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Adobe 0046100128056 Scripting Guide - Page 52

Getting the active layer, Referring to layers by layer index, Using relative references, Given a layer

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CHAPTER 4: Working with Layers Scripting Layers 52 Getting the active layer The active layer is the layer on which new objects are created. You can get the active layer using scripting, as shown in the following script fragment. (For the complete script, see ActiveLayer.) //Given a document "myDocument"... var myDocument = app.documents.item(0); var myLayer = myDocument.activeLayer; Referring to layers by layer index You can get a reference to a layer using the index of the layer in the layers collection of a document. The script fragment below uses the layer index to iterate through layers. (For the complete script, see HideOtherLayers.) //Given a document "myDocument"... var myTargetLayer = myDocument.activeLayer; for(var myCounter = 0; myCounter < myDocument.layers.length; myCounter++){ //If the layer is not the target layer, hide it. if(myDocument.layers.item(myCounter).name != myTargetLayer.name){ myDocument.layers.item(myCounter).visible = false; } } Note that you can use negative numbers to refer to the layers in the layers collection of a document. Layer -1 refers to the last (bottom) layer in the collection. Referring to layers by layer name You also can get a reference to a layer using the name of the layer, as shown in the following script fragment. (For the complete script, see LayerName.) var myLayer = app.documents.item(0).layers.item("Text Layer"); Using relative references Given a layer, you can refer to the layer above using the previousItem method, or refer to the layer below using the nextItem method, as shown in the following script fragment. (For the complete script, see RelativeLayerReferences.) Both methods take a reference layer as a parameter. //Given a document "myDocument"... var myLayer = myDocument.layers.item(4); myDocument.activeLayer = myLayer; var myNextLayer = myDocument.layers.nextItem(myLayer); var myPreviousLayer = myDocument.layers.previousItem(myLayer); var myString = "The layer below the target layer is " + myNextLayer.name + "\r"; myString += "The layer above the target layer is " + myPreviousLayer.name; alert(myString); The previousItem and nextItem methods return an invalid layer reference if the specified (next or previous) layer does not exist, rather than generating an error.

