Issue modify symbol in a document using scripting

[tmmls]

I need to modify a symbol in a document. Due to limitations in the DOM, I'm trying a workaround by putting it on a new layer, and trying the modify it. Then I would like to add it again as a new symbol.

But when breaking the symbol, the layer.pageItems array is empty. So I'm not able to loop the list of items.

How do i fix this?

var doc = app.activeDocument;

var tempLayer = doc.layers.add();
tempLayer.name = "TEMP";

var badSymbol = doc.symbols.getByName("BAD");
var badSymbolItem = tempLayer.symbolItems.add(badSymbol);

// Making it a regular page/layer object
badSymbolItem.breakLink();

app.redraw();

for ( var j = 0; j < tempLayer.pageItems.length; j++ ) {
    // EMPTY ?
};

// Add content of a layer as new Symbol in the document


tempLayer.remove();

[femkeblanco]

What you seem to get when you break the link is items within a layer within tempLayer.  I.e.

tempLayer.layers[0].pageItems

[tmmls]

Thank you Femke ... This was very useful  ...

[Charu Rajput · Accepted solution]

Hi,

When you break link, the sublayers with the name of the symbol is created. So your TEMP layer will not have pagesItems, instead TEMP layer will have a sublayer with name 'BAD' and this BAD layer will have access to the pageItems. 

var doc = app.activeDocument;

var tempLayer = doc.layers.add();
tempLayer.name = "TEMP";

var badSymbol = doc.symbols.getByName("BAD");
var badSymbolItem = tempLayer.symbolItems.add(badSymbol);

// Making it a regular page/layer object
badSymbolItem.breakLink();

app.redraw();
var _badLayer = tempLayer.layers['BAD'];
alert(_badLayer.pageItems.length);

for (var j = 0; j < _badLayer.pageItems.length; j++) {
  // EMPTY ?
};

// Add content of a layer as new Symbol in the document


tempLayer.remove();