After years of manually exporting and renaming Data Merge-generated market sheets in InDesign, I decided to automate this process. The result? A free, open-source script that handles batch exports with intelligent file naming.

The Problem

Data Merge in InDesign is powerful for generating multiple pages from data, but it lacks flexible export options. I detest repeated tasks that are needlessly tedious – there is almost always a better, more efficient way to get the job done. When you need files named based on their content (like “2025-UCLA-Market-Sheet.pdf” instead of “Page1.pdf”), you’re stuck with manual work.

The Solution

Working with Claude AI, I developed a script that:

• Exports all pages or a single page
• Names files based on page content, pulling from a selected Paragraph Style
• Supports PDF, JPG, and PNG formats
• Handles special characters intelligently
• Works with cloud storage

Development Process

The script went through 12 revisions over approximately 2 hours, utilizing Anthropic Claude AI. Each iteration improved functionality:

• Initial file export capability
• Enhanced UI design
• Improved file dialog integration
• Robust error handling
• Special character management

Using LLM for Development

Pros:

• Rapid prototyping and iteration
• Boosts my otherwise novice JavaScripting skills
• Comprehensive error handling
• Best practices implementation
• Detailed documentation generation
• Suggestions for improvement

Cons:

• Need for careful testing of each version
• Some trial-and-error with InDesign-specific features
• Required understanding of desired functionality to guide development

Try It Yourself

Find the script on GitHub. Feedback and contributions welcome!