Hi,
Is there a way I can relink a select number of images on a document in one go rather than having to relink one by one?
For example, in the image below, the graphic is duplicated 112 times. Let's say I want to replace 50 of the links with a graphic that has a different price on it. At the moment, I have to select the graphics I want to change and then go through the relink procedure 50 times, which is very time-consuming (and incredibly frustrating!)
Is there a way to do this within InDesign? Is there a script available? I'm also happy to use Illustrator if there's a way it can be done there, although I haven't found a solution for that either.
Thanks for any help you guys can give.
2 Correct answers
Ah, yes sorry, I should have mentioned. Mac OS Catalina, InDesign 15.0.2.
That sounds like a viable workaround. I'll use that method if a quicker way doesn't show up!
Thanks Eric, much appreciated.
This assumes that you have the frames selected with the regular black arrow tool, and that there is only one linked image within that frame:
var fileToRelink = File.openDialog("Choose the file to relink to");
var selects = app.selection;
for (var i = 0; i < selects.length; i++) {
selects[i].graphics[0].itemLink.relink(fileToRelink);
}
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Replies
Ok, I see now. I've followed the instructions and used TextEdit to save the script, but it doesn't seem to work. I guess maybe I'm doing something wrong?
I thought I had saved it as text only but obviously not! I just tried saving the script again and it worked! I must have done something different as the original file that didn't work has 'TXT' in the icon and the new one doesn't.
Thanks, everyone for you help. It works a treat and will save me a lot of time in the future!
I did actually have the format set to Plain Text. I worked out that in the Save dialog box, I should have 'un-ticked' the option to use .txt if no extension is provided, even though I did put .jsx at the end of the filename when saving.
Even better when you get AI to help you choose the input option when linking to a multiple page document. Script below.
// Check if there is an active document and a selection
if (app.documents.length > 0 && app.selection.length > 0) {
// Prompt the user to select a file to place
var myFile = File.openDialog("Choose a file to place");
// Proceed only if the user selected a file
if (myFile) {
var mySelection = app.selection;
// --- Step 1: Process the FIRST frame to set the options ---
// By calling place() with 'true', you show the dialog for the first item.
// InDesign will remember the settings you choose for this session.
try {
mySelection[0].place(myFile, true);
} catch(e) {
alert("Could not place the file in the first selected frame. Aborting script.");
// We exit here because without the first placement, we have no settings to apply to the others.
exit();
}
// --- Step 2: Process the REST of the frames ---
// Now, loop through the remaining items, starting from the second one (index 1).
for (var i = 1; i < mySelection.length; i++) {
try {
// Call place() with 'false' (or no second argument) to use the
// previously set import options without showing the dialog again.
mySelection[i].place(myFile, false);
} catch(e) {
// Skip any item that can't contain a file.
}
}
}
} else {
alert("Please select one or more frames before running this script.");
}
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