These are some script fragments to create basic elements in InDesign and in Quark
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The right record |
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When dealing with FileMaker from an AppleScript perspective it is necessary to tell it which record to get data from or set data to as well as which field (in AppleScript terms a 'cell'). Being in a record is not enough. Also note that fields must actually be on the current layout (or must be addressed with a 'tell layout' whatever its name or id is. The first 'set' command in the AppleScript uses the first record of the current found records. In the same way 'record 4' is the fourth. Both will change with the found set. To the left is the FileMaker script that runs the AppleScripts. It adds a 'tell' to address the current record. |
set myFirst to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
tell current record
set mySecond to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
set myThird to repetition 2 of cell "parameters"
end tell
tell record 4
set myFourth to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
end tell
set myResult to {myFirst, mySecond, myThird, myFourth}
--we quietly omitted the first record on opening. The next command runs a FileMaker script to show all. If you run the AppleScript again you will see different results.
do script "showAll" -- A FileMaker script
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Passing |
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While one might well always pass a single parameter from an AppleScript variable to FileMaker Fields, we are using repeating fields to pass groups of parameters. In AS they will be stored as lists and in FP as repeating fields. btw the 'Clear' button above runs a simple AppleScript using this fact to clear all the repetitions in the returns field: tell current record set cell "returns" to {"", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""} end tell |
tell current record
set fred to cell "parameters"
set cell "returns" to reverse of fred
end tell
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New Document |
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This creates a new document using whatever the default settings are. |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
activate
set tempdoc to make new document --gives us a reference to the document
end tell
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tell application "QuarkXPress"
activate
set tempdoc to make new document --gives us a reference to the document
end tell
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Simple Add Text |
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This adds a block of text, again using the default font, but setting the size and leading. It also sets the units to points (just in case yours are set to, say, inches The order for the bounds is: {top, left, bottom, right} |
tell current record
set myText to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
end tell
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
activate
tell view preferences
set horizontal measurement units to points
set vertical measurement units to points
end tell
set tempdoc to document 1 --gives us a reference to an existing document
tell tempdoc
set tempbox to make text frame with properties {geometric bounds:{10.6, 131, 259.3, 548.7}, fill color:"None", contents:myText}
set properties of every paragraph of tempbox to {point size:20, leading:26}
end tell
end tell
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tell current record
set myText to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
end tell
tell application "QuarkXPress"
activate
set tempdoc to document 1 --gives us a reference to an existing document
tell tempdoc
set horizontal measure to points
set vertical measure to points
set temppage to page 1 of tempdoc
tell temppage
--the guts of the script
set tempbox to make text box at beginning with properties {class:text box, color:null, bounds:{10.6, 131, 259.3, 548.7} as points rectangle}
tell tempbox
set temptext to make new paragraph at beginning with properties {size:"20", leading:"26"}
set text of temptext to myText
end tell
--the end of the guts of the script
end tell
end tell
end tell
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Simple Get Text |
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This gets text that we created in the previous step. |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set myreturns to {"InD", contents of page item 1 of page 1, ""}
end tell
end tell
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tell application "QuarkXPress"
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set myreturns to {"QXP", "", text of text box 1 of page 1}
end tell
end tell
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Simple Add Rectangle |
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This creates a rectangle with a given size and stroke. |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
activate
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set tempbox to make rectangle with properties {geometric bounds:{200, 200, 300, 400}, stroke weight:3.0, stroke color:"Black"}
end tell
end tell
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tell application "QuarkXPress"
activate
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set tempbox to make picture box at end with properties {bounds:{"200 pt", "200 pt", "300 pt", "400 pt"} as points rectangle, frame:{width:"3.0 pt"}}
end tell
end tell
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Simple Get Rectangle |
