Extend script not auto refreshing the missing link.

@davidn5918184 

I'm guessing that InDesign is conditioning the judgment update on triggering the ID window as the current window again.
You could try using the traditional way of double-clicking on the image by pressing Alt in ID, then modifying it in PS and saving it.
When you return to ID within a certain amount of time, the moment the ID window opens, the image is updated.

Just as a general comment - not to any particular reply of anybody - and I don't know if JS is the same or not ...

... but in VBA - when you update link - it "ceases to exists" - so you need to do relink via a reference to parent...

Call myImgContainer.AllGraphics.Item(1).ItemLink.Relink(myPath & myNewFileName)

Okay, thanks very much @rob day you have taught me quite a bit about BridgeTalk. I've incorporated your information into a new version of the script, so now it doesn't need the hacky while loop, uses the synchronous call to BridgeTalk.send(), and I've also made it work with multiple graphics selected. This should be the one to use rather than the other, but I'll leave the other one there for the sake of comparison.

- Mark

/**
 * Auto Cutout Selected Images Using Photoshop
 * @authors davidn5918184, m1b, rob day
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/extend-script-not-auto-refreshing-the-missing-link/m-p/14492836
 */
function main() {

    if (
        0 === app.documents.length
        || 0 === app.selection.length
    )
        return alert("Please select one or more frames that contains a images and try again.");

    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var counter = {};

    cutOutImages(doc, doc.selection, counter);

    var successes = counter.successCount;

    alert('Cut out ' + (0 === successes ? 'no' : successes) + ' image' + (1 === successes ? '' : 's') + '.');

};

app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Auto Cutout');


/**
 * Talks to Photoshop to do a quick "cut out" of selected images.
 * Cut out images will be saved in same location, with .tif extension.
 * @param {Document} doc - an Indesign Document.
 * @param {PageItem|Array<PageItem>|collection} item - a page item containing a graphic, or array or collection of.
 * @param {Object} [counter] - a counter object { successCount: 0 } used only for counting the number of successful cut-outs performed.
 * @param {Object} [success] - internal success flag.
 */
function cutOutImages(doc, item, counter, success) {

    // not sure what
    const timer = 2000;

    if (undefined != counter)
        counter.successCount = 0;

    if (item.hasOwnProperty('0')) {

        // handle collections of items
        for (var i = 0; i < item.length; i++) {

            // used for counting
            success = {};

            // do cutout on this one item
            cutOutImages(doc, item[i], undefined, success);

            if (
                undefined != counter
                && success.value
            )
                counter.successCount++;

        }

        return;

    }

    if (
        !item.hasOwnProperty('images')
        || 0 === item.images.length
    )
        // does not contain an image
        return;

    var imageFile = new File(item.images[0].itemLink.filePath);

    if (!imageFile.exists)
        return alert("The image file associated with the selected frame does not exist.");

    app.scriptPreferences.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevels.INTERACT_WITH_ALL;

    var photoshop = BridgeTalk.getSpecifier("photoshop");

    if (!photoshop)
        alert("Photoshop is not available.");

    // Bridgetalk
    var bt = new BridgeTalk();
    bt.target = photoshop;

    // arrange the function as an IIFE string, and put the file path in it
    bt.body = '(X)();'
        .replace('X', autoCutoutForPhotoshop)
        .replace('#IMAGE_FILE_PATH#', imageFile.fsName);

    // callback
    bt.onResult = function (obj) {

        var f = File(obj.body);

        if (!f.exists)
            return;

        var link = item.images[0].itemLink;

        try {

            link.relink(f);

            if (LinkStatus.NORMAL === link.status)
                success.value = true;

        } catch (error) { }

    };

    bt.send(timer);

};


/**
 * Performs an auto cutout in Photoshop and saves
 * with added suffix as .tif file in same location.
 * Notes:
 *   - This function is designed to be coerced to
 *     a String for sending to BridgeTalk.
 *   - The placeholder #IMAGE_FILE_PATH# must be
 *     replaced with the image's path.
 * @returns {String} - the path to the saved .tif file.
 */
function autoCutoutForPhotoshop() {

    var suffix = '_cutout';

    var openFile = new File('#IMAGE_FILE_PATH#');
    app.open(openFile);

    if (0 === app.documents.length)
        return;

    var docRef = app.activeDocument;

    try {
        var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
        executeAction(stringIDToTypeID('autoCutout'), desc, DialogModes.NO);
    } catch (e) {
        alert("Error during autoCutout: " + e.message);
    }

    maskSelection("revealSelection");

    function maskSelection(maskParameter) {
        var s2t = function (s) { return app.stringIDToTypeID(s); };
        var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
        var reference = new ActionReference();
        descriptor.putClass(s2t("new"), s2t("channel"));
        reference.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("channel"), s2t("mask"));
        descriptor.putReference(s2t("at"), reference);
        descriptor.putEnumerated(s2t("using"), s2t("userMaskEnabled"), s2t(maskParameter));
        executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
    };

    // note: easiest to use RegExp constructor form in BT because of backslashes not being escaped properly
    var cutoutFilePath = docRef.fullName.fsName.replace(RegExp('(' + suffix + ')?\.[^\.]+$'), suffix + '.tif');

    var saveOptions = new TiffSaveOptions();
    saveOptions.transparency = true;
    saveOptions.layers = true;
    saveOptions.alphaChannels = true;
    saveOptions.embedColorProfile = true;
    saveOptions.imageCompression = TIFFEncoding.NONE;

    try {
        docRef.saveAs(File(cutoutFilePath), saveOptions, true, Extension.LOWERCASE);
    }
    catch (e) {
        alert("Failed to save the file. Error: " + e.message);
    }
    finally {
        app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
    }

    return cutoutFilePath;

};

Hi @davidn5918184 (and @Eugene Tyson) I actually couldn't get the bt.onResult function to execute at all. Is that a known thing? I've hardly done any BridgeTalk so I have no idea. I'm on MacOS, so maybe on Windows onResult works?

