Need help with another script and general question about scripting

Question

Hi, Dear Friends!I am trying a different function this time. To scan the text frame and any string formatted with the char style "sidenote", it extracts that text and creates an anchored text box in the margin with that text (different locations for even and odd pages).Chat GPT gave me this:--------------------->#target indesign(function () {var doc = app.activeDocument;var styleName = "sideNote"; // The character style for the sidenote text// Ensure the cursor is in a valid text frame or text storyif (!app.selection.length || !(app.selection[0] instanceof TextFrame) && !(app.selection[0] instanceof Text)) {alert("Please place your cursor in the story to start scanning.");//return;}var sel = app.selection[0];// If the selection is a TextFrame, use its parentStory, otherwise use the selected text's parentStoryvar story = (sel instanceof TextFrame) ? sel.parentStory : sel.parentStory;// Loop through the story to find all text with the "sidenote" character stylevar sideNotes = [];for (var i = 0; i < story.texts.length; i++) {var currentText = story.texts[i];if (currentText.appliedCharacterStyle.name === styleName) {sideNotes.push(currentText.contents); // Extract "sideNote" text}}if (sideNotes.length === 0) {alert("No text with the 'sideNote' character style found.");return;}var page = sel.parentTextFrames[0].parentPage;var isOddPage = (page.name % 2 !== 0); // Check if it's an odd or even pagevar sideNoteText = sideNotes.join(", "); // Combine side notes with commas// Create the anchored text frame in the appropriate margin (left or right)var marginSide = isOddPage ? "left" : "right"; // Odd pages: left margin; Even pages: right marginvar marginTextFrame = createMarginTextFrame(page, marginSide, sideNoteText);// Anchor the text frame in the main text flowvar anchorPoint = page.textFrames[0].insertionPoints[-1]; // Anchoring at the end of the page textmarginTextFrame.anchor(anchorPoint);alert("Side notes placed successfully!");// Function to create a text frame in the margin based on page type (odd/even)function createMarginTextFrame(page, margin, text) {var textFrame;var marginWidth = 50; // Adjust this for margin widthvar textHeight = 100; // Adjust for height of the side note boxvar marginX = (margin === "left") ? 0 : page.bounds[3] - marginWidth; // Left or right side// Create text frame in margintextFrame = page.textFrames.add();textFrame.geometricBounds = [0, marginX, textHeight, marginX + marginWidth];textFrame.contents = text;// Optional: Style the text framevar textStyle = textFrame.texts[0].appliedCharacterStyle = doc.characterStyles.itemByName("sideNote");textFrame.texts[0].pointSize = 8; // Adjust text sizetextFrame.texts[0].leading = 10; // Adjust line heightreturn textFrame;}})(); <------------------And it is telling me that there is no text formatted with that style. BUT THERE ABSOLUTELY IS!!!  ( I am getting really angry at ChatGPT for wasting my time!)Is there a way to debug scripts step by step, similar to the macro editor in MS Word?Thank you, and have a good day!Susan Flamingo

Peter Kahrel · Accepted Answer

Sorry for that. I meant the correct anchored text box which are different for odd and even pages as i said before. Hope that clears things up

Ah, ok, I see. Here you go:

(function () {
  
  var frame,
      sidenotes,
      odd = app.activeDocument.objectStyles.item ('ATBOdd'),
      even = app.activeDocument.objectStyles.item ('ATBEven');

  if (app.selection.length === 0 
      || !(app.selection[0] instanceof TextFrame)) {
    alert ('Select a text frame');
    exit();
  }

  app.findGrepPreferences = null;
  app.findGrepPreferences.appliedCharacterStyle = 
    app.activeDocument.characterStyles.item('sidenote');
    
  sidenotes = app.selection[0].findGrep();
  for (var i = sidenotes.length-1; i >= 0; i--) {
    frame = sidenotes[i].insertionPoints[0].textFrames.add();
    
    if (sidenotes[i].parentTextFrames[0].parentPage.side === 
        PageSideOptions.LEFT_HAND) {
      frame.appliedObjectStyle = even;
    } else {
      frame.appliedObjectStyle = odd;
    }
  
    sidenotes[i].move (LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING, frame);
  }
}());

Peter Kahrel · Answer

As Rob mentioned, chatGPT sometimes hallicinates (some euphemism!), though it often get very good results. It just depends on what it finds on the web. By the looks of it in your case it found various bits and pieces and cobbled them together. Many times though there are much better solutions than are available on the web. What you're after appears to be a case in point.

Below is a pretty simple script. It can be simple because InDesign itself does most of the work through an object style. That style defines a spine-relative achored text frame with its width and vertical auto size set. So the script doesn't need to bother with figuring out whether you're on a left- or right-hand page or the size of the frame.

The script assumes the presence of an object style 'sidenote'. Select a frame and run the script. The attached InDesign file illustrates the object style.

(function () {

  var frame,
      ostyle = app.activeDocument.objectStyles.item ('sidenote');

  if (app.selection.length === 0 
      || !(app.selection[0] instanceof TextFrame)) {
    alert ('Select a text frame');
    exit();
  }

  app.findGrepPreferences = null;
  app.findGrepPreferences.appliedCharacterStyle = 
    app.activeDocument.characterStyles.item('sidenote');
    
  var sidenotes = app.selection[0].findGrep();
  for (var i = sidenotes.length-1; i >= 0; i--) {
    frame = sidenotes[i].insertionPoints[0].textFrames.add ({
      appliedObjectStyle: ostyle
    });
    sidenotes[i].move (LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING, frame);
  }
}());

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