Creating labels with changing information

[Brandon27193359u7ul]

Good morning community,

Been trying to figure out how I could automate or even reduce the time on my nameplates when changing the names. This is a daily task and would like to simplify it more, possibly automate (mail merge).

RIght now I am individually changing the name and then clicking the text (shift/click the box) then clicking on the box again to align to that. Is there a way to select all the text and conform it to the exact center of all the boxes?

See attached file on what I am working with. Have searched/watched many videos but nothing that showed what I am trying to achieve.

Please advise,

Thanks

[Kurt Gold]

Can you perhaps provide a sample Illustrator file that shows the initial situation as well as what you want to achieve?

[Brandon27193359u7ul]

Hello Kurt,

Thanks for the reply did you need the .ai file or just a visual of what I am doing? 

I'm attaching screenshot of illustrator file, let me know if you actually need the .ai

So the names circled in red on the left of the artboard have been copied/pasted into the file, so I can change the names, easier.

-Can I just copy/paste the new names into the existing? If so how to keep centered inside the box (red outline).

-Is there a way to center all the text to these boxes in the file?

-End goal would be some way of just pasting/importing new names in place of the old, like a mail merge.

Please let me know if you need any other information 

Thank you

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you have a look at Variables?

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/data-driven-graphics-templates-variables.html

[Brandon27193359u7ul]

Hey Ton,

Yes I am going to play around with variables again, since I was not able to get the result I wanted, last time I used it.

Setting up the variables correctly to achieve just changing names without have to re-align anything. 

I may have to set it up where I have all the text as the same thing (word) to make this work. 

Thanks for the reply and suggestion, I believe this is the route I need to go

-BH

[Ton Frederiks]

Let us know if it works Brandon. There are people here on this forum with more experience with variables than me.

[Mike_Gondek]

I do this in InDesign, and have linked text boxes for each nameplate. I can then just paste into any text box and all will reflow. You could do this in Illustrator also if you set up text containers that are linked, just will take longer as you need to manually link each text container.

[hhas01]

Does InDesign have a fit-text-to-frame option for reducing the long names to fit (as shown in OP’s attachment)?

There’s GREP tricks or third-party scripts if not:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFzWt_hrS-A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CACgHaM2RRA

[kyosuke12345]

Adjust the position of the placed text around the centre of the nearest path.
How about we make the text selected, so that you can adjust the appearance of the text yourself for any discrepancies caused by fonts?

↓script

var doc = app.activeDocument;

app.executeMenuCommand("deselectall");

for (var i = 0; i < doc.textFrames.length; i++) {

var oText = doc.textFrames[i];

var nearestpathItems;

var nearestDistance = Number.MAX_VALUE;

for (var j = 0; j < doc.pathItems.length; j++) {

var oPath = doc.pathItems[j];

var d = dist([oText.position[0] + oText.width / 2, oText.position[1] - oText.height / 2], oPath.geometricBounds);

if (d < nearestDistance) {

nearestDistance = d;

nearestpathItems = oPath;

}

}

ipos1 = nearestpathItems.left + (nearestpathItems.width - oText.width) / 2

ipos2 = nearestpathItems.top - (nearestpathItems.height - oText.height) / 2

oText.position = [ipos1, ipos2];

oText.selected = true

}

function dist(point1, rect) {

var x1 = point1[0], y1 = point1[1];

var x2 = rect[0] + (rect[2] - rect[0]) / 2, y2 = rect[1] - (rect[1] - rect[3]) / 2;

return Math.sqrt(Math.pow(x2 - x1, 2) + Math.pow(y2 - y1, 2));

}

[kyosuke12345]

If you want to place it in the centre, this is the place to do it.
However, it is not a very beautiful method as it creates a dummy object.
(The dummy object is erased, so there is no problem with the finished product.)

↓script

var doc = app.activeDocument;

app.executeMenuCommand("deselectall");

for (var i = 0; i < doc.textFrames.length; i++) {

var oText = doc.textFrames[i];

var nearestpathItems;

var nearestDistance = Number.MAX_VALUE;

for (var j = 0; j < doc.pathItems.length; j++) {

var oPath = doc.pathItems[j];

var d = dist([oText.position[0] + oText.width / 2, oText.position[1] - oText.height / 2], oPath.geometricBounds);

if (d < nearestDistance) {

nearestDistance = d;

nearestpathItems = oPath;

}

}

odummy = oText.duplicate()

odummy = odummy.createOutline()

iHeight = odummy.height

odummy.remove()

ipos1 = nearestpathItems.left + (nearestpathItems.width - oText.width) / 2

ipos2 = nearestpathItems.top - (nearestpathItems.height - iHeight) / 2

oText.position = [ipos1, ipos2];

oText.selected = true

}

function dist(point1, rect) {

var x1 = point1[0], y1 = point1[1];

var x2 = rect[0] + (rect[2] - rect[0]) / 2, y2 = rect[1] - (rect[1] - rect[3]) / 2;

return Math.sqrt(Math.pow(x2 - x1, 2) + Math.pow(y2 - y1, 2));

}