Adobe 65009333 Scripting Guide - Page 22

Scripting Features

Using the doScript method

22

The

doScript

method has many possible uses:

➤

Running a script in another language that provides a feature missing in your main scripting language.

For example, VBScript lacks the ability to display a file or folder browser, which JavaScript has.

AppleScript can be very slow to compute trigonometric functions (sine and cosine), but JavaScript

performs these calculations rapidly. JavaScript does not have a way to query Microsoft® Excel for the

contents of a specific spreadsheet cell, but both AppleScript and VBScript have this capability. In all

these examples, the

doScript

method can execute a snippet of scripting code in another language,

to overcome a limitation of the language used for the body of the script.

➤

Creating a script “on the fly.” Your script can create a script (as a string) during its execution, which it

can then execute using the

doScript

method. This is a great way to create a custom dialog or panel

based on the contents of the selection or the attributes of objects the script creates.

➤

Embedding scripts in objects. Scripts can use the

doScript

method to run scripts that were saved as

strings in the

label

property of objects. Using this technique, an object can contain a script that

controls its layout properties or updates its content according to certain parameters. Scripts also can

be embedded in XML elements as an attribute of the element or as the contents of an element. See

“

Running scripts at start-up

” on page 23

.

Sending parameters to doScript

To send a parameter to a script executed by

doScript

, use the following form (from the

DoScriptParameters tutorial script):

var myParameters = ["Hello from DoScript", "Your message here."];

var myJavaScript = "alert(\"First argument: \" + arguments[0] + \"\\rSecond argument:

\" + arguments[1]);";

app.doScript(myJavaScript, ScriptLanguage.javascript, myParameters);

if(File.fs == "Windows"){

var myVBScript = "msgbox arguments(1), vbOKOnly, \"First argument: \" &

arguments(0)";

app.doScript(myVBScript, ScriptLanguage.visualBasic, myParameters);

}

else{

var myAppleScript = "tell application \"Adobe InCopy CS4\\rdisplay dialog(\"First

argument\" & item 1 of arguments & return & \"Second argument: \" & item 2 of arguments

& return & end tell";

app.doScript(myAppleScript, ScriptLanguage.applescriptLanguage, myParameters);

}

Returning values from doScript

To return a value from a script executed by

doScript

, you can use the

scriptArgs

(short for “script

arguments”) object of the application. The following script fragment shows how to do this (for the

complete script, see the DoScriptReturnValue tutorial script):

Section	Page
Introduction	6
How to use the scripts in this document	6
About the structure of the scripts	6
For more information	6
Getting Started	7
Installing scripts	7
Running scripts	8
Using the scripts panel	8
JavaScript language details	8
Using the scripts in this document	9
Your first InCopy script	9
Walking through the script	10
Scripting terminology and the InCopy object model	10
Scripting terminology	10
Comments	10
Values	10
Variables	11
Operators	12
Conditional statements	12
Control structures	13
Functions	13
Understanding the InDesign and InCopy object model	13
Looking at the InCopy object model	15
Measurements and positioning	16
Coordinates	16
Measurement units	16
Adding features to “Hello World”	17
Scripting Features	19
Script preferences	19
Getting the current script	20
Script versioning	21
Targeting	21
Compilation	21
Interpretation	21
Using the doScript method	21
Sending parameters to doScript	22
Returning values from doScript	22
Running scripts at start-up	23
Session and main script execution	23
Text and Type	25
Entering and importing text	25
Stories and text frames	25
Adding text to a story	25
Replacing text	26
Inserting special characters	26
Placing text and setting text-import preferences	27
Exporting text and setting text-export preferences	30
Text objects	34
Selections	35
Moving and copying text	36
Text objects and iteration	37
Formatting text	38
Setting text defaults	38
Fonts	41
Applying a font	42
Changing text properties	42
Changing text color	43
Creating and applying styles	43
Deleting a style	45
Importing paragraph and character styles	45
Finding and changing text	45
Find/change preferences	46
Finding text	46
Finding and changing formatting	47
Using grep	48
Using glyph search	50
Tables	50
Autocorrect	54
Footnotes	54
User Interfaces	55
Dialog-box overview	55
Your first InCopy dialog box	56
Adding a user interface to “Hello World”	57
Creating a more complex user interface	57
Working with ScriptUI	59
Creating a progress bar with ScriptUI	60
Creating a button-bar panel with ScriptUI	60
Menus	63
Understanding the menu model	63
Localization and menu names	65
Running a menu action from a script	66
Adding menus and menu items	66
Menus and events	67
Working with script menu actions	68
Events	70
Understanding the event scripting model	70
About event properties and event propagation	72
Working with eventListeners	73
A sample “afterNew” eventListener	75
XML	77
Overview	77
The best approach to scripting XML in InCopy	77
Scripting XML Elements	77
Setting XML preferences	78
Setting XML import preferences	78
Importing XML	79
Creating an XML tag	79
Loading XML tags	79
Saving XML tags	79
Creating an XML element	80
Moving an XML element	80
Deleting an XML element	80
Duplicating an XML element	80
Removing items from the XML structure	81
Creating an XML comment	81
Creating an XML processing instruction	81
Working with XML attributes	81
Working with XML stories	82
Exporting XML	83
Adding XML elements to a story	83
Associating XML elements with text	83
Inserting text in and around XML text elements	83
Mapping tags to styles	84
Mapping styles to tags	84
Applying styles to XML elements	85

Adobe 65009333 Scripting Guide - Page 22

Sending parameters to doScript, Returning values from doScript

Page 22 highlights