Skip to main content
O
Omar Khatib
Participant
May 8, 2015
Answered

Change and delete duplicate color swatches

  • May 8, 2015
  • 2 replies
  • 1627 views

I have hundreds of files with Brand Color swatches the are different throughout, and through the out the building of these files multiple versions of the colors are added through copy paste etc. Is there a Script that could clean up the swatches in these files to make them all consistent?

For example one files swatches could look like this:

Brand Red (0,100,100,0)

Brand Blue (100,80,0,0)

Brand Blue 1 (100,83,0,0)

Brand Blue 2 (100,88,0,0)

Brand Blue 3 (100,81,0,0)

Brand Blue 4 (100,89,0,0)

Brand Blue 5 (100,82,0,0)

Brand Blue 6 (100,77,0,0)

Brand Blue 7 (100,95,0,0)

Brand Red 1 (0,90,90,0)

Brand Red 2 (0,100,93,0)

Brand Red 3 (0,92,90,0)

Brand Red 4 (0,100,94,0)

Brand Red 5 (0,70,92,0)

Brand Red 6 (0,95,92,0)

Brand Red 7 (0,97,90,0)

I would like the script to change the swatches to:

Brand Red (0,100,100,0)

Brand Blue (100,80,0,10)

Change the Original color(s) and replace all the duplicates with the Original. Brand Blue (1-7) would be replaced by Brand Blue, Brand Red (1-7) would be replaced by Brand Red. Any other colors would be left alone.

Is this possible? Could it batch process multiple files?

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jump_Over

Hi,

//start of execution


var


  baseLabel = app.activeDocument.colors.item("Brand Red"),


  baseLabel_1 = app.activeDocument.colors.item("Brand Blue");


// call function


clearSwatch (baseLabel, [0,100,100,0]);


clearSwatch (baseLabel_1, [100,72,0,18]);


// end of execution


function clearSwatch (baseSwatch, myValues) {


  if (!baseSwatch.isValid) return;


  var


  cSwatches = app.activeDocument.swatches.everyItem().getElements(),


  cSwatch,


  cRex = new RegExp (baseSwatch.name + "\\s*\\d+$");


  baseSwatch.colorValue = myValues;


  while (cSwatch = cSwatches.pop() )


  if ( cRex.test(cSwatch.name) )


  cSwatch.remove(baseSwatch);


  }

Jarek

2 replies

Jump_Over
Jump_Over
Legend
May 10, 2015

Hi,

You can equal colorValues but document will keep many variations of names.

Better way is to remove unnecessary ones.

I.e. to create a function which will remove swatches which name match a base and replace it with a basic one.

Something like this:

var baseLabel = "myBlue";




clearSwatch (app.activeDocument.colors.item(baseLabel));




function clearSwatch (baseSwatch) {


  if (!baseSwatch.isValid) return;


  var 


  cSwatches = app.activeDocument.swatches.everyItem().getElements(),


  cSwatch,


  cRex = new RegExp (baseSwatch.name + "\\s*\\d+$");




  while (cSwatch = cSwatches.pop() )


  if ( cRex.test(cSwatch.name) )


  cSwatch.remove(baseSwatch);


  }

Jarek

    Marc Autret
    Marc Autret
    Legend
    May 11, 2015

    Make sure that base swatch name  is not “.*|” anyway ;-)

    @+

    Marc

    B
    BSKTCreation
    Inspiring
    May 10, 2015

    Hi Omar,

    I have done this for previous project, here is a snippet to get you started.

    var myFolder = Folder("/c/InDesign Files");
    

    var myDocs = myFolder.getFiles("*.indd");
    

    

    

    for (var i = 0; i < myDocs.length; i++) {
    

        app.open(myDocs);
    

        BE_colourValues("Brand Red", [0,100,100,0]);
    

        BE_colourValues("Brand Blue", [100,80,0,10]);
    

        app.activeDocument.save();
    

        app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.no);
    

        }
    

    

    

    function BE_colourValues(colourLabel, colourValues) {
    

        app.activeDocument.colors.item(colourLabel).colorValue = colourValues;
    

        }

    I haven't looked at the colour replacement but let me know if you can't work it out.

    Brett

      O
      Omar KhatibAuthor
      Participant
      May 12, 2015

      I tried combining both scripts from BSKTCreations and Jump_Over (took out the batch to simplify), and ended up with a big headache. I've always been a hack but a much better hack in my younger years. It does get rid of the extra colors but does not change the value. I made the part I screwed up bold.

      var baseLabel = "Brand Red";

      var baseLabel1 = "Brand Blue";

       

      function BE_colourValues(colourLabel, colourValues) { 

          app.activeDocument.colors.item(colourLabel).colorValue = colourValues; 

          BE_colourValues(baseSwatch, [0,100,100,0]); 

          BE_colourValues(baseSwatch1, [100,72,0,18]); 

          }

      clearSwatch (app.activeDocument.colors.item(baseLabel)); 

       

      function clearSwatch (baseSwatch) { 

        if (!baseSwatch.isValid) return; 

        var  

        cSwatches = app.activeDocument.swatches.everyItem().getElements(), 

        cSwatch, 

        cRex = new RegExp (baseSwatch.name + "\\s*\\d+$"); 

       

        while (cSwatch = cSwatches.pop() ) 

        if ( cRex.test(cSwatch.name) ) 

        cSwatch.remove(baseSwatch); 

        } 

      clearSwatch (app.activeDocument.colors.item(baseLabel1)); 

       

      function clearSwatch (baseSwatch1) { 

        if (!baseSwatch1.isValid) return; 

        var  

        cSwatches = app.activeDocument.swatches.everyItem().getElements(), 

        cSwatch, 

        cRex = new RegExp (baseSwatch1.name + "\\s*\\d+$"); 

       

        while (cSwatch = cSwatches.pop() ) 

        if ( cRex.test(cSwatch.name) ) 

        cSwatch.remove(baseSwatch1); 

        }

      Any help?

      Thanks!

      Jump_Over
      Jump_OverCorrect answer
      Legend
      May 12, 2015

      Hi,

      //start of execution
      

      var
      

        baseLabel = app.activeDocument.colors.item("Brand Red"),
      

        baseLabel_1 = app.activeDocument.colors.item("Brand Blue");
      

      // call function
      

      clearSwatch (baseLabel, [0,100,100,0]);
      

      clearSwatch (baseLabel_1, [100,72,0,18]);
      

      // end of execution
      

      function clearSwatch (baseSwatch, myValues) {
      

        if (!baseSwatch.isValid) return;
      

        var
      

        cSwatches = app.activeDocument.swatches.everyItem().getElements(),
      

        cSwatch,
      

        cRex = new RegExp (baseSwatch.name + "\\s*\\d+$");
      

        baseSwatch.colorValue = myValues;
      

        while (cSwatch = cSwatches.pop() )
      

        if ( cRex.test(cSwatch.name) )
      

        cSwatch.remove(baseSwatch);
      

        }

      Jarek

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices