Best way to go from Excel chart to Quarkxpress chart?

[Lincoln 6 Echo]

Using Quarkxpress 6.x I have to 'recreate' an Excel spreadsheet (from an existing .XLS)--- for me that means rows and columns with text and numbers in the cells. In the end I'd also like to be able to print the grid of the 'chart' as well.

I've never had to convert such a big excel spreadsheet into a chart in Quark. I've done tables and charts in Quark but none with like 100+ rows, so I was able to draw the individual lines after setting up a text box, and simulating columns by using tabs. Setting up tabs and manual tabbing 100+ lines of text is NOT something I see as a good use of time.

When I copy and paste chart it just comes over as a messed up mass. Obviously, formatting, spacing and such is lost when pasted into QX. Any ideas from experience?

Thx!

 

[Blue Velvet]

One of my most loathed jobs: doing tables in Quark. Often, I'll do them in InDesign just to drop into a Quark document as an EPS. This may sound strange but there is a sound reason for this, believe or not.

Anyway, as ropy as it is, I suggest using the Table Tool. Grab the tool and draw a box the size you need it.

When you let go of the box, a dialog box will pop up asking you number of rows and columns etc. plus whether they're text cells, tab order etc.

Choose Link to External Data, the rest should be quite explanatory. It will set the number of rows and columns automatically.

When it's all imported properly, then you can start formatting it. Here's some further info.

http://www.creativepro.com/story/howto/22921.html?origin=story

 

[Lincoln 6 Echo]

Sounds like it's the only way. Nice link but ran into something they don't explain on the site.

So I'm giving it a try right now. When I get to the Table Link window: Source Type: Excel (the only option in there), I 'Browse...', I find my .xls files but they're greyed out and non-selectable.

 

[Blue Velvet]

You may have to downsave them in Excel or ask for another table to sent in Excel 97-2004 format. Or there may be updated Import filters at Quark's website.

http://www.quark.com/service/desktop/downloads/

 

[Lincoln 6 Echo]

After thinking about pounding a hole through my PowerBook with my keyboard, i figured it out.

Even with Source Type: Excel (the only option, just need to mention that again ) Quark won't recognize .xls files unless you specify to 'Enable: All Documents' instead of 'Enable: All Readable Documents' (the default) when you Browse for the file.

One would think that since you can specify Excel as the Source Type, that .xls files are 'Readable Documents.' Guess not... Lame Quark, lame, this is v6.5 where's the common sense/intuitiveness?

I gotta try InDesign

 

[Lincoln 6 Echo]

I shouldn't have expected anything less, but minutes after solving one issue and thinking I've got a smoother road ahead QUARK gives me another issue.

When I select the file and click Open, it beachballs for 4 seconds then Quark crashes. Crashes every time. I read somewhere that Quark actually can't import Excel files and that the Excel files need to be converted. One site said convert to 'tab text' (??).

I've tried 97-2002, 95, Text (tab delimited), all these formats crash

I may be saying this soon:

Count me in as one of the former Quark users who've switched to Adobe CS/InDesign, with no desire of switching back. I'll take InDesign's ability to use layered Photoshop files (no more flattening and saving to TIFF), let alone its ability to import Excel as an editable table, over outdated sitting-on-its-laurels Quark anyday.​

For now though I'm going to have to barrel through Quark since I'm in a bind right now! Woohoo!

Any other help for my situation? Please throw it at me. Thx!

 

[Gee]

Ok, not as elegant, but it'll work.

1. Select all the data in your Excel chart.
2. Copy it and paste it into a new Word document - you'll get an enormous table
3. Click in the table, and select Convert > Table to Text from the Table menu - select Tabs in the dialogue that comes up.
4. Copy the whole lot and paste it into Quark.

You can set all the tab stops in advance to lay it out properly. Not pretty, but will save you keying the whole lot by hand.