anyone know of a script that will create interior crops?

[Kev28410820xkum]

anyone know of a script that will create interior crops like the attached? I have to create these many times a day manually, and a script would be a huge timesaver!

AI or INDD would work for me

[Brito Haroldo]

Hi @Kev28410820xkum do you need this in 4 corners the page, is this?

[Kev28410820xkum]

Yep in all four corners

[Loic.Aigon]

What kind of projects do you work on? The fact that either ID or AI scripting is convenient for you is the source of my questions. Is it some kind of PDF imposition and marks for some cutter? I am asking because there may be more appropriate solutions for your true needs.

[Kev28410820xkum]

manual cutting and adding the crops internally usually means we can get an extra item on the material width.

[Loic.Aigon]

Yes but what about using PDF tools like PitStop to add your marks? An action list can do that in a blink with no code 😉

[brianp311]

Just draw it on your parent page(s)

[rob day]

Hi @Kev28410820xkum , Are the crop marks there as a guide for trimming? If they are, the crops you are showing in the capture would be visible after the page is trimmed—normally they would be offset from the page.

[rob day · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kev28410820xkum , try this:

app.scriptPreferences.measurementUnit = MeasurementUnits.POINTS;
app.activeDocument.zeroPoint = [0, 0];
var ll = 12, //line length
    lt = 1, //line thickness
    p = app.activeWindow.activePage,
    pb = p.bounds,
    cl = makeLayer(app.activeDocument, "Crop Marks");

cl.move(LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING);
app.activeDocument.activeLayer = cl;

//horizontal 
var myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,true)
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,true);
myLine.move([pb[3]-ll,0]);
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,true);
myLine.move([0,pb[2]-lt]);
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,true);
myLine.move([pb[3]-ll,pb[2]-lt])

//vertical 
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,false)
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,false)
myLine.move([pb[3]-lt,0]);
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,false);
myLine.move([0,pb[2]-ll]);
myLine = makeLine(p,ll,lt,false);
myLine.move([pb[3]-lt,pb[2]-ll])

app.scriptPreferences.measurementUnit = AutoEnum.AUTO_VALUE;

/**
* Make a graphic line 
* @ param page destination 
* @ param line length 
* @ param line thickness 
* @ param true horizontal or false vertical 
* @ return the line 
*
*/
function makeLine(p,l,t,h){
    var ln = p.graphicLines.add({strokeColor:"Black", strokeWeight:t});
    if (h) {
        ln.geometricBounds = [0,0,0,l];
        ln.strokeAlignment=StrokeAlignment.INSIDE_ALIGNMENT;
    } else {
        ln.geometricBounds = [0,0,l,0]
        ln.strokeAlignment=StrokeAlignment.OUTSIDE_ALIGNMENT;
    }
    return ln
}


/**
* Makes a new named Layer 
* @ param the document to add the layer 
* @ param layer name 
* @ return the new layer 
*/

function makeLayer(d, n){
    if (d.layers.itemByName(n).isValid) {
        return d.layers.itemByName(n);
    } else {
        return d.layers.add({name:n});
    }
}

[Kev28410820xkum]

that was SO helpful! Thanks - unfortunately, none of my custom script seem to work now - I've no idea what happened. I'm using INDD 18.4 

[rob day]

Hi @Kev28410820xkum , Do you mean when you run the script from the scripts panel you get an error, or nothing happens? If it’s an error can you show the error alert?

[Kev28410820xkum]

I did some research last night - it's odd, but if I move my custom scripts out of the user script folder and into this folder:

applications/adobe indesign 2023/scripts/community/scripts panel/

they all work!

[rob day]

In the Scripts panel you can right-click one of the root folders (Application, Community, and User) and get Reveal in Finder—you might do that to confirm you have the correct folder.