Today we will embed in IdExtenso the code we prepared in the previous episode. That's of course an important move, especially when you perform it for the very first time (since then you need to install the framework.) But you will discover in what follows the immediate advantages that $$ offers you…
Tag : ExtendScript
Porting your InDesign Script into IdExtenso — Step 1
September 07, 2021 | Tips | en
So, you have the root idea and a basic code for your next InDesign script. All is fine. It works so well that you're now planning to release it, which opens additional questions: Will it work everywhere? How do I trace risky functions? What if I need to integrate new features later on? How do I deal with persistent user settings? How to add a basic interface? How will I localize the dialog in other languages? Can I make my script available in a dedicated menu? Will it work in a JSXBIN package as well? Can I obfuscate my code?…
Page Range Formatter [UPDATE]
August 17, 2021 | Tips | en
Given an unordered set of page numbers—e.g. {13, 9, 25, 12, 11, 8}—we often have to compute and output a range specification in the form "8-9; 11-13; 25". While this topic has been already discussed in the InDesign scripting forum, I'd like to explore today a slightly different approach…
Drawing Sine Waves in InDesign [UPDATE]
March 21, 2021 | Snippets | en | fr
Computing Bézier curves that really look like sine waves is an exciting challenge for script developers. One needs to deal with both optimizing control points, transforming coordinate spaces and splitting curves. Here is a function that solves it all in ExtendScript for InDesign…
Understanding the `count( )` Method
November 13, 2020 | Tips | en
InDesign's scripting infrastructure is based on DOM objects (Document, Story, Paragraph…) and any such object has an associated collection (Documents, Stories, Paragraphs…). Collections typically arise in complex specifiers like myDocument.stories.everyItem().words. They also provide two essential members, the length property and the count() method. How do they differ?
The Tricky Side of `string.replace( )` in ExtendScript
September 14, 2020 | Tips | en
When you invoke myString.replace(...) in pure JavaScript, the “string being examined” is and remains myString during the whole operation. ExtendScript offers a slightly different mechanism that may unexpectedly alter the output string…
Why You Should Never Use `x==null` in ExtendScript
May 13, 2020 | Tips | en
The Japanese scripter あるふぁ found a bug affecting any ExtendScript code based on ...==null. This is not a critical issue (because experienced developers never use such condition!) but the case provides the opportunity to summarize important rules regarding falsey values and the equality operator…
InDesign Scripting Forum Roundup #13
June 06, 2019 | Snippets | en
Here are nine useful InDesign scripts extracted from one year of debate in the scripting branch of forums.adobe.com. There are snippets for every taste—text, layout, graphics, geometry, UI—so take a look!
PhysicalSize | Check Your Design At True 1:1 Magnification
February 08, 2019 | PhysicalSize | en | fr
Every InDesign user must accept this boring fact: “100% size preview is not actual size”. Because of this old unsolved flaw, graphic designers, layout artists, typographers… cannot trust the so-called “Actual Size” command. With PhysicalSize you will be able to recover your sight…
JsxBlind | The Case of “Nested” Variable Names
February 06, 2019 | JsxBlind | en
While version 2.1 of JsxBlind library has just been released, I'd like to focus on a technical issue you may have encountered. If the script to be obfuscated contains eval(…) or app.doScript(…) blocks, there is a good chance that abysmal errors arise. Here is the solution to this enigma…
How To Get parseInt( ) Fixed in ExtendScript
January 10, 2019 | Tips | en
The global method parseInt(str,radix) has a critical bug in ExtendScript. When radix is greater than 10, some undesired characters can be mistakenly parsed as valid digits, which corrupts the output. This issue is solved in IdExtenso…
Note on ScriptUI Mouse Events
December 19, 2018 | Tips | en
ScriptUI provides a set of usual mouse events (mouseover, mousedown, mouseup, click…) which are of primary interest in responsive user interfaces (UI). Developers can add event listeners to any UI component that needs to respond accordingly when the mouse enters the scene. But handling such events requires carefulness if your script has to support both CS and CC environments.
JsxBlind 2.0 Meets IdExtenso
October 31, 2018 | JsxBlind | en
Faster, cleaner, smarter, JsxBlind 2.001 is out! As a library, it now belongs to IdExtenso's toolbox, which I think is top-notch news for serious ExtendScript developers. Also available here is the “standalone version” (named JsxBlindRun) that should work fine from InDesign CS4-CC or ESTK…
InDesign Scripting Forum Roundup #12
June 11, 2018 | Snippets | en
Hey scripters, are you familiar with InDesign events, event listeners, menu actions, idle tasks? That's the hot focus of the 12th ISFR. Plus a fine selection of threads and snippets involving GREP, text, CMYK swatches, IDML, transformations… Enjoy the ride!
IDUG Paris : présentation IdExtenso [PDF]
May 23, 2018 | Extras | fr
Ce mardi, l'équipe du InDesign User Group Paris a accueilli votre serviteur en grandes pompes — enfin, pointure 42, n'exagérons rien — pour une initiation en douceur au framework IdExtenso. Plutôt que de m'égarer dans une technicité inaudible, j'ai profité de cette invitation pour rassembler quelques repères sur le scripting InDesign, échantillons à l'appui, avec des pistes pour les développeurs plus motivés. En résulte un PDF que j'ai la faiblesse de tenir pour un bon préambule si vous vous lancez dans l'automatisation pour InDesign : IdExtenso-Slides.pdf (1,4 Mo).
JsxBlind 1.008: Important Bug Fix [OBSOLETE]
April 21, 2018 | JsxBlind | en
JsxBlind v.1.008 is now available and fixes a serious issue you may have encountered using the previous version. Thanks to my colleagues Davide Barranca and Justin Putney it has been found that JsxBlind's output could be corrupted when originating from a process that relies on a persistent engine…
SelToPng | Quick InDesign-to-PNG Serializer
November 06, 2017 | Tips | en
As an InDesign maniac I often use it for achieving tasks that would normally involve Illustrator or Photoshop. The best example of this deviance is PNG conversion. You read it well! And here is a tool that translates any InDesign shape, group, or whatever, into a PNG stream. Not a big deal, but let me explain…
IdExtenso: ExtendScript Framework for InDesign Ninjas
April 20, 2017 | Extras | en
Driven by a mix of vanity and liberalness I decided to make public the building blocks of my InDesign scripting framework, which I called IdExtenso. The alpha release is now available on my GitHub account and will be regularly extended in the coming weeks and months…
« previous entries - Page 2 of 3 - next entries »