Add Tab Space to text

[Puthoskey]

Hi guys… I would like a Javascript to add tab space

to the selected text as shown on the image attached.

Could you please help me?

Many thanks in advance 🙂

[W_J_T]

\t = Tab

So on a basic level here is an example. It assumes you have a tab stop setup, otherwise you may have to add extra tabs '\t' for certain instances to get things evened out.

function addTabs() {
    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var txt = doc.selection[0];
    if (txt.typename == "TextFrame") {
        curTxtString = txt.contents;
        curTxtString = curTxtString.replace('NAME:', 'NAME:\t').replace('ADDRESS:', 'ADDRESS:\t').replace('DATE:', 'DATE:\t').replace('PHONE:', 'PHONE:\t');
        txt.contents = curTxtString;
    }
}
addTabs();

Hope it helps your efforts.

[pixxxelschubser · Accepted solution]

Hi W_J_T,

not bad. Perhaps this additions are also helpful for Puthoskey :

// tabulator_replaceSpaceWithTabulator.jsx
// required: a selected text frame
// https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2076401

function addTabs() {
    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var txt = doc.selection[0];

    if (txt.typename == "TextFrame") {
        // useful complement, based on code IMHO written by Jongware
        tabInf = new Array(1);
        tabInf[0] = new TabStopInfo;
        // set here the tabulator position in pt/px
        tabInf[0].position = 55;  
        curTxtString = txt.contents;
        // curTxtString = curTxtString.replace('NAME:', 'NAME:\t').replace('ADDRESS:', 'ADDRESS:\t').replace('DATE:', 'DATE:\t').replace('PHONE:', 'PHONE:\t');
        // !!! Do not forget to replace the spaces too !!!
        curTxtString = curTxtString.replace('NAME: ', 'NAME:\t').replace('ADDRESS: ', 'ADDRESS:\t').replace('DATE: ', 'DATE:\t').replace('PHONE: ', 'PHONE:\t');
        txt.contents = curTxtString;
        for (i=0; i<txt.paragraphs.length; i++) {
            txt.paragraphs.tabStops = tabInf;
            }
        }
    }

addTabs();

Have fun

[Puthoskey]

Many thanks guys.

It works like a charm