Change link.filePath in InDesign

[Noel Bürgler @Topix AG]

Hello each other

We have macOS as well as Windows in use and since InDesign does not use relative file paths, we have placed a symbolic link to the file server on Windows. But before saving the InDesign back to Windows, we want to run a script that adjusts the image paths back to the "Mac path".

Now I have a script here that almost meets my requirements. Only it also checks if the links are missed as well as updates the links. But now I don't have any links on Windows and on the macOS clients I don't want to install the script, because only one person works with Windows.

So I just wanted to create a simple script, which just stupidly and without logic rudimentary changes the path from (Attention example:) "SAMPLE" to "SMPLE". So a simple search and replace, but without relinking.

I would probably then have an InDesign server process it that way. But now I have the problem that this property is read-only.

I have also tried running the following, but to no avail:

filePath.readonly = false;

This is my script:

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var links   = doc.links; //Erkennt alle Links
var counter = 0;

var PATH_FROM   = "Macintosh HD";
var PATH_TO     = "Windows";

for (var i = links.length -1; i >= 0; i--) {
	link = links[i];
	file_path = link.filePath;
	new_file_path = file_path.replace(PATH_FROM, PATH_TO);
	link.filePath = new_file_path;
	/*
    if (links[i].status == LinkStatus.LINK_MISSING) {
        new_file = new File(new_file_path);
        if ( new_file.exists ) {
            link.relink(new_file);
            link.update();
            counter++;
        }
        else {
            alert("Die Datei konnte nicht gefunden werden:\n" + new_file_path);
        }
    }*/
}

In InDesign I get the Error (filePath is a read-only property):

Do you have any idea? I hope you can help me.

Kind regards
Noel Bürgler

[Manan Joshi]

Hi Noel Bürgler @Topix AG,

If the file has to be further processed then why don't you add a label with the changed path to the image container and then in IDS you can iterate all the image items and use the label to relink to the new images.

-Manan

[Noel Bürgler @Topix AG]

Hi Manan

Thank you for the answer. 
This would also be a possible way but it's not changing my problem, right?

If I would let the IDS relink all Images, it would relink to the symbolic Link, which results in missing links in macOS.
So I would like to just change the string in the filePath-Property but since it's a read-only property it's not possible.

Is there a way to change it to write too?

Thank you for the time.

Noel

[m1b]

Hi Noel, this will give you an idea of how to do it I hope.

- Mark

/*
    Relinker
    for Adobe Indesign 2022
    by m1b

    Use this when your file system has changed and current links are broken.
    Set `replaceThis` and `withThis` to re-align the file paths.
*/


function main() {

    relinker(

        // the document
        app.activeDocument,

        // in each link path, replace this string or a regex
        "SAMPLE",

        // with this string
        "SMPLE"

    )


    function relinker(doc, replaceThis, withThis) {
        var links = doc.links,
            counter = 0;

        for (var i = 0; i < links.length; i++) {

            // comment this out if you want to relink all links
            // if (links[i].status !== LinkStatus.LINK_MISSING) continue;

            // new file by replacing text within file path
            var newLinkedFile = File(links[i].filePath.replace(replaceThis, withThis));

            // if file exists at the new file path, relink
            if (newLinkedFile.exists) {
                links[i].relink(newLinkedFile);
                counter++;
            }
        }

        alert('Relinked ' + counter + ' links (out of ' + links.length + ')');
    }

}


app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, "Relinker");

[Noel Bürgler @Topix AG]

Hey m1b

Thanks for your answer. 

This script would work, if it should relink, but it shouldn't.

I just want to change the string in the filePath of the link. But it's not possible because it's read-only.

links[i].filePath = newLinkedFile;

I would like to do something like this in the for-loop. But I think it's not possible, right?
It's not possible to change the filePath-Property to write too instead of read-only, right?

Thanks for your answer.

Noel

[m1b · Accepted solution]

You're right Noel! Okay, here's a modified version that fits your use case I think. Let me know how you go.

- Mark

/*
    Reinit Links
    for Adobe Indesign 2022
    by m1b

    Use this when your file system has changed and current links are broken.
    Set `replaceThis` and `withThis` to re-align the file paths.

    This is different to Relinker because it doesn't require
    modified links to exist.
*/

function main() {

    reinitLinks(

        // the document to relink
        app.activeDocument,

        // in each link path, replace this string or a regex
        /SAMPLE/,

        // with this string
        /SMPLE/

    )


    function reinitLinks(doc, replaceThis, withThis) {
        var links = doc.links,
            counter = 0;

        for (var i = 0; i < links.length; i++) {
            var linkURI = links[i].linkResourceURI,
                newLinkedURI = linkURI.replace(replaceThis, withThis);
            links[i].reinitLink(newLinkedURI);
            if (linkURI != newLinkedURI)
                counter++
        }

        alert('Reinit ' + counter + ' out of '+links.length + ' links.');
    }

}


app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, "Reinit Links");

[Noel Bürgler @Topix AG]

Thank you very much m1b.

This is exactly what I need, tested this and it works great!!!

Again; Thank you very much for your help and have a nice day :).

Kind regards
Noel