General

Feel free to download and use the scripts listed on this site. You run scripts at your own risk: I accept no liability for anything that you may think was caused by any of these scripts. Always take the necessary precautions. Most importantly, try out a script on copies of your documents, never on originals. When using scripts that work or may work on files in folders (such as the batch processor), consider zipping the files first or copying the contents of the folder somewhere else.

The scripts are in JavaScript and can be used both in Windows and on Macs. Several are in rough-and-ready form in that they use no interface, and variable information (style names, folder names, etc.) needs to be changed in the code. That's how I use most scripts. If you want an interface for any of the interfaceless scripts here, I'll add it for a fee.

The scripts are free to use, but acknowledgement will be appreciated. Any of these scripts can be customised; contact me for any special requirements (details at bottom of this page).

Downloading and installing scripts

To download a script from this site, right-click Show script and choose Save Target/Link As at the foot of the script's description page, then place the script in the script folder (locations are given below). Some pages have a Download script button instead of a "Show script" button; just click that when you see it.

Files that you downloaded which have the extension .jsx are ready to be run. Some scripts, however, are zipped. When you unzip these .zip files, you get a file with the extension .jsxbin. Treat such files as if they were .jsx files: place them in the scripts folder.

If the file you downloaded has a .txt extension, remove it and add the .jsx extension if necessary.

The Scripts folder

Where you store your Javascripts depends on your operating system and platform. The easiest way to find out where your scripts are is as follows. In InDesign, display the Scripts panel (Window > Utilities > Scripts; CS4 and earlier: Window > Automation > Scripts).

You can use either the Application folder or the User folder (the Community folder was introduced in InDesign CC2019). Scripts in the Application folder can be run by all users, those in User only by the current user. Anyway, click the folder that you want to use and in the fly-out pick Reveal in Explorer (PC) or Reveal in Finder (Mac).

In the window that opens now, click on the folder Scripts Panel. This is the folder where you should store your scripts.

Running a script

In InDesign, you run a script from the Script panel (Window > Utilities > Scripts; CS4 and earlier: Window > Automation > Scripts). Look for the script's name in the panel and double-click it. This goes for .jsx scripts and for .jsxbin scripts. When you use a script a lot or when you have many scripts, the Scripts panel gets awkward, and you can try other ways to run a script:

1. Use Quick Apply (press Ctrl+Enter on Windows, Command+Return on the Mac), type s: and any part of a script's name) to highlight a script, then press Enter.
2. My preferred way of running scripts: use the script launcher. It's a replacement for InDesign's Scripts panel.
3. Assign a script to a keyboard shrtcut.

Modifying a script

Scripts are plain text files and can be edited in any plain-text editor (Notepad, BBEdit, etc.). A convenient way to edit a script after you've installed it is this: in the script palette, right-click the script's name (or click the fly-out) and pick "Edit script". This will open the script in the ESTK – InDesign's JavaScript editor. Don't be intimidated by all kinds of windows you see or the different colours you see in the text: it's just plain text. Make any changes you want or are instructed to make, then save the script (File > Save) and exit the ESTK. (Note: scripts with the extension .jsxbin cannot be modified.)

Users of CS5 and later can do themsleves no bigger favour than installing InTools's Script Bay, an extension that makes modyfying scripts a breeze.

InDesign versions

Most scripts run in newer versions of InDesign, especially from CS3. But if a script doesn't run and you suspect or know that the script was written for a version older than your InDesign version, create a folder under your own script folder and include InDesign's version number in the name. The name must be Version n.n Scripts, where n.n is the InDesign version. Keep in mind that this is not the CS or CC version: CS6 is version 8 (when Adobe created the CS system, InDesign was at version 2, therefore CS corresponds with ID version 3, CS2 with ID version 4, etc.). The first InDesign CC was version number 9, CC2020 is version 15. To check an InDesign version, open the About screen (Help > About InDesign), the version number is displayed below the screen's title.

Donations/payment

To make a payment, please press the button below. By default, the generic 'InDesign script' will appear on your receipt, but you can change that text. This is Paypal's payment system; you don't need a Paypal account to use it: you can use several types/brands of credit and debit card.

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Contact

You can reach me via the address here.