Change left or right indent via script

[Ghoul Fool]

So this is a bit puzzling:

app.activeDocument.activeLayer.textItem.leftIndent = new UnitValue(10, 'pt');

Doesn't appear to do anything. Whereas something similar 

app.activeDocument.activeLayer.textItem.contents = "spoon";

changes the text layer's contents to "spoon".

So...how do you change the indent size with code??

[Stephen Marsh]

Where did you get .leftIndent from?

Edit: I found it - https://theiviaxx.github.io/photoshop-docs/Photoshop/TextItem/leftIndent.html#textitem-leftindent

Sometimes it's just better to enter the value without a unit of measure, then wrap the entire code or block in a unit of measure.

https://gist.github.com/MarshySwamp/898ae3237305787d0683125166aeb480

But I haven't had time to try...

[Ghoul Fool]

I've already tried

var srcDoc = app.activeDocument;
var theLayer = srcDoc.activeLayer;
var left = new UnitValue(10, 'pt');
theLayer.textItem.leftIndent = left; // Does nothing
theLayer.textItem.contents = "spoon"; // Changes text

[r-bin]

What shows

alert(activeDocument.activeLayer.textItem.leftIndent)

after operation?

I have everything working

[Ghoul Fool]

0 pt by alert and on the paragraph tab.

[r-bin]

Strange. Something broke.

Or leftIndent or UnitValue.

What does alert(new UnitValue(10, 'pt')) show?

Doesn't work on all fonts and layers, or just your specific layer and file?

[Stephen Marsh · Accepted solution]

I have now had time to test and get the same results.

The only success I had was to use AM code.

set(10);

function set(startIndent) {
    function s2t(s) {
        return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
    }
    var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
    var descriptor2 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var reference = new ActionReference();
    reference.putProperty(s2t("property"), s2t("paragraphStyle"));
    reference.putEnumerated(s2t("textLayer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
    descriptor.putReference(s2t("null"), reference);
    descriptor2.putInteger(s2t("textOverrideFeatureName"), 808464435);
    descriptor2.putUnitDouble(s2t("startIndent"), s2t("pixelsUnit"), startIndent);
    descriptor.putObject(s2t("to"), s2t("paragraphStyle"), descriptor2);
    executeAction(s2t("set"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
}

[Ghoul Fool]

Stephen,

Thank you, that works!

However, the bigger question remains: why doesn't the original code work. 

So mysterious...

[Stephen Marsh]

It must have worked at one time, who knows how long it's been broken?