How to Retrieve the Linked Object from a LinkedPageItem in InDesign

[Lordrhavin]

object.LinkedPageItemOption.parent does *not* get the linked object, it is just the object.

How do I get the linked object!?

If object-A is a link of Object-B, how do I get object-B if i have object-A?

<Title renamed by MOD>

[Olivier Beltrami]

@Lordrhavin 

The frames in a series of linked/chined frames are not parent of one another but rather Previous and Next frames relative to one another.

I'm not sure how this would translate to scripting, but using the SDK, finding the previous frame in a chain goes something like:

int32 mcfFirstFrameIndex = frameList->GetFrameIndex(mcf->GetUIDInFrameList(kFalse/*first*/));
if (mcfFirstFrameIndex == 0) {
// The given graphic frame contains the first frame in the frame list.
// There is no previous frame.
break;
}
// Determine the graphic frame that contains the previous kFrameItemBoss in the frame list.
InterfacePtr<ITextFrameColumn> previousTFC(frameList->QueryNthFrame(mcfFirstFrameIndex-1));
if (!previousTFC) {
break;
}
UIDRef previousGraphicFrameRef = this->GetGraphicFrameRef(previousTFC, kTrue/*isTOPFrameAllowed*/);
result = previousGraphicFrameRef;

Very best regards,

Olivier

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Olivier Beltrami

Are you referring to Text Containers of the Story?

[Olivier Beltrami]

@Robert at ID-Tasker Ah, srry I thought he was referring to linked/chained text frames.

[Dirk Becker]

This thread is tagged with SDK, but new users with a script centric mindset do not know that the tag is about C++ plug-ins. So let's give an answer from the plug-in perspective:

The linked page item is an object of kind kSplineItemBoss, which to scripting identifies as type c_TextFrame.

Such objects have multiple sub-objects "interfaces", the relevant here is IID_ILINKOBJECT.

IID_ILINKOBJECT has a list of multiple links, shared content uses kSharedArticleLinkBoss.

The kSharedArticleLinkBoss (scripting type is c_Link) via its IID_ILINK points to a kLinkResourceBoss and back to the "link object" which in scripting shows as parent - the kSplineItemBoss.

The kLinkResourceBoss has no direct scripting type, relevant properties are exposed in above c_Link.

Important to us is the link resource URI such as "idinternalSharedArticle:8658".

URIs have a protocol such as file:, http:, or in this case idinternalSharedArticle.

The rhs part is interesting for our purposes. While it is numeric, it does not refer to the typical UID that shows as id property in scripting.

Instead, there is a global lookup table on the kDocBoss (scripting: c_Document) as interface IID_ISHAREDCONTENTTABLE, which appears to map the ID 8658 to the original kSplineItemBoss / c_TextFrame. Undocumented, missing header, but ISharedContentFacade has promising methods.

This ID 8658 is also available to scripting at the original text frame, but only in the IDML scripting subsystem. IDML (and Snippet) will show an attribute LinkResourceId="8658" … that is missing in Javascript, I've also tried AppleScript.

Someone please file a feature request to expose that property to the other scripting languages …

Until then, searching IDML might help.

That's the simplified version, though.

Pick up your page item via content picker tool, switch to a different document and place it there using content placer tool. The link is still created, pointing to a different document. The URI would be 

link resource URI:"idexternalSharedArticle:/Volumes/Stuff/linked%20page%20items.indd?8658".

Yep, the linked page item may reside in a different document.

There is also that other link: the text frame has its story, and the story is linked in a similar way. Of course the original story may have additional text frames (see @Olivier Beltrami above), or actually text containers, which again might be linked so when you're preparing to copy, better consider that.

Besides there might be other link types involved such as InCopy assignment.

Happy programming …

[rob day]

Hi @Dirk Becker , There are a few other related threads, @Lordrhavin is coding with ExtendScript.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Dirk Becker 

Thanks for the explanation.

Unfortunately, IDMLing would be way more hassle than what @rob day posted earlier - iterating thorught the Links collection and comparing ID of the link's parent to the selected item's ID and executing goToSource() and then restoring selection.

