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How to divide all textFrames in one-character-per-textFrame?

Explorer ,
Jan 24, 2011 Jan 24, 2011

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Hello:

How to divide all textFrames in one-character-per-textFrame?

Example: the textFrame "Letters" will be divided in 7 textFrames: "L", "e", "t", "t", "e", "r", "s".

Help, please.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Mar 05, 2011 Mar 05, 2011

Hi Victor, here's the JS version, sorry for the delay

#target Illustrator

//  script.description = splits selected texFrame into separate characters;

//  script.required = select a point text textFrame before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 3/5/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var tWord = idoc.selection[0];

var xpos = tWord.position[0];

var ypos = tWord.position[1];

var charCount = tWord.characters.length;

for (i=charCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--)

     {

          var ichar

...

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Community Expert ,
Jan 30, 2011 Jan 30, 2011

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here's how to do it with VBA, a copy in blue shown underneath.

oneCharPerFrame.PNG

Sub oneCharacterPerTFrame()

    Dim Iapp As New Illustrator.Application

    Dim Idoc As Illustrator.Document

    Dim tWord As Illustrator.TextFrame

    Dim tCharacter As Illustrator.TextFrame

    Dim a As Integer

    Dim b As Integer

    Set Idoc = Iapp.ActiveDocument

    Set tWord = Idoc.TextFrames(1)

    x = tWord.Position(0)

    y = tWord.Position(1)

    a = tWord.Characters.Count

    For b = a To 1 Step -1

        Set tCharacter = Idoc.TextFrames.Add

        tCharacter.Contents = tWord.Characters(b).Contents

        tWord.Characters(b).Delete

        w = tWord.Width

        tCharacter.Position = Array(x + w, y)

    Next

    tWord.Delete

    Set tCharacter = Nothing

    Set tWord = Nothing

    Set Idoc = Nothing

    Set Iapp = Nothing

End Sub

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Explorer ,
Jan 30, 2011 Jan 30, 2011

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Thanks, Carlos, for your solution, but I have a Mac and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications does not run on Mac.

Please, do you can translate your code to JavaScript (or AppleScript)?

Best regards.

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Community Expert ,
Jan 30, 2011 Jan 30, 2011

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you're welcome, I have a hard time doing JS, it doesn't seem to stick to my brain....but I'll try.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 05, 2011 Mar 05, 2011

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Hi Victor, here's the JS version, sorry for the delay

#target Illustrator

//  script.description = splits selected texFrame into separate characters;

//  script.required = select a point text textFrame before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 3/5/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var tWord = idoc.selection[0];

var xpos = tWord.position[0];

var ypos = tWord.position[1];

var charCount = tWord.characters.length;

for (i=charCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--)

     {

          var ichar = tWord.duplicate();

          ichar.contents = tWord.characters.contents;

          tWord.characters.remove();

          var width = tWord.width;

          ichar.position = [xpos+width,ypos];

     }

tWord.remove();

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Explorer ,
Mar 06, 2011 Mar 06, 2011

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Thanks, Carlos. Your script works perfectly! I am very happy.

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Community Expert ,
Apr 13, 2011 Apr 13, 2011

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Hi Victor, here's your request, it works on multiple text Frames

#target Illustrator

//  script.name = splitSelectedWordsIntoCharacters.jsx;

//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate characters;

//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 4/13/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection

var selCount = sel.length; // count items

var tWord = []; // to hold the textFrames

for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards

     {

          tWord[j-1] = sel[j-1];

     }

for (k = 0 ; k<tWord.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames

     {

          var xpos = tWord.position[0]; // get x

          var ypos = tWord.position[1]; // get y

          var charCount = tWord.characters.length; // count characters

          for (i=charCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--) // loop thru characters backwards

               {

                    var ichar = tWord.duplicate(); // duplicate textFrame

                    ichar.contents = tWord.characters.contents; // get last character

                    tWord.characters.remove(); // remove last character from original word

                    var width = tWord.width; // get the new width (without the last character)

                    ichar.position = [xpos+width,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width

               }

          

          tWord.remove(); // remove textFrame (it is empty by now)

     }

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Explorer ,
Apr 13, 2011 Apr 13, 2011

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Superb, Carlos! Thanks again.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 11, 2011 Jul 11, 2011

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Nice, Carlos. Thanks.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 11, 2011 Jul 11, 2011

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Hi Peter, you're welcome

thanks

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New Here ,
Sep 28, 2011 Sep 28, 2011

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What an amazing script! Carlos, would you be able to modify this so that instead of breaking apart all characters, it breaks apart all words at any spaces, like "\s"?

Your script is so close to what I need! Apparently it was called the break apart feature in Corel Draw, if I have read about it correctly.

