Adobe 65010248 Scripting Guide - Page 34

C

HAPTER

4: Scripting with AppleScript

Object references

34

Adding features to “Hello World”

Next, we create a new script that makes changes to the Illustrator document you created with your first

script. Our second script demonstrates how to:

➤

Get the active document.

➤

Get the width of the active document.

➤

Resize the text frame to match the document’s width.

If you already closed the Illustrator document, run your first script again to create a new document.

Follow these steps:

1.

In Script Editor, choose File > New to create a new script.

2.

Enter the following code:

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

-- current document is always the active document

set docRef to the current document

set docWidth to the width of docRef

-- resize the text frame to match the page width

set width of text frame 1 of docRef to docWidth

-- alternatively, one can reference the item directly, as follows:

set width of text frame 1 of current document to docWidth

end tell

3.

Run the script.

Object references

In AppleScript, Illustrator returns object references by index position or name. For example, this is a

reference to the first path in layer 2:

path item 1 of layer 2 of document 1

An object’s index position may change when other objects are created or deleted. For example, when a

new path item is created on

layer

2

, the new path item becomes

path

item

1

of

layer

2

of

document

1

.

This new object displaces the original path item, forcing the original to index position 2; therefore, any

references made to

path

item

1

of

layer

2

of

document

1

refer to the new object. This method of

applying index numbers assures that lowest index number refers to the object that was worked on most

recently.

Consider the following sample script:

-- Make 2 new objects and try to select both

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

set newDocument to make new document

set rectPath to make new rectangle in newDocument

set starPath to make new star in newDocument

set selection of newDocument to {rectPath, starPath}

end tell

This script does not select both the rectangle and the star, as intended; instead, it selects only the star. Try

running the script with the Event Log window open, to observe the references returned from Illustrator for

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 34

Adding features to “Hello World”, Object references

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