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Exiftool shows there is a "For" tag coming from [PostScript] on my Illustrator PDF when saved with "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities". This tag includes my name followed by a comma, as in: "First Last,". My name is not identified in the regular metadata fields such as Author/Creator, etc., and doesn't show up when I view the metadata otherwise.
Environment: I am using Illustrator 2023 & 2024 with a corporate license (not signed in via the Cloud) on MacOS Sonoma 14.5/
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As far as I can remember Illustrator has always written the name of the registered Illustrator user in the file.
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Is there a way to access wherever that comes from with an Illustrator ExtendScript .jsx, or does it require a separate call to the system?
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I'll leave that to someone with scripting knowledge.
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The %%For is a commented section in the header of a Postscript/EPS file that identifies the account user name followed (sometimes) by the computer's name. This is one of a bunch dictated by the Postscript Language Document Structuring Conventions (DCS) Specifications. Most programs capable of saving PS/EPS files and PS print streams will have this information if it exists.
This information is less relevant these days but was helpful/necessary in print workflows to identify the file's source in a print queue. It usually follows the %%Creator and %%CreatorVersion. like so:
So to answer "Where does Illustrator get the information from to write this tag?"
It's provided by your System to Illustrator
"Can I retrieve this data using Illustrator ExtendScript?"
Couldn't tell you, but like @Ton Frederiks mentions, maybe someone with scripting experience will chime in.
"If I wanted to read/write to this location, what would be the namespace where it would be found?"
In an exported PS/EPS files, it's in the header at the beginning of the file in plain text. In a PDF saved with Illustrator Editing enabled, it's part of the .AI/PS code attached so it can also be found by a text editor somewhere in the file.
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