Skip to main content
L
LouisHectorMonty
Participating Frequently
June 1, 2011
Answered

Cleaning up script

  • June 1, 2011
  • 1 reply
  • 2675 views

Hello All

We often translate indesign files using a CAT tool to open the idml file. But most of the InDesign files we are sent have been created by people who take a great many short cuts to get things to fit, which maybe good for them but not for us.

We need a script that can set all kerning to 0 or a constant value throughout a document, remove all stretched text and change any thing with ALL CAPS to true uppercase.

There are a few more niggly things we have to do to clean it up which can take a few hours for a large document so it would be good it there was a script that could do this or if anyone knows how to create one for us we would be happy to work with you to create it.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Kasyan Servetsky

Here is a new version:

const kerningConstant = 0;
var doc = app.activeDocument,
stories = doc.stories,
story, text, s, t;

for (var s = 0; s < stories.length; s++) {
     story = stories;
     for (var t = 0; t < story.texts.length; t++) {
          text = story.texts;
          text.kerningValue = kerningConstant;
          text.verticalScale = 100;
          text.horizontalScale = 100;
          ChangeCase(text);
     }
}

function ChangeCase(text) {
     var i, found;
     if (text.contents != "") {
          app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
          app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = ".+";
          app.findGrepPreferences.capitalization = Capitalization.ALL_CAPS;
          var found = text.findGrep();
          if (found.length > 1) {
               for (i = 0; i < found.length; i++) {
                    // $.writeln( i + " - " + found.constructor.name + "/"+ found.contents );
                    found.changecase(ChangecaseMode.UPPERCASE);
               }
               app.changeGrepPreferences.capitalization = Capitalization.NORMAL;
               text.changeGrep();
          }     
     }
}

1 reply

Kasyan Servetsky
Kasyan Servetsky
Brainiac
June 2, 2011

Here is a simple script to get you started:

const kerningConstant = 0;
var doc = app.activeDocument,
stories = doc.stories,
story, text, s, t;

for (var s = 0; s < stories.length; s++) {
     story = stories;
     for (var t = 0; t < story.texts.length; t++) {
          text = story.texts;
          text.kerningValue = kerningConstant;
          text.verticalScale = 100;
          text.horizontalScale = 100;
     }
}

It's not clear to me what you do with ALL CAPS in InDesign — do you turn them off and retype the text manually with Caps Lock on?

Regards,

Kas

L
LouisHectorMontyAuthor
Participating Frequently
June 2, 2011

Hi Kas

Thanks for that, I shall try it out.

When we come across text that is using the 'ALL CAPS' control we select the text and turn this off, then use a shortcut to convert to uppercase, using the type/change case/uppercase command.

The problem is when we upload to our CAT tool everytime there is a change to the formating in a word then 'tags' are inserted where a change begins and ends, so if a designer has been mucking about with kerning, tracking, scaling text etc or has been using "ALL CAPS" on some letters and not on others (yes we can have half a word in All CAPS and half in true uppercase!) then text can look like this to the translator.

T*h**is i**s v*e**ry d*i*ffi**cu*lt to* re*ad *text*

As we typeset the text after translation in InDesign we add our own tweaks where necessary.

John Hawkinson
John Hawkinson
Inspiring
June 3, 2011

Thanks for the response, but this is the right way to go for us. Tried and tested, we just needed to automate it.


OK, well, when you start having more problems because of other kinds of formatting and overrides, please reconsider. If so, answers to the questions above would be a good start at making it work. It's probably not too difficult, either.

Though thinking some more, I have to wonder why you start with IDML if your translation is not really about formatting -- it would seem like exporting to text would just work better...unless you have a lot of stories? Even so...

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices