On the Id-Extras.com forum, user @JuliaMJ asks:

“I have a combo box in which I need to upload a list of about 2,500 items. The batch function works well, but it only uploads the first 403 lines from my Excel file, the rest are skipped. Is there a workaround for this limitation?”

She is referring to the “Batch Import” feature in FormMaker that makes it easy to add multiple “choices” to a combo box or list box in InDesign:

TBH, I was not aware of any such limitation, but it’s true. The “edit box” (the window on the right in the screenshot above) is a standard Adobe ScriptUI widget, and it seems to have a limitation that it can hold a maximum of only 30,000 characters.

Normally, 30K characters is fine, but if you want to add 2500 choices to your combo box or list box, and each choice has some 20 characters, as the OP does, you’re in trouble! It can’t actually be done, because of this artificial limitation on edit boxes!

Combo SuperLoad to the Rescue!

To work around this issue, I’ve written a little helper script called “Combo SuperLoad” (it works with combo boxes and list boxes, not just combos, despite the name).

It is only necessary to use if the list of choices you want to load up into a combo box field or list box field contains a combined character count greater than 30,000! If the char count is less, just use FormMaker’s built-in “Batch Import” feature.

It is available for free download at the end of this post.

Instructions

Really simple:

(1) Type out your list of choices (and optionally export values) in Word, or any other text editor. Use the standard FormMaker rule: One line per item, and, if an export value is required, separate it with a / or a Tab (make sure to use only one or the other in your list of choices, not both). For example:

Seed Packet Assortment/SKU-1028
Raised Garden Bed/SKU-1029
Tomato Cage/SKU-1030

(2) Select the entire list, and copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C).

(3) Select a combo box or list box in InDesign and run the script. The contents of the clipboard will be loaded into the item list of the selected combo box or list box.

That’s it!

With this system, there is no limitation to the number of choices and their export values that can be added to a combo box or list box. I tried it with 10,000 items, and, though it took some time to load, it worked.

(I am reserving all judgment about the wisdom of having a list of so many items!)

What about ComboMambo?

For several years there has been an excellent free script out there called ComboMambo that does pretty much the same thing: It allows you to load, from a file, a list of choices into a combo box or list box. As far as I can tell, it still works great with InDesign 2025, and should work with FormMaker as well.

But… FormMaker is unique in allowing you to add crucial “export values” to each item in the list of choices. (For example, in the sample list above, the user-friendly choice is the name on the left (Seed Packet Assortment, etc.), and the export value would be the SKU number on the right (SKU-1028), separated from the choice by a / or Tab. Obviously, this is not something that ComboMambo supports.

So if you need to load a huge list of choices plus their export values, or if you prefer the system presented here (copying the list into the clipboard, rather than as a file), use Combo SuperLoad, which is written for, and fully compatible with, FormMaker.

Download Combo SuperLoad (free)

To download “Combo SuperLoad”, fill in your name and address and it will be automatically emailed. By doing so you also agree to receive occasional emails from Id-Extras.com with interesting InDesign tips and tricks, news, and free scripts.