How to create new object styles based on really "NONE" Object using scripts?

[dublove]

I realized that the  "NONE" object in the object style is not really none, it still has a lot of settings.

I would like to create a real none object style (e.g. named "trueNone ").
Then create a new AA object style based on "trueNone".

How to write it?
Thank you very much!

[leo.r]

If I understand your question correctly, you'll need to set these properties to false:

The screenshot is from AppleScript dictionary, but you can easily transform the properties to their JS equivalents.

[leo.r]

p.s. https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#ObjectStyle.html

[dublove]

Thank you,
How to create a new style based on an existing style, e.g. existing "none" objectStyle, creat AA object style.

[leo.r]

duplicate it

[dublove]

Found this one that brian_p_dts was talking about.
I'm a bit skeptical though, copying isn't based on it.

var myDocument = app.activeDocument;

myObjectStyle = myDocument.objectStyles.add({
    name:"obj style 1", 
    enableTextFrameAutoSizingOptions: true,
    textFramePreferences: {
        autoSizingType: AutoSizingTypeEnum.HEIGHT_ONLY,
        autoSizingReferencePoint: AutoSizingReferenceEnum.TOP_CENTER_POINT,
    }
})

myNewObjectStyle = myObjectStyle.duplicate();
myNewObjectStyle.name = "obj style 2";

[m1b · Accepted solution]

Hi @dublove, this will do it.

- Mark

/**
 * @file Make Object Style.js
 *
 * Note: the `makeObjectStyle` function can create
 * an *empty* object style, with no settings enabled.
 * 
 * In this example, we make "EMPTY" object style and then
 * make "NewStyle" which is based on "EMPTY". We make both
 * styles in the "My Group" ObjectStyleGroup.
 *
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2025-10-01
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/how-to-create-new-object-styles-based-on-really-quot-none-quot-object-using-scripts/m-p/15412503
 */
function main() {

    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var styleGroup = makeObjectStyleGroup(doc, 'My Group');
    var emptyStyle = makeObjectStyle(styleGroup, 'EMPTY');
    var newStyle = makeObjectStyle(styleGroup, 'NewStyle', emptyStyle);

};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Do Script');

/**
 * Returns an object style named `name`, or if it
 * doesn't exist, returns an empty style.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2025-10-01
 * @param {Document|ObjectStyleGroup} container - the container for the new style.
 * @param {String} name - the style's name.
 * @param {ObjectStyle} [parentObjectStyle] - the style to base the new style on (default: nothing).
 * @returns {ObjectStyle}
 */
function makeObjectStyle(container, name, parentObjectStyle) {

    if (
        !container
        || !container.hasOwnProperty('allObjectStyles')
    )
        throw new Error('makeObjectStyle: bad `container` supplied.');

    var style = getThing(container.allObjectStyles, 'name', name);

    if (style)
        return style;

    style = container.objectStyles.add({
        name: name,
        enableAnchoredObjectOptions: false,
        enableExportTagging: false,
        enableFill: false,
        enableFrameFittingOptions: false,
        enableObjectExportAltTextOptions: false,
        enableObjectExportEpubOptions: false,
        enableObjectExportTaggedPdfOptions: false,
        enableParagraphStyle: false,
        enableStoryOptions: false,
        enableStroke: false,
        enableStrokeAndCornerOptions: false,
        enableTextFrameAutoSizingOptions: false,
        enableTextFrameBaselineOptions: false,
        enableTextFrameColumnRuleOptions: false,
        enableTextFrameFootnoteOptions: false,
        enableTextFrameGeneralOptions: false,
        enableTextWrapAndOthers: false,
        enableTransformAttributes: false,
    });

    style.contentEffectsEnablingSettings.properties = {
        enableBevelEmboss: false,
        enableDirectionalFeather: false,
        enableDropShadow: false,
        enableFeather: false,
        enableGradientFeather: false,
        enableInnerGlow: false,
        enableInnerShadow: false,
        enableOuterGlow: false,
        enableSatin: false,
        enableTransparency: false,
    };

    style.objectEffectsEnablingSettings.properties = {
        enableBevelEmboss: false,
        enableDirectionalFeather: false,
        enableDropShadow: false,
        enableFeather: false,
        enableGradientFeather: false,
        enableInnerGlow: false,
        enableInnerShadow: false,
        enableOuterGlow: false,
        enableSatin: false,
        enableTransparency: false,
    };

    if (parentObjectStyle && parentObjectStyle.isValid)
        style.basedOn = parentObjectStyle;

    return style;

};

/**
 * Returns an ObjectStyleGroup named `name`,
 * creating it if necessary in `container`.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2025-10-01
 * @param {Document|ObjectStyleGroup} container - the container for the new style.
 * @param {String} name - the style's name.
 */
function makeObjectStyleGroup(container, name) {

    if (
        !container
        || !container.hasOwnProperty('objectStyleGroups')
    )
        throw new Error('makeObjectStyleGroup: bad `container` supplied.');

    var styleGroup = getThing(container.objectStyleGroups, 'name', name);

    if (!styleGroup)
        styleGroup = container.objectStyleGroups.add({ name: name });

    return styleGroup;

};

/**
 * Returns a thing with matching property.
 * If `key` is undefined, evaluate the object itself.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2024-04-21
 * @param {Array|Collection} things - the things to look through.
 * @param {String} [key] - the property name (default: undefined).
 * @param {*} value - the value to match.
 * @returns {*?} - the thing, if found.
 */
function getThing(things, key, value) {

    for (var i = 0; i < things.length; i++)
        if ((undefined == key ? things[i] : things[i][key]) == value)
            return things[i];

};

Edit 2025-07-18: added "basedOn" support.

