Script for skipping to next page (of imported pdf/ai/ind)?

[DBLjan]

Hey Community and scripting gurus,

i've done this in applescript for pdf, but im on a pc now and still struggeling with java. Tho I guess someone done this before, it seems so obvious to have:

Im looking for a script to skip to next page, of a placed multipage-document. 

As im thinking about it: at a basic level, what also can work would be a script to reload the linked document, with import-options shown.

But then I need to know exactly which page was imported, and with that small preview-section-window it can be quite difficult to find, if you only go by visual. Also i discovered - while having these lack of any programming skills - that there is (maybe) no way to tell the max-count of pages of placed documents within the InD-DOM, to not skip into an non-existing pages at the eof and I ended up calling Acrobat for that (which is mostly running anyway), than skip to the first page again.

I dream of a script which can skip to next page for placed PDFs, AIs and InDesign-docs. If the last page is shown, it should skip to first page. In the top of the scripts code can be a variable to reverse the order to backwards skipping, so I can save a second version and keybind both scripts, if I want to use the previous page. Also nice if you have skip too far ahead and the doc is large. 

Anyone got this laying around or is saying "pfff EZ - giv me 4 mins" it would be very appriciated!

[brianp311]

It may be that I have not had enough coffee yet, but I don't know exactly what you want. You want to skip to the next page within the InDesign document to the page containing the next page of the placed document?

[Derek Cross]

You can put Previous / Next Page arrows on the Master Page and say a "button" stating, for example, "Cover" which will appear say at the bottom of each page.

That's easy and you can remove them, as appropriate from the Cover, so it's just Next.

[DBLjan]

Guys, no no no 🙂 ill try to clear this up:

I have placed a multi-page PDF in my InDesign document, showing page 3 of 10, which I have choosen within the import-options dialog.

But now I want to show page 4. While InDesign tries to help me browsing where I last browsed for assets, this feature doesnt come in handy when you are trying to relocate the pdf-file, just for re-importing to get the import dialog.

if im not wrong, there is now slick way to change the choice of imported page.

I know, I can switch off the browsing behavoir in preferences, but that comes in more handy than it bothers me.

id prefer InDesign to have the ability to throw an import-options dialog while drag and dropping from the explorer, but it doesnt. All I know is holding shift while choosing "place" to get the importoptions, not having ticker that checkbox (thanks to InDesignSecrets).

[Jongware]

Can you post the AppleScript that you have been using? Then we don't have to start from scratch, translating it into Javascript (not 'Java'! That's an entirely different language!).

[DBLjan]

Sorry for the late reply. 

Its like that: ive lost my job due outsourcing to vietnam, throwing me back to me windows-pc at home, and I cant look into these files. Its a 2015-ish version, but it must have worked. Here it is, 7 days: 

https://we.tl/t-cNQpMxz6HX 

[rob day]

Your zip archive is empty

[DBLjan]

Lets try again. This time i directly dnd both of the .scpt-files into wetransfer, this should work. 

https://we.tl/t-iaphO1PPme

I took some files from mac to my home PC, and I can open my .applescript files. But windows is struggeling getting some content out of these .scpt ones, tho - if I remember correct - the same app AppleScriptEditor does compute both filetypes on MacOS. Why there are .scpt and .applescript I never thought about that till now.

[DBLjan]

Meh, i found this: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47238566/applescript-syntax-all-messed-up-how-to-re-build

My code looks exactly like what happened there. I dont think i can retrieve it without my old mac.

But actually I dont think the script wont be much of a help, since my "style" is unlearned and sloppy I guess.

But all the script did - and I guess you guys have code snippets for this already in place in more efficient quality - was inspect the selected container for a link. If not pdf, then just beep, else get the filepath, place/reload document from filepath with importoptions, increasing the pageNumer, which I can read from my link.

Only hurdle is, but probably solved with a good error handler, to not skip to next page if the last page is choosen. I ended up calling Acrobat, because I found in Acrobat DOM a maxPage or something.
But I can imagine, because in "InDesign" i dont know the maxpage of the imported PDF, to just try to import next page, and if an error is caught while importing, just start with page 1 again.

 https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#PDFAttribute.html#d1e207760

>> import

pageNumber

[Laubender]

Hi Jan,

do I understand this right?

You placed multipage PDFs.

