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Art&Logik
Participating Frequently
April 22, 2010
Answered

Export Illustrator layers to separate Illustrator files?

  • April 22, 2010
  • 7 replies
  • 62005 views

Does anyone know of a way within AI CS4 to export layers to separate .ai files? Or third party plug-in to do the same? Preferably retaining the layer name as the new file name.

I have a layered .ai file with 40 layers of logo versions that I need to export to separate files and I'd like to avoid the obvious "save as" and delete layers route.

Thanks in advance.

      Correct answer Larry G. Schneider

      Try this. Cut and paste into a text editor and save as a plain text file with a .jsx extension. You can either place it into your AICS4>Presets>Scripts folder and restart AI or just run it from File>Scripts>Other Scripts.

      //////////////Start

      var doc = app.activeDocument;
         
      if (documents.length > 0){
             
          // Create the illusrtratorSaveOptions object to set the AI options
          var saveOpts = new IllustratorSaveOptions();
         
          // Setting IllustratorSaveOptions properties.
          saveOpts.embedLinkedFiles = true;
          saveOpts.fontSubsetThreshold = 0.0
          saveOpts.pdfCompatible = true

             
              if (doc.saved==false) doc.save();
             
              for (i=0; i<doc.layers.length; i++)
                  if (doc.layers.locked == false) doc.layers.visible = false;
              fullDocName = doc.fullName;
              var param = doc.name.split('.');
              realDocName = param[0];
              for (i=0; i<doc.layers.length; i++){
                  if (i-1<0) doc.layers.visible = true;
                  else {
                      doc.layers[i-1].visible = false;
                      doc.layers.visible = true;
                  }
                  if (doc.layers.locked == false) {   
                      docName = realDocName+doc.layers.name+".ai";   
                      var saveName = new File ( doc.path + "/" + docName );
                      doc.saveAs( saveName, saveOpts );
                  }
              }
              doc.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
              doc = null;
              app.open (fullDocName);
          }

      /////////End

      7 replies

      F
      fabio3093
      Participating Frequently
      March 23, 2017

      Does anyone know of a way to export the selected layers to separate .ai file? I have a layered .ai file and I need to export only selected layers in separate files and would love to avoid ctrl-c ctrl-v to a new file, however, each layer .Thanks in advance.

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 23, 2017

      fabio3093  schrieb

      Does anyone know of a way to export the selected layers to separate .ai file? I have a layered .ai file and I need to export only selected layers in separate files and would love to avoid ctrl-c ctrl-v to a new file, however, each layer .Thanks in advance.

      This thread looks like it covers CS4. Or maybe CS6. Or maybe CC? Which is your version?

      F
      fabio3093
      Participating Frequently
      March 24, 2017

      i use the CC version

      V
      vleadv61686213
      Participating Frequently
      December 20, 2016

      Opps this is gud. But artboards are not been deleted it is available in all the ai files.

      kolozsih19458695
      kolozsih19458695
      Participant
      June 13, 2016

      Try this script: Layer Export

      This is the only one that worked for me

      T
      tpf1952
      Participant
      April 14, 2012

      Holy smoke! This script is just the ticket! Thank you so much. You have saved me hours of work. I'm looking for a way in import individual layers from one Illustrator files into Apple Motion 5, so I can animate each layer independently. Again, thank you!

      Tom

      N
      Community Expert
      Nils M. BarnerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 8, 2010

      Thats the way I do it right now

      But think of five docs a day including 6 or more basic (must have) layers using only 2 or 3 of them frequently depenting on the content.

      I once saw a script exporting only layers with content, unfortunatelly I don*t know which it was and where to get it from.

      (and I*m curious of course ; )

      N
      Community Expert
      Nils M. BarnerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 7, 2010

      Visible or not. Does anybody know how to export layers with content only and skip those without? (so to say **content aware** for Illustrator ; )

      ( if that matters: .js for PC would be great )

      L
      Leon123211
      Participant
      June 8, 2010

      Not sure. Sorry.

      Why not export everything and just delete the empty files?

      Larry G. Schneider
      Community Expert
      Larry G. SchneiderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      April 22, 2010

      Try this. Cut and paste into a text editor and save as a plain text file with a .jsx extension. You can either place it into your AICS4>Presets>Scripts folder and restart AI or just run it from File>Scripts>Other Scripts.

      //////////////Start

      var doc = app.activeDocument;
         
      if (documents.length > 0){
             
          // Create the illusrtratorSaveOptions object to set the AI options
          var saveOpts = new IllustratorSaveOptions();
         
          // Setting IllustratorSaveOptions properties.
          saveOpts.embedLinkedFiles = true;
          saveOpts.fontSubsetThreshold = 0.0
          saveOpts.pdfCompatible = true

             
              if (doc.saved==false) doc.save();
             
              for (i=0; i<doc.layers.length; i++)
                  if (doc.layers.locked == false) doc.layers.visible = false;
              fullDocName = doc.fullName;
              var param = doc.name.split('.');
              realDocName = param[0];
              for (i=0; i<doc.layers.length; i++){
                  if (i-1<0) doc.layers.visible = true;
                  else {
                      doc.layers[i-1].visible = false;
                      doc.layers.visible = true;
                  }
                  if (doc.layers.locked == false) {   
                      docName = realDocName+doc.layers.name+".ai";   
                      var saveName = new File ( doc.path + "/" + docName );
                      doc.saveAs( saveName, saveOpts );
                  }
              }
              doc.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
              doc = null;
              app.open (fullDocName);
          }

      /////////End

        A
        Art&LogikAuthor
        Participating Frequently
        April 23, 2010

        Actually, I just discovered that the resulting files still had all of the original layers in it. Is there code to delete the non-visible layers and retain only the visible one?

        Thanks for any help.

        P
        polifka
        Participant
        May 15, 2012

        Since in AI scripting you can't delete a hidden layer, this reverses the visibility of the layers and then deletes the visible layers. It then makes all layers visible and saves the file.

        --------Start

        --get a sourceFolder that holds the files to process
        set sourceFolder to (choose folder with prompt "Choose a folder with files to process:") as text

        -- get a list of files of the files to process in the sourceFolder
        tell application "Finder" to set workingFiles to (every file of folder sourceFolder) as alias list


        repeat with aFile in workingFiles
            tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
                open aFile
               
                set currentFile to front document
               
                tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
                    set myLayers to every layer of currentFile
                   
                    repeat with i from 1 to count of items in myLayers
                       
                        set myLayer to item i of myLayers
                        set locked of myLayer to false
                       
                        if visible of myLayer is true then
                            set visible of myLayer to false
                        else if visible of myLayer is false then
                            set visible of myLayer to true
                        end if
                       
                    end repeat
                   
                    delete (every layer of currentFile whose visible is true)
                   
                end tell
               
                tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
                   
                    set visible of (every layer of currentFile) to true
                   
                end tell
               
                close currentFile with saving
               
            end tell
        end repeat

        --------End


        i wasn't able to get the second script to work (the one that should remove the layers that don't belong in the new file).

        i don't know much about scripting, but the first file doesn't look anything like the second..

        and this is the error it gives.

        may i get help on this script to save only the layer information per the new file it's creating?

        @tpf1952.. it worked for you?

        thank you if anyone can help!!!!!

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