Script to change fillColor in object appearance attributes

[AlexBuisse]

Hi,

I have a series of text objects that have special appearances applied to them (outline stroke, ellipse and fill) in order to make them look like numbers within colored circles. There is another series of paths that have matching names. I wrote a script to iterate over each number and make it take the fillColor of the corresponding path, but can't seem to change the fillColor attribute within the appearance panel.

Here is the relevant snippet of code:

for (var n = 0; n < doc.layers["lines"].layers["numbers"].pageItems.length; n++) {
  var obj = doc.layers["lines"].layers["numbers"].pageItems[n];
  var id = Number(obj.contents);
  newCol = findCol(id);
  if (newCol != null) {
    obj.fillColor = newCol;
  } else {
    alert("Found nothing for id " + id);
  }
}

And here is the relevant part of the file showing the object structure:

I know the API allows only very limited access to appearance attributes, but was hoping fillColor would be basic enough to be able to be accessed.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[pixxxelschubser]

One of the few possibilities: 

Create a graphic style. Assign this style to your object in Script.

[AlexBuisse]

Thanks, I saw this mentioned in other forum threads, but I need to assign a new color every time. Is it possible to change the fillColor of a given graphic style before applying it?

[Kurt Gold]

It would be helpful if you could share a sample Illustrator file with some specific instructions about the task.

[AlexBuisse]

Sure thing, here is a sample file (without the base JPG, to keep things lightweight), and the current state of my script, renamed to txt so I could upload it here.

It only has a handful of numbers, but most files have 100+ of them. The idea is to take each layer in the "lines/numbers" layer, and match its ID number with the corresponding line in "lines/routes", get the color there, then apply it in the fill property of the appearance panel. Let me know if you need any more info.

[AlexBuisse]

Hum, the forum is complaining that the content type of my file is application/postscript, which does not match its contents, and won't let me upload it. I have it here on a third party server: https://www.playbook.com/s/alex-buisse/29tTHomkHNnLdNLbz5zxmJve?assetToken=tcwJ1TRU5yyZr1NCptUbsDFx. Let me know if that works, or if there is another way to share the file.

[Kurt Gold]

Thanks for the sample file. It helps to understand the task.

Currently, I don't have a scripting solution, but perhaps two different approaches that may or may not be suitable.

To verify, you may want to elaborate further:

1. Are the labels with the numbers always pre-built in each file and are they already located at the intended position?

2. Or do you create the labels in each document individually and then move them to the intended position?

3. Are all or almost all labels usually located where the open stroked paths start or end? Or is that rather variable?

In any case, it may help to share one of your files that contain more than 100 labels. Just to get a better overview.

[AlexBuisse]

Thanks for taking a look. The numbers are not pre-built, they are created and moved manually. They are not necessarily at the start or end of the paths (though in practice it happens more often than not). Here is another file I just completed, with 114 lines and the numbers already at the right colors: https://www.playbook.com/s/alex-buisse/f5poiiHgTXA3F4Lyx2N6YDWF?assetToken=BSSeqvfvyhvSfbujiP4YGRdm 

[Kurt Gold]

Thanks for the file.

Some outstanding scripters may prove me wrong, but based on this example I'd say that it's not possible to completely automate the task. This is mainly manual work. At least I do not see reliable relationships between the paths and the labels, such that they could be "colour-tied".

Some parts might be automated with brushes and there may be another way that would use transparency blending modes. But there is no instant way, as far as I can see.

[AlexBuisse]

Thanks for your assessment. There is a relationship: the id in each number label, obtained via 

Number(obj.contents)

 where obj is a number label, matches the beginning of a line label, which I do get by just iterating over all the lines and doing a little regex in the layer name:

for (var i = 0; i < routes.pageItems.length; i++) {
    var n = routes.pageItems[i].name;
    var ids = n.match("^([0-9]+): ");
    if (ids != null) {
      id = Number(ids[1]);
      if (id == targetID) { return routes.pageItems[i].strokeColor; }
    }
  }

That part correctly gives me the right color with which to color the number label. The part where I am stuck is how to actually change the fill color of the label.