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mikejlkemp
mikejlkemp
Known Participant
May 17, 2022
Answered

Find and Replace function for Bridge

  • May 17, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 7993 views

Hi there. I used to have this incredible Find and Replace function for Bridge. It meant I could strip out a given part of a caption in the description field and replace it. I used it to strip out credit information. It used to look like this. I recently had to wipe and reinstall my Mac and I have lost it. Does anyone know where I can get this and how to load it back into Bridge? Thank you!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer gregreser
Looking at Paul Riggott's original Find Replace In Description script, I noticed that it runs this command when it loads: app.document.chooseMenuItem("PurgeCacheForSelected");
 
I'm guessing that there was a problem with metadata edits not always displaying and that purging the cache solved that. Ineed, I experienced the same blank Description as @mikejlkemp after running Find Replace In Description. I then manually purged the cache and the edited Description displayed.
 
Riggott's script used a simple XMP write method:  md.description =  . It might be that this does not work well in Bridge 2022. I changed the script to use the xmp.serialize method and that seems to work better.
 

 

#target bridge
if( BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge" ) { 
ReplaceDescription = new MenuElement("command", "Find and Replace Description/Caption", "at the end of tools");
}
 // Load the XMP Script library
if( !xmpLib){
	if( Folder.fs == "Windows" ){
		var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/AdobeXMPScript.dll";
	}
	else{
		var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/AdobeXMPScript.framework";
	}
	var libfile = new File( pathToLib );
	var xmpLib = new ExternalObject("lib:" + pathToLib );
}
ReplaceDescription.onSelect = function () { 
var win = new Window( 'dialog', 'Find & Replace' ); 
//g = win.graphics;
//var myBrush = g.newBrush(g.BrushType.SOLID_COLOR, [0.99, 0.99, 0.99, 1]);
//g.backgroundColor = myBrush;
win.orientation='column';
win.p1= win.add("panel", undefined, undefined, {borderStyle:"black"}); 
win.p1.preferredSize=[380,100];
win.g1 = win.p1.add('group');
win.g1.orientation = "row";
win.title = win.g1.add('statictext',undefined,'Description/Caption Editor');
win.title.alignment="fill";
var g = win.title.graphics;
g.font = ScriptUI.newFont("Georgia","BOLDITALIC",22);
win.p6= win.p1.add("panel", undefined, undefined, {borderStyle:"black"}); //Replace
win.p6.preferredSize=[380,100];
win.g600 =win.p6.add('group');
win.g600.orientation = "row";
win.g600.alignment='fill';
win.g600.st1 = win.g600.add('statictext',undefined,'Replace');
win.g600.st1.preferredSize=[75,20];
win.g600.et1 = win.g600.add('edittext');
win.g600.et1.preferredSize=[200,20];
win.g610 =win.p6.add('group');
win.g610.orientation = "row";
win.g610.alignment='fill';
win.g610.st1 = win.g610.add('statictext',undefined,'With');
win.g610.st1.helpTip="Leave this field blank if you want to remove the characters";
win.g610.st1.preferredSize=[75,20];
win.g610.et1 = win.g610.add('edittext');
win.g610.et1.preferredSize=[200,20];
win.g620 =win.p6.add('group');
win.g620.orientation = "row";
win.g620.alignment='fill';
win.g620.cb1 = win.g620.add('checkbox',undefined,'Global');
win.g620.cb1.helpTip="Replace all occurrences of";
win.g620.cb2 = win.g620.add('checkbox',undefined,'Case Insensitive');
win.g620.cb2.value=true;
win.g620.cb3 = win.g620.add('checkbox',undefined,'Remove any ()[]');
win.g620.cb3.value=false;
win.g1000 =win.p1.add('group');
win.g1000.orientation = "row";
win.g1000.alignment='center';
win.g1000.bu1 = win.g1000.add('button',undefined,'Process');
win.g1000.bu1.preferredSize=[170,30];
win.g1000.bu2 = win.g1000.add('button',undefined,'Cancel');
win.g1000.bu2.preferredSize=[170,30];
win.g1000.bu1.onClick=function(){
if(win.g600.et1.text == ''){
    alert("No replace value has been entered!");
    return;
    }
 win.close(0);
var sels = app.document.selections;
for(var a in sels){
var thumb = sels[a];
// Get the metadata object 
md = thumb.synchronousMetadata;
    // Get the XMP packet as a string and create the XMPMeta object
    var xmp = new XMPMeta(md.serialize());

if(win.g620.cb1.value && !win.g620.cb2.value) var patt = new RegExp (win.g600.et1.text.toString(),"g");
if(!win.g620.cb1.value && win.g620.cb2.value) var patt = new RegExp (win.g600.et1.text.toString(),"i");
if(win.g620.cb1.value && win.g620.cb2.value) var patt = new RegExp (win.g600.et1.text.toString(),"gi");
if(!win.g620.cb1.value && !win.g620.cb2.value) var patt = new RegExp (win.g600.et1.text.toString());

