Insert character in front of text set with certain paragraph style

[Jimmy Hartington]

Hi

I am a beginner in the art of scriptning InDesign and I have a challenged which I know can be solved by javascript in InDesign.

This is in InDesign CS5.5.

Simply I want to insert a "S" in front of all paragraphs set with the paragraph style "Silkeborg".

I have struggled a bit with it and have made this:

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var intSelect = app.selection.length;
var arrSelection = [];
arrSelection = app.selection[0];
app.selection[0].insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";

But this only inserts in the first paragraph.

[wiseloc]

Hi Jimmy,

not a direct answer to your scripting question, but why not using a Numbering for your "Silkeborg" paragraph style?

[Jimmy Hartington]

Hi Wiseloc

Yes, that could work. Did not think of that.

Thanks.

[John Hawkinson]

Jimmy: What do you intend your script to do? Much of it doesn't make sense.

In particular:

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var intSelect = app.selection.length;
var arrSelection = [];
arrSelection = app.selection[0];
app.selection[0].insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";

Only the last line does anything. The first 4 lines set variables that you never use!

Your last line inserts an 'S ' at the beginning of the currenty selected paragraph. Why would you expect it to do anything else?

[Jimmy Hartington]

Hi John

I tried other things but that would only have looked worse in code.

As I said I am a new comer to scripting. So this was the beginning of my script.

Hopefully I will become better and can contribute to this forum.

[csm_phil]

Hi Jimmy,

I think you expected this, You want to insert a "S" character for every Paragraphs of selected ares only.

Please try the below js code its working fine.

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var intSelect = app.selection[0].parentStory.paragraphs.everyItem();
intSelect.insertionPoints[0].contents = "Superb  ";

thx

csm_phil

[Jimmy Hartington]

Hi csm_phil

Thanks. This does indeed do what I was thinking of.

What I also would like was to run through the paragraphs and only insert the "S " in front of paragraphs set with the paragraph style "Silkeborg".

The story can contain other paragraph Styles, which should not have "S " in the beginning.

[wiseloc · Accepted solution]

Hi Jimmy,

here is a quick and dirty scripting solution to your problem. The code could be nicer but it gives you an impression about what needs to be done:

1. Loop through all stories and then through all paragraphs in each story

2. Determine if a paragraph has the applied style "Silkeborg"

3. If yes then select it and insert "S " before:

var oDoc = app.activeDocument;
//First loop through all stories then through all paragraphs in each story
for(n=0; n< oDoc.stories.length;n++){
    for(i=0;i<oDoc.stories.paragraphs.length;i++){
        // If paragraph style is "Silkeborg" then select paragraph and insert "S " before
        if  (oDoc.stories.paragraphs.appliedParagraphStyle.name == "Silkeborg") {
            oDoc.stories.paragraphs.select();
            app.selection[0].insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";
            }
        }
    }

[tomaxxi]

Hi Wiseloc,

This will work, but there is no need to

select paragraph if you want to insert the text.

Replace this two lines:

oDoc.stories.paragraphs.select();
app.selection[0].insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";

with this one:

oDoc.stories.paragraphs.insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";

Hope that helps.

--

Marijan (tomaxxi)

http://tomaxxi.com

[EubhaLiath]

Hi! I know this is more than 10 years old but in case anyone's still looking at this I have the same issue and tried to use this code to create a script but got this error:

I'm guessing the term paragraphs is no longer used in scripts? Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

It should be:

for(i=0;i<oDoc.stories[(n)].paragraphs.length;i++){ 

And then:

oDoc.stories.paragraphs[(i)].

As per @Peter Kahrel next comment - there should be square brackets [ ].

[Peter Kahrel]

You need parentheses, not brackets, and an index is needed on stories as well:

oDoc.stories[n].paragraphs[i]

[EubhaLiath]

Thanks guys! I'm a bit lost of how to integrate that though - I'm really new to scripting. Could you please show me in the script as a whole? Thanks again!

[Robert at ID-Tasker · Accepted solution]

Doing it on my phone:

var oDoc = app.activeDocument;

//First loop through all stories then through all paragraphs in each story

for(n=0; n< oDoc.stories.length;n++){

    for(i=0;i<oDoc.stories[n].paragraphs.length;i++){

        // If paragraph style is "Silkeborg" then select paragraph and insert "S " before

        if  (oDoc.stories[n].paragraphs[i].appliedParagraphStyle.name == "Silkeborg") {

            oDoc.stories[n].paragraphs[i].insertionPoints[0].contents = "S ";

            }

        }

    }

[EubhaLiath]

That's working perfectly, thank you so much!!!

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

That's working perfectly, thank you so much!!!

By @EubhaLiath

You are welcome. 

[Jimmy Hartington]

Hi wiseloc and Marijan

Waooh.

That was a quick reply.

And it works just the way I wanted. Thanks.

And it has helped my better to understand the javascript syntax and looping.

Kind regards

Jimmy Hartington