How to divide all textFrames in one-character-per-textFrame?

[victorcarbajo]

Hello:

How to divide all textFrames in one-character-per-textFrame?

Example: the textFrame "Letters" will be divided in 7 textFrames: "L", "e", "t", "t", "e", "r", "s".

Help, please.

[CarlosCanto]

here's how to do it with VBA, a copy in blue shown underneath.

Sub oneCharacterPerTFrame()

    Dim Iapp As New Illustrator.Application

    Dim Idoc As Illustrator.Document

    Dim tWord As Illustrator.TextFrame

    Dim tCharacter As Illustrator.TextFrame

    Dim a As Integer

    Dim b As Integer

    Set Idoc = Iapp.ActiveDocument

    Set tWord = Idoc.TextFrames(1)

    x = tWord.Position(0)

    y = tWord.Position(1)

    a = tWord.Characters.Count

    For b = a To 1 Step -1

        Set tCharacter = Idoc.TextFrames.Add

        tCharacter.Contents = tWord.Characters(b).Contents

        tWord.Characters(b).Delete

        w = tWord.Width

        tCharacter.Position = Array(x + w, y)

    Next

    tWord.Delete

    Set tCharacter = Nothing

    Set tWord = Nothing

    Set Idoc = Nothing

    Set Iapp = Nothing

End Sub

[victorcarbajo]

Thanks, Carlos, for your solution, but I have a Mac and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications does not run on Mac.

Please, do you can translate your code to JavaScript (or AppleScript)?

Best regards.

[CarlosCanto]

you're welcome, I have a hard time doing JS, it doesn't seem to stick to my brain....but I'll try.

[CarlosCanto · Accepted solution]

Hi Victor, here's the JS version, sorry for the delay

#target Illustrator

//  script.description = splits selected texFrame into separate characters;

//  script.required = select a point text textFrame before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 3/5/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var tWord = idoc.selection[0];

var xpos = tWord.position[0];

var ypos = tWord.position[1];

var charCount = tWord.characters.length;

for (i=charCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--)

     {

          var ichar = tWord.duplicate();

          ichar.contents = tWord.characters.contents;

          tWord.characters.remove();

          var width = tWord.width;

          ichar.position = [xpos+width,ypos];

     }

tWord.remove();

[victorcarbajo]

Thanks, Carlos. Your script works perfectly! I am very happy.

[CarlosCanto]

Hi Victor, here's your request, it works on multiple text Frames

#target Illustrator

//  script.name = splitSelectedWordsIntoCharacters.jsx;

//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate characters;

//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 4/13/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection

var selCount = sel.length; // count items

var tWord = []; // to hold the textFrames

for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards

     {

          tWord[j-1] = sel[j-1];

     }

for (k = 0 ; k<tWord.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames

     {

          var xpos = tWord.position[0]; // get x

          var ypos = tWord.position[1]; // get y

          var charCount = tWord.characters.length; // count characters

          for (i=charCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--) // loop thru characters backwards

               {

                    var ichar = tWord.duplicate(); // duplicate textFrame

                    ichar.contents = tWord.characters.contents; // get last character

                    tWord.characters.remove(); // remove last character from original word

                    var width = tWord.width; // get the new width (without the last character)

                    ichar.position = [xpos+width,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width

               }

          tWord.remove(); // remove textFrame (it is empty by now)

     }

[victorcarbajo]

Superb, Carlos! Thanks again.

[tromboniator]

Nice, Carlos. Thanks.

[CarlosCanto]

Hi Peter, you're welcome

thanks

[Paul_Lerch]

What an amazing script! Carlos, would you be able to modify this so that instead of breaking apart all characters, it breaks apart all words at any spaces, like "\s"?

Your script is so close to what I need! Apparently it was called the break apart feature in Corel Draw, if I have read about it correctly.

Thank you for the wonderful feature above and anything you can do for me.

