Script to Pathinder > 'Crop' clip groups

[Steve23534591lq4l]

Hey Adobians 🙂

I was wondering if someone had a script, or could help me tweak a script that can target all layers named <clip group> and process them via the 'Crop' Pathfinder tool.

Attached is an ai file with an example floorplan, which is riddled with with these clip groups, as screenshotted:

.
If I process/remove these clip groups in any other way.. the result is not desired, e.g. this doorway clip group would collapse and appear as a solid wall basically:

I set these floorplans to be interactive on a website, and unfortunately if I don't process these clip groups before uploading it to the web, they all appear like this doorway>wall.

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

I did spot this script on the web, but unfortunately it processes the clip groups to the undesired result screenshotted above ^ I'm not sure how to tweak it so it processes clip groups via the Pathfinder crop tool.

var docRef = app.activeDocument;
var clippingCount = 0
clipScan()

//loops through all pageItems, removing those that are clipping masks

function clipScan () {
    for (i=docRef.pageItems.length-1;i>=0;i--) { 
        if (docRef.pageItems[i].clipping == true){
            docRef.pageItems[i].remove();
            clippingCount++;
        }
    }
};

alert ("All "+clippingCount+" Clipping Masks Removed")

Any assistance would be much appreciated 🙂

Thanks,
Steve

[m1b · Accepted solution]

Hi @Steve23534591lq4l, I made some adjustments to your script:

clipScan(app.activeDocument);

function clipScan(doc) {
    // loops through all groupItems, removing those that are clipping masks
    var clippingCount = 0;
    for (i = doc.groupItems.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
        if (doc.groupItems[i].clipped == true) {
            doc.selection = [doc.groupItems[i]];
            app.executeMenuCommand('Live Pathfinder Crop');
            app.executeMenuCommand('expandStyle');
            clippingCount++;
        }
    }
    doc.selection = null;
    alert("All " + clippingCount + " clipping masks expanded.")
};

You were targetting the wrong page items I think. I targetted groupItems that are "clipped" rather than pageItems that are "clipping".

- Mark

[Steve23534591lq4l]

Ah thanks Mark, that's perfect 🙂 Appreciate the help mate!

[X242795006zn0]

If you want to change to process only the currently selected
How to modify this script, do not want to deal with all the objects within the document

[m1b]

Hi @X242795006zn0, then it would be something like this:

clipScan(app.activeDocument);

function clipScan(doc) {
    // loops through all groupItems, removing those that are clipping masks
    var clippedGroups = [];
    // store the target groupItems
    for (var i = 0; i < doc.groupItems.length; i++) {
        if (
            doc.groupItems[i].selected == true
            && doc.groupItems[i].clipped == true
        ) {
            clippedGroups.push(doc.groupItems[i]);
        }
    }

    var clippingCount = 0;
    for (i = clippedGroups.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
        doc.selection = [clippedGroups[i]];
        app.executeMenuCommand('Live Pathfinder Crop');
        app.executeMenuCommand('expandStyle');
        clippingCount++;
    }

    doc.selection = null;
    alert(clippingCount + " clipping masks expanded (out of " + clippedGroups.length + " selected).");
};

This time, it checks if group item is clipped and selected. We have to do 2 loops because the pathFinder commands mess up the current selection. The first loop collects all the groupItems we want and the second does the pathfinder.

- Mark