I haven't tested the adobe pdf printer through the script but just doing it manually it allows changes to those areas as long as the output mode is separations host base so idk why it wouldn't be changing that's weird. I did a test tho with my postscript files manually using halftones and converted them to tifs, one with ellipse, and one with dot, and they looked identical to me. So maybe the way I am outputting, it does not make a difference, which is weird because like I showed in the dialog box, it seems as tho I would be allowed to change it which made me paranoid I was just writing the string wrong. Thanks to both of you for looking at this, I think for now I will just not mess with the dot shape unless someone notices a difference. ... View more

Since I able to edit the frequency and angle, I think that would mean my printer and all the other options are correct. Since the dot shape is blank, at least I know I am able to access it, just not correctly. All that I can find out is that it is a string, I cannot find any examples of it being used anywhere online. ugh lol.  ... View more

Thanks for your help, I did not realize before but for the script to work I needed to be using print preset options as well, so my bad if someone used the script and got an error. I notice when I make new print options through script it over rides part of the print preset options , hence why I added the hostbasedseperation part, so maybe that is the problem. So incase the ppd name and the printer name were being changed, I added those. docRef = app.activeDocument;   sepOpts = new PrintColorSeparationOptions();   jobOpts = new PrintJobOptions();   opts = new PrintOptions();   opts.colorSeparationOptions = sepOpts;     opts.jobOptions =  jobOpts;     opts.printPreset = 'Print Preset 1';   opts.PPDName = 'AdobePdf';   opts.printerName= 'Adobe PostScript File';   sepOpts.inkList = docRef.inkList;   sepOpts.colorSeparationMode = PrintColorSeparationMode.HOSTBASEDSEPARATION; // alert(docRef.inkList[4].inkInfo.dotShape)       sepOpts.inkList[4].inkInfo.dotShape = 'ellipse';  // tried 'Ellipse' 'ELLIPSE' 'ellipse' '[Ellipse]' '[ELLIPSE]'  '[ellipse]'       sepOpts.inkList[4].inkInfo.angle = 30;       sepOpts.inkList[4].inkInfo.frequency = 42;             app.activeDocument.print( opts ); Here is what it looks like afterwords. You can see the Frequency and Angle are being edited for the orange, so at least I am doing something right, but the dot shape shows up blank like that no matter what I do. Thanks again for taking a look at this. It sucks when one minor detail like this turns into a pain haha ... View more

Been a while since I've been on here, glad it could help. All the credit goes to qwertyfly I learned how to do that from qwertyfly's script earlier with the send keys to make the file menu pop up. Another thing I found useful is I make a keyboard shortcut for isolation mode and I use the send keys to isolate things as well during some scripts. ... View more

var docRef = app.activeDocument; var colorToKill = 'ORANGE PMS 172'; var colorToLive = 'YELLOW PMS 109'; docRef.selection = null; var rect = docRef.pathItems.rectangle (20, 0, 20, 20); rect.filled = true; rect.fillColor = docRef.swatches.getByName (colorToKill).color; rect.selected = true; rect.remove(); app.executeMenuCommand ('Find Fill Color menu item'); for (i = 0; i < docRef.selection.length; i++) {         {     docRef.selection.fillColor = docRef.swatches.getByName (colorToLive).color;         } } docRef.selection = null; var rect = docRef.pathItems.rectangle (20, 0, 20, 20); rect.stroked = true; rect.strokeColor = docRef.swatches.getByName (colorToKill).color; rect.selected = true; rect.remove(); app.executeMenuCommand ('Find Stroke Color menu item'); for (i = 0; i < docRef.selection.length; i++) {         {     docRef.selection.strokeColor = docRef.swatches.getByName (colorToLive).color;         } } docRef.selection = null;   with (docRef) {     for (var j = 0; j < stories.length; j++) {          with (stories ) {              for (var k = 0; k < characters.length; k++) {                  with (characters .characterAttributes) {                     if (fillColor instanceof SpotColor) {                          if (fillColor.spot.name == colorToKill)  fillColor = swatches.getByName(colorToLive).color;                                                                                     }                     if (strokeColor instanceof SpotColor) {                          if (strokeColor.spot.name == colorToKill)  strokeColor = swatches.getByName(colorToLive).color;                                                                                     }                                               }                              }         }      }  } docRef.swatches.getByName(colorToKill).remove(); Thanks for the help, I learned some new syntax and shortcuts by looking at what you wrote. I will test this out and see if I run into any problems, I would like to avoid looping pathitems if at all possible (I have to deal with a bunch of crazy livetraced crap haha) Thanks everyone! ... View more