Section	Page
Adobe® InDesign® CS5 Scripting Guide: JavaScript	2
Introduction	9
How to Use the Scripts in this Document	9
About the Structure of the Scripts	9
For More Information	10
Other JavaScript development options	10
Scripting Features	11
Script Preferences	11
Getting the Current Script	12
Script Versioning	12
Targeting	13
Compilation	13
Interpretation	13
Using the doScript Method	13
Sending parameters to doScript	14
Returning values from doScript	14
Controlling Undo with doScript	16
Working with Script Labels	16
Running Scripts at Startup	18
Session and Main Script Execution	18
Documents	19
Basic Document Operations	20
Creating a new document	20
Opening a document	20
Saving a document	21
Closing a document	21
Basic Page Layout	22
Defining page size and document length	22
Defining bleed and slug areas	23
Setting page margins and columns	24
Changing the appearance of the pasteboard	25
Guides and grids	26
Changing measurement units and ruler	28
Defining and applying document presets	29
Setting up master spreads	31
Adding XMP metadata	32
Creating a document template	33
Creating watermarks	37
Adjusting Page Sizes and Layout	38
Selecting pages	38
Resizing and reframing pages	39
Transforming pages	39
Master page overlay	40
Printing a Document	41
Printing using page ranges	41
Setting print preferences	41
Printing with printer presets	44
Exporting a Document as PDF	44
Exporting to PDF	45
Setting PDF export options	45
Exporting a range of pages to PDF	46
Exporting individual pages to PDF	47
Exporting PDF with Interactive Features	48
Exporting Pages as EPS	48
Exporting all pages to EPS	48
Exporting a range of pages to EPS	48
Exporting as EPS with file naming	49
Working with Layers	50
Understanding the Layer Object Model	50
Scripting Layers	51
Creating layers	51
Referring to layers	51
Deleting layers	53
Moving layers	53
Duplicating layers	53
Merging layers	53
Assigning page items to layers	54
Setting layer properties	54
Working with Page Items	56
Creating Page Items	56
Page-item geometry	57
Grouping Page Items	59
Duplicating and Moving Page Items	59
Creating compound paths	60
Using Pathfinder operations	60
Converting page-item shapes	61
Arranging page items	62
Transforming Page Items	62
Using the transform method	62
Working with transformation matrices	63
Coordinate spaces	65
Transformation origin	66
Resolving locations	67
Transforming points	68
Transforming again	69
Resize and Reframe	69
Text and Type	71
Entering and Importing Text	71
Creating a text frame	71
Adding text	72
Stories and text frames	72
Replacing text	73
Inserting special characters	73
Placing Text and Setting Text-Import Preferences	74
Exporting Text and Setting Text-Export Preferences	77
Understanding Text Objects	81
Working with text selections	83
Moving and copying text	83
Text objects and iteration	85
Working with Text Frames	86
Linking text frames	86
Unlinking text frames	87
Removing a frame from a story	87
Splitting all frames in a story	89
Creating an anchored frame	89
Formatting Text	90
Setting text defaults	90
Working with fonts	93
Applying a font	94
Changing text properties	94
Changing text color	97
Creating and applying styles	97
Deleting a style	99
Importing paragraph and character styles	99
Finding and Changing Text	100
About find/change preferences	100
Finding and changing text	101
Finding and changing text formatting	101
Using grep	102
Using glyph search	104
Working with Tables	104
Path Text	108
Autocorrect	108
Footnotes	108
Span Columns	109
Setting Text Preferences	109
User Interfaces	111
Dialog Overview	111
Your First InDesign Dialog	112
Adding a User Interface to “Hello World”	113
Creating a More Complex User Interface	113
Working with ScriptUI	116
Creating a progress bar with ScriptUI	116
Events	118
Understanding the Event Scripting Model	118
About event properties and event propagation	118
Working with Event Listeners	119
Sample afterNew Event Listener	121
Sample beforePrint Event Listener	122
Sample Selection Event Listeners	123
Sample onIdle Event Listener	124
Menus	128
Understanding the Menu Model	128
Localization and menu names	130
Running a Menu Action from a Script	131
Adding Menus and Menu Items	131
Menus and Events	132
Working with scriptMenuActions	133
A More Complex Menu-scripting Example	134
Working with Preflight	140
Exploring Preflight Profiles	140
Listing preflight profiles	140
Listing preflight rules	141
Listing preflight data objects	141
Importing a Preflight Profile	142
Creating a Preflight Profile	143
Adding Rules	144
Processing a Profile	145
Custom Rules	146
Available Rules	146
ADBE_BlankPages	148
ADBE_BleedSlug	148
ADBE_BleedTrimHazard	149
ADBE_Colorspace	149
ADBE_CrossReferences	149
ADBE_FontUsage	150
ADBE_ImageColorManagement	150
ADBE_ImageResolution	150
ADBE_PageCount	151
ADBE_PageSizeOrientation	151
ADBE_ScaledGraphics	151
ADBE_ScaledType	151
ADBE_SmallText	152
ADBE_SpotColorSetup	152
ADBE_StrokeRequirements	152
ADBE_TextOverrides	152
ADBE_TransparencyBlending	152
Creating Dynamic Documents	153
Importing Movies and Sounds	153
Creating Buttons	154
Creating Multistate Objects	156
Working with Animation	158
Basic animation	158
TimingSettings	158
Animating transformations	161
Motion presets	162
Design options	162
Key frames	163
Adding Page Transitions	164
XML	165
Overview	165
The Best Approach to Scripting XML in InDesign	165
Scripting XML Elements	166
Setting XML preferences	166
Setting XML import preferences	166
Importing XML	167
Creating an XML tag	167
Loading XML tags	168
Saving XML tags	168
Creating an XML element	168
Moving an XML element	168
Deleting an XML element	168
Duplicating an XML element	168
Removing items from the XML structure	169
Creating an XML comment	169
Creating an XML processing instruction	169
Working with XML attributes	169
Working with XML stories	170
Exporting XML	170
Adding XML Elements to a Layout	171
Associating XML elements with page items and text	171
Marking up existing layouts	172
Applying styles to XML elements	174
Working with XML tables	175
XML Rules	178
Overview	178
Why use XML rules?	179
XML-rules programming model	179
XML Rules Examples	185
Setting up a sample document	185
Getting started with XML rules	186
Changing the XML structure using XML rules	190
Duplicating XML elements with XML rules	191
XML rules and XML attributes	192
Applying multiple matching rules	194
Finding XML elements	195
Extracting XML elements with XML rules	198
Applying formatting with XML rules	199
Creating page items with XML rules	202
Creating Tables using XML Rules	203
Scripting the XML-rules Processor Object	204
Track Changes	206
Tracking Changes	206
Navigating tracked changes	206
Accepting and reject tracked changes	207
Information about tracked changes	207

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HAPTER

4: Working with Layers

Scripting Layers

Getting the active layer

The

active layer

is the layer on which new objects are created. You can get the active layer using scripting,

as shown in the following script fragment. (For the complete script, see ActiveLayer.)

//Given a document "myDocument"...

var myDocument = app.documents.item(0);

var myLayer = myDocument.activeLayer;

Referring to layers by layer index

You can get a reference to a layer using the index of the layer in the layers collection of a document. The

script fragment below uses the layer index to iterate through layers. (For the complete script, see

HideOtherLayers.)

//Given a document "myDocument"...

var myTargetLayer = myDocument.activeLayer;

for(var myCounter = 0; myCounter < myDocument.layers.length; myCounter++){

//If the layer is not the target layer, hide it.

if(myDocument.layers.item(myCounter).name != myTargetLayer.name){

myDocument.layers.item(myCounter).visible = false;

}

Note that you can use negative numbers to refer to the layers in the layers collection of a document. Layer

-1 refers to the last (bottom) layer in the collection.

Referring to layers by layer name

You also can get a reference to a layer using the name of the layer, as shown in the following script

fragment. (For the complete script, see LayerName.)

var myLayer = app.documents.item(0).layers.item("Text Layer");

Using relative references

Given a layer, you can refer to the layer above using the

previousItem

method, or refer to the layer below

using the

nextItem

method, as shown in the following script fragment. (For the complete script, see

RelativeLayerReferences.) Both methods take a reference layer as a parameter.

//Given a document "myDocument"...

var myLayer = myDocument.layers.item(4);

myDocument.activeLayer = myLayer;

var myNextLayer = myDocument.layers.nextItem(myLayer);

var myPreviousLayer = myDocument.layers.previousItem(myLayer);

var myString = "The layer below the target layer is " + myNextLayer.name + "\r";

myString += "The layer above the target layer is " + myPreviousLayer.name;

alert(myString);

The

previousItem

and

nextItem

methods return an invalid layer reference if the specified (next or

previous) layer does not exist, rather than generating an error.