[CarlosCanto]

Hi Paul, no problem

#target Illustrator
//  script.name = splitSelectedFramesIntoWords.jsx;
//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate words;
//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;
//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 9/28/11
//  script.elegant = false;
var idoc = app.activeDocument;
var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection
var selCount = sel.length; // count items
var tWord = []; // to hold the textFrames
for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards
          {
                    tWord[j-1] = sel[j-1];
          }
for (k = 0 ; k<tWord.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames
          {
                    var xpos = tWord.position[0]; // get x
                    var ypos = tWord.position[1]; // get y
                    var wordCount = tWord.words.length; // count words
                    for (i=wordCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--) // loop thru words backwards
                              {
                                        var iword = tWord.duplicate(); // duplicate textFrame
                                        iword.contents = tWord.words.contents; // get last word
                                        tWord.words.remove(); // remove last character from original word
                                        var width = tWord.width; // get the new width (without the last character)
                                        iword.position = [xpos+width,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width
                              }
                    tWord.remove(); // remove textFrame (it is empty by now)
          }

[Paul_Lerch]

Carlos, it is so close! My first attempt resulted with this problem, where spacing is lost between some objects and in one case a word lost both a period and a letter, the string "page. They" became "pag They"

Thank you so much! You are so fast, dude! See the archive linked below.

https://files.me.com/oneillhome/36dtn8

[Paul_Lerch]

Carlos, is there any update to fix the problem I saw in the first word, in the punctuation and in the characters/spaces at the end of lines?

[CarlosCanto]

Hi Paul, try this one

#target Illustrator
//  script.name = splitSelectedFramesIntoWords2.0.jsx;
//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate words;
//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;
//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 10/14/11
//  script.elegant = false;
var idoc = app.activeDocument;
var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection
var selCount = sel.length; // count items
var tFrames = []; // to hold the textFrames
for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards
          {
                    tFrames[j-1] = sel[j-1];
          }
for (k = 0 ; k<tFrames.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames
          {
                    var xpos = tFrames.position[0]; // get x
                    var ypos = tFrames.position[1]; // get y
                    var words = tFrames.contents.split(/\s/g); // get all words into an array
                    //$.writeln(words);
                    var space = tFrames.duplicate(); // dup to get width of a space
                    space.contents = " ";
                    var sw = space.width;
                    space.contents = words[0]; // replace space with first word
                    var w = space.width; 
                    var wordCount = words.length; // count words
                    for (i=1; i<wordCount ; i++) // loop thru words
                              {
                                        xpos2 = xpos+w+sw; // next words position = previous word pos+width+space
                                        var iword = space.duplicate(); // duplicate previous word
                                        iword.contents = words; // add next word
                                        iword.position = [xpos2,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width
                                        w = iword.width; // get words width
                                        xpos = iword.position[0]; // get words position
                              }
                    tFrames.remove(); // remove textFrame
          }

[Paul_Lerch]

It really works fantastically, Carlos. Thank you so much for your attention on this very specific Illustrator inquiry!

[nicoleyorgason]

How do I install your code??

[Larry G. Schneider]

Copy the above. Open a text editor or the Adobe ESTK utility and paste. Save making sure that is in plain text. Run it in AI by File>Scripts>Other scripts and navigate to the saved script. You must have a file open in AI and some text selected.

[nicoleyorgason]

I tried that in a few different ways, but I keep getting this error when I run the script:

Any ideas how to fix that?

[nicoleyorgason]

Just kidding--I used DreamWeaver this time and found the error. It works!!!! I will be using this script almost every day! THANK YOUUUUU!!!

[kaswid]

Hi Carlos. I used your script and it worked. But, I don't want each individual letter broken apart. Is there a script to break apart a text string by whole words? Thanks

[CarlosCanto]

Hi, use the script in post # 14, that one works with whole words.

[kaswid]

Thank you so much Carlos. Awesome. Saving me tons of time.

[Paul_Lerch]

Carlos saves me on a project way back. He is the king of the forums IMHO.

Stereo thank you to Carlos Canto.

Sent from my iPhone

[CarlosCanto]

thanks Paul/kaswid I appreciate the feedback