Clipping a table in a textframe with pasteInto

[asaxena]

Hi,

My use case is to be able to take a table which is inside a text frame and "pasteInto" the same text frame, so that the table clipped to the text frame dimensions.

Here's the code snippets I have got so far:

// Create the table

var myTable = textFrame.insertionPoints[-1].tables.add(...)

// Generic code to check the text frame in which the table is located

var topTextFrame = undefined
for (var i = 0; i < g.doc.textFrames.length; i++) {
    var thisTextFrame = g.doc.textFrames[i];
    // Check if the text frame's story contains the nestedTextFrame as an anchored object
    if (thisTextFrame.textFrames.itemByID(textFrame.id).isValid) {
        topTextFrame = thisTextFrame;
        break;
    }
}

// If we located the topTextFrame, "paste Into" the table back into the same topTextFrame 

if (topTextFrame) {

    $.writeln("Top text frame found.");

    app.select(textFrame);

    app.copy();

    app.select(NothingEnum.NOTHING);

    app.select(topTextFrame);

    app.pasteInto();    // At this point, the top level text frame is getting convered to a graphic frame

}

Q1. Is this the right way to do pasteInto for my use case?

Q2. I observe on line app.pasteInto that the text frame is getting converted to a graphics frame. Is this expected and can we have a custom behavior to retain the topTextFrame as a text frame?

Q3. What would be a generic code to identify the graphic frame id and the new table id (since the original myTable is already removed as part of pasteInto)

Thanks,

[Peter Kahrel]

> take a table which is inside a text frame and "pasteInto" the same text frame, so that the table clipped to the text frame dimensions.

This isn't very clear. Please explain in more detail, with a screenshot of the before and after situations of what you want to achieve.

As to pasteInto, in scripting you'd use duplicate() or move(), thay're more reliable, and you can maintain references. Much more robust than copying and pasting.

[asaxena]

Sure. My situation is like so:

I have a blue swatch table which is inside a red swatch text frame:

The Layers show up like so:

What I am after, is to start from the above layout, and then clip the table to the bounds of the text frame like so while retaining the blue as the table Text Frame and the Red as the Text Frame.

Unfortunately the Layer window reports that the blue frame is now "graphics frame" instead of the Text Frame

Thanks

[Peter Kahrel]

You can't clip a table like that. The only way to achieve that is what InDesign already does for you: convert the frame with the table to a graphic.

You could cover the extending part of the table with a text frame and give it the Paper fill and group the whole thing, that's the closest you'll get I think.

[asaxena]

I tried those steps in InDesign and it works the exact same was the script does. I am purusing this approach based on the discussion at Solved: Re: Clipping of InDesign table - Adobe Community - 14920622

Might I have missed something?

[Peter Kahrel]

That solution doesn't work for me.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@asaxena

You mean red frame is a graphic frame?

If you've a TextFrame - you can only Anchor / InLine other objects - as characters. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker · Accepted solution]

@asaxena

In order to achieve what I think you want to achieve - you would've to pasteinto your table into a Rectangle then Anchor / InLine your Rectangle into another TextFrame.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@asaxena 

[asaxena]

Ok. I tried "pasteInto" of my table into the Rectangle. The (erstwhile) Rectangle is now showing up as a <graphic frame>. How do I get this into the Rectangle as a Text Frame?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Ok. I tried "pasteInto" of my table into the Rectangle. The (erstwhile) Rectangle is now showing up as a <graphic frame>. How do I get this into the Rectangle as a Text Frame?

By @asaxena

As I said before - now, you need to Anchor / InLine this Rectangle in another TextFrame. 

But what exactly is your end goal? 

[asaxena]

Ok. I tried "pasteInto" of my table into the Rectangle. The (erstwhile) Rectangle is now showing up as a <graphic frame>. How do I get this into the Rectangle as a Text Frame?

By @asaxena

As I said before - now, you need to Anchor / InLine this Rectangle in another TextFrame. 

But what exactly is your end goal? 

By @Robert at ID-Tasker

The use case is that only some of the (potentially numerous) columns of (potentially numerous) tables need to be be visible for publication. However, at present, all the columns of the tables are being paginated by our plugin. So, we need to be able to provide a way for the user to be able to hide/clip the unrequired columns on the document for purposes of publishing

[asaxena]

No, matter what I try, I land up in having the Rectangle (after pasteInto of the table) as a graphic frame inline in the Text Frame. I am using the blue marker (with Shift) to drag the Rectange as inline anchored object in the Text Frame. Please suggest what I might be missing.

Thanks

[Peter Kahrel]

You cannot clip a table and keep it as a text object. It's just impossible. As stated earlier (and in the link you provided) the only two ways are:

1. Convert to a graphic

2. Mask the parts you want to make invisible.

Note that the answer marked as correct in the other post claims only that part of the table will be visible after the paste. It doesn't say that the table remains a text object.

Masking the parts that stick out of the frame is very simple, by the way: you just place text frames (or rectangles (paper fill, no stroke) on top of the parts you want to hide. Easy to script too.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

No, matter what I try, I land up in having the Rectangle (after pasteInto of the table) as a graphic frame inline in the Text Frame. I am using the blue marker (with Shift) to drag the Rectange as inline anchored object in the Text Frame. Please suggest what I might be missing.

Thanks

By @asaxena

And now resize your "graphic frame" - use it as a "clipping frame".