I'm looking for a script that converts text lines to text blocks and vice versa.

Hi ​@dublove here are a couple of functions for converting between POINT-type and AREA-type text frames. Be prepared for a learning curve—Illustrator text frames, unfortunately, are not the same as Indesign’s. Illustrator’s scripting API for text objects is much less sophisticated and there are more strange quirks.

But this is a start…

— Mark

/**
 * @file Convert Text Frame Type.js
 * 
 * Demonstration of converting a text frame and
 * getting a reference to the converted text frame.
 *
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2026-05-17
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/questions-652/i-m-looking-for-a-script-that-converts-text-lines-to-text-blocks-and-vice-versa-1561735?tid=1561735
 */
(function () {

    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var items = doc.selection;

    for (var i = items.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {

        var item = items[i];

        if (TextType.AREATEXT === item.kind)
            item = convertAreaTextToPointText(item);

        else if (TextType.POINTTEXT === item.kind)
            item = convertPointTextToAreaText(item);

    }

})();

/**
 * Converts an point-type text frame to a area-type text frame.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2026-05-17
 * @param {TextFrame} item - an Illustrator Text Frame.
 * @returns {TextFrame}
 */
function convertPointTextToAreaText(item) {

    if (TextType.POINTTEXT !== item.kind)
        return;

    var temp = item.duplicate();

    // convert
    temp.convertPointObjectToAreaObject();

    // get fresh reference to converted textFrame
    for (var i = 1; i < item.layer.textFrames.length; i++) {
        if (item.layer.textFrames[i].uuid == item.uuid) {
            var convertedItem = item.layer.textFrames[i - 1];
            item.remove();
            item = convertedItem;
            break;
        }
    }

    // remove trailing spaces
    while (' ' === item.characters[item.characters.length - 1].contents)
        item.characters[item.characters.length - 1].remove();

    return item;

};

/**
 * Converts an area-type text frame to a point-type text frame.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2022-02-09
 * @param {TextFrame} item - an Illustrator Text Frame.
 * @returns {TextFrame}
 */
function convertAreaTextToPointText(item) {

    if (TextType.AREATEXT !== item.kind)
        return;

    var temp = item.duplicate();

    // oversetText causes errors later
    discardOversetText(temp);

    // convert
    temp.convertAreaObjectToPointObject();

    // get fresh reference to converted textFrame
    for (var i = 1; i < item.layer.textFrames.length; i++) {
        if (item.layer.textFrames[i].uuid == item.uuid) {
            var convertedItem = item.layer.textFrames[i - 1];
            item.remove();
            item = convertedItem;
            break;
        }
    }

    // remove trailing spaces
    while (' ' === item.characters[item.characters.length - 1].contents)
        item.characters[item.characters.length - 1].remove();

    return item;

};

/**
 * Removes overset text from an Area type text frame.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2022-02-09
 * @param {TextFrame} item - an Illustrator Text Frame.
 */
function discardOversetText(item) {

    var lastVisibleChar = item.lines[item.lines.length - 1].characters[item.lines[item.lines.length - 1].characters.length - 1];
    var lastOffset = lastVisibleChar.characterOffset;

    for (var i = item.characters.length - 1; i >= lastOffset; i--)
        item.characters[i].remove();

};