16
Replies
Also, do you have a text variable called "JobNumber"?
Try doing:
app.activeDocument.textVariables.itemByName("JobNumber");
There are a number of interesting issues here.
ā¢ First, as you are using a startup script purposed to set an event listener, you usually need a #targetengine directive (to keep the function available in memory.)
ā¢ The updateJobNumber function is designed as an event handler, that is, it is only triggered by a save-as event and won't work if called directly from the script. In particular, a startup script won't find any document available, of course. (Which explains the very last error you've encountered.)
ā¢ To me, there is no reason to attach the process to 'afterSaveAs' (which occurs once the document file has been saved on disk.) Regarding the task of updating a text variable before saving the doc, 'beforeSaveAs' seems the way to go. The problem with save-as events is that you can't use doc.save() commands within the handler, as InDesign is already committed in saving the file! 'beforeSaveAs' allows you to provide final refinements to the document just before the system actually writes the fileābut the process is already underway, so you don't need doc.save() at all in that context.
ā¢ Last point: the metacharacter \u is GREP-specific and has no meaning in JS RegExp syntax. Use the class [A-Z] instead (at least, as a first approximation.)
Now, the really interesting question is the following:
From within a beforeSaveAs handler, how can we identify the final file name of the document which, at this specific moment, still owns its previous fullName property (including invalid cases where the doc hasn't be saved yet) ?
The answer is, you cannot retrieve the incoming file name from the document itself 
BUT
save-as events expose a (hidden?) property that fills the gap: event.fullName 
Here we go:
// The present code can be used as a startup script.
#targetengine 'UpdateJobNumber'
const updateJobNumber = function(/*Event*/ev, doc,m,t)
// -------------------------------------
// BEFORE_SAVE_AS event handler.
// Reset the `JobNumber` text variable to the 9 first characters of the
// doc file name iff they are formed of uppercase letters and/or digits.
// ---
// Tested conditions:
// 1. The event type MUST be 'beforeSaveAs' (prevent wrong listener.)
// 2. The event MUST provide a valid `fullName` prop (File),
// since one can't rely on document.fullName yet!
// 3. The save-as File name MUST match /^[A-Z\d]{9}/.
// 4. The target MUST be a Document instance (who knows!)
// 5. It MUST have a `JobNumber` TextVariable...
// 6. ...of the kind 'Custom text.'
// 7. No need to rewrite the variable if already set as expected.
{
( 'beforeSaveAs' == ev.eventType )
&& ( m=ev.properties.fullName )
&& ( m=m.name.match(/^[A-Z\d]{9}/) )
&& ( (doc=ev.target) instanceof Document )
&& ( (t=doc.textVariables.itemByName('JobNumber')).isValid )
&& ( (t=t.variableOptions) instanceof CustomTextVariablePreference )
&& ( m[0] != t.contents )
&& ( t.contents=m[0] );
};
app.addEventListener('beforeSaveAs', updateJobNumber);
Hope that helps.
@+
Marc
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