Help me for finding expandable fill color

[tpk1982]

Hello Everyone,

In my illustrator file, i have some objects stroke color filled with expandable fill color. I need to find all this and change as stroke color with "Black"color. I am not sure i explained you clearly. Hope the below screenshots give better picture.

I tried app.executeMenuCommand ('expandStyle'), but it is not working.

Advance thanks,

Karthi

[tpk1982]

Hi Experts,

Any suggestions? I am learner in Illustrator, so not sure how to get this.

Thanks,

Karthi

[Vinicius Baptista]

Hi Karthi, I was thinking about you said and a not sure what's the best way to make this selection because usually before you use the Expand effect your object is a simple pathItem with Stroke or Fill color, and after apply the expand effect you have a groupItem with filleds pathItems.

Your objects have a specific color, appearance, effect or anything exclusive? Maybe you find something in "select" menu to select them, or if there is a exclusive color, we can write a script to select and change them.

Best regards

-Vinicius

[tpk1982]

Hi Vinicius,

Thanks for your reply. I tried in Select menu. But no use.

[Vinicius Baptista]

hummmm

I suggest you apply one different color in your items before expand them, this way you can manipulate all items after expand.

Or you can change what you want before expand, 'cause you can find the objects depending of yours properties like strokeWidth, colors or others properties.

Please let me know what the purpose of you want to do this, maybe we can find another satisfactory way.

I hope helped.

See you,

-Vinicius

[tpk1982]

Hi Vinicius,

I will receive files from my clients. I need to convert all stroke into "Black" color. But this kind of filled stroke, i cant found. I need this change into stroke. Basically i dont need this fill.

Visually it looks like stroke. But when you click those object, it shows fill color.

Regards,

Karthi

[CarlosCanto]

can you share a sample file, we might be able to find something that differentiates this paths from others, but turning these paths into ONE path and stroke it might be difficult.

[tpk1982]

Hi,

Unfortunately i don't have access to show client file. But i attached here what i am looking for.

Dropbox - Sample.eps

Thanks,

Karthi

[CarlosCanto]

no problem, I understand what you need, I wanted to see an actual file to try to "see" something unique on these kind of objects compared to others. Or something unique on the other objects.

[Stephen Marsh]

There are scripts to select objects such as compound paths – however all compound paths would be selected which is why the good folk here were asking if there is something unique about these particular compound paths that can be used as a “hook”. If there are no other compound paths in your files, then a simple script to select only compound paths may do the trick.

That being said, do you wish to stroke the compound path, or do you wish to turn the “double” compound path back into a “single” path with a stroke that is the same thickness as the original compound item width?

[Vinicius Baptista]

Man, really we are without exit, your uploaded file is not Stroked, certainly is a compoundPath filled and not stroked, possibly made by "expand function" as you said, so you can consider not possible manipulate it like stroke and yes as filled compoundPath.

Only way to see one light on end of this tunnel is if these strokes there is one similarity like Width, Color, or else thing to use like hook, as the guys said previously. Please try ask to your customers identify somehow these strokes by using a specific color or not expand the strokes when close the file, I think they do it to avoid thickness errors in their objects, because in the old days these incompatibilities exist when we tried to work with extensions from different softwares like .cdr, .ai, .pdf and .ps...... But I think this is no more necessary. Give us more information maybe it is interesting and useful.

Thank you, see you

-Vinicius

[tpk1982]

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in response. Thanks for your replies.

My clients getting files from vendors, some files are old and don't know who was created. Anyhow my task is, i need to see this kind of stroke (fill actually). One more thing we can't control to give specific color or not using expanding feature, because it more like impossible to advice all freelancers or designer not to follow this.

I have no idea about this compound path. From selection menu we can't separate the other fills with compound path objects i hope.

Regards,

Karthi

[Vinicius Baptista]

Oh you are right, if you receive files from different people is not possible standardize this task.

Hummmm, Let me do one more question, why do you want change the stroke color to black? By chance it would be because sometimes these strokes comes with composite black? Like, C 100%, M 100%, Y 100%, K 100% or some variation of it and you want to leave only black K 100%?

Regards,

-Vinicius

[Stephen Marsh · Accepted solution]

From selection menu we can't separate the other fills with compound path objects i hope.

As I mentioned, one has to look outside of native Illustrator features to select by compound path.

Links to some great selection add-ons can be found here:

prepression.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/illustrator-selecting-similar-objects.html

[tpk1982]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your suggestions and reply. It help me to select those fill color objects. SAYING THANKS IS NOT NOT ENOUGH

@Vinicius and Carlos: Thank you so much for your involvement in this thread.

Regards,

Karthi

[Stephen Marsh]

Glad to be of some small help Karthi, credit goes to the script/extension/plug-in authors.

EDIT: Keep in mind that *all* compound paths will be selected, which could include other paths than what you would consider an outlined stroke (such as outlined text).

[Vinicius Baptista]

You are welcome Karthi, I'm glad for you take a satisfactory answer, tks Stephen and plug-in authors.

Merry Christmas for All.