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• • October 14, 2011 at 2:43 am #60757
    ivan_

    Member

    Hello,

    I am relatively new to scripting. I have managed to write one script already to update and append some xml text but have become quite stuck with this one.

    I am trying to run a simple script that is similar to the one written by the mighty Kasyan Servetsky:

    https://forums.adobe.com/thread…..9?tstart=0

    Though mine is much simpler.

    I need to replace the file path of all the graphic links in an indesign document from existing directory A to directory B.

    ============

    #target indesign

    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var myLinks = doc.links;

    myNewPath = 'c:tempnewproject'

    myOldPath = myLinks.filePath

    for (var i = links.length-1; i >= 0; i–) {
    var myLink = myLinks[i]

    var myLink.filePath.replace(myOldPath, myNewPath);

    myLink.update
    }

    =========

    I have tried lots of other ways but cannot seem to get anything to work.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Regards,

    Ivan

  • October 15, 2011 at 9:16 am #60776
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    Hi Ivan,

    It doesn't work because you made too many mistakes in your code.

    #target indesign
    var i, link, newFile,
    doc = app.activeDocument,
    links = doc.links,
    newPath = “/c/temp/newproject/”;

    for (i = links.length-1; i >= 0; i–) {
    link = links[i];
    newFile = new File(newPath + link.name);
    if (newFile.exists) link.relink(newFile);
    try {
    link.update();
    }
    catch(err) {}
    }

    BTW if you want to use Windows path names, you should escape backslashes:

    newPath = 'c:tempnewproject';

    I prefer URI path names:

    newPath = “/c/temp/newproject/”;

    Hope this helps.

    Kasyan

    P.S. I don't hang out on Adobe forums any more because they blocked access from my country. If you have more questions to me about scripting links (it's quite a tricky business), feel free to ask them here.

  • October 15, 2011 at 9:29 am #60778
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    In my previous post, forum software ate up double backslashes.
    It should be:

    newPath = 'c: backslash backslash temp backslash backslash newproject backslash backslash ';

  • October 15, 2011 at 4:01 pm #60779
    Theunis De Jong

    Member

    Kasyan, it's okay to use forward slashes in an InDesign script – even under Windows.

  • October 15, 2011 at 11:11 pm #60781
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    Yes, it is. Forward slashes work as well:

    newPath = “c:/temp/newproject/”;

    What I mean is that backslash is the escape character, so we must use a double backslash to indicate it. In the original post I see single backslashes:

    myNewPath = 'c:tempnewproject'

    Probably, initallly they were there, but the forum software removed them.

  • October 15, 2011 at 11:20 pm #60782
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    Oops! It removed them again. I guess, on this forum, we should type two backslashes for one, and four for two.

  • October 17, 2011 at 3:56 am #60787
    ivan_

    Member

    Thank you Kasyan, your help is greatly appreciated.

    The directory slashes seem to happen when copying and pasting from extendscript to the forum, it also seems to change the script 'i–'.

    Would it be possible to talk me through the script and its actions. This is as how I understand it:

    #target indesign = targets indesign application
    var i, link, newFile, = specifies variables

    
    doc = app.activeDocument, = specifies the active document as the file name
    links = doc.links, = name of all the links in the file
    newPath = “/c/temp/newproject/”; = new path string

    for (i = links.length-1; i >= 0; i–) { = loops through each link in links from 0 to infinity
    link = links[i]; = each link in the loop is a seperate string
    newFile = new File(newPath + link.name); =concatenates path and file name to create new file
    if (newFile.exists) link.relink(newFile); = loops throguh and relinks files
    try {
    link.update(); = update links
    }
    catch(err) {}
    }

    Was just wondering why you have to use 'try { }' and 'cath(err){}'.

    Regards,

    Iv

  • October 17, 2011 at 4:53 am #60788
    ivan_

    Member

    Ah right just looked up catch(err) am I correct in thinking it supresses any javascript errors?

    The script is running well, though I seem to have a slight glitch.

    Currently the indesign documents relinks embedded linked files to a new file location. The indesign document consists of two links to multi page pdf's with 4 instances each across the document (8 links in total).

    Some times the script runs and only two links remain embedded whilst another time the script may leave four links embedded. Is this something to do with a time out of the script? It seems to execute for several seconds then gives up re-linking.

    Would it be possible to add a function that loops the link.update(); until all links are re-linked?

    iv

  • October 17, 2011 at 8:37 am #60792
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    #target indesign
    Main();

    function Main() {
    // the following 4 lines declare variables
    // usually I declare all vars at the beginning of the function
    // when you declare a variable with var, you limit its scope to the function
    // (making them local),
    // otherwise the scope is global which may cause you problems
    // a rule-of-thumb is to use global vars only you really need them
    var i, link, newFile,
    doc = app.activeDocument, // set variable doc to the front most document
    links = doc.links, // set variable links to collection of all links
    newPath = “/c/temp/newproject/”; // path to the folder
    for (i = links.length-1; i >= 0; i–) { // loop through all links backwards
    // from the last to the first item
    // it's very important when you modify or remove items from collection
    // to process them back to front, never use in such cases direct loop like so:
    // for (i = 0; i < links.length; i++) {
    link = links[i]; // set variable link to the current link
    newFile = new File(newPath + link.name); // create file object
    if (newFile.exists) link.relink(newFile); // relink only if the file exists
    try { // if memory serves me right, unlike CS3,
    // CS4 doesn't need update() command after using relink()
    // if you use it , it would cause an error
    // I use try-catch block to make the script compatible with CS3 and above
    // In other words, if an error occurs here, skip it over and go on
    link.update();
    }
    catch(err) {}
    }
    }

    The links placed more than once are far more difficult to deal with — in short, they should be processed separately.

    I can give you a few examples of how I do this:

    Resize images for Power Switch (see the SetLink100percent function — this is the latest algorithm I made)

    Relink Images and Apply “Rich Black” Color for Power Switch (see the RelinkLink function)

    Resize images

  • October 22, 2011 at 11:51 am #60883
    Bill Pitts

    Member

    Hi Kasyan,

    I build a small community newspaper (24 pages) that appears twice a month and I've run across the same problem with my links. Obviously, a lot of the paper's graphics and the majority of the approximately 60 ads are the same from issue to issue, and I find myself putting a lot of time into assuring that the links are current — time that could be better spent with layout.

    As I can't afford an upgrade to my computer (Mac G4 from 2001) or to my software, will this script work with InDesign CS2?

    Thanks,

    Bill

  • October 23, 2011 at 1:18 am #60885
    Kasyan Servetsky

    Member

    Hi Bill,

    I just checked the InDesign CS2 Scripting Reference and yes, theoretically it should work. However, I can't check this in practice — don't have CS2 any more.

    Regards,
    Kasyan

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