Press Escape to stop the Script

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

I have a script that loops through multiple documents doing it's thing but sometimes I want to stop it, but I can't without force quitting inDesign.

Is there a piece of javascript I can insert into a few places in the script that looks for the escape button being pressed, and, if it is it stops the script at that point.

Thanks, Bren

[Guest]

Hi again,

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

Thanks, Bren

[Dirk Becker]

You can check the existence of some file or folder and stop on change …

There are also scripts around that display a progress bar. I don't know whether they have provisions to interrupt.

[ajabon grinsmith]

Canceling with the esc key may be possible only on Windows.
I think that it is possible on Mac and Windows if you can use the shift key.

while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.shiftKey == false) {
    // do somethings
}

[Guest]

Dirk, will have to look into the progress bar and see, thanks for the idea.

Hi Ajabon, I will look into seeing if there is a way around making it the escape key instead of the shift key but changing yours to:

while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.shiftKey == true) { exit() } // If shift is pressed
worked to exit the script.

Thanks, Bren

[Mike Bro]

Hi JustOneBren,

Try the code below to have the escape key exit the script.

while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.keyName == "esc"){ exit()}

Regards,

Mike

[ajabon grinsmith]

JustOneBren, 

It is wrong. Implement the code you want to do in the while block.
Try to understand it because it shows more concrete code.

var n = 0;
var doc = app.documents.add();
var tf = doc.textFrames.add();
tf.geometricBounds = doc.pages[0].bounds;
tf.parentStory.pointSize = 3;

//Continue processing the contents of the while block until you press the shift key
while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.shiftKey == false) {
    tf.contents += "press shift key to stop the script.\t";
    tf.recompose();
}

[ajabon grinsmith · Accepted solution]

I was also wrong, and my Mac was able to abort with the esc key. The final form of the code.

At least ' keyCode == "esc" ' didn't work in my environment.

var n = 0;
var doc = app.documents.add();
var tf = doc.textFrames.add();
tf.geometricBounds = doc.pages[0].bounds;
tf.parentStory.pointSize = "6pt";

//Continue processing the contents of the while block until you press the esc key
while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.keyName != "Escape") {
    tf.contents += "press esc key to stop the script.\t";
    tf.recompose();
}

[Guest]

Ajabon, That works perfectly and will work with the script I have just as I need it to 👍

Mike, couldn't get yours to work directly but it looks like it helped in changing Ajabons code to work with the 'escape' key.

Thank you both for your help, Bren

[lfcorullon]

Hello, guys. Any idea why this is not working on my progressbar?

//======================
var found = new Array (150);
var myProgress = new Window ("palette" , "Script by LFCorullón" , undefined , {closeButton: false});
myProgress.pbar = myProgress.add("progressbar", undefined, 0, found.length);
myProgress.pbar.preferredSize.width = 300;
myProgress.str = myProgress.add("statictext" , [0,0,300,24]);
myProgress.str.text = "Start processing...";

var btn = myProgress.add("group");
btn.alignment = "center";
btn.add("statictext" , undefined , "Press ESC to cancel");

myProgress.show();

//======================
for (var i = 0; i < found.length; i++){
    myProgress.pbar.value = i+1;
    myProgress.str.text = "Processing " + (i+1);
    $.sleep(20);
    }
//======================

[Ten A]

You need to watch ESC keys states like below.

//======================
var i = 0
while (ScriptUI.environment.keyboardState.keyName!="Escape"){
    if (i>found.length) break;
    myProgress.pbar.value = i+1;
    myProgress.str.text = "Processing " + (i+1);
    $.sleep(20);
    i++
    }
//======================

[lfcorullon]

Thank you. But doesn't work.

Changing the for loop to this code you sent, the dialog counts to 151 and doesn't close in the end. So, I changed the if statement to 'i > found.length -1 and then the count goes to 150. But the dialog still doesn't close in the end.

The ESC key press does nothing in any case...

[Ten A]

Try to add myProgress.close(); at the end of script.

[lfcorullon]

Yes, this works. But, the main question is how to "cancel/interrupt" the script.

The ESC key is not working... =(