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Answered

batch adding cross-references

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
December 23, 2022
5 replies
1152 views

I'm trying to list my grep results as cross-references, this is what I have this far; it works only if there is only one found item, can you point me in the right direction to fix it?

var doc = app.activeDocument;
app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = null;
app.findGrepPreferences.pointSize = 20;
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = '';

var results = doc.findGrep(true);

for (var i=0; i < results.length; i++) {
var text = results[i].texts.firstItem();

$.writeln(text.contents);
dest = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations.add(text, {name: text.contents});

var xRefForm = doc.crossReferenceFormats.item("Paragraph Text & Page Number");
var source = doc.crossReferenceSources.add(app.selection[0],xRefForm);
var xref = doc.hyperlinks.add(source,dest);
}

Scripting

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Peter Kahrel

@ali u

Pretty good effort! Here are some comments and a shorter version of your script.

No need to create the text destinations in a separate loop, you can cretae them in the main loop (as you had it originally, in fact).

Similarly, there's no need to create placeholders as a separate step. It, too, can be handled in the main loop.

Don't define variables inside a loop: define them outside the loop, then refer to them inside the loop.

Similarly, don't call InDesign's DOM when you don't have to, it slows things down. So create a reference to the cross-reference format only once, then use that reference.

Peter

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var story = doc.stories[0];
var xRefForm = doc.crossReferenceFormats.item ('Paragraph Text & Page Number');

var source;
var desto;

app.findGrepPreferences = null;  
app.findGrepPreferences.pointSize = 20;  
var results = story.findGrep(true);  

for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
  story.insertionPoints[0].contents = '\r';
  desto = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations.add (results[i], {name: 'dest' + i});
  source = doc.crossReferenceSources.add (story.insertionPoints[0], xRefForm);
  doc.hyperlinks.add (source, desto);
}

Peter Kahrel

Correct answer

Community Expert

@ali u

Pretty good effort! Here are some comments and a shorter version of your script.

No need to create the text destinations in a separate loop, you can cretae them in the main loop (as you had it originally, in fact).

Similarly, there's no need to create placeholders as a separate step. It, too, can be handled in the main loop.

Don't define variables inside a loop: define them outside the loop, then refer to them inside the loop.

Similarly, don't call InDesign's DOM when you don't have to, it slows things down. So create a reference to the cross-reference format only once, then use that reference.

Peter

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var story = doc.stories[0];
var xRefForm = doc.crossReferenceFormats.item ('Paragraph Text & Page Number');

var source;
var desto;

app.findGrepPreferences = null;  
app.findGrepPreferences.pointSize = 20;  
var results = story.findGrep(true);  

for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
  story.insertionPoints[0].contents = '\r';
  desto = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations.add (results[i], {name: 'dest' + i});
  source = doc.crossReferenceSources.add (story.insertionPoints[0], xRefForm);
  doc.hyperlinks.add (source, desto);
}

ali uAuthor

Inspiring

@Peter Kahrel

Thank you very much, this looks beautiful and works way faster. It's a privilege to learn from you.

ali uAuthor

Inspiring

Thank you all! I got it working by changing the source for every destination, the script works now but I still feel I'm doing some stuff wrong or doing unnecessary things 🙂 here is the code, if you feel like help me improve/optimize it, and again thank you @Robert at ID-Tasker @Peter Kahrel @brian_p_dts.

ali uAuthor

Inspiring

var doc = app.activeDocument;  
    
app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = null;  
app.findGrepPreferences.pointSize = 20;  
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = '';  
  
var results = app.activeDocument.findGrep(true);  

aded = results.length


  
for (var i=0; i < results.length; i++) {  
    var text = results[i].texts.firstItem();  
          

    destname = "dest" + i
    dest = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations.add(text, {name: destname});   

} 

ali = ""
for (var i=0; i < aded; i++) {  
ali = "source" + i + "<p>" + ali 
} 
app.activeDocument.stories[0].paragraphs[0].contents = ali




app.findGrepPreferences=app.changeGrepPreferences=null;
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat= "<p>";
app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo="\r";
app.activeDocument.changeGrep();

for (var i=0; i < aded; i++) {  

desto = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations[i];
var xRefForm = doc.crossReferenceFormats.item("Paragraph Text & Page Number");

app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
	app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = "source" + i;
	var sourcetexts = doc.findGrep();
	
    var sourcetext = sourcetexts[0].texts.firstItem();  
   
var source = doc.crossReferenceSources.add(sourcetext,xRefForm);

var xref = doc.hyperlinks.add(source,desto);
    
}

Peter Kahrel

Community Expert

As Brian said, perfectly doable and good practice ground. But you need to sort out the problem that each piece of text (e.g. a word) can be the source of only one cross-reference.

Once you solved that problem the script shouldn't be too difficult to fix.

Peter Kahrel

Community Expert

Robert is right: you're trying to create multiple cross-reference sources at the same text (the selected text), and that's not possible.

In addition, in this line:

dest = doc.hyperlinkTextDestinations.add(text, {name: text.contents});

you run the risk of trying to create a text destination with a name that already exists. And that, too, is not possible.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Thanks 🙂

I think it would be possible - same source - if each time there was an extra character included - previously created reference point?

Peter Kahrel

Community Expert

True, but then it'd be difficult to figure out where to click.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Not sure but looks like you are adding same source to many destinations??

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