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Pariah Burke
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 30, 2025
Answered

AppleScript User Interface Scaling

Does anyone know how to control the UI Sizing slider in Preferences > User Interface Scaling via AppleScript? (And, if so, would you please show me how 😁?)
 
I have a need to toggle the user interface scaling between Small and Medium fairly frequently.
 
 
Pariah Burke
Pariah BurkeCorrect answer
Community Expert
January 30, 2025

I got it working. Once I was reminded that Keyboard Maestro can not only move a mouse and click, but it can click and drag, I went with a Keyboard Maestro macro. Below is the macro that will make my usual Small setting Medium. I'll also create a toggle to go from Medium to Small UI Scaling if that's the current state, restarting InDesign between. (The second AppleScript InDesign activation is just for testing.)

 

 

7 replies

Pariah Burke
Community Expert
Pariah BurkeCommunity ExpertAuthorCorrect answer
Community Expert
January 30, 2025

I got it working. Once I was reminded that Keyboard Maestro can not only move a mouse and click, but it can click and drag, I went with a Keyboard Maestro macro. Below is the macro that will make my usual Small setting Medium. I'll also create a toggle to go from Medium to Small UI Scaling if that's the current state, restarting InDesign between. (The second AppleScript InDesign activation is just for testing.)

 

 

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Pariah Burke
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 30, 2025

I even tried programmically editing the preferences file on disk, but I can't find the setting for the UI scaling in there.

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Legend
January 30, 2025

There is no difference in the preferences:

tell application id "com.adobe.indesign"

get properties of preferences

end tell

 

Looking from the plug-in side, the command is kSetUIScalingPrefsCmdBoss working on "InDesign Defaults".

As you have to restart InDesign anyway for "changes to take effect", I'd try the brutal approach and swap that file with differently scaled copies.

 

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leo.r
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 30, 2025

I don't see anything relevant in the AppleScript dictionary...

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Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
January 30, 2025

You can always execute JS script from within AS. 

 

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Pariah Burke
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 30, 2025

I was thinking about that, too. Do you know A) if there's a way to control the UI Sizing via JavaScript, and B) how to do it? (And, C, could you please tell me?)

 

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Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
January 30, 2025

I was trying to find it on my phone - but no luck. Will have to do it on a laptop - will let you know if I'll find it. 

 

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