How to operate only on selected cells in a table?

[dublove]

How to operate only on selected cells in a table?
Thanks to so many enthusiastic people for the pointers., I've learned that I can operate on the current table accurately.
I would also like to know how to operate on the currently selected cell.

For example, in the script below, the entire table is now filled with “-” for empty cells.
How do I change it to only modify the selected cells.

Thank you very much.

var cell = app.activeDocument.selection[0].parent;
var myTable = cell.parent;
   for (var i=0; i<myTable.columns.length; i++){ 
   for (var j=0; j<myTable.columns.item(i).cells.length; j++){ 
      if (myTable.columns.item(i).cells.item(j).contents == ""){ 
         myTable.columns.item(i).cells.item(j).contents ="-";
         } 
      } 

}

 

[Robert at ID-Tasker · Accepted solution]

In case of selected Cells - the return result is a bit misleading - selection[0] returns not just a cell - but a collection of Cells.

var mySelectedCells = app.activeDocument.selection[0].cells;

[dublove]

Hi Robert at ID-Tasker

Thank you very much.
The script is working fine.
By the way, how to represent the currently selected row, and column.

Like this? It's a little strange.

app.activeDocument.selection[0].column[j]?

app.activeDocument.selection[0].row[i]?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#Cell_2.html

Each cell has a parentColumn and parentRow property - then you can get index. 

If you've selected more than one cell - you would've to iterate all selected - just in case there are merged ones. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Or simply from the name of the Cell. 

But you should rather check them all - just to be safe. 

[dublove]

var myrow=app.activeDocument.selection[0].cells.parentRow;

?

But sometimes you have 4 cells selected, but they may have different .parentRow.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

No. You need to iterate through all "sub" cells: 

myrow=app.activeDocument.selection[0].cells[i].parentRow;

[dublove]

Thank you.

But sometimes I select cells that may have more than 2 rows.
As in the following picture.
How can I recognize that I am selecting row[1] and row[2]?
Would it be too inefficient to traverse each cell once?
It must be traversed from B1 to E2, completing 8 cells to make sure that myrow=row[1];
myrow=row[2].
Is it possible to find only one cell in a row to be sure.
Then skip to the next row and find another cell.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Just check first and last cells. 

When selecting Cells - either in the InDesign manually or through scripting - you can't select non-rectangual region. 

So the first one - is the top-left = first row - last one - always bottom-right = last row. 

[m1b]

Hi @dublove, this is a weird case—when the selection is a range of cells, app.selection[0] gives you a [Cell] object, but it isn't a normal Cell, it contains all the cells in it's `cells` property, as Robert mentioned. It is actually a similar object that you get when you make an itemByRange collection, so that you can do something like this:

app.activeDocument.selection[0].contents = '-';

and it will put text in every selected Cell.

But for most purposes, getting the selection's cells like Robert said, is best.

- Mark

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] It is actually a similar object that you get when you make an itemByRange collection [...]

By m1b

Not exactly - if you select some text in this way - you'll get a single text object in return - so if you try to set its contents - you'll delete all the text objects you've used as the first and last element and in-between.