Opening Illustrator document as a template / copy?

[Trevor:]

Hi All,

Is there any way as opening an Illustrator document as a template / copy?

app.executeMenuCommand('newFromTemplate'); doesn't provide an option to include the file path.

I know I can open a doc as the original and do saveAs but I am not looking for that.

JSX, Applescript or terminal command solutions would all be good but not UI based ones.

Thanks

Trevor

[moluapple]

Hi, can you accept this solution ?

var f = File.openDialog ('Select the file...', '*.ai'),
    n = f.name;
f.rename (f.name + 't');
app.open(f);
f.rename (n);

[Trevor:]

Thanks for the suggestion. I had thought of it but I'm not excited about it.

The same applies to duplicating the file and renaming it although I think I will end up doing that.

[Vinothmannu]

This may help you.

#target illustrator

var dialogBox =

    "dialog { orientation: 'column', alignChildren: 'center', \

        info: Group { orientation: 'column', alignChildren: 'center', \

        templateType: Group { orientation: 'column', alignChildren: 'center', margins: 0, \

            rbtn1:  {  text: 'Select the template file', assignmet: 'left'}, \

            dividerLine: Panel { preferredSize: [280,1], margins:0,},\

            componentsGroup: Group { alignChildren: 'right' , orientation: 'column' ,\

            componentList: ListBox {preferredSize: [260,150], left: 100, properties:{multiselect:false} align:'right'}, \

            st:StaticText {text:'', preferredSize:[280,0]},\

            applySkinTo: Group { orientation: 'row' , alignChildren: 'top',\

            },\

            },\

        }, \

    }, \

            dividerLine: Panel { preferredSize: [280,1], margins:0,},\

            buttons: Group { orientation: 'row', \

            ok: Button { text: 'OK', properties:{name:'ok'} }, \

            cancel: Button { text: 'Cancel', properties:{name:'cancel'} }, \

            } \

}";

win = new Window (dialogBox);

win.text = "Graphics";

var lstbx = win.info.templateType.componentsGroup.componentList;

var templatePath;

var templateComponentPath;

if($.os.substring(0,3)=="Win")

{

  templatePath = " "; // Pl. provide the path

  templateComponentPath =  templatePath + "/template";

}

var templateFolder = new Folder(templateComponentPath);

var files = templateFolder.getFiles();

for (i = 0; i < files.length; ++i)

{

  var fileName = files.name;

  var index = fileName.lastIndexOf(".ait");

  if(index != -1)

  {

  var onlyFileName = fileName.substring(0,index);

  lstbx.add("item",File.decode(onlyFileName));

  }

}

win.buttons.ok.onClick = function()

{

  var doc1;

  if(win.info.templateType.rbtn1.value)

  {

    var componentPath = templateComponentPath + "/"+ lstbx.selection.text + ".ait";

  doc1 = app.open (new File(componentPath));

  }

  else

  {

  var componentPath = templateComponentPath + "/"+ lstbx.selection.text + ".ait";

  doc1 = app.open (new File(componentPath));

  }

  win.close(0);

}

win.buttons.cancel.onClick = function()

{

  win.close(0);

}

win.center();

win.show();

[Trevor: · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your reply.

It's not what I'm after.

moluapple   snippet is much closer.

In the end I made a copy of the Ai file (foo.ai) with a different name (foo-not-processed.Ai) and then after saving the final processed file (foo-not-processed.Ai) I rename it to (foo-processed .Ai)

It's not the most resource efficient although not too bad but it's safe and quick. 

Regards

Trevor

[Silly-V]

I am wondering, why did you need to do these steps instead of using the simple open -> process > Save-As process?

[Trevor:]

Hi Silly,

I am batch processing PDF files that can contain up to about 200,000 path objects, the object can be sometimes a bit complicated.

The can be sometimes 100s of these files.

My client says all the files are backed up but I would rather avoid touching them to avoid any risk of corrupting them.

If I were to be more of a risk player I could open them and do save as strait away on Ai and then process and save again. 2 X save as like you are thinking, right?

We'll how many extra hours would it take to do the more risky method? I don't know but it certainly would be a lot.

Convinced 😉

Trevor

[Trevor:]

Well I see you had in mind just 1 save as, that's just too risky.

[Silly-V]

See, I was under impression that when you 'open' a file in AI, it actually copies the file inside the application - so unlike other kinds of applications such as Excel, where you can't delete a file that's open in Excel right now, in the file system, you can delete an AI file that's already opened and it won't even complain at you. I also think that is why when you drag a file into the app fame of AI or PS, etc, it will show the tooltip "copy" near the cursor.

[Trevor:]

I don't know, maybe you are correct.