Looking for guidence on JavaScript to add spot colours to a new colour group in InDesign

[n0ugh7_za]

Hi, its as it says in the subject.

I can create the colours, and i can create the colour groups, but I can't move the new colours into the colour groups.

I'm still new to this, so I might be going about it the wrong way.

Here is my code.

//Add Zund Spot Colours to swatch document
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [94,76,5,0], name: "Thru-cut", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:947650, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [97,6,93,0], name: "Crease", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:976930, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [2,89,82,0], name: "Kiss-cut", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:289820, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [73,67,64,74], name: "Register", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:73676474, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [60,26,0,0], name: "Punch", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:602600, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [24,91,81,16], name: "Score", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:24918116, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [56,40,86,21], name: "V-cut", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:56408621, parentColorGroup: "Zund Spot Colours"});

//Add these colours to the "Zund Spot Colours" colorGroup
myDoc.colorGroups.add("Zund Spot Colours",["Thru-cut", "Crease", "Kiss-cut", "Register", "Punch", "Score", "V-cut"]);

//Add Litho Specialty Spots to document
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,100,100,0], name: "NUMBERING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:01001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,0,0,0], name: "SPOTVARNISH", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:100000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,0,100,0], name: "FOILING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:10001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,28,100,0], name: "SPOTLATEX", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:0281000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [97,0,41,0], name: "SPECIALVARNISH", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:970410, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,64,100,0], name: "SCORING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:0641000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [40,0,100,0], name: "EMBOSSDEBOSS", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:4001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [34,65,100,19], name: "FOLDING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:346510019, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});
myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,66,0,0], name: "DIECUT", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:1006600, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"});

//Add these colours to the "Litho Specialty Colours" colorGroup
myDoc.colorGroups.add("Litho Specialty Spot Colours",["NUMBERING", "SPOTVARNISH", "FOILING", "SPOTLATEX", "SPECIALVARNISH", "SCORING", "EMBOSSDEBOSS", "FOLDING", "DIECUT"]);

[Laubender]

Hi,

the following should work ( tested with InDesign 2020 on Windows )

var doc = app.documents[0];

var spotColor = doc.colors.itemByName("MySpotColorName");
var colorGroup = doc.colorGroups.itemByName("MyColorGroupName");

colorGroup.colorGroupSwatches.add( spotColor );

Did not try to add colors while adding a new color group.

Best first add the group, then add the colors with method add() of colorGroup.colorGroupSwatches.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

Also see DOM documentationc ompiled by Gregor Fellenz:

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

colorGroupSwatches.add() method:

https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#ColorGroupSwatches.html#d1e71466__d1e7151...

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[n0ugh7_za]

Hi Uwe,

"colorGroupSwatches.add()" didn't work for me for some reason, InDesign kept saying it was undefined.

Eventually what worked for me was this.

myDoc.colorGroups.add("Litho Specialty Spot Colours",[myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,100,100,0], name: "NUMBERING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:01001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,0,0,0], name: "SPOTVARNISH", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:100000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,0,100,0], name: "FOILING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:10001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,28,100,0], name: "SPOTLATEX", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:0281000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [97,0,41,0], name: "SPECIALVARNISH", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:970410, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [0,64,100,0], name: "SCORING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:0641000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [40,0,100,0], name: "EMBOSSDEBOSS", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:4001000, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [34,65,100,19], name: "FOLDING", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:346510019, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"}), myDoc.colors.add({colorValue: [100,66,0,0], name: "DIECUT", model:ColorModel.SPOT, id:1006600, parentColorGroup: "Litho Specialty Spot Colours"})]);

[TestriteVisual · Accepted solution]

Thanks for this, I was able to modify your code for my simpler case to run without problems

graphicTemplate.colorGroups.add
(
"Cut Contour Colors",
     [
graphicTemplate.colors.add
	({
colorValue: [0,100,0,0], 
name: "CutContourMagenta", 
model:ColorModel.SPOT, 
id:01001000, 
parentColorGroup: "Cut Contour Colors"
	})
     ]
);

this was the result in InDesign