CHAPTER 3
62
PageMaker Plug-in Pack Features
To edit placeholders:
Do one of the following:
•
To change placeholder attributes, select the
placeholder text, and then change the
formatting attributes.
•
To change a placeholder, select the placeholder
or the actual data, and select a different field
name in the Data Merge palette.
•
To delete a placeholder, select the placeholder
and press Backspace or Delete.
Note:
In Story Editor view, text placeholders are
displayed in the same way as hyperlinks. The Data
Merge palette functions exactly the same in Story
Editor view as it does in Layout view.
Previewing records
Before you merge the target document and data
source file, it’s a good idea to preview the records
to make sure that field data will appear properly
when the information is merged. When you
preview records, the Data Merge palette displays
actual data from the data source file instead of the
field names. For example, instead of seeing
<<Company>>
, you might see
Adobe Systems, Inc
.
You can use the navigation buttons on the Data
Merge palette to cycle through the records.
If you find problems with any of the records,
such as typographical errors or extra spaces, it is
recommended that you edit the source file in its
original application. (See “Working with data
source files” on page 59.)
To preview records:
1
Do one of the following:
•
Click Preview Record at the bottom of the Data
Merge palette.
•
Choose Preview Records from the Data Merge
palette menu.
2
Click the navigation buttons to cycle through
data from different records.
To go to a specified record:
Do one of the following:
•
Click the navigation buttons at the bottom
of the palette.
•
In the navigation text box at the bottom of the
palette, type the number of the record you want
to preview, and then press Enter or Return.
Switching preview on and off
Some issues may arise or correct themselves when
you switch between previewing modes. Keep the
following in mind:
•
Placeholders replace the preview content when
the Preview Record option is not selected. If you
delete an image as well as the frame containing
the image, or delete a whole text string, when
you deselect the Preview Record option, the
placeholders will not appear as they have also
been removed.
