Functions for InDesign

Miscellaneous useful functions and titbits of code sorted by alphabetized categories.

Cross reference

Backup

Book

Get book and pick book functions by Peter Kahrel
There is a property app.activeBook, but it doesn't work very well. Use these functions for that. They display a list of books from which you pick one.

DPS article

Excel

Get data directly from Excel

Font

Geometry: bounds, width, height, etc.

Get bounds

function myGetBounds(myDocument, myPage){
	var myPageWidth = myDocument.documentPreferences.pageWidth;
	var myPageHeight = myDocument.documentPreferences.pageHeight
	if(myPage.side == PageSideOptions.leftHand){
		var myX2 = myPage.marginPreferences.left;
		var myX1 = myPage.marginPreferences.right;
	}
	else{
		var myX1 = myPage.marginPreferences.left;
		var myX2 = myPage.marginPreferences.right;
	}
	var myY1 = myPage.marginPreferences.top;
	var myX2 = myPageWidth - myX2;
	var myY2 = myPageHeight - myPage.marginPreferences.bottom;
	return [myY1, myX1, myY2, myX2];
}

Get height by Dave Saunders

This function returns the height if the object in question has one.

function getHeight(theObj) { 
  if (theObj.hasOwnProperty("geometricBounds")) { 
    var theBounds = theObj.geometricBounds; 
    return(theBounds[2] - theBounds[0]); 
  } else if (theObj.hasOwnProperty("height")) { 
    return theObj.height; 
  } else { 
    throw "Object doesn't have a height." 
  } 
}

Get width and height function

Get width and height of page item

function WidthAndHeight(myRectangle) {
   var gb = myRectangle.geometricBounds;
   var myWidth = Math.floor((gb[3]-gb[1])*100)/100;
   var myHeight = Math.floor((gb[2]-gb[0])*100)/100;
   return [myWidth,myHeight];
}

Sort objects by geometric bounds function

Glyph

FontGlyphCount by Marc Autret — Fast Glyph Counter

Group

Group Add Items by Marc Autret — Easily add PageItems to a Group

Image

Get orientation

function GetOrientation(img) {
	var result = null;
	var gb = img.geometricBounds;
	var width = Math.floor((gb[3]-gb[1])*100)/100;
	var height = Math.floor((gb[2]-gb[0])*100)/100;

	if (height > width) {  
		result = "P";
	}
	else if (width > height) {
		result = "L";
	}
	
	return result;
}

Increment

Label

Layer

Make layer

var layer1 = MakeLayer("Text");
var layer2 = MakeLayer("Graphics", [0, 0, 255]);
var layer3 = MakeLayer("Quotes", UIColors.CUTE_TEAL);

function MakeLayer(name, layerColor) {
	var layer = doc.layers.item(name);
	if (!layer.isValid) {
		layer = doc.layers.add({name: name});
		if (layerColor != undefined) layer.layerColor = layerColor;
	}
	return layer;
}

Link

Log

Menu item

Override

Override all pageItems function

Report

Script

Get active script

function GetActiveScript() {
    try{
        return app.activeScript;
    }
    catch(err){
        return new File(err.fileName);
    }
}

Selection

Get selected story

function GetSelectedStory() {
	if (app.selection.length != 1) return null;
	var sel = app.selection[0];
	
	if (sel.parent instanceof Character) { // anchored box is selected -- get the main text flow
		selectedStory = sel.parent.parentStory;
	}
	else if (sel.hasOwnProperty("baseline") || sel.constructor.name == "TextFrame") {
		selectedStory = sel.parentStory;
		
		if (sel.constructor.name != "InsertionPoint") {
			selectedText = sel;
		}
	}
}

Get selected items that have the geometricBounds property

function GetSelection() {
	var selection = app.selection,
	selectedItems = [];
	
	for (var i = 0; i < selection.length; i++) {
		if (selection[i].hasOwnProperty("geometricBounds")) {
			selectedItems.push(selection[i]);
		}
	}

	return selectedItems;
}

Sorting

Text Sort Paragraphs by Marc Autret — Quick paragraph sorter

Sorting two arrays according to one (parallel arrays)