And you want to write a script that will place the next page of a given placed PDF page?

If there is no next page you start over with the first page.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[DBLjan]

Hello Uwe,

thats right, exactly.

I would add "into the selected container", to not have the next page hanging in my place gun.

A v2 of the script could deal with .ai and .indd too, but they use a different set of import options, which also means more stuff to secure. 

It could also be a InD feature in the linklist, like little arrows appearing when hovering over a supporting linklist item, or at the default-shown blue "link mark" on a image container.

Uwe, the story is: Since Im on PC now, im struggeling starting with js again. Im deep into making a (paper) personal design folder for upcoming job interviews. And my home PC is really lacking the UX adjustments Ive done to my work mac 😞 And I have placed like a thousand pdfs from 13 years of work to narrow down, and most hold more than one page. When I want to show page 2 I have to re-browse to the file, which is the really annoyance here. The OSX finder was good at finding, but the windows explorer isnt. 

[DBLjan]

...as im think further about the feature: InDesign should really have a "show importoptions again"-feature, a bit like the "object layer options" feature. This would be an easy script, but I think that feature should belong into the default toolbox of InDesign.

When I have more time on my hands, I will make a feature request for that. 

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi Jan,

years ago John Hawkinson did a script that would invoke the place options on an already placed PDF, InDesign page or AI file, I think. Hope, I can find the old thread or the ExtendScript code. You could build on this. But be warned: Not all PDFs would show how many pages are inside. At least you cannot see this by scripting.

Ah. Found the extended script I did, based on John's original one:

// PlaceAgain-PlaceOptionsShowing-SELECTION.jsx
// Uwe Laubender

//DESCRIPTION:Select a placed image, PDF or InDesign document to replace it with itself getting options

/**
* @@@BUILDINFO@@@ PlaceAgain-PlaceOptionsShowing-SELECTION.jsx !Version! Fri Sep 09 2016 14:09:53 GMT+0200
*/

/*
	Posted in this thread at Adobe InDesign Forum:
	"Toggle pages of a linked Indesign document inside Indesign?"
	mmackinven | Sep 9, 2016
	https://forums.adobe.com/message/8993859#8993859
	
	You can either select the placed file directly or its container frame.
	Or, if its part of a group, the group itself.
	Or, if the container frame is pasted inside another object, that object.
	
*/

placeAgainSelection();

function placeAgainSelection()
{
	if(app.documents.length == 0){alert("ERROR"+"\r"+"No document is open."); return};
	if(app.selection.length != 1){alert("ERROR"+"\r"+"Select one single item containing a placed file."); return};

	// The placed object is selected:
	if
	(
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "ImportedPage" || 
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "PDF" ||
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "EPS" ||
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "Image" ||
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "PICT" ||
		app.selection[0].constructor.name == "WMF"
	)
	{	
		var graphic = app.selection[0];
	};
	
	else if(app.selection[0].allGraphics.length == 0){return};
	
	// The container of the placed object is selected:
	else{var graphic = app.selection[0].allGraphics[0]};

	// Two important checks:
	// Case 1: Graphic was pasted on the page from e.g. PhotoShop:
	if(graphic.itemLink == null){alert("ERROR"+"\r"+"The graphic was pasted on the page. The original file cannot be found.");return};
	// Case 2: Link is not available, because placed graphic was renamed, removed or otherwise is not available:
	var file = File(graphic.itemLink.filePath);
	if(!file.exists){alert("ERROR"+"\r"+"\""+file.name+"\""+"\r"+"File cannot be found."); return};
	
	// If you cancel the place options dialog, no error will be thrown:
	try{
	graphic.place(file,true);
	}catch(e){};
};

Important Note:

The original thread from 2016 where I posted the script code did not make it to the new InDesign forum.

Because of that this thread where I mentioned my script is rendered useless:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/swapping-pages-of-a-linked-file-indesign-file-without-replac...

This one as well, but there is also a link to a script by Roland Dreger that could be useful:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/linked-ai-file-change-artboard/m-p/10444575?page=1

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Laubender]

Also see into the following thread where I tested my code from 2016 on an placed AI file with InDesign 2020:

Linked ai files in Indesign
Laubender
Adobe Community Professional , Feb 25, 2020
https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/linked-ai-files-in-indesign/m-p/10945947#M176764

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )