Cell object is null!

[dulajun]

I get the third merged cell as null. Why is that?

Please to get the error First create new document and table 3 by 3 and merge and select cells like screenshot. Execute the script.

var sel = app.selection[0];
var queuedCells = getQueuedCells ([sel]);
function getQueuedCells (deepCells) {
    var queuedCells = new Array;
    if (deepCells.length > 0) {
        targetIndex = null;
        targetIndex = deepCells[0].parentRow.index;
        for (var dcs = 0; dcs < deepCells.length; dcs++) {
            for (var dcc = 0; dcc < deepCells[dcs].cells.length; dcc++) {
                alert ("(deepCells[" + dcs + "].cells[" + dcc + "] != null) " + (deepCells[dcs].cells[dcc] != null));
                if (targetIndex == deepCells[dcs].cells[dcc].parentRow.index) {
                    queuedCells.push (deepCells[dcs].cells[dcc]);
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return queuedCells;
}

Also I posted as a bug here:

Cell object is null! – Adobe InDesign (uservoice.com)

[Laubender]

Hi @dulajun ,

what will be returned with:

app.selection[0].cells.everyItem().getElements();

Is it an array of three cells?

Or will InDesign crash?

( Had something like this in a slightly different situation when working with merged cells. )

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[dulajun]

InDesign application doesn't crash.

But it's supposed to be three cells according to the selected ones.

My script returned three cells but the third is null.

I tried to add 

.everyItem().getElements();

 and I get tow elements without the third merged one.

[dulajun]

I executed the following code and get 2 in first screenshot and 3 in the second.

var r = app.selection[0].cells.everyItem().getElements();
alert (r.length);

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Well, seems you discovered a bug!

I have no idea if this can be fixed or will be fixed.

Also tested and I see exactly the same. Let's name the column A,B,C and the cells 1,2,3 in a row. Then selected cells are:

A2, A3, B2 merged with B3 will only return two [object Cell] when we work with app.selection[0]. Yes, this must be a bug. Only A2 and A3 are returned by scripting.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Laubender]

Wheras app.selection[0].cells.length returns 3.

Crazy…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Laubender]

Hi @dulajun ,

seems that this bug is very old.

Just tested with InDesign CS6 and its all the same issue.

Only two out of three cells are returned with: app.selection[0].cells.everyItem() . The only thing is that app.selection[0].cells.length returns the right number.

So one could at least detect that there is a bug if you compare cells.length with cells.everyItem().getElements().length. Both values will not match.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[brianp311]

Another relevant thread that I think speaks to this bug: https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/weird-behaviour-of-itembyrange-function/m-p/1247...

I have always encountered strange errors when dealing with merged cells. My strategy has always been to record values, unmerge, operate on the known, expected range, and remerge. 

[dulajun]

I just reviewed that topic. But I think the difference is that what we've brought up here involves a software bug rather than a functional logical bug.