yea exactly, thanks ... View more

Like in your swatch dialog box, when you select two swatches, and go to merge swatches, the 2nd swatch you select disappears, and everything in the document that had the 2nd swatch takes the color of the 1st swatch you selected. I understand that I could loop through all the path items in the document, change the fill or/and stroke of the path items with the 2nd swatch to the 1st swatch, and then delete the 2nd swatch, but I was wondering if there was a more efficient way sometime I get documents with thousands and thousands of path items and it takes a minute or two. I guess another way would be to deselect everything, create a rectangle that's selected with the fill of the 2nd swatch, delete the rectangle, select same fill through menu command, then loop through the selected items and give them all the fill of the 1st swatch....repeat the steps for the stroke....and then delete that 2nd swatch. That would be more efficient than looking for all the paths I will probably go with this plan if there isn't a way to merge swatches. ... View more

Yea you are probably right it was a shot in the dark. The way I have it now I have scripts followed by actions followed by a different script, it would just be cool to do it all in one script instead of splitting it up because if something goes wrong during the script its easy to catch, but when you have actions in the middle, those go through no matter what. It all works well for the most part I just feel like with one big script I could really idiot proof it. ... View more

Neat stuff, The way I enter and exit isolation mode I assign F1 as my keyboard shortcut for entering iso mode and use the send keys vb script for that. And I use the Escape button to get out of isolation mode using the send keys. That way you only need to assign one key, and I find the F1 help key very annoying anyway and I hate accidentally pressing it and having to wait for all that crap to pop up haha. I have been messing around with the send keys to see if I can get it to play an action using the keys I assign the action to. I am trying to test it on an action I have set on ctrl + F8. For some reason it will switch my cursor to blend mode which is the W key I believe, anyone know why that is happening? I am aware of app.doScript I am just trying to get around the bug that crashes illustrator when you run app.doScript when the script is saved as an action. (An action that runs a script that runs an action) function contour(){     var VB = [         'Set appRef = CreateObject("Illustrator.Application")',         'Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")',         'WshShell.SendKeys "^{F8}"',         ].join('\n');     var VBgo = new File('~/go.vbs');     VBgo.open('w');     VBgo.write(VB);     VBgo.close();     VBgo.execute(); } contour(); ... View more

EnterKeyWindows(); app.executeMenuCommand ('Flatten Transparency') function EnterKeyWindows(){     var VB = [         'Set appRef = CreateObject("Illustrator.Application")',         'Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")',         'WshShell.SendKeys "{ENTER}"',         'JS = "~/go.jsx"',         'appRef.DoJavaScriptFile(JS)',          ].join('\n');     var VBgo = new File('~/go.vbs');       VBgo.open('w');     VBgo.write(VB);     VBgo.close();     VBgo.execute(); } Now it seems to work!! Weird I just put it before instead of after. ... View more

app.executeMenuCommand ('Flatten Transparency') EnterKeyWindows(); function EnterKeyWindows(){     var VB = [         'Set appRef = CreateObject("Illustrator.Application")',         'Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")',         'WshShell.SendKeys "{ENTER}"',         'JS = "~/go.jsx"',         'appRef.DoJavaScriptFile(JS)',           ].join('\n');     var VBgo = new File('~/go.vbs');     VBgo.open('w');     VBgo.write(VB);     VBgo.close();     VBgo.execute(); } Looks like the enter key won't activate until you close out of the Flatten Transparency dialog. Darn. ... View more

Yea I'm in production art too so I can relate to almost everything you said haha. I also like that it gets rid of groups within groups as well so it's just one simple group with paths and compound paths, a lot easier to script. I started out with CS6 so I didn't know it was new. That must have been tough not having it lol. ... View more

