In the first empty row of the newly created field, use the formula builder to create the following formula that includes the concatenate function. This function is used when entries in several cell must appear together in the same cell. To accomplish this task, use the concatenate function of Excel. In this example it will be called #Qremail. The Excel file only contains the email address of the consultant, so a new field that will become the syntax for the QR code must be created. Assuming the data is supplied as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, the answer lies in a formula type called Concatenation.įor example, take the following cards that need a QR code to email the consultant. So, the question is how to use a database that has no dedicated QR code field so that InDesign can apply variable QR codes. The problem – the semi-colon was missing before the SUB, and the \n ( new line instruction) is not necessary given that the semi-colons indicate the end of a line. It is missing a character and contains unnecessary data. Eventually, I discovered that the code on Adobe’s Help page is incorrect: While the Adobe Help page suggests using the VCARD method, the MECARD and BUSCARD methods also work.Īs for the code to send an email, I initially had difficulty following the instructions on the Adobe Help site, so I used an alternative coding method – the W3C standard (rather than the MATMSG standard as suggested in Adobe’s Help). It is also of note that there are several ways to write the code for contact information. A list of ways of writing the metadata can be found on this page. This allows the QR codes to contain information such as Geo-location coordinates. However, any metadata available for QR codes can be used, provided the metadata is written correctly. The Adobe Help page lists five different ways that the metadata can be written, such as Plain Text, Web Hyperlink, Text Message, Email, or Business Card. It is also possible to include more information so that the QR code reader can provide further information for the code being scanned, such as names and addresses for “virtual card” information. Put simply, at the start of the QR code, there is information that tells the QR code reader what kind of data is about to be parsed, for example: Before tackling this issue, it is important to understand what is going on. This is where most InDesign users may encounter problems, especially if they are unfamiliar with QR code metadata, and how to easily apply this metadata to existing information in a database. The QR codes have to be written containing any necessary metadata specific for their purpose.The codes will always display as black, though the background color can be changed.The field header must have a hashtag at the start of the field name (e.g.The record that contains the information to become a QR code must be a field of its own.Instead, a new field must be created specifically for the records that are to appear as QR codes. For example, if someone wanted an email address to appear as the QR code so that the result (once scanned) will send an email to a given address, it means they cannot use a field already in a database and apply the QR code field from the Data Merge panel. This said, it means that QR codes are not applied the way most users would imagine. Adobe’s help site shows the QR code feature as “Enhanced Data Merge” towards the end of the page, and spells out the specifics of how the code must be written. The instructions provided by Adobe for creating variable QR codes in InDesign may provide a false sense of security for most end-users. Data Merge QR Codes were a feature added to InDesign CC 2014.
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