1 Correct answer
I've had some good fun setting poetry in the past. Most of it can be scripted. As Ariel and Bill mentioned, each line should be a separate paragraph. Then you can left-align the lines and centre the page on the longest line using the following script:
Select a text frame, then run the script
...if (app.selection.length && app.selection[0] instanceof TextFrame) {
frame = app.selection[0];
longest = Math.max.apply (null, frame.lines.everyItem().endHorizontalOffset);
indent = (frame.geometricBounds[3
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Replies
Hopefully this will help. In this example, the paragraph in red runs over two pages, but each page needs a different left indent.
As we talk about poetry and as my very clever friend Ariel said, I suppose each line is a para!
So, it's easy: just select the text on each page and align in 1 click!
(^/) 
Nice code, Peter!
Maybe a loop on each page to find each main text frame and a limitation to the "Body" para style could be allow the op to do it in just 1 click on all the doc?
About this kind of discussion, see:
Re: Horizontal alignment of text in InDesign
For memory, the older solution proposed by someone and that I noted a very long time ago is:
Re: Setting poetry (2) Centering frames?
in April 2010, written by … Ariel! [ He certainly forgot it! … and Jong too! ]
(^/)
Supposing the op has styled each poem lines as "Body" (in Green), the title, as "Title" (in Blue) and the author, as "Author" (in Red) …
1 click will be enough to get this result: each page is centered-aligned-on-the-poem-longest-line!
/*
0190_PoetryLines_MichelAllio.jsx
based on an orginal code written by Peter Kahrel | See: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2370094
Written 2017/08/13
*/
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, [], UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, "Poetry Lines! …" );
function main()
{
var myDoc = app.activeDocument,
myPages = myDoc.pages,
P = myPages.length, p;
for ( p = 0; p < P; p++ ){
var myFrames = myPages
.allPageItems,
F = myFrames.length, f;
for ( f = 0; f < F; f++ ) {
var myFrame = myFrames
; if ( myFrame instanceof TextFrame && myFrame.contents.length > 0 ) {
longest = Math.max.apply (null, myFrame.lines.everyItem().endHorizontalOffset);
indent = (myFrame.geometricBounds[3]/2) - (longest/2);
myFrame.lines.everyItem().leftIndent = indent;
}
}
}
var myParas = myDoc.stories.everyItem().paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();
var P = myParas.length, p;
for ( p = 0; p < P; p++ ) myParas
.appliedParagraphStyle != myDoc.paragraphStyles.item("Body") && myParas
.clearOverrides();
}
(^/)
Hi Uwe,
This is the error I get (Indesign CC 2019):
Hi there! I'm trying to use this script for a memoir I'm typesetting (with mixed content—some normal paragraph styles, with poems intersperced throughout).
I changed the paragraph style to my own, but when I try to run the script, I'm getting a JavaScript Error:
It seems like something in line 9 is causing the issue and it's probably a simple fix... but this is the ceiling of my JavaScript knowledge. Please help—thank you SO much!
Thanks! Pasting full code below:
/*
0190_PoetryLines_MichelAllio.jsx
based on an orginal code written by Peter Kahrel | See: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2370094
Written 2017/08/13
*/
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, [], UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, "Poetry Lines! …" );
function main()
{
var myDoc = app.activeDocument,
myPages = myDoc.pages,
P = myPages.length, p;
for ( p = 0; p < P; p++ )
{
var myFrames = myPages[p].allPageItems,
F = myFrames.length, f;
for ( f = 0; f < F; f++ ) {
var myFrame = myFrames[f];
if ( myFrame instanceof TextFrame && myFrame.contents.length > 0 )
{
var longest = Math.max.apply (null, myFrame.lines.everyItem().endHorizontalOffset);
var indent = (myFrame.geometricBounds[3]/2) - (longest/2);
myFrame.lines.everyItem().leftIndent = indent;
}
}
}
var myParas = myDoc.stories.everyItem().paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();
var P = myParas.length, p;
for ( p = 0; p < P; p++ ) myParas[p].appliedParagraphStyle != myDoc.paragraphStyles.item("Poem Body–A (Ljust) START") && myParas[p].clearOverrides();
};
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