Edit 2025-10-01: changed parameter `doc` to `container` and modify code to handle either Document or ObjectStyleGroup, so we can create the style inside a group. (Note: this script does not create the object style group if it is missing.)

Edit 2025-10-01: added "makeObjectStyleGroup" function to create the group if missing.

[dublove]

Hi  m1b.

Thank you very much.

There's one missing.
Creates an new objectstyle based on "empty" objectstyle.

[m1b]

I have updated. 🙂

[dublove]

Thank you very much.
Very good study material.

Help me out, originally you wrote to convert selected rows to table headers and I am trying to duplicate the table headers.

I used the previous method of duplicating rows.
I found that when there is a spanning of rows or columns, it reports an error.

I see that you wrote specifically about solving cross rows and columns, but I can't quite read it..
Thanks.

[dublove]

Is there any way to set a shortcut for NewStyle?

[m1b]

Not that I know of.

[dublove]

There really isn't any information about it yet.
Probably no way to judge the conflict

[dublove]

@m1b @leo.r 

Take a look for me—I added a new group.
It's no longer based on “trueNone,” and I selected three additional items.

[dublove]

@m1b 

After adding a new group,
the newly created style ABC is no longer based on “trueNone”.

I've been working on this for ages and still can't figure out what's wrong.

var sL = newObjStyle(app.activeDocument, "ABC", emptyStyle, "Group");
/**
 * Returns an object style named `name`, or if it
 * doesn't exist, returns an empty style.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2025-07-18
 * @param {Document} doc - an Indesign document.
 * @param {String} name - the style's name.
 * @param {ObjectStyle} parentObjectStyle - the style to base the new style on.
 * @returns {ObjectStyle}
 */
//CreatObj
var d = app.activeDocument;
var emptyStyle = newObjStyle(d, 'trueNone');

function newObjStyle(d, n, parentObjectStyle, g) {
    if (g != null) {
        var group = d.objectStyleGroups.itemByName(g);
        if (!group.isValid)
            group = d.objectStyleGroups.add({ name: g })
        if (!group.objectStyles.itemByName(n).isValid)
            group.objectStyles.add({ name: n });
    }
    if (d.objectStyles.itemByName(n).isValid) {
        return d.objectStyles.itemByName(n);
    } else {
        var style = getThing(d.allObjectStyles, 'name', n);
        if (style)
            return style;
        style = d.objectStyles.add({
            name: n,
            enableAnchoredObjectOptions: false,
            enableExportTagging: false,
            enableFill: false,
            enableFrameFittingOptions: false,
            enableObjectExportAltTextOptions: false,
            enableObjectExportEpubOptions: false,
            enableObjectExportTaggedPdfOptions: false,
            enableParagraphStyle: false,
            enableStoryOptions: false,
            enableStroke: false,
            enableStrokeAndCornerOptions: false,
            enableTextFrameAutoSizingOptions: false,
            enableTextFrameBaselineOptions: false,
            enableTextFrameColumnRuleOptions: false,
            enableTextFrameFootnoteOptions: false,
            enableTextFrameGeneralOptions: false,
            enableTextWrapAndOthers: false,
            enableTransformAttributes: false,
        });

        style.contentEffectsEnablingSettings.properties = {
            enableBevelEmboss: false,
            enableDirectionalFeather: false,
            enableDropShadow: false,
            enableFeather: false,
            enableGradientFeather: false,
            enableInnerGlow: false,
            enableInnerShadow: false,
            enableOuterGlow: false,
            enableSatin: false,
            enableTransparency: false,
        };

        style.objectEffectsEnablingSettings.properties = {
            enableBevelEmboss: false,
            enableDirectionalFeather: false,
            enableDropShadow: false,
            enableFeather: false,
            enableGradientFeather: false,
            enableInnerGlow: false,
            enableInnerShadow: false,
            enableOuterGlow: false,
            enableSatin: false,
            enableTransparency: false,
        };

        if (parentObjectStyle && parentObjectStyle.isValid)
            style.basedOn = parentObjectStyle;

        return style;
    };
};

/**
 * Returns a thing with matching property.
 * If `key` is undefined, evaluate the object itself.
 * @author m1b
 * @version 2024-04-21
 * @param {Array|Collection} things - the things to look through.
 * @param {String} [key] - the property name (default: undefined).
 * @param {*} value - the value to match.
 * @returns {*?} - the thing, if found.
 */
function getThing(things, key, value) {

    for (var i = 0; i < things.length; i++)
        if ((undefined == key ? things[i] : things[i][key]) == value)
            return things[i];

};

[m1b]

@dublove  I have updated the script above to show creating an object style inside an existing group.

- Mark

[m1b]

Also there is a mistake in your code (maybe just when pasting here on forum?) where you create `sL` before creating `emptyStyle`. That would explain why you aren't getting a proper empty style as a result.

- Mark

[dublove]

@m1b 

I messed up my original code.
Do I need to manually create My Group?

Thank you very much.

[m1b]

@dublove I have updated the script above to create the object style group if it is missing. - Mark

[dublove]

Hi@m1b 

You've just created a new style called "NewStyle".

var newStyle = makeObjectStyle(styleGroup, ‘NewStyle’, emptyStyle);

and set one or two properties for it.
Then create NewStyle2 based on NewStyle. Try it out and see if NewStyle2 inherits any settings from NewStyle.

I tried it, and it doesn't work.
You need to reset the base style, but I'm not sure how to implement that step.

[dublove]

It seems that using `basedOn` doesn't always work. I've now adopted the approach of copying to get the second style, which has resolved the issue.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/problem-created-quot-basedon-quot-object-styles-...