Link all text frames in document

[diogoferreira]

Hi everyone!

Anyone knows how to link all the text frames (Thread) in document and what is the best way to do that?

Can I create the text frames on master spread and then link all of the the in the document? Or should I create the directly on the document pages?

And before that, how can I link all of them?

Thanks in advance!

[Sunil Yadav]

Hello diogo,

If your document has multiple pages and each pages has only single text frame of size of type area.

Assuming this, you can use this below code to link these textFrames as follows:

//// Assuming Every Page has only one main textFrame ---

var myDoc = app.documents[0];

var allPages = myDoc.pages;

var currentFrame = allPages[0].textFrames[0];

for(var i = 1; i < allPages.length; i++){

    currentFrame.nextTextFrame = allPages.textFrames[i];

    currentFrame = allPages.textFrames[i];

    }

Best

Sunil

[edolat77]

Hi,

this would save my life.
I'm on the latest Indesign version and unfortunately I'm getting this error: "object does not support the property or method 'textFrames'" on string 6  'currentFrame.nextTextFrame = allPages.textFrames[i];'

Please help!

[Peter Kahrel · Accepted solution]

There are a few problems with Sunil's script. The error you got was caused by the fact that allPages is a collection, and collections don't have the textFrame property.

If the conditions are the same as Sunil assumed (a single text frame on each page), you can use this code:

pages = app.documents[0].pages.everyItem().getElements();
thread = pages[0].textFrames[0];
for (i = 1; i < pages.length; i++) {
  thread.endTextFrame.nextTextFrame = pages[i].textFrames[0];
}

 P.

[edolat77]

That's just perfect, it helped me big time!

Thank you so so much,

EL

[Maxicando]

Hello Peter, how do I modify the script for two text frames on each page? If there's more than one only every second frame is linked.

[Maxicando]

Never mind, Peter. I searched a little more and found this free script that does the job. https://www.rorohiko.com/wordpress/indesign-downloads/textstitch/

[Mendi M]

Hi peter, 2 years later... is still there a way to make it work?

Thank You! 

[Peter Kahrel]

You'll have to provide some more detail. For example, do you have a single text frame on each page?

[Mendi M]

Thank you!

Yes. 

Ok now I see the issue...

It dos'nt work when there is some threads

(Every two frames are concatenated together, there are a lot of separated such pairs in the document, I need them all in one long thread.
When I left only 4 pages and disconnected them completely - only then the script works)

Is there a way to make the script work even when some frams are threaded?

[Mendi M]

In other words:
Can a script go over the document and combine it into one thread?

Let's say I have ten chapters, and I broke threads in each chapter (using the 'BreakTextThread' script) to make the document faster, and now I want to connect everything back together.

Assuming there is one text frame per page, or mabe better - in a specific object style there is only one text frame in page

Is this possible using a script?

[Peter Kahrel]

Sure.  At the first line of the script enter the name of the object style.

ostyleName = 'Xyz';

sortedStories = [];
stories = app.documents[0].stories.everyItem().getElements();
for (i = 0; i < stories.length; i++) {
  if (stories[i].textContainers[0].appliedObjectStyle.name === ostyleName) {
    sortedStories.push (stories[i]);
  }
}

// An expensive sorter...
sortedStories.sort (function (a, b) {
  return a.textContainers[0].parentPage.documentOffset 
          - b.textContainers[0].parentPage.documentOffset;
});


for (i = sortedStories.length-1; i > 0; i--) {
  sortedStories[i-1].textContainers[0].endTextFrame.nextTextFrame = 
    sortedStories[i].textContainers[0];
}

[Paola25144291umeo]

hmmm this doesn't work anymore today. these are .js scripts right?

[Paola25144291umeo]

 

[Sunil Yadav]

Otherwise only if you want to link two frames,

you can use this code.

firstTextFrame.nextTextFrame = secondTextFrame;

Best

Sunil