Or, In my case, if nothing is selected, I'll just load all links and add extra info if available.

[Dirk Becker]

@Robert at ID-Tasker as I said, this is the C++ plug-in perspective.

For scripting, I did not check whether/how InDesign Server supports goToSource(), given the missing selection.

Also a future reader may come frome IDML wondering about that attribute, or decide to start off IDML in the first place.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Dirk Becker

Yes, of course, valuable info anyway. 

[leo.r]

As far as I understand, you can't get it from LinkedPageItemOption. Try to explore the link object properties?

[leo.r]

p.s. the "can" in my previous reply is corrected to "can't". added for clarity.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@leo.r

There isn't much info in the Links:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/copying-page-content/m-p/14883322#M590610

[rhavin]

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

Does it have a link property?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rhavin

PageItems do not have link property.

Only graphic, sound, movie, etc.:

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

(scroll to the end) 

[m1b]

A Link is an element of the Links collection which is a property of Document. For example:

var myLink = app.activeDocument.links[0];

Or to go the other way:

var myLink = doc.pageItems[0].graphics[0].itemLink;

But maybe we're missing the point if we don't know what you are trying to do.

- Mark

[leo.r]

Linked items appear in the Links panel:

And, therefore, they are included in the links of the document and you can retrieve their link properties. Whether you can get anything useful for your goal is a different question.

[m1b]

Hi @Lordrhavin, If you are scripting, rather than SDKing, could you share the code that shows the issue?

I've done a fair bit of scripting Indesign and never used "linkedPageItemOptions" and I honestly don't know what it does. I did a google search and literally no script examples came up, which seems pretty strange. I wonder if you are using the wrong property? What are you trying to do? My guess is that linkedPageItemOptions aren't needed.

- Mark

[rhavin]

As far as I understand, it is the options of the contentPlace-process. If you place content and it is not a copy but a link, those should be options set in the dialog.

https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#PageItem.html#d1e208586__d1e210442

[rhavin]

I dont understand what you're all talking about. Sorry.

You have Object-A. (for example: a group of a textframe and and Image)

You create Object-B as a link of Object-A. So if you change Object-A's Textframe-text, Object-B will update.

Now, later on, you get hold of Object-B.

How do ypu get Object-A if you have Object-B? They're linkt, right…? This cant be that complicated..

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

This cant be that complicated..

By @rhavin

Have you tried yourself? 

[rob day]

Hi @Lordrhavin , Look at the link object’s goToSource() method. The pageItem’s linkedPageItemOption lets you set the Link Options... for a link, which you access via the Link panel’s flyout menu in the UI.

For example here there are 2 linked objects, which both link to the top rectangle:

If I select one of the linked page items, I can get its source via goToSource and edit it like this:

//get the document links
var lnks = app.activeDocument.links

//a selected linked page item
var sel = app.selection[0]
var ls;

//loop thru the links and if the selection’s id and the link’s parent id match
//use goToSource which selects the source rectangle
for (var i = 0; i < lnks.length; i++){
    if (sel.id == lnks[i].parent.id) {
        lnks[i].goToSource();
        ls = app.selection[0]
    } 
};

//change the source fill color to Black and update the links
ls.fillColor= "Black";
lnks.everyItem().update();

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rob day

Can't check it right now - but per my screenshots on the other thread - wouldn't be enough to check if linkedPageItemOptions is valid - and then use goToSource()?

Then you won't have to iterate through links collection? 

[rob day]

wouldn't be enough to check if linkedPageItemOptions is valid - and then use goToSource()?

I’m not sure—a selected pageItem doesn’t have an itemLink property and goToSource() is a method of the link object, so you have to get to the link in order to use goToSource(). I don’t use page item links, so I could be missing something.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rob day

You're right - linkedPageItemOptions belongs to pageItem - but pageItem doesn't have link info.

But that gave me an idea - looks like, after all - I'll have to include extra parent info in my IDT. 

Not for objects / pageItems - that's already included in the Tree column, but for - in this case - links. Then I'll be able to quickly find linked objects. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rob day

Unless, somehow - but can't check it right now - linkedPageItemOptions.parent returns linked source item - and not the item queried ...