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remove double space script

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 17, 2020
3 replies
1349 views

Hey there,

I am struggling with my code to get the GrepPreferences to apply to only the selected text Frames in Indesign. right now it applies to all text frames in document. I know it has to do with the app.changeGrep.

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var selection = app.selection[0];
var textChange = app.selection.textFrames;
var selectedFrames = [];

//make sure text frame selected
if(selection == null  || !(selection instanceof TextFrame)) {
        alert("Please select a text frame");
        exit();
 } else {
    for(var i = 0; i <= selectedFrames.length; i++) {
        //do something with each selected text frame
        //reset field
        app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
        //change find what
        app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = " +";
        //change to
        app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = " ";
        app.changeGrep();
    }
}

Does anyone have any ideas?

Scripting

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer brian_p_dts

Here is some revised code. Hope it helps.

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var selection = app.selection; //selection returns an array; you can select multiple text frames.
//var textChange = app.selection.textFrames; don't need this line or the following
//var selectedFrames = [];
//clear your preferences outside the loop
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = " +";
app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = " ";
//always set i < length, unless you want to escape your array bounds
for (var i = 0; i < selection.length; i++) { 
    if (!selection[i] instanceof TextFrame) {
       continue; //skip anything that's not a textframe
    }
    selection[i].changeGrep(); //change that selection
}
//Good habit to reset prefs after script
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;

A

AS1181

Participant

After reading other comments and finding some more tutorials around,
HERE is the same script which actually does everything automatically
"No need to select the text frame anymore."

Here instead of Selection Variable I thought of creating a variable called as textFrames which actually selects all your text frames inside the active document.

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var textFrames = myDoc.textFrames;
//var selection = app.selection; //selection returns an array; you can select multiple text frames.
//var textChange = app.selection.textFrames; don't need this line or the following
//var selectedFrames = [];
//clear your preferences outside the loop
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = " +";
app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = " ";
//always set i < length, unless you want to escape your array bounds
for (var i = 0; i < textFrames.length; i++) {
if (!textFrames[i] instanceof TextFrame) {
continue; //skip anything that's not a textframe
}
textFrames[i].changeGrep(); //change that selection
}
//Good habit to reset prefs after script
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;

Peter Kahrel

Community Expert

Good for you. Still, a couple of comments:

1. To speed things up considerably, instead of var textFrames = myDoc.textFrames; do var textFrames = myDoc.textFrames.everyItem().,getElements();

2. Your if (!textFrames[i] instanceof TextFrame) is wrong: it says "if not-textFrames[i] is an instance of a TextFrame", which is not the same as "if textFrames[i] is not an instance of TextFrame". The latter is written if (!(textFrames[i] instanceof TextFrame)) -- mind the parentheses

3. app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = " +"; is inefficient, see my comment of 18 March 2020, above. You replace every string of spaces, including a single space, with a space. You should look for strings of two or more spaces: " +" (there are two spaces before the +).

brian_p_dts

Community Expert

Peter, just FYI you have a rogue comma before getElements.

I would also say instanceof TextFrame is unnecessary entirely since we know we're just working with a TextFrame array (as opposed to a selection that could be anything). That instanceof mistake was mine 🙂

brian_p_dts

Correct answer

Community Expert

Here is some revised code. Hope it helps.

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var selection = app.selection; //selection returns an array; you can select multiple text frames.
//var textChange = app.selection.textFrames; don't need this line or the following
//var selectedFrames = [];
//clear your preferences outside the loop
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = " +";
app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = " ";
//always set i < length, unless you want to escape your array bounds
for (var i = 0; i < selection.length; i++) { 
    if (!selection[i] instanceof TextFrame) {
       continue; //skip anything that's not a textframe
    }
    selection[i].changeGrep(); //change that selection
}
//Good habit to reset prefs after script
app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;
app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.NOTHING;

Peter Kahrel

Community Expert

Just a small point of efficiency: " +" stands for 'one or more spaces', so it matches single spaces and strings of spaces. You should be looking for " +" (that's two spaces followed by a plus). That way you look for two or more spaces, which is more efficient.

P.

L

Laubender

Community Expert

Hi kyleo94921011,

method changeGrep() should be used with the object you want to set the scope to.

In your case this seems to be a text frame you want to address by a loop.

If you tie changeGrep() to app you will address all open documents.

FWIW: I cannot see that the loop is doing something reasonable because according to your code you try to loop an array of zero length.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

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