Yea I know it is some inception stuff haha. The reason is there are some things I still can't figure out how to do through script. That menu command thread has been very helpful to me, I have been able to cross a lot of those things off the list. One thing I still can't do though is Flatten Transparency without the dialog box popping up. I just do that through the action so I don't have to click 'ok'. ... View more

I tried that, it doesn't seem to work. It's not a big deal tho, it will disappear next time I use an action. ... View more

Actions that run scripts I don't have a problem with after reload, unless the script tries to run an action with the app.doScript command, that is when Illustrator crashes and burns for me. I also notice a delay when loading or unloading or creating actions through script. For example, when I create a temporary action through a script and delete it in the end, I get a delay. My action panel will still have the ghost action there. Next time I interact with the action pallets tho, it disappears.    ... View more

Works great with CS6 on windows! I need to learn more about VB. Had to add a few seconds to the sleep command because I have a crappy computer and a lot of fonts, it takes a while for illustrator to open. Very cool! ... View more

Nice, they must have fixed that. If I try to do that with CS6 it just crashes my Illustrator. So I just leave those scripts on my desktop instead. Ill hope we get CC eventually. ... View more

I'm working with CS6 and both app.unloadAction and app.loadAction work like a charm. I was wondering, with CC, is it possible to have an action that runs a script that runs an action? Or is that still a no no Thanks for everyone's input! This is coming along strong. I wish I could help more but I have only been into programming for about a year so a lot of this stuff is over my head. ... View more

That would be the icing on the cake. One script to rule them all ... View more

HOLY CRAP!! Well done, well done. ... View more

Thanks for your help, I definitely learned something. I was ignorant on the real cause of the script actions not registering when you reloaded them. On my own trial and error I found a way that always worked, by opening a new file (through the menu), and then loading the actions. I thought by opening a file via script, then loading the actions, then closing the file it would solve the not registering issue. I now know that I was wrong, opening a file does nothing, like you said, all that matters is opening the file menu. I tested this by instead of going to file < new through the menu like I would always do, I hit control N for a new file instead, then I loaded my script actions, and none of them registered. So crap, that is another issue I was not prepared for haha. So we are two steps away instead of one. ... View more

Has anyone found the "Unite Shape Mode" menu command? ... View more

That is some awesome stuff. Now, if there was a way to clear actions through script, that could save people the time of having to clear and reload actions every time they start up illustrator. I will start a new thread in case you know how to do that and you can get your points haha ... View more

var docRef = app.activeDocument; var colorForText = new CMYKColor();     colorForText.black = 0;     colorForText.cyan = 0;     colorForText.magenta = 0;     colorForText.yellow = 0;     var colorForTextOutline = new CMYKColor(); colorForTextOutline.black = 100; colorForTextOutline.cyan = 0; colorForTextOutline.magenta = 0; colorForTextOutline.yellow = 0; var outlineSize = 5; for (i = docRef.textFrames.length-1; i >=0; i--) {         for (j = 0; j < docRef.textFrames.words.length; j++){         docRef.textFrames.words .filled = true;         docRef.textFrames.words .fillColor = colorForText;     }     var outline = docRef.textFrames.duplicate(docRef, ElementPlacement.PLACEATEND);     for (h = 0; h < outline.words.length; h++) {         outline.words .filled = true;         outline.words .fillColor = colorForTextOutline;         outline.words .stroked = true;         outline.words .strokeColor = colorForTextOutline;         outline.words .strokeWeight = outlineSize;                 } //docRef.textFrames.createOutline(); //outline.createOutline();     } createOutline(); converts live text to outlines, if you are trying to just create a stroke you have to go about it a different way. This script will take the text and copy it, put it in back, and put a stroke behind on the behind text so it has an effect similar to an offset path. The way I have it leaves the text live, if you were wanting to convert the text to outlines as well I left that part written in the bottom of the script. There is also a StrokeJoin parameter as well. Hope this helps! ... View more

Thanks for everyone that responded, you all found solutions so I wish I could give everyone correct answer points. And Quertyfly, the way you were able to create and load an action with your script was really cool, If I can figure out what and how the heck you did it would really open up a lot more possibilities for me. ... View more