Adobe 65010248 Scripting Guide - Page 10

C

HAPTER

1: Introduction

Executing scripts

10

Installing scripts in the Scripts menu

To include a script in the Scripts menu (File > Scripts), save the script in the Scripts folder, located in the

/Illustrator

CS4/Presets

folder in your Illustrator CS4 installation directory. The script’s filename,

minus the file extension, appears in the Scripts menu.

Scripts that you add to the Scripts folder while Illustrator is running do not appear in the Scripts menu until

the next time you launch Illustrator.

Any number of scripts can be installed in the Scripts menu. If you have many scripts, use subfolders in the

Scripts folder to help organize the scripts in the Scripts menu. Each subfolder is displayed as a separate

submenu containing the scripts in that subfolder.

Executing scripts from the Other Scripts menu item

The Other Scripts item at the end of the Scripts menu (File > Scripts > Other Scripts) allows you to execute

scripts that are not installed in the Scripts folder.

Selecting Other Scripts displays a Browse dialog, which you use to navigate to a script file. When you select

the file, the script is executed.

Only files that are of one of the supported file types are displayed in the browse dialog. For details, see

“

Script support in Adobe Illustrator CS4

” on page 7

.

Startup scripts (.jsx scripts only)

JavaScript scripts with a

.jsx

file extension can be installed in one of two folders, so the scripts run

automatically when you launch Illustrator and each time you run a script. The folders are:

➤

An application-specific startup scripts folder, which contains scripts for Illustrator CS4

➤

A general startup scripts folder, which contains scripts that run automatically when you start any

Creative Suite 4 application

Application-specific startup scripts folder

You must place application-specific startup scripts in a folder named

Startup

Scripts,

which you create

in the Illustrator installation directory.

For example, when Illustrator CS4 is installed to its default location, you would create the

StartupScripts

folder at the following location:

➤

Windows:

C:\Program

Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator

CS4\Startup

Scripts\

➤

Mac OS:

/Applications/Adobe

Illustrator

CS4/Startup

Scripts/

JavaScript scripts with a

.jsx

extension placed in the

Startup

Scripts

folder run automatically when:

➤

The application is launched.

➤

Any JavaScript file is selected from the Scripts menu (File > Scripts).

Section	Page
Introduction	6
What is scripting?	6
Why use scripting?	6
What about actions?	6
Script support in Adobe Illustrator CS4	7
ExtendScript features	7
ExtendScript tools	7
Script file extensions	7
Viewing sample scripts	8
Viewing the object model	8
Viewing the JavaScript object model	8
Viewing the AppleScript object model	8
Viewing the VBScript object model	9
Executing scripts	9
Installing scripts in the Scripts menu	10
Executing scripts from the Other Scripts menu item	10
Startup scripts (.jsx scripts only)	10
Application-specific startup scripts folder	10
General startup scripts folder	11
Changes since CS3	11
Known issues	16
The Illustrator Scripting Object Model	17
Object-naming conventions	18
Top-level (containing) objects	18
Application	18
Document	19
Layer	19
The artwork tree	19
Art styles	20
Color objects	21
Text objects	21
Text frames	21
Text geometry	22
Objects that represent text content	22
Text ranges	23
Text styles	23
Dynamic objects	24
Symbols	24
Transformations	24
Scripting Illustrator	25
Launching and quitting Illustrator from a script	25
Launching and activating Illustrator	25
AppleScript	25
JavaScript	25
VBScript	25
Quitting Illustrator	26
AppleScript	26
JavaScript	26
VBScript	26
Working with objects	26
Getting the frontmost document or layer	26
Creating new objects	26
Collection objects	27
AppleScript	27
JavaScript	27
VBScript	28
Selected objects	28
Selecting text	28
Selecting art items	28
Referring to selected art items	28
Notes on renaming objects stored in the application’s panels	28
Measurement units	29
Em space units	29
Page-item positioning and dimensions	29
Art item bounds	30
Paths and shapes	31
User-interaction levels	31
AppleScript	31
JavaScript	32
VBScript	32
Printing Illustrator documents	32
Scripting with AppleScript	33
For more information	33
Your first Illustrator script	33
Adding features to “Hello World”	34
Object references	34
Obtaining objects from documents and layers	35
Creating new objects	35
Working with selections	35
Selecting artwork objects	36
Working with text frames	36
Threaded frames	36
Threaded frames make one story object	37
Creating paths and shapes	37
Paths	37
Specifying a series of x-y coordinates	37
Using path point objects	37
Combining path point types	38
Shapes	38
Write-once access	39
Creating a rectangle	39
Creating a polygon	39
Scripting with JavaScript	40
For more information	40
Your first Illustrator script	40
Adding features to “Hello World”	41
Working with methods in JavaScript	41
Accessing and referencing objects	42
Referencing the application object	42
Accessing objects in collections	42
Creating new objects	43
Working with selections	44
Selecting artwork objects	44
Working with text frames	44
Threaded frames	44
Threaded frames make a single story object	45
Creating paths and shapes	45
Paths	45
Specifying a series of x-y coordinates	45
Using pathPoint objects	45
Combining path point types	46
Shapes	46
Creating a rectangle	47
Creating a polygon	47
Scripting with VBScript	48
For more information	48
Your first Illustrator script	48
Adding features to “Hello World”	49
Accessing and referencing objects	49
Obtaining objects from collections	49
Creating new objects	50
Working with selections	50
Selecting artwork objects	50
Working with text frames	51
Threaded frames	51
Threaded frames make a single story object	51
Creating paths and shapes	51
Paths	51
Specifying a series of x-y coordinates	52
Using path point objects	52
Combining path-point types	53
Shapes	53
Creating a rectangle	53
Creating a polygon	54
Working with enumeration values	54

Adobe 65010248 Scripting Guide - Page 10

Installing scripts in the Scripts menu, Executing scripts from the Other Scripts menu item

Page 10 highlights