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M
Marshall_Brooks
Inspiring
January 21, 2026
Answered

Delete only EMPTY Trailing Paragraphs

  • January 21, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 89 views

@frameexpert - I'm not sure if it was supplied by you or someone else, but I have a script that deletes empty paragraphs at the end of a document, but it deletes the paragraph if it doesn't contain text (i.e. it will delete paragraphs with an anchor for an anchored frame or with a table anchor also.) I need to revise the script to ONLY delete empty paragraphs.

As a workaround, I've told our writers to add a couple of spaces before or after the marker, which solves the problem, but it's not a permanent solution.
This is the script:

var doc = app.ActiveDoc;
DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc);
function DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc)
{

    var pgf;

    // Get the last paragraph in the main flow.
    pgf = GetLastParagraph(doc);
    // Loop backwards through the empty paragraphs.
    while (pgf.ObjectValid () === 1)
    {
        // If the paragraph is empty, delete it.
        if (getPgfText (pgf) === "")
        {
            pgf.Delete ();
        }
        else
        { // Otherwise, exit the loop.
            break;
        }
//        pgf =  GetLastParagraph(doc);
    }
}
function GetLastParagraph(doc)
{
    var pgf
    // Loop through the paragraphs in the document's main flow.
    pgf = doc.MainFlowInDoc.FirstTextFrameInFlow.FirstPgf;
    while (pgf.ObjectValid() === 1)
    {
        //            text = getPgfText(pgf, doc);
        //            Console (text);
        if (pgf.NextPgfInFlow.ObjectValid()===0)
        {
            return pgf;
        }
        else
        {
            pgf=pgf.NextPgfInFlow;
        }
    }
} // End GetLastParagraph

function getPgfText(pgf)
{
    var text, textList, count, i;
    textList = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_String);
    text = "";
    count = textList.length;
    for (i = 0; i < count; i += 1)
    {
        text += (textList[i].sdata);
    }
    return text;
} //end getPgfText

Thank you in advance!!!

Correct answer frameexpert

You can plug this into your script. This is more reliable than testing for no text in a paragraph. You should be able to figure out how to call it with your code.

function pgfIsEmpty (pgf) {
    
    var textItems;

    textItems = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_PgfEnd);
    if (textItems[0].offset === 0) {
        if (pgf.PgfNumber === "") {
            if (pgf.BottomSeparator === "") {
                if (pgf.TopSeparator === "") {
                    return true;
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return false;
}

2 replies

frameexpert
Community Expert
frameexpertCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
January 21, 2026

You can plug this into your script. This is more reliable than testing for no text in a paragraph. You should be able to figure out how to call it with your code.

function pgfIsEmpty (pgf) {
    
    var textItems;

    textItems = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_PgfEnd);
    if (textItems[0].offset === 0) {
        if (pgf.PgfNumber === "") {
            if (pgf.BottomSeparator === "") {
                if (pgf.TopSeparator === "") {
                    return true;
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return false;
}
www.frameexpert.com
    M
    Marshall_BrooksAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2026

    @frameexpert - thanks - I'll try that out, but I'm sure it works!!!

    Also - something weird is going on with the forum - I posted my own solution, but it is here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/framemaker-discussions/delete-only-empty-trailing-paragraphs/m-p/15671943#M88958 - I didn't double-post, but I got a lot of "Something went wrong" errors. Maybe a moderator can merge these?

     

    frameexpert
    Community Expert
    frameexpertCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 21, 2026

    It might be the forum. I got one of those earlier today.

    www.frameexpert.com
    M
    Marshall_BrooksAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2026

    @frameexpert - I'm not sure if it was supplied by you or someone else, but I have a script that deletes empty paragraphs at the end of a document, but it deletes the paragraph if it doesn't contain text (i.e. it will delete paragraphs with an anchor for an anchored frame or with a table anchor also.) I need to revise the script to ONLY delete empty paragraphs.

    As a workaround, I've told our writers to add a couple of spaces before or after the marker, which solves the problem, but it's not a permanent solution.
    This is the script:

    var doc = app.ActiveDoc;
DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc);
function DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc)
{

    var pgf;

    // Get the last paragraph in the main flow.
    pgf = GetLastParagraph(doc);
    // Loop backwards through the empty paragraphs.
    while (pgf.ObjectValid () === 1)
    {
        // If the paragraph is empty, delete it.
        if (getPgfText (pgf) === "")
        {
            pgf.Delete ();
        }
        else
        { // Otherwise, exit the loop.
            break;
        }
//        pgf =  GetLastParagraph(doc);
    }
}
function GetLastParagraph(doc)
{
    var pgf
    // Loop through the paragraphs in the document's main flow.
    pgf = doc.MainFlowInDoc.FirstTextFrameInFlow.FirstPgf;
    while (pgf.ObjectValid() === 1)
    {
        //            text = getPgfText(pgf, doc);
        //            Console (text);
        if (pgf.NextPgfInFlow.ObjectValid()===0)
        {
            return pgf;
        }
        else
        {
            pgf=pgf.NextPgfInFlow;
        }
    }
} // End GetLastParagraph

function getPgfText(pgf)
{
    var text, textList, count, i;
    textList = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_String);
    text = "";
    count = textList.length;
    for (i = 0; i < count; i += 1)
    {
        text += (textList[i].sdata);
    }
    return text;
} //end getPgfText

    Thank you in advance!!!

    M
    Marshall_BrooksAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2026

    Solved - Rather crude, but ... it works!!!

    var doc = app.ActiveDoc;
DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc);
function DeleteBlankParagraphs(doc)
{

    var pgf;

    // Get the last paragraph in the main flow.
    pgf = GetLastParagraph(doc);
    // Loop backwards through the empty paragraphs.
    while (pgf.ObjectValid () === 1)
    {
        // If the paragraph is empty, delete it.
        if (getPgfText (pgf) === "" && getPgfTblAnchor (pgf)=== false && getPgfAFrame (pgf)===false)
        {
            pgf.Delete ();
        }
        else
        { // Otherwise, exit the loop.
            break;
        }
//        pgf =  GetLastParagraph(doc);
    }
}

function GetLastParagraph(doc)
{
    var pgf
    // Loop through the paragraphs in the document's main flow.
    pgf = doc.MainFlowInDoc.FirstTextFrameInFlow.FirstPgf;
    while (pgf.ObjectValid() === 1)
    {
        //            text = getPgfText(pgf, doc);
        //            Console (text);
        if (pgf.NextPgfInFlow.ObjectValid()===0)
        {
            return pgf;
        }
        else
        {
            pgf=pgf.NextPgfInFlow;
        }
    }
} // End GetLastParagraph

function getPgfText(pgf)
{
    var text, textList, count, i;
    textList = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_String);
    text = "";
    count = textList.length;
    for (i = 0; i < count; i += 1)
    {
        text += (textList[i].sdata);
    }
    return text;
} //end getPgfText

function getPgfTblAnchor(pgf)
{
    var text, textList, count;
    textList = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_TblAnchor);
    text = false;
    count = textList.length;
    if (count>0)
    {
        text = true
     }
    return text;
} //end getPgfTblAnchor

function getPgfAFrame(pgf)
{
    var text, textList, count;
    textList = pgf.GetText (Constants.FTI_FrameAnchor);
    text = false;
    count = textList.length;
    if (count>0)
    {
        text = true
     }
    return text;
} //end getPgfAFrame
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