Multiple Page Data Merge for two sided cards

[Kinokame]

I'm having some trouble figuring out the data merge functionality for multiple page documents.

What I need to do:

Create a set of two sided cards, with text on both sides. I have an excel spreadsheet with a line for each card, with fields for the text for both sides (ie I don't have separate lines for side A and side B). The help guide explicitly mentions using the Record Origin for double sided sheets, so it seems that it should be possible to achieve.

I have tried to use the Data Merge Layout Tool, and have laid out four cards per page.  

This works fine for the first side, and puts the correct data in subsequent cards.

However, when I add the Data Merge Layout Tool on the second page, it doesn't seem to work. I am able to get it to reverse the layout order for the card flip to work, but on the second page either none of my data is inserted, or it continues sequentially from the previous page (So I get the side B text for records 5-8, not the side B text for records 1-4).

 

To illustrate, what I need to get is:

Page 1

Record 1 Side A Text   Record 2 Side A Text

Record 3 Side A Text  Record 4 Side A Text

Page 2

Record 2 Side B Text.   Record 1 Side B Text.

Record 4 Side B Text.   Record 3 Side B Text.

Page 3

Record 5 Side A Text. Record 6 Side A Text

Record 7 Side A Text  Record 8 Side A Text

etc

 

What I get is:

Page 1

Record 1 Side A Text   Record 2 Side A Text

Record 3 Side A Text  Record 4 Side A Text

Page 2

Record 6 Side B Text.   Record 5 Side B Text.

Record 8 Side B Text.   Record 7 Side B Text.

Page 3

Record 9 Side A Text   Record 10 Side A Text

Record 11 Side A Text  Record 12 Side A Text.

 

 

[lacerto]

If I got your idea right, try with this:

doublesided_setup.afpub

It has this Excel sheet linked:

doublesided.xlsx

...and it creates this:

doublesided_merged.afpub

What this does is first defines the first page normally, but on second page it forces -4 as the record offset, then it flips horizontally the data grid so that the records get flown in reverse order, and finally flips horizontally also the text field so that the text is not mirrored.

EDIT: And welcome to the forums 🙂 

EDIT2: Just realized that the Record Origin tool that you had used does the same thing as my double horizontal flip, so it works more elegantly. So it seems that you only missed the -4 offset on the second page to get your design working.

[Old Bruce]

Brilliant. I was tearing my hair out, and as you can tell from my avatar I don't have much left. Now I just have to figure out why the record offset for page two made it work.

[lacerto]

25 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

why the record offset for page two made it work.

It backs up four records so after n:os 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been processed on first page, it starts again on record 1. On third page it then continues from record 5. This is a brilliant feature. And I just realized that there is no need for the reverse trick (horizontal flip) because there is this record origin. But the reverse trick is useful when using a column-based flow!