Sort file names function for Mac

Sort objects by geometric bounds

Special characters

Visualize special characters

Style

Check required function

Make object style

var sel = app.selection[0];

var objStyle = MakeObjStyle("Pop-up", {
	enableParagraphStyle: true,
	appliedParagraphStyle: "Pop-up",
	fillColor: doc.swatches.item("Black"), 
	fillTint: 15, 
	strokeWeight: 0, 
	enableTextFrameGeneralOptions: true,
	textFramePreferences: {insetSpacing: [1, 1, 1, 1]},
	objectEffectsEnablingSettings: {enableDropShadow: true},
	transparencySettings: {dropShadowSettings: {distance: 1.0, opacity: 70, size: 1, mode: ShadowMode.DROP}}
	});

sel.appliedObjectStyle = objStyle;


function MakeObjStyle(name, properties) {
	var objStyle = doc.objectStyles.item(name);
	if (!objStyle.isValid) {
		objStyle = doc.objectStyles.add({name: name});
		if (typeof properties !== "undefined") objStyle.properties = properties;
	}
	return objStyle;
}

Make paragraph style

var doc = app.activeDocument;
MakeParStyle("Pop-up", {appliedFont: "Arial", fontStyle: "Regular"});

function MakeParStyle(name, properties) {
	var parStyle = doc.paragraphStyles.item(name);
	if (!parStyle.isValid) {
		parStyle = doc.paragraphStyles.add({name: name});
		if (properties != undefined) parStyle.properties = properties;
	}
	return parStyle;
}

Make character style

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var style = MakeCharStyle("Pop-up", {appliedFont: "Arial", fontStyle: "Regular"});

function MakeCharStyle(name, properties) {
	var charStyle = doc.characterStyles.item(name);
	if (!charStyle.isValid) {
		charStyle = doc.characterStyles.add({name: name});
		if (properties != undefined) charStyle.properties = properties;
	}
	return charStyle;
}

Get style by name

function GetStyleByName(name, namesList, styles) {
	var result = null;
	
	for (var i = 0; i < namesList.length; i++) {
		if (namesList[i] == name) {
			result = styles[i];
		}
	}

	return result;
}

Swatch (Color)

Tables of Contents

Batch-update Tables of Contents by Marc Autret

Text

Get overset text

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var a = myDoc.stories[0].tables[0].cells[0, 0];
// var a = myDoc.stories[0];
b = getOversetText(a);


function getOversetText(textFlow) { 
	if (!textFlow.overflows) return null;
	var start = textFlow.characters[0];
	if (textFlow instanceof Cell) {
		if (textFlow.characters.length > 0) {
			start = textFlow.texts[0].characters[textFlow.contents.length];
		} 
	} else {   
		if (Number(String(app.version.split(".")[0])) > 4) {
					var myTFs = textFlow.textContainers;   
				} else {
					var myTFs = textFlow.textFrames;
				}
			for (var j = myTFs.length - 1; j >= 0; j--) {    
				if (myTFs[j].characters.length > 0) {       
					start = textFlow.characters[myTFs[j].characters[-1].index + 1];
					break;     
				}
			}
		} 
	return textFlow.texts.itemByRange(start, textFlow.texts[0].characters[-1]);
}

Get Previous paragraph by Harbs

function getPreviousPara(text){
  return text.parent.characters.item(text.paragraphs[0].index-1).paragraphs[0];
}
 
alert(getPreviousPara(app.selection[0]).contents);

Uncategorized

Override all pageItems function

Redefine scaling as 100 function by Marc Autret

Remove floppy symbols
Removes floppy drive symbols from imported paragraph and character styles, keeping properties intact.

Unit value

User

Get user name

function getUserName() {
    if (File.fs == "Windows") {
        return $.getenv("USERNAME");
    }
    else {
        return $.getenv("USER");
    }
}

Version

Get application version function

XML

Zoom

function ShowIt(theObj) {
	if (arguments.length > 0) {
		// Select object, turn to page and center it in the window
		app.select(theObj, SelectionOptions.replaceWith);
	}

	// Note: if no object is passed and there is no selection the current page
	// will be centered in the window at whatever zoom is being used
	var zoom = app.activeWindow.zoomPercentage;
	app.activeWindow.zoom(ZoomOptions.showPasteboard);
	app.activeWindow.zoomPercentage = zoom;
}