Randomly order artboards.

[smhtlhtrk2]

Hello,
Is there a way to randomly sort artboards? The "Rearrange All Artboards" button provides a limited and orderly solution to this. But I need a solution that will sort randomly and differently every time it runs. Is this possible with a script?

[m1b]

I'm intrigued by this question. It is easy to shuffle artboards in a script (and then do something in that shuffled order), or do you need the artboards shuffled in the document? Can you explain more? I'm quite curious.

- Mark

[smhtlhtrk2]

Yes, I need the artboards to be shuffled in the document. I have dozens of documents containing at least 100 artboards. And each of them must be sorted randomly and irrelevantly in itself.

[m1b · Accepted solution]

Okay I'm still curious why you need to shuffle the artboard order, so feel free to give me a hint if you can. 🙂

Here's a script that will do what you want I think.

- Mark

UPDATE: you can find an improved version of my script here.

/*

    Shuffle artboards
    for Adobe Illustrator

    by m1b
    here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/randomly-order-artboards/m-p/12692397
    
    (Fisher Yates algorithm: sorry I can't find a source for this but not my code)

*/

if (!Array.prototype.shuffle) Array.prototype.shuffle = (function (Object, max, min) {
    "use strict";
    // fisher-yates shuffle method
    return function shuffle(picks) {
        // randomises order of an array
        if (this === null || this === undefined) throw TypeError("Array.prototype.shuffle called on null or undefined");
        var p = picks === null || picks === undefined || picks == 0 ? this.length : picks;
        var i = this.length, j = 0, temp;
        while (i--) {
            j = Math.floor(Math.random() * (i + 1));
            // swap randomly chosen element with current element
            temp = this[i];
            this[i] = this[j];
            this[j] = temp;
        }
        return this.slice(0, p);
    };
})(Object, Math.max, Math.min);


var doc = app.activeDocument,
    _artboards = [],
    indices = [];

// make an array of existing artboards
for (var i = 0; i < doc.artboards.length; i++)
    _artboards.push(doc.artboards[i]);

// copy the array for later
var deleteMeLater = _artboards.slice();

// shuffle using fisher yates method
_artboards.shuffle();

// add the artboards and match to existing
var a;
while (a = _artboards.pop()) {
    var b = doc.artboards.add(a.artboardRect);
    b.name = a.name;
    b.rulerOrigin = a.rulerOrigin;
    b.rulerPAR = a.rulerPAR;
    b.showCenter = a.showCenter;
    b.showCrossHairs = a.showCrossHairs;
    b.showSafeAreas = a.showSafeAreas;
}

// delete the original artboards
while (a = deleteMeLater.pop())
    a.remove();

[smhtlhtrk2]

Thanks a lot. This works great.

My goal is to produce complex scenes with different components (backgrounds, people, animals, objects, buildings and environmental factors, etc.). I will place each group of components in their correct positions in different documents. And I'll put it together in the final document. I aim to create 5,000 scenes with different variations. To produce more final documents, I needed sequential alternatives that were shuffled more and more quickly. Now I can achieve this much faster with the script you produced and a few simple steps.

Thanks again.

[m1b]

Interesting! Glad it worked for you.

[soufianovitch]

is there is any script for reordering artboards by their position?

[m1b]

Sure. That script I posted could be modified to do that. For the sake of future people searching for this question, why don't you ask it as a new question? If you use the tag "scripting" I will see it and post the revised script. Or someone else will answer it. Explain what you mean by position: eg. top-most before bottom-most, and left-most before right-most?

- Mark

[soufianovitch]

Hi Mark, Thank yàou for your time.

I already asked as a new question this is the link: https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/illustrator-script-to-renumber-reorder-the-ar...

[m1b]

Perfect. I hadn't seen it yet. But answered just now. Hope it works in your case.

- Mark

[soufianovitch]

OK Thanks bro