Creating design tool, is this something Scripts can help with?

[justphred]

Hi all,

I'm currently working on designing a new labeling systm for my work, and im wanting to streamline the process. Basically I want to make it so anyone one can just put in the name of a new product and it will be entered into my design.  

This is an over simplification of what I am ultimatly trying to create. I am using a 3D Bevel and Extrude on two instances of the same "Product Name" text. The one in the forground is set to a 0px extrution and the one in the background has a Offset Paths applied to it. (I'm doing it this way because I have found that 3D bevel gets some funky artifacts when it extrudes a fill.)

I'm mostly looking to be pointed in the right direction here. It seems like Scripting the whole thing might be best, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm esssentally wanting to make a MOGRT from After Effects, but for an Illustrator design.  If anyone can hlp that would be amazing as I have been hitting my head against the wall on this.

 

[hhas01]

Sounds like you could do this using Illustrator’s built-in variable data support. Search online for “Illustrator variable data” to find tutorials, etc. That would be easiest.

If you really want to do it via scripting, give each text frame a unique name in the Layers palette; e.g. {product name}, {strapline}. You can now replace the text like this:

var doc = app.activeDocument

doc.textFrames.getByName('{product name}').contents = "New\nTitle"
doc.textFrames.getByName('{strapline}').contents = "Some\nMore\nText"

Getting the new text into the script (via dialog/CSV file/web service/whatever) is left as an exercise. You say you want anyone to be able to use this. If you wish to create a custom AI panel into which users can type their new text, you will also need to learn CEP (github.com/Adobe-CEP/Getting-Started-guides). If you’re thinking about hosting Illustrator on a web server, make sure you read Adobe’s licensing terms first. (You can only run AI on a private server on your company’s intranet, and only users who already have an AI license may use that service. For anything more, you need to use InDesign Server instead.)