[ExtendScript] File.displayName no longer supported in ID 20.4 macOS

[Marc Autret]

In many — and perhaps all — circumstances, the displayName property of both File and Folder instances will just return an empty string in InDesign 20.4 macOS. (Needless to say, this bug is of unprecedented severity and is already causing countless script breakages.)

M.

[m1b]

I confirmed your findings Marc, also using ID 20.4 MacOS.

Side note: I stopped using `File.displayName`, in favour of the more verbose `decodeURI(File.name)` years ago when I noticed back then that some files just don't have a displayName. I never looked further into it but I assumed that some file systems just don't write it.

- Mark

[Manan Joshi]

Many things seems to be broken in this version. Reports of plugplug library load also has issues then Folder.execute is also reported to be not working. I am thinking if there are rarely any fixes done on the ESTK end how come so many things broke in this build

-Manan

[m1b]

I agree Manan, quite intriguing!

[clark_598]

In many — and perhaps all — circumstances, the displayName property of both File and Folder instances will just return an empty string in InDesign 20.4 macOS. (Needless to say, this bug is of unprecedented severity and is already causing countless script breakages.)

M.

By @Marc Autret

Hello @Marc Autret,
Confirmed: In InDesign 20.4 on macOS, the displayName property for File and Folder objects often returns an empty string, breaking scripts that rely on it. This appears to be a regression and has been reported by multiple users. Until Adobe issues a fix, consider using name or fsName as temporary workarounds. Stay tuned to Adobe’s known issues page  for updates.


Best Regards,
Clark Dahl

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for highlighting this and for the detailed observations. I've noted the issue, and I’m currently checking with the product team regarding the behavior of File.displayName in InDesign 20.4 on macOS. I’ll follow up here as soon as I have an update to share.

Appreciate your patience and all the helpful input so far.

Abhishek 

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone, 

Thanks again for surfacing this issue around File.displayName in InDesign 20.4 on macOS. The product team has released PR build v20.4.1.03, which includes a fix for this and other scripting-related issues.

Please test your workflows in this new build and let us know if the issue is resolved:
https://adobe.ly/4n8unTx

If you don't yet have access to prerelease builds, you can join the program here:
https://adobe.ly/4k0Fn2L
https://adobe.ly/44oJ2Th

Note: macOS build is available now; Windows will follow shortly.

Thanks again for your continued feedback and support!
Abhishek Rao

[Laubender]

Hi Marc,

in one occassion, a text file saved with TextEdit App displayName returned the string "Volume".

However, with fullName all went ok.

Tested with the same result with:

InDesign 2025 v20.3.0 and InDesign 2025 v20.4.1.3 on macOS 12.7.6.

Will test on other properties of the file as well …

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Laubender]

Hm. A second test with InDesign 2025 v20.3.0 revealed the right string with displayName.

Will test on…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Laubender]

Tested along: And yes, displayName was broken with InDesign 2025 v20.4.0.52. Returned empty string.

It seems ok with InDesign 2025 v20.3.0 and Prerelease InDesign 2025 v20.4.1.3.

Still, I have no idea what happened when I got "Volume" as result before.

Sorry for any confusion…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Abhishek Rao · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update, the InDesign 20.4.1 version is now live and includes a fix for the File.displayName issue on macOS, along with other scripting-related bugs.

Please update to 20.4.1 and test your workflows. Let us know here if you're still running into any problems.

Thanks again for all your feedback and detailed reports!

Abhishek