Sorting Selected Text Frame or Document Cause Changing Some Word Letters Colors!

[M.Hasanin]

Hi Experts, 

Im trying to sort the arabic text and some letters are colored in green and others are black , it works but after sorting some words green letters color changed to white! , it looks like it dissapeared!, i dont know why! , here is the script and screen shots : 

//UNDO Enabled
app.doScript(CatchMyError, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, "Sort Story");      

//Error Catcher for Function
function CatchMyError(){
    try {
        CheckSelection();
    } catch (myError) {
    alert (myError,"ERROR!");
    exit();
    }
}

function CheckSelection(){
    // Check that a story is selected
      var myCurrentSelection = app.selection[0];
      if(app.selection.length < 1 && myCurrentSelection != Story) {        
        alert ("Plese Select Text Frame First!","ERROR!");exit();
        }else{
     SortSelection();
    }
}

function SortSelection(){
    //Create an array of paragraphs by splitting the Story 
    myArray = app.selection[0].parentStory.contents.split ('\r');
    //Sort the array
    myArray.sort();
    //Join the array as one string separated by hard returns
    myString = myArray.join ('\r');
    //Replace the contents of the selected story with myString 
    app.documents[0].textFrames[0].parentStory.texts[0].contents = myString;
}

here is screen shots for before and after :

Before Shot

After Shot

here is link for the file and video in weTransfer :
Project Folder and Video 

did i make something wrong? please help to fix and thanks in advance 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Because you are sorting "plain text" - not "text objects" - you are loosing formatting in the before-last line of the code.

Not sure how exactly do this in JavaScript - but you need to:

1) create list of paragraphs - your array - with their indexes,

some text[tab]1

another text[tab]2

...

You can use any character as a separator - [tab] - as long as it would be UNIQUE

3) sort this array,

4) copy WHOLE paragraphs using stored indexes - as text objects and not only their text contents - from the original story to a new story.

[M.Hasanin]

Thank you for your gudieness @Robert at ID-Tasker 

[m1b]

Hi @M.Hasanin, Robert has hit the nail on the head! When you change a text object's contents then you will revert the text attributes to whatever was applied to the first character. So we use the contents for sorting, but we don't set the contents (except when I want to remove the contents altogether).

I've written a script to attempt to do what you ask. I haven't tested with Arabic text, so please let me know how it goes. The way it works is to first duplicate the whole text frame, then sort the original paragraphs, then put them into the duplicated text frame (in the new order), and finally move them all back into the original text frame and clean up afterwards. There are various ways to approach this problem, but this is what I came up with.

- Mark

/**
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/sorting-selected-text-frame-or-document-cause-changing-some-word-letters-colors/m-p/13443724
 */
function main() {

    var paras = sortParagraphsInTextFrame(app.activeDocument.selection[0]);

    if (paras == undefined) {
        alert('Please select a text frame and try again.')
        return;
    }


    /**
     * Sort Paragraphs of TextFrame.
     * @author m1b
     * @version 2022-12-25
     * @param {TextFrame} textFrame - an Indesign TextFrame.
     */
    function sortParagraphsInTextFrame(textFrame) {

        if (
            textFrame == undefined
            || !textFrame.isValid
            || textFrame.constructor.name != 'TextFrame'
        )
            return;

        // better remove text wrap here or the duplicate
        // will push away the paragraphs we want
        var wrap = textFrame.textWrapPreferences.textWrapMode;
        textFrame.textWrapPreferences.textWrapMode = TextWrapModes.NONE;

        // make an empty duplicate text frame
        var dup = textFrame.duplicate();
        dup.contents = '';

        // get all the paragraphs
        var paras = textFrame.paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();

        // make sure every paragraph has a return before sorting
        var returnWasAdded = false;
        if (paras[paras.length - 1].contents.slice(-1) != '\r') {
            paras[paras.length - 1].insertionPoints[-1].contents = '\r';
            returnWasAdded = true;
        }

        // sort paragraphs
        paras.sort(function (a, b) {
            var al = a.contents.toLocaleLowerCase(),
                bl = b.contents.toLocaleLowerCase();
            if (al < bl)
                return -1;
            else if (al > bl)
                return 1;
            return 0;
        });

        // duplicate paragraphs in sorted order into the duplicated text frame
        for (var i = 0; i < paras.length; i++)
            paras[i].duplicate(LocationOptions.AFTER, dup.insertionPoints[0]);

        // empty the original textFrame, and move the sorted paragraphs back in
        textFrame.parentStory.contents = '';
        dup.paragraphs.everyItem().move(LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING, textFrame);

        // clean up
        dup.remove();
        textFrame.textWrapPreferences.textWrapMode = wrap;

        if (returnWasAdded)
            textFrame.paragraphs[-1].characters[-1].remove();

        return textFrame.paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();

    };

} // end main

app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Sort Paragraphs');

Edit: Oops! I looked at your sample file, and realised that my script won't work right for your case, because the text you want to sort spans multiple text frames. When I get time I will change my approach to work. - Mark

[m1b · Accepted solution]

Hi @M.Hasanin, okay please try this script. It is similar to my other, but more streamlined and it sorts every paragraph of the selected story. Please try it out. - Mark

/**
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/sorting-selected-text-frame-or-document-cause-changing-some-word-letters-colors/m-p/13443724
 */
function main() {

    var story = sortParagraphsOfStory(app.activeDocument.selection[0].parentStory);

    if (story == undefined) {
        alert('Please select a text frame and try again.')
        return;
    }


    /**
     * Sort Paragraphs of supplied story.
     * @author m1b
     * @version 2022-12-25
     * @param {Story} story - an Indesign Story.
     */
    function sortParagraphsOfStory(story) {

        if (
            story == undefined
            || !story.isValid
            || story.constructor.name != 'Story'
        )
            return;

        // get all the paragraphs
        var paras = story.paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();

        // add return after last paragraph if necessary
        if (paras[paras.length - 1].characters.item(-1).contents != '\u000D')
            paras[paras.length - 1].insertionPoints.item(-1).contents = '\u000D';

        // sort paragraphs
        paras.sort(function (a, b) {
            var al = a.contents.toLocaleLowerCase(),
                bl = b.contents.toLocaleLowerCase();
            if (al < bl)
                return -1;
            else if (al > bl)
                return 1;
            return 0;
        });

        for (var i = paras.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
            paras[i].move(LocationOptions.AT_BEGINNING, story.textContainers[0]);
        }

        if (story.paragraphs[-1].characters.item(-1).contents == '\u000D')
            story.paragraphs[-1].characters.item(-1).remove();

        return true;

    };

} // end main

app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Sort Paragraphs');

[M.Hasanin]

Thank you very much @m1b 

[m1b]

You're welcome!

[Peter Kahrel]

Here's a multi-lingual sorter for InDesign:

https://www.indiscripts.com/post/2020/06/introducing-smart-sort-for-indesign-cc-cs

[M.Hasanin]

Thanks a lot @Peter Kahrel