Script to read alt text of XMP description of a linked image

Report · Mar 10, 2017

I have script to display the custom alt text of a image, but I can not get it to read images where the alt text is from XMP description, I have tried all sorts of variations.

(e.g. alt =image.objectExportOptions.properties.DescriptionAltText or alt =image.objectExportOptions.properties.XMPDescriptionAltText)

The script for the "custom" alt text is below. Can anyone get it to read the XMP description alt text of linked images?

(function(){

var frames;

var image;

var alt;

frames = app.selection;

image = frames[0];

alt =image.objectExportOptions.properties.customAltText

alert("Alt custom text is: " + alt )

}());

Report · Mar 11, 2017

I'm not sure if I understood your question properly, but maybe like so:

(function(){
    var frames = app.selection,
    image = frames[0],
    link = image.itemLink,
    metadata = link.linkXmp,
    description = metadata.description;
    alert("Description is: '" + description + "'");
}());

Report · Mar 15, 2017

// load the XMPScript library

if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined) {

ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript");

}

Report · Mar 15, 2017

Is that any better approach then reading the description property directly from the link's metatada (linkXmp)?

— Kas

Report · Mar 15, 2017

Well, let's salt the cow to catch the calf.

Here's a working example based on a script I wrote a few years ago (the snippet you copy-pasted from the reference ain't working as it is, at least for me).

Main();
function Main() {
    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var link = doc.links[0];
    var linkPath = link.filePath;
    var description = GetDescription(linkPath);
    0
}
function GetDescription(linkPath) {
    try {
        if (xmpLib == undefined) {
            var pathToLib = (Folder.fs == "Windows") ? Folder.startup.fsName + "/AdobeXMPScript.dll" : "/Applications/Adobe Bridge CS5.1/Adobe Bridge CS5.1.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobeXMPScript.framework";
            var libfile = new File(pathToLib);
            var xmpLib = new ExternalObject("lib:" + pathToLib);
        }
        var xmpFile = new XMPFile(linkPath, XMPConst.FILE_JPEG, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_READ);
        var xmp = xmpFile.getXMP();
        var descriptionProperty = xmp.getProperty("http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/", "dc:description[1]");
        var description = descriptionProperty.value;
        return description;
    }
    catch(err) {
        $.writeln(err.message + ", line: " + err.line);
    }
}

Here are the files I used for testing the script above.

— Kas

Report · Mar 15, 2017

Thank you all, getting closer, but still not working right, might be a very slight issue.

I put the alert at the end : alert("Description is: '" + description + "'"); so I can have a screen readout. It does display the Meta description, but always of the same file regardless of the image that is selected.

Any fixes

Report · Mar 16, 2017

... but always of the same file regardless of the image that is selected.

The script in my post 4 -- in response to Stefan Rakete -- was intended to demonstrate how to use XMP object to get description which is a little more complex than getting it directly from the link's metadata. It references the 1st link in the document instead of selection. Another issue with this approach: we have to indicate the image type in the format argument (there are a number of them):

var xmpFile = new XMPFile(linkPath, XMPConst.FILE_JPEG, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_READ);

Here's my vision of script. I assume that the image is selected with either black, or white arrow.

var scriptName = "Get description from selected link",
doc;
PreCheck();
//===================================== FUNCTIONS ======================================
function Main(image) {
    var link = image.itemLink,
    metadata = link.linkXmp,  
    description = metadata.description;  
    alert("Description is: '" + description + "'", scriptName, false);
}
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function PreCheck() {
    var image;
    if (app.documents.length == 0) ErrorExit("Please open a document and try again.", true);
    doc = app.activeDocument;
    if (doc.converted) ErrorExit("The current document has been modified by being converted from older version of InDesign. Please save the document and try again.", true);
    if (!doc.saved) ErrorExit("The current document has not been saved since it was created. Please save the document and try again.", true);
    if (app.selection.length == 0 || app.selection.length > 1) ErrorExit("One image should be selected.", true);
    
    if (app.selection[0].constructor.name == "Image") { // image selected with white arrow
        image = app.selection[0];
    }
    else if (app.selection[0].images.length > 0) { // container selected with black arrow
        image = app.selection[0].images[0];
    }
    else {
        ErrorExit("No image in the selection.", true);
    }
    Main(image);
}
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function ErrorExit(error, icon) {
    alert(error, scriptName, icon);
    exit();
}
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------