge entries) and it still says it can’t preview now because “there is at least one data placeholder that cannot be found” …. except I literally just deleted all of them and then added the 13 placeholders that are in the new source file.
      One thing I noticed: after untagging everything and having NO source file attached – with not a single visual cue that there is data merge info lurking – the Structure pane still shows ALL the old elements when you choose to “add new element”. Why? Why is any of that info still there? How do I get rid of it. That’s the only reason I can think ID thinks that not all placeholders can be found.
      I want to completely obliterate all evidence that data merge was ever used on this file – like I just created it from scratch, so when I add new placeholder it just works like it should.
      Tag option (why are they still there?): https://pasteboard.co/Jm5TEcf.png

    • #126529
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      Wait… is this a data merge document, or an XML document? You normally don’t use both… they’re different features.

    • #126533
      David Richter
      Participant

      Sorry… yes, it *is* a Data Merge document (though, I was under the impression that ID used XML in the DMing process).
      Just to summarize again: I have a document with a bunch of DM placeholders. I need to make a new version of this document, but with slightly different placeholders (some the same, some changed) – but no matter what I do, ID still seems to be expecting the same placeholders and is now refusing to preview…. even during troubleshooting with a new data source with only one entry/record (the current date) and a single (1) placeholder on one page – it still says there are placeholders it can’t find. The thing is: as soon as I link the data source, before I link any placeholders, it remembers what page certain tags were used on – even though the placeholders are all gone, the data source removed and then replaced with a different one.
      All I want is a way to make it as though I never applied any DM tags at all… and there doesn’t seem to be a way to do that, or it’s so obvious that I’m overlooking it.
      Screen shot showing no placeholder, while ID claiming there is: https://images2.imgbox.com/cd/cc/FclLqaLj_o.png

    • #126543
      David Blatner
      Keymaster

      It’s hard to say… you might try exporting as IDML and opening that IDML file to see if it clears out any garbage. Maybe check to make sure the objects on the master pages aren’t based on other master pages, or set to locked (so you can’t select them to delete them).
      Here are some other links that may prove to be helpful:

      A Solution to Finding Bad Placeholders

      Troubleshooting Data Merge Errors

      Problem with Data Merge and Ghost Hyperlinks

    • #126544
      David Richter
      Participant

      “A Solution to Finding Bad Placeholders”
      That’s it, right there! That fixed the problem – thank you! Though, I went a little further: in the tags panel (which I’m told is for XML), it actually lists ALL of the DM tags – so, I deleted all those and replaced it with “Root” (replace with “none” isn’t an option). I’m not sure if this step is necessary, but I kinda wanted all references to old placeholders gone.
      For anyone else with this issue, in ID: window > interactive > hyperlinks > lists all your DM tags and allows you to delete them
      For the 2nd step (which might not be needed): window > utilities > tags > also shows all your DM tags, but you have to “replace” rather than delete… I’m not 100% sure, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I replaced everything with “root” because it seemed like the most obvious choice after “none” (which isn’t an option)

    • #126545
      David Richter
      Participant

      An update to the above comment ^^
      Step 2 is only relevant if you’re using a Merged Document. One detail I forgot about all this is that I was using a merged document because I initially thought that was like flattening layers in a PSD, or something… nope, everything is still there. In fact, it seems to get more complicated after merging as tags are created.
      Unmerged document: https://images2.imgbox.com/b5/cc/JmC8X4vV_o.png
      Merged document: https://images2.imgbox.com/36/cb/RuIzAgr2_o.png

Viewing 5 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
>