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sttk3
Legend
July 31, 2025
Answered

How to get the current page index of a pdf/ai placed as a PlacedItem via ExtendScript

A pdf/ai can have multiple pages, and when placing it, the user specifies the target page (if not specified, it defaults to 1).

 

So, is there a way to determine the page of a pdf/ai file that has already been placed as a PlacedItem within a document?

 

I know there is no direct property to express this. In other words, I am looking for either a workaround method like embedding it first and then examining the PageItem structure, or an unexpected method that elegantly solves this problem.

 

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CarlosCanto
CarlosCantoCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 1, 2025

Here you go, select your placed pdf before running

 

// Elegant solution to get selected linked PDF item's page number
selection[0].relink(selection[0].file);
var currentPage = app.preferences.getIntegerPreference ("plugin/PDFImport/PageNumber");
alert("Current page number: " + currentPage);

 

 

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10 replies

sttk3Author
Legend
August 7, 2025

There was an object that was more accessible in the script for getting the current page number.

var currentPage = app.preferences.PDFFileOptions.pageToOpen ;
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    CarlosCanto
    Community Expert
    CarlosCantoCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    August 1, 2025

    Here you go, select your placed pdf before running

     

    // Elegant solution to get selected linked PDF item's page number
selection[0].relink(selection[0].file);
var currentPage = app.preferences.getIntegerPreference ("plugin/PDFImport/PageNumber");
alert("Current page number: " + currentPage);

     

     

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      m1b
      Community Expert
      m1bCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 1, 2025

      Carlos you absolute LEGEND!!  😄

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        CarlosCanto
        Community Expert
        CarlosCantoCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        August 1, 2025

        😁

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          m1b
          Community Expert
          m1bCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          July 31, 2025

          Hi @sttk3 sadly I don't know of any way to do this, so I will be watching this question.

           

          I can imagine a very hacky approach that might work in most cases. The script would:

          1. export the placed image as svg (with a known position and matrix).

          2. place each page of the pdf (give it the same position and matrix) and export as svg.

          3. compare 1 with 2 until you find a match (I'm hoping there might be a good place to look for a match, rather than byte-by-byte).

           

          I'm sorry for how terrible that is, but it's all I can think of. I will wait to see if anyone has any good ideas.

          - Mark

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          sttk3Author
          Legend
          July 31, 2025

          Thank you for your idea. At the moment, the only method I can think of is the messy one that we have suggested. I wish there were a simpler way.

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