Okay @dublove you just want a script to simply convert the selected cells to header rows and other rows to body rows. Easy right? Haha, here you go...
- Mark
/**
* @file Convert Table Row Types.js
*
* Will convert the selected rows to header rows
* and also convert any non-selected header rows
* to body rows.
*
* Note: will convert the minimum number of rows
* necessary to obey the rules around converting rows
* with merged cells. This may be *more* than the
* selected rows.
*
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-07-18
* @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/how-can-i-accurately-perform-a-table-header-row-conversion-operation-with-a-script/m-p/15295606
*/
function main() {
var doc = app.activeDocument,
selectedRows = getRows(doc.selection[0]);
if (0 === selectedRows.length)
return alert('Please select some table rows and try again.')
// convert the selected rows to header rows
var headerRows = convertToRowType(selectedRows, RowTypes.HEADER_ROW);
// collect all the rows that now *should* be body rows
var bodyRows = [],
table = headerRows[0].parent,
lastHeaderRowIndex = headerRows[headerRows.length - 1].index;
for (var i = lastHeaderRowIndex + 1; i < table.rows.length; i++)
if (RowTypes.HEADER_ROW === table.rows[i].rowType)
bodyRows.push(table.rows[i]);
// convert them to body rows
var bodyRows = convertToRowType(bodyRows, RowTypes.BODY_ROW);
};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Convert to Header Rows');
/**
* Converts each row in `rows` to the given `rowType`.
* Note that this will expand the rows to include all merged rows
* because you can't set the rowType of a partially merged row.
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-05-01
* @param {Array<Row>} rows - the target rows.
* @param {RowTypes} rowType - the desired row type.
* @returns {Array<Row>} - the rows that were converted.
*/
function convertToRowType(rows, rowType) {
if (0 === rows.length)
return [];
var merges = [],
table = rows[0].parent;
// this will expand the rows to include all merged rows
// because you can't set the rowType of a partially merged row
rows = getRows(rows, undefined, true);
rows.sort(
// footers must be converted in reverse order
(RowTypes.FOOTER_ROW === rowType)
? function (a, b) { return b.index - a.index }
: function (a, b) { return a.index - b.index }
);
if (RowTypes.HEADER_ROW === rowType) {
// because header rows must be at the start of the table
// add any rows until the start
while (rows[0].index > 0)
rows.unshift(table.rows[rows[0].index - 1]);
}
else if (RowTypes.FOOTER_ROW === rowType) {
// because footer rows must be at the end of the table,
// add rows until the end
while (rows[rows.length - 1].index + rows.length < table.rows.length)
rows.unshift(table.rows[rows[rows.length - 1].index + rows.length]);
}
// find and unmerge cells that span across the selected rows
for (var i = 0; i < rows.length; i++) {
var row = rows[i];
cellsLoop:
for (var j = 0; j < row.cells.length; j++) {
var cell = row.cells[j];
var rs = cell.rowSpan;
var cs = cell.columnSpan;
if (1 === rs && 1 === cs)
// not merged
continue cellsLoop;
merges.push({
row: cell.parentRow.index,
column: cell.parentColumn.index,
rowSpan: rs,
columnSpan: cs
});
cell.unmerge();
}
}
// set the rowType of each row
for (var i = 0; i < rows.length; i++)
if (rows[i].rowType !== rowType)
rows[i].rowType = rowType;
// re-merge the previously merged cells
for (var i = merges.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
var m = merges[i],
topLeft = table.rows[m.row].cells[m.column],
bottomRight = table.rows[m.row + m.rowSpan - 1].cells[m.column + m.columnSpan - 1];
topLeft.merge(bottomRight);
}
return rows;
};
/**
* Returns the merged rows of a given row.
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-05-01
* @param {Row} row - the target row.
* @param {Function} [isUnique] - private function to check for uniqueness.
* @returns {Array<Row>}
*/
function getMergedRows(row, isUnique) {
isUnique = isUnique || uniqueChecker();
var rows = [],
rowIndex = row.index,
table = row.parent;
if (isUnique(row.index))
rows.push(row);
// 1. check for spans going down from this row
var cells = table.rows[rowIndex].cells;
for (var i = 0; i < cells.length; i++)
for (var j = 0; j < cells[i].rowSpan; j++)
if (isUnique(table.rows[rowIndex + j].index))
rows.push(table.rows[rowIndex + j]);
// 2. check for cells in earlier rows that reach into this one
for (var r = 0, testRow; r < rowIndex; r++) {
testRow = table.rows[r];
span = testRow.rowSpan;
if (r + span - 1 < rowIndex)
continue;
for (var j = 0; j < span; j++)
if (isUnique(table.rows[r + j].index))
rows.push(table.rows[r + j]);
}
rows.sort(function (a, b) { return a.index - b.index });
return rows;
};
/**
* Given cells, returns the cells' rows.
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-07-19
* @param {Cell|Cells|Array<Row>} cells - the cells to get rows from.
* @param {RowTypes} rowType - the desired row type.
* @param {Boolean} [includeMergedRows] - whether to include merged rows (default: false).
* @param {Table} [table] - the rows' table.
* @param {Function} [isUnique] - private function to check for uniqueness.
* @returns {Array<Row>}
*/
function getRows(cells, rowType, includeMergedRows, table, isUnique) {
var rows = [],
isUnique = isUnique || uniqueChecker();
if (!cells)
return;
if ('function' === typeof cells.getElements)
cells = cells.getElements();
if (
'Array' === cells.constructor.name
&& cells[0].hasOwnProperty('cells')
) {
// to handle the case of expanding an array of rows to include merged rows
for (var i = 0; i < cells.length; i++)
rows = rows.concat(getRows(cells[i].cells, rowType, includeMergedRows, table, isUnique))
return rows;
}
if (
cells.hasOwnProperty('cells')
&& cells.cells.length > 0
)
cells = cells.cells;
if (
!cells.hasOwnProperty('0')
|| !cells[0].hasOwnProperty('parentRow')
)
// can't get rows from `cells`
return [];
var table = table || cells[0].parent;
while (
'Table' !== table.constructor.name
&& table.hasOwnProperty('parent')
)
table = table.parent;
for (var i = 0, row; i < cells.length; i++) {
spanLoop:
for (var j = 0; j < cells[i].parentRow.rowSpan; j++) {
row = table.rows[cells[i].parentRow.index + j];
if (
undefined != rowType
&& rowType !== row.rowType
)
continue spanLoop;
if (includeMergedRows)
rows = rows.concat(getMergedRows(row, isUnique));
else if (isUnique(row.index))
rows.push(row);
}
}
return rows;
};
/**
* Returns a function that, given a String, will
* return true if that String has not been seen before.
*
* Example:
* var isUnique = uniqueChecker();
* if (isUnique(myThing))
* // do something with myThing
*
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-05-01
* @returns {Function}
*/
function uniqueChecker() {
var unique = {};
return function (str) {
if (unique[str])
return false;
unique[str] = true;
return true;
};
};
Edit 2025-07-18: fixed bug in getRows function.
Edit 2025-08-26: updated getRows function.
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