Linking MS Word files into IDcs?

[Scott_Brinkman@adobeforums.com]

Is it possible to link MS Word files into Indesign cs files, and then when the Word file is changed or updated the changes will be made in the IDcs file as well?
Same would go for Excel files????

Thanks
Scott

[Bob_Levine]

Yes. Under preference there is a setting to maintain links for text and
spreadsheet files.

Warning: not only will the text be updated but any formatting you do in
ID will be lost.

Bob

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

Bob, how do you prefer doing this sort of thing? I don't like using the linking function or importing from Word/Excel because sometimes the formatting of the tables are lost. The last time I linked (I think it was a Word document), when I printed the draft out the shading, cells and borders were not the same as in the native application.

What I've been doing as a work around is creating a PDF from MS Word and placing that into ID. When I print this it comes out exactly like I think it should. If I make changes to the native document all I need to do is make a new PDF when I am done editing and update the link in ID.

[Bob_Levine]

I never link text. I copy and paste and keep the tables as native ID tables.

Bob

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

But when you do that does it look exactly the same as the MS document?

[Bob_Levine]

If I wanted it to look like the Word doc, I'd leave in Word.

Bob

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

Bob,

I'm ROTFLMAO

Ok, I guess you would have to see the situation I am faced with to better understand why these documents I work with need to look the same as they do in Word.

Thank you for your replies Bob. I really appreciate your comments because I feel you posses more knowledge than I and you've been tremendously helpful in the past.

Thanks for everything, cheers! :D

Gabriel