[JS] Check if character is an inline frame

Here's a script I've been using lately because the catalog I'm working on has anchored objects that are otherwise unselectable:

//DESCRIPTION: Select associated anchored object



if (app.documents.length > 0 &&

      app.selection.length == 1 &&

          app.selection[0].hasOwnProperty("baseline")) {

  selectAnchor(app.selection[0]);

}



function selectAnchor(sel) {

  try {

    app.select(sel.pageItems[0]);

  } catch(e) {}

}

The objects in question consisted of a text frame that itself contained as inline objects one or more groups each made up of text frames. There was no way to click on the top-level anchored object without getting one of the contained objects. This was true whether I tried the pointer or text tools.

So, I banged out the above script, which is nearly relevant to this topic!

Dave

Harbs,

The problem is that if you select the frame as a character (with the text tool) it's parent is a story just like any other character. There is no way to differentiate between them. But Dave's answer is the best, you can just check the length of the pageItems.

Hey Dave, you're right!

A regular character has 0 pageItems and an anchored frame character has 1. Very good!

Can't you just check the length of the character's page items collection?

Dave

Fred,

When you've got a handle on something inside an inline it's not so hard to figure out whether or not you're in an inline; that was covered earlier in this thread.

Figuring out whether an object that declares itself to be a character is really that (i.e. its contents is a single letter) or an inline takes some less elegant methods. I know of two. (1) Check the character's unicode value: if it's an inline, unicode value FFFC is returned. Any other unicode values mean it's a real character (or likely, anyway; it could also be a special character I guess). (2) A character with geometricBounds must be an inline; a real character has no geometricBounds, so testing for that will produce an error. The latter test would be something like this:

try
{
app.selection[0].textFrames[0].geometricBounds
alert ("It's an inline.")
}
catch(_)
{
alert ("It's a character")
}

with a character (either a plain one or an inline) selected.

Peter

Thanks, X and Harbs, for the explanation.

Maybe. But could you remind us what exactly you're trying to accomplish?

Is it possible there is a difference between inline frames that are part of the text and inline anchored markers?

Because when I select an inline frame and run this script I get object page.

alert(app.selection[0].parentTextFrames[0].parent)

Nope it's still not working.

This is never returning true:
if(myFindsB[0].parent.characters[myIndex+1].parentTextFrames[0].parent instanceof Character){

Even when

myFindsB[0].parent.characters[myIndex+1]

Is an inline frame.

No, but
>myFindsB[0].parent.characters[myIndex].index

should.