Expand pointText (textFrameItem) using ExtendScript

[John Samuel Joy]

Hi everyone,

Is there a way to expand a text item on Illustrator through ExtendScript?

To give an example, consider this pointText on an Illustrator Artboard:

If I expand it (found in the Object tab->Expand), the text "explodes" into a group, so to speak, of text letters of CompoundPaths

I'd like to know if there is any way I can do this expanding feature through ExtendScript.

Regards,

John Joy

[m1b]

Hi @John Samuel Joy, 

app.executeMenuCommand('outline');

will outline the selected text frame.

- Mark 

[CarlosCanto · Accepted solution]

or perhaps

textRef.createOutline()

[m1b]

Haha! Yes. Much better. Forgot that in the heat of the moment. Doh!

[CarlosCanto]

😆😆 it happens.

[John Samuel Joy]

THANKS A BUNCH!

[John Samuel Joy]

As a follow up, how do I expand a line inserted via Script (which is really a PathItem)?

I've tried to use createOutline for the same but it pops up as an error.

Any wisdom here?
Thanks again!

[CarlosCanto · Accepted solution]

for pathItems you'll need

app.executeMenuCommand('OffsetPath v22');

but pathItems must be selected first