Prices in data files do not usually include a currency mark. However, you may prefer to display a currency mark with the prices that DesignMerge is updating. For example, perhaps you would like to add the $ currency mark to prices when DesignMerge updates them.

One way to do this is to set up the DesignMerge variable link for the prices to add a currency symbol when DesignMerge updates the variable link's placeholders in a document. Another way to do this is to assign a DesignMerge Price Style to the price placeholders.

VARIABLE LINK SETTINGS

To set up a variable link, for example, to prefix prices with a $ currency symbol, follow the steps below:

1. Open the document in InDesign.
2. Open the Variable Links dialog.
   Open the DesignMerge menu and select Setup > Variable Links. 
3. Select the variable link that you wish to edit.
   On the left side of the Variable Links dialog, select the name of the variable link that updates prices in the document. This will display that variable link's settings on the right side of the dialog.
4. Specify the Prefix and/or Suffix.
   • To prefix the price with a $ currency symbol, select the Prefix check box and enter "$" for the Prefix.
   • Or, add a suffix to the price by selecting the Suffix check box and enter the information that you would like to have appended to the prices.
   • You can also set up a variable link to add both a prefix and a suffix. For example, select the Prefix check box and enter "$" for the Prefix. Then, also select the Suffix check box and enter "USD" for the Suffix.
5. When ready, click OK to save the changes and close the dialog. 
6. Update one linked price to confirm the new settings.
   Select one instance of the linked price in the document, open the DesignMerge panel (DesignMerge > View > DesignMerge Panel) and click the Update button on the panel. 

PRICE STYLE MODULE

DesignMerge supports a Price Style feature that will apply custom formatting automatically when DesignMerge updates prices in a document. This feature lets you set up multiple price styles. For each price style that you set up, you control whether an updated price placeholder displays the dollars or the cents or both portions of a price, and whether to add currency symbols at the same time. The relative size of each component, as well as the positioning of these elements, can be specified in the Price Style module user interface. 

Additionally, a price style can be set up to format a price differently when the price is an even dollar amount or when the price is less than one dollar. This unique Smart Price option gives you three styles in one, allowing all of these scenarios to be handled with a single Price Style definition. 

The Price Style Module is a standard component of the DesignMerge Catalog software and is available as an add-on module to the DesignMerge Pro and DesignMerge Server software. You can find instructions to set up and apply Price Styles in DesignMerge Documentation. 

WHAT IF PRICE DATA IS NOT IN A PRICE FORMAT

If a price in a data file is not in a dollar and cents format (for example, "1.00"), DesignMerge can still apply price formatting to that data. For more information, please see the Can DesignMerge format variable price data that is not in a dollar and cents format? knowledgebase article.