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Creating a polygon, Working with enumeration values

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CHAPTER 6: Scripting with VBScript Working with enumeration values 54 Creating a polygon Consider the following sample: Set appRef = CreateObject("Illustrator.Application") Set frontDocument = appRef.ActiveDocument ' Create a new polygon with ' top = 144, left side = 288, width = 72, height = 144 Set newPolygon = frontDocument.PathItems.Polygon(144,288,72,7) The sample creates a polygon with these properties: ➤ The center point of the object is inset 2 inches (144 points) on the horizontal axis and 4 inches (288 points) on the vertical axis. ➤ The length of the radius from the center point to each corner is 1 inch (72 points). ➤ The polygon has 7 sides. Working with enumeration values Properties that use enumeration values in VBScript use a numeral rather than a text value. For example, the Orientation property of the TextFrame object specifies whether text content in the text frame is horizontal or vertical. The property uses the aiTextOrientation enumeration, which has two possible values, aiHorizontal and aiVertical. To find the numeral values of enumerations, use either of the following: ➤ The object browser in your scripting editor environment. See "Viewing the VBScript object model" on page 9. ➤ The Adobe Illustrator CS4 Scripting Reference: VBScript, which lists the numeral values directly after the constant value in the "Enumerations" chapter at the end of the book. The following example is from that table: Enumeration type AiTextOrientation Values aiHorizontal = 0 aiVertical = 1 What it means The orientation of text in a text frame The following sample specifies vertical text orientation: Set appRef = CreateObject ("Illustrator.Application") Set docRef = appRef.Documents.Add Set textRef = docRef.TextFrames.Add textRef.Contents = "This is some text content." textRef.Left = 50 textRef.Top = 700 textRef.Orientation = 1 Generally, it is considered good scripting practice to place the text value in a comment following the numeral value, as in the following sample statement: textRef.Orientation = 1 ' aiVertical

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

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HAPTER

6: Scripting with VBScript

Working with enumeration values

Creating a polygon

Consider the following sample:

Set appRef = CreateObject("Illustrator.Application")

Set frontDocument = appRef.ActiveDocument

' Create a new polygon with

' top = 144, left side = 288, width = 72, height = 144

Set newPolygon = frontDocument.PathItems.Polygon(144,288,72,7)

The sample creates a polygon with these properties:

➤

The center point of the object is inset 2 inches (144 points) on the horizontal axis and 4 inches

(288 points) on the vertical axis.

➤

The length of the radius from the center point to each corner is 1 inch (72 points).

➤

The polygon has 7 sides.

Working with enumeration values

Properties that use enumeration values in VBScript use a numeral rather than a text value. For example,

the

Orientation

property of the

TextFrame

object specifies whether text content in the text frame is

horizontal or vertical. The property uses the

aiTextOrientation

enumeration, which has two possible

values,

aiHorizontal

and

aiVertical

To find the numeral values of enumerations, use either of the following:

➤

The object browser in your scripting editor environment. See

“

Viewing the VBScript object model

” on

page 9

➤

The

Adobe Illustrator CS4 Scripting Reference: VBScript

, which lists the numeral values directly after the

constant value in the “Enumerations” chapter at the end of the book. The following example is from

that table:

The following sample specifies vertical text orientation:

Set appRef = CreateObject ("Illustrator.Application")

Set docRef = appRef.Documents.Add

Set textRef = docRef.TextFrames.Add

textRef.Contents = "This is some text content."

textRef.Left = 50

textRef.Top = 700

textRef.Orientation = 1

Generally, it is considered good scripting practice to place the text value in a comment following the

numeral value, as in the following sample statement:

textRef.Orientation = 1 ' aiVertical

Enumeration type

Values

What it means

AiTextOrientation

aiHorizontal = 0

aiVertical = 1

The orientation of text in a text frame