@davidn5918184 I've made some adjustments to your code, mostly for your interest, and my learning, and I've got it working. It's not super pretty, but has improved a bit I hope.

Some notes:

1. You don't have to write the bridgeTalk body out as strings. It's more convenient to write it as a normal function, and then coerce that to a string, but you have to then execute the function code in that string, so I wrapped it in an IIFE (again as a string).

2. I've used the principal of "returning early" so that we don't have that hierarchy of massive blocks wrapping everything. This helps to keep the code more straightforward and readable especially because the predicate and the error message are together.

3. I've used a method of Link called "reinit" which changes the linked item's file but—critically—it doesn't matter if that file exists. This is perfect for this case, because we can set it without really caring much if Photoshop has finished.

4. I've used a bit of a clumsy while loop at the end to do the link.update()—if you want a neater approach, then maybe use an idleTask? Or better yet... UXP?

Anyway, here's my adjusted version. See what you think.

- Mark

UPDATE: please see my other variation on this script, which incorporates @rob day's knowledge and is much better.

/**
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/extend-script-not-auto-refreshing-the-missing-link/m-p/14492836
 */
function main() {

    if (
        0 === app.documents.length
        || 0 === app.selection.length
        || 'Rentangle' === app.selection[0].constructor.name
    )
        return alert("Please select a frame that contains an image in an InDesign document.");

    var selectedFrame = app.selection[0];

    if (0 === selectedFrame.images.length)
        return alert("The selected frame does not contain an image.");

    var imageFile = new File(selectedFrame.images[0].itemLink.filePath);

    if (!imageFile.exists)
        return alert("The image file associated with the selected frame does not exist.");

    app.scriptPreferences.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevels.INTERACT_WITH_ALL;

    var photoshop = BridgeTalk.getSpecifier("photoshop");

    if (!photoshop)
        alert("Photoshop is not available.");

    // Bridgetalk
    var bt = new BridgeTalk();
    bt.target = photoshop;

    // arrange the function as an IIFE string, and put the file path in it
    bt.body = '(X)();'
        .replace('X', autoCutoutForPhotoshop + '\r')
        .replace('/*IMAGE_FILE_PATH*/', imageFile.fsName);

    // does this work for anyone? it doesn't for me
    bt.onResult = function () { alert('Do you see this?') };

    bt.send();

    var link = selectedFrame.images[0].itemLink;

    // this must match what we did to the filename in photoshop!
    var linkURI = link.linkResourceURI.replace(/\.[^\.]+$/, '.tif');

    // reinit the link, pointing to the .tif file
    // you can do this even if the file doesn't exist yet!
    link.reinitLink(linkURI);

    var done = false,
        counter = 0;

    // try to update link a bunch of times!
    // timing out after 10 tries
    while (!done && counter++ < 10) {
        try {
            $.sleep(1000);
            if (LinkStatus.LINK_OUT_OF_DATE === link.status) {
                link.update();
                done = true;
            };
        } catch (error) { }
    }

    alert(done ? 'Succeeded!' : 'Failed');

};

app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Auto Cutout');


function autoCutoutForPhotoshop() {

    var openFile = new File('/*IMAGE_FILE_PATH*/');
    app.open(openFile);

    if (0 === app.documents.length)
        return;

    var docRef = app.activeDocument;

    try {
        var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
        executeAction(stringIDToTypeID('autoCutout'), desc, DialogModes.NO);
    } catch (e) {
        alert("Error during autoCutout: " + e.message);
    }

    maskSelection("revealSelection");

    function maskSelection(maskParameter) {
        var s2t = function (s) { return app.stringIDToTypeID(s); };
        var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
        var reference = new ActionReference();
        descriptor.putClass(s2t("new"), s2t("channel"));
        reference.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("channel"), s2t("mask"));
        descriptor.putReference(s2t("at"), reference);
        descriptor.putEnumerated(s2t("using"), s2t("userMaskEnabled"), s2t(maskParameter));
        executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
    };

    var saveOptions = new TiffSaveOptions();
    saveOptions.transparency = true;
    saveOptions.layers = true;
    saveOptions.alphaChannels = true;
    saveOptions.embedColorProfile = true;
    saveOptions.imageCompression = TIFFEncoding.NONE;

    try {
        docRef.saveAs(docRef.fullName, saveOptions, true, Extension.LOWERCASE);
    } catch (e) {
        alert("Failed to save the file. Error: " + e.message);
    }

    app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);

};

You could try something like this

// Refresh link in InDesign
bt.onResult = function(res) {
    // Wait for a short delay to ensure Photoshop has finished processing
    $.sleep(1000); // Adjust delay time as needed
    // Relink and update the link in InDesign
    var link = selectedFrame.images[0].itemLink;
    link.relink(new File(imageFile.fsName));
    link.update();
};