        // Read existing dc:description property
        var Caption = xmp.getArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC,"description", 1);
        // Change existing dc:description property based on user input
        var result=patt.test(Caption.toString());
        if(result == true){
            var newCaption = Caption.toString().replace(patt,win.g610.et1.text.toString());
            if(win.g620.cb3.value)  newCaption = newCaption.replace(/["'\(\)]/g, "");
            }
		// Delete the dc:description property
		xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_DC, "description");	
		// Populate the new dc:description property and set lang to x-default
		xmp.appendArrayItem(XMPConst.NS_DC, "description", newCaption, 0, XMPConst.ALIAS_TO_ALT_TEXT);
		xmp.setQualifier(XMPConst.NS_DC, "description[1]", "http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace", "lang", "x-default");
        
/*
    // Paul Riggott's original write method
md.namespace =  "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/";
var Caption = md.description ? md.description[0] : "";
if(Caption == "") continue;
var result=patt.test(Caption.toString());
if(result == true){
    var newCaption = Caption.replace(patt,win.g610.et1.text.toString());
    if(win.g620.cb3.value)  newCaption = newCaption.replace(/["'\(\)]/g, "");
    md.description='';
    md.description = newCaption;
        }
 */
 	// Write the packet back to the selected file
	var updatedPacket = xmp.serialize(XMPConst.SERIALIZE_OMIT_PACKET_WRAPPER | XMPConst.SERIALIZE_USE_COMPACT_FORMAT);
	thumb.metadata = new Metadata(updatedPacket);
    }
}
win.show();
//app.document.chooseMenuItem("PurgeCacheForSelected");
};

 

 

3 replies

PECourtejoie
Community Expert
PECourtejoieCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 6, 2022

I wanted to thank you all scripters for the great work you do for the community!

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 21, 2022

    OK, my MacBook is back! @mikejlkemp it looks like there may be a solution offered by @gregreser ? Have you tested it yet? If it works, please mark his reply as the correct answer. If you need further assistance, please let the forum know.

    mikejlkemp
    mikejlkempAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 21, 2022

    Hi Stephen, good news about your Macbook! Afraid the solution isn't quite there, although great of @gregreser to help. This is what it is doing:

     

    When you use the script on one caption, the caption disappears completely, but then if you navigate away to another program and go back, the caption comes back, minus the part chosen to remove.

     

    If you then do more than one picture, again the captions completely disappear (which is a bit worrying at the time) but then if you navigate away as previously, the caption is still gone. But if you quite bridge, and restart, the captions come back, minus their removed parts.

     

    So, it's a bit clunky and doesn't quite instill much confidence. So need somehow to get this working without having to quit and restart Bridge. 

     

    Cheers,

     

    Mike

    mikejlkemp
    mikejlkempAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 21, 2022

    Hi again @Stephen_A_Marsh well, it looks like @gregreser has solved it. He found a piece in the script which was  stripping out the caption. I'm delighted! Mike

    gregreser
    gregreser
    Legend
    May 17, 2022

    I think that script was created by Paul Riggott. You can find his scripts at https://github.com/Paul-Riggott/PS-Scripts 

    The one you want is Find and Replace.jsx It looks like it has been updated from the version you have. it now allows you to edit metadata in many different fields (your version only changed Description/Caption).

      mikejlkemp
      mikejlkempAuthor
      Known Participant
      May 17, 2022

      Thank you very much for that Greg, that hopefully will do it! Do you know how I input that script into Bridge to make it work? (apologies, I am no expert.) Thanks again, Mike

      gregreser
      gregreser
      Legend
      May 17, 2022

      No problem. Here's how you install it:

       

      On Github, click the green Code button, then click Download ZIP

       

      Unzip this and look for the file Find and Replace.jsx

      You will copy this file in the Bridge Startup Scripts folder. To find this folder:

      In Bridge, go to Preferences > Startup Scripts > Reveal My Startup Scripts

       

      Copy Find and Replace.jsx in this folder.

      Restart Bridge and confirm you want to load the script.

      It should now appear in the Tools menu.

       

      Let me know how it goes.

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