14
Replies
"Is it possible to edit multiple QR codes simultaneously within an InDesign document?"
By kj_28
Yes, it is. But it's not for "faint-hearted" 😉
It requires either re-creating the code - replacing the original one - or by modifying IDML file.
Hi @kj_28, editing the contents of QR Codes is surprisingly complicated—as Robert mentioned. However, if you are able to do a bit of work up front to label each QR Code with the contents, then it becomes a lot easier. I'm not sure if you can do that in your case, but I think it should be possible for many jobs.
To use the script, you must first give each QR Code a "Script Label" that looks like this:
QRCODE:https://adobe.comQR Codes without this labelling will be ignored. Script Label can be set in the "Script Label" panel (Window > Utility > Script Label).
Here is a quick demo running on my computer. You only select one QR Code, and it will change all of them if they have the same label.
To set the swatch color of a QR Code (like the second one above) you must set the stroke color of its frame (and give it 0% tint if you don't want to see it). This might seem a bit strange, but I didn't want to make the script too complicated and this was a way to update multiple QRCodes which can be in arbitrary colors.
Look at my attached demo.indd if you're not sure how I set it up—although it's very simple. If you end up using it, let me know!
- Mark
Here is the script:
/**
* Update Labelled QR Codes.js
*
* Based on the selected QRCode, this script will update
* all QRCodes that have been correctly labelled with
* the matching contents.
*
* Important notes:
*
* 1. Each QR Code (the graphic or its frame) must be labelled,
* via the "Script Label" panel, starting with "QRCODE:" prefix and then
* the text to be encoded, eg. QRCODE:https://adobe.com
*
* 2. To apply a swatch color to a particular QR Code, set its frame's
* stroke color to your desired color. If you want to hide the stroke
* set the tint to 0%.
*
* @author m1b
* @version 2025-02-12
* @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/qr-code/m-p/15144823
*/
function main() {
var settings = {
prefix: 'QRCODE:',
};
if (0 === app.documents.length)
return alert('Please open a document and try again.');
var doc = app.activeDocument,
item = doc.selection[0],
matcher = new RegExp('^' + settings.prefix + '(.+)'),
label;
if (!item)
return alert('Please select a QRCode that has been labelled correctly and try again.');
if (
undefined != item
&& item.hasOwnProperty('label')
&& matcher.test(item.label)
)
label = item.label;
else if (
item.hasOwnProperty('graphics')
&& item.graphics.length > 0
&& matcher.test(item.graphics[0].label)
)
label = item.graphics[0].label;
else if (
item.hasOwnProperty('parent')
&& matcher.test(item.parent.label)
)
label = item.parent.label;
if (!label)
return alert('Please select a QRCode that has been labelled correctly and try again.');
// the content to encode
var content = label.match(matcher)[1],
newContent = prompt('Edit QR Code:', content);
if (!newContent)
return;
// check all the page items
var items = doc.allPageItems;
for (var i = items.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
item = items[i];
if (
!item.label
|| !matcher.test(item.label)
)
continue;
var testContent = (item.label.match(matcher) || 0)[1];
if (testContent !== content)
continue;
if (item.graphics.length > 0)
// we want the graphic, not the frame
item = item.graphics[0];
if (!item.isValid)
continue;
var parent = item.parent;
var swatch = undefined;
if (item.parent.strokeColor.hasOwnProperty('colorValue'))
swatch = item.parent.strokeColor;
// update QR Code
item.createPlainTextQRCode(newContent, swatch);
// update the label
parent.label = settings.prefix + newContent;
}
};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Update Labelled QR Codes');
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