Thank you for the wonderful feature above and anything you can do for me.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 28, 2011 Sep 28, 2011

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Hi Paul, no problem

#target Illustrator

//  script.name = splitSelectedFramesIntoWords.jsx;

//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate words;

//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 9/28/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection

var selCount = sel.length; // count items

var tWord = []; // to hold the textFrames

for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards

          {

                    tWord[j-1] = sel[j-1];

          }

for (k = 0 ; k<tWord.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames

          {

                    var xpos = tWord.position[0]; // get x

                    var ypos = tWord.position[1]; // get y

                    var wordCount = tWord.words.length; // count words

                    for (i=wordCount-1 ; i>=0 ; i--) // loop thru words backwards

                              {

                                        var iword = tWord.duplicate(); // duplicate textFrame

                                        iword.contents = tWord.words.contents; // get last word

                                        tWord.words.remove(); // remove last character from original word

                                        var width = tWord.width; // get the new width (without the last character)

                                        iword.position = [xpos+width,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width

                              }

                    tWord.remove(); // remove textFrame (it is empty by now)

          }

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New Here ,
Sep 29, 2011 Sep 29, 2011

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Carlos, it is so close! My first attempt resulted with this problem, where spacing is lost between some objects and in one case a word lost both a period and a letter, the string "page. They" became "pag They"

Thank you so much! You are so fast, dude! See the archive linked below.

https://files.me.com/oneillhome/36dtn8

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New Here ,
Oct 13, 2011 Oct 13, 2011

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Carlos, is there any update to fix the problem I saw in the first word, in the punctuation and in the characters/spaces at the end of lines?

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Community Expert ,
Oct 14, 2011 Oct 14, 2011

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Hi Paul, try this one

#target Illustrator

//  script.name = splitSelectedFramesIntoWords2.0.jsx;

//  script.description = splits selected texFrames into separate words;

//  script.required = select point text textFrames before running;

//  script.parent = CarlosCanto;  // 10/14/11

//  script.elegant = false;

var idoc = app.activeDocument;

var sel = idoc.selection; // get selection

var selCount = sel.length; // count items

var tFrames = []; // to hold the textFrames

for (j=selCount ; j>0 ; j--) // loop thru selection & get textFrames backwards

          {

                    tFrames[j-1] = sel[j-1];

          }

for (k = 0 ; k<tFrames.length ; k++) // loop thru textFrames

          {

                    var xpos = tFrames.position[0]; // get x

                    var ypos = tFrames.position[1]; // get y

                    var words = tFrames.contents.split(/\s/g); // get all words into an array

                    //$.writeln(words);

                    var space = tFrames.duplicate(); // dup to get width of a space

                    space.contents = " ";

                    var sw = space.width;

                    space.contents = words[0]; // replace space with first word

                    var w = space.width;

                    var wordCount = words.length; // count words

                    for (i=1; i<wordCount ; i++) // loop thru words

                              {

                                        xpos2 = xpos+w+sw; // next words position = previous word pos+width+space

                                        var iword = space.duplicate(); // duplicate previous word

                                        iword.contents = words; // add next word

                                        iword.position = [xpos2,ypos]; // position the character = original position + new width

                                        w = iword.width; // get words width

                                        xpos = iword.position[0]; // get words position

                              }

                    tFrames.remove(); // remove textFrame

          }

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New Here ,
Nov 01, 2011 Nov 01, 2011

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It really works fantastically, Carlos. Thank you so much for your attention on this very specific Illustrator inquiry!

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New Here ,
Jun 17, 2013 Jun 17, 2013

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How do I install your code??

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Community Expert ,
Jun 17, 2013 Jun 17, 2013

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Copy the above. Open a text editor or the Adobe ESTK utility and paste. Save making sure that is in plain text. Run it in AI by File>Scripts>Other scripts and navigate to the saved script. You must have a file open in AI and some text selected.

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New Here ,
Jun 18, 2013 Jun 18, 2013

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I tried that in a few different ways, but I keep getting this error when I run the script:

Screen shot 2013-06-18 at 12.55.02 PM.png

Any ideas how to fix that?

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New Here ,
Jun 18, 2013 Jun 18, 2013

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Just kidding--I used DreamWeaver this time and found the error. It works!!!! I will be using this script almost every day! THANK YOUUUUU!!!

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New Here ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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Hi Carlos. I used your script and it worked. But, I don't want each individual letter broken apart. Is there a script to break apart a text string by whole words? Thanks

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Community Expert ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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Hi, use the script in post # 14, that one works with whole words.

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New Here ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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Thank you so much Carlos. Awesome. Saving me tons of time.

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New Here ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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Carlos saves me on a project way back. He is the king of the forums IMHO.

Stereo thank you to Carlos Canto.

Sent from my iPhone

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Community Expert ,
Jul 23, 2013 Jul 23, 2013

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thanks Paul/kaswid I appreciate the feedback

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