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This gets the bounds of the graphic that we created in the previous step. |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set myreturns to geometric bounds of rectangle 1 of page 1
end tell
end tell
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tell application "QuarkXPress"
set tempdoc to document 1
tell tempdoc
set myreturns to (bounds of picture box 1 of page 1) as list
end tell
end tell
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Close Documents |
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This closes the documents we were working with, without saving. Try is used for error trapping (we can have an "on error" handler to deal with any errors). |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
activate
try
close every document saving no
--constants: ask, no, yes
end try
end tell
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tell application "QuarkXPress"
activate
try
close every document saving no
end try
end tell
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Transform Reference Point |
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Here we start to meet the bigger differences between InDesign and QuarkXpress’Äîthe InD script uses a concept that is absent from QXP. I happen to like being able to set the reference point for transformations and use it quite often. (In the QXP version the shell script used to set the view scale can cause problems (if, for example, it includes a refresh rate---as it did in the session :-) ) |
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
set tempdoc to make new document with properties {page height: "450 pt", page width: "700 pt"}
activate
tell tempdoc
-- we make some guides so we can better see what's happening
make new guide with properties {orientation:vertical, location:200}
make new guide with properties {orientation:vertical, location:300}
make new guide with properties {orientation:vertical, location:400}
make new guide with properties {orientation:horizontal, location:200}
make new guide with properties {orientation:horizontal, location:250}
make new guide with properties {orientation:horizontal, location:300}
--this is the guts of the script
delay 2
tell layout window 1
set transform reference point to top left anchor
--choices
--top left anchor/top center anchor/top right anchor
--left center anchor/center anchor/right center anchor
--bottom left anchor/bottom center anchor/bottom right anchor
end tell
set tempbox to make rectangle with properties {geometric bounds:{200, 200, 300, 400}, stroke weight:3.0, stroke color:"Black"}
delay 2
rotate tempbox by 45
delay 2
tell layout window 1
set transform reference point to bottom right anchor
end tell
set tempbox to make rectangle with properties {geometric bounds:{200, 200, 300, 400}, stroke weight:3.0, stroke color:"Black"}
delay 2
rotate tempbox by 45
delay 2
tell layout window 1
set transform reference point to center anchor
end tell
set tempbox to make rectangle with properties {geometric bounds:{200, 200, 300, 400}, stroke weight:3.0, stroke color:"Black"}
delay 2
rotate tempbox by 45
delay 2
end tell
end tell
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property pageSize : {450, 700}
tell application "QuarkXPress"
activate
set tempdoc to make new document --gives us a reference to the document
tell tempdoc
set horizontal measure to points
set vertical measure to points
set page height to ((item 1 of pageSize) as text) & "¬Ýpt"
set page width to ((item 2 of pageSize) as text) & "¬Ýpt"
set view scale to (((last word of (do shell script "system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution") as number) - 250) * 100 / (item 1 of pageSize))
tell page 1
make new vertical guide at end with properties {position:200}
make new vertical guide at end with properties {position:300}
make new vertical guide at end with properties {position:400}
make new horizontal guide at end with properties {position:200}
make new horizontal guide at end with properties {position:250}
make new horizontal guide at end with properties {position:300}
end tell
set tempbox to make picture box at end with properties {bounds:{"200 pt", "200 pt", "300 pt", "400 pt"} as points rectangle, frame:{width:"3.0 pt"}}
delay 2
set rotation of tempbox to 45
display dialog "Sorry can't do the rest!" buttons "OK"
end tell
end tell
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U. I. |
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You will often want to suppress the user interaction of scripts. This InD script could set the user interaction to the opposite of what it is ...I mean was ... but it makes more sense this way There is an intermediate level of "interact with alerts" which will display alerts but not dialogs and I haven't found a use for that yet. I have not been able to find anything similar in QXP |
tell current record
set myFlag to repetition 1 of cell "parameters"
end tell
tell application "Finder"
set myFile to (choose file)
end tell
tell application "Adobe InDesign CS2"
--if user interaction level of script preferences is never interact then
-- (that would let you run this as a toggle)
if myFlag is "interact" then
set user interaction level of script preferences to interact with all
else
set user interaction level of script preferences to never interact
end if
set myResult to (user interaction level of script preferences) as text
open myFile
end tell
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tell application "Finder"
set myFile to (choose file)
end tell
tell application "QuarkXPress"
open myFile
set myResult to "QXP ??"
end tell
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