InDesign: Scripting Guide

PatternMaker adds one property and one method to the InDesign PageItem object. You can use these to apply barcode patterns and set barcode parameters from JavaScript, AppleScript, or VBScript.

For working examples, see the sample scripts installed with BarcodeMaker:

• PatternMakerParamsDemoScript.jsx
• PatternMakerPresetDemoScript.jsx

Pattern and Parameter Names

Pattern and parameter names can be passed as either localized or non-localized strings. For scripts that need to work reliably across localized versions of InDesign, use the non-localized names.

To find the non-localized names:

1. In InDesign, create the barcode you want to script.
2. Drag the barcode from InDesign to your desktop. This creates an .idms snippet file.
3. Open the .idms file in a text editor.
4. Search for A9B001.
5. Look for:
   • The pattern name assigned to the Pattern attribute.
   • The parameter names assigned to the PatternParameters attribute.

For example, a UPC-A barcode may include names like these:

Non-localized name	Purpose
$ID/0xA9B001kUPCAPatternName	Pattern name to assign to the pattern property
0xA9B00kUPCAParamName	UPC-A parameter name to pass to setPatternParam
0xA9B00kAlttextOptionName	Alt text parameter name to pass to setPatternParam
0xA9B00kISBNSuffixParamName	Suffix parameter name to pass to setPatternParam

Performance Tip

When creating many barcodes from a template, use a preset instead of setting every parameter individually.

A faster workflow is:

1. Create a preset.
2. Configure all static preset parameters once.
3. For each barcode, modify only the data parameter on the preset.
4. Apply the preset to the InDesign frame.

This avoids repeatedly setting unchanged parameters and is much faster for batch barcode generation.

PatternMaker methods

These events and properties all exist on page items. You can set a pattern by its name, and you can pattern parameters or individual properties. See the demo JavaScript that installs with the plug-in to see these events and properties in action. The script is called “PatternMakerParamsDemoScript.jsx”.

Name

Parent

Type

Parameters

Description

JavaScript:
setPatternParam

VBScript:
Set Pattern Param

AppleScript
set pattern param

page item

Event

Name	Type	Description
paramName	String, required	The name of the parameter to set
paramValue	String, required	The value of the parameter. “true” or “false” for boolean values, an integer for any measurements (always in points)

Sets the paramater of a pattern. For example, for an ISBN barcode, parameters include “ISBN”, “Top font”, “Include text”, etc. Type the name of the parameter exactly as it appears in the PatternMaker palette.

JavaScript and AppleScript:
pattern

VBScript:
Pattern

page item

Property

This is a String property..

Set this property equal to the pattern name to apply a pattern. The pattern name should be exactly as it appears in the PatternMaker dropdown list of patterns.

JavaScript:
patternParameters

VBScript:
Pattern Parameters

AppleScript:
pattern parameters

page item

Property

This is a string property describing all parameters in a given parameter in a single string of name value pairs. Each pair is separated by a tilde (~) and names and values are separated by a colon (:). So a typical pattern’s parameters might look like this:

EAN-2:10~Include text:true~Font:Verdana~Font style:Regular~Font size:10~Font position:0~Barcode Height:1~Ink Spread:0.15

Setting this property will set all parameters at once. it is much faster to use this property than to set parameters one at a time with SetPatternParam.

Pattern Preset methods

The following preset methods operate on pattern presets, which can be found in a collection on either the document or the application. See the demo JavaScript that installs with the plug-in to see these events and properties in action. The script is called “PatternMakerPresetDemoScript.jsx”.

Name

parent

Type

Parameters

Description

JavaScript:
setPreset

AppleScript 
set preset

VBScript:
Set Preset

Page Item

Event

Name	Type	Description
preset name	String, optional	The name of the preset

Applies a preset to a page item..

JavaScript:
add

AppleScript 
make

VBScript:
Add

Pattern preset collection on the document or workspace

Event

Name	Type	Description
preset name	String, optional	The name of the preset

Adds a new preset. The pattern for the preset will default to the first pattern available. You should make sure to set the pattern property on the preset immediately after creating the preset..

JavaScript
remove

AppleScript:
delete

VBScript:
Delete

Pattern Preset

Event

This is an event with no parameters

Removes the preset from the collection in which it is contained.

JavaScript:
setPatternParam

VBScript:
Set Pattern Param

AppleScript
set pattern param

Pattern Preset

Event

Name	Type	Description
paramName	String, required	The name of the parameter to set
paramValue	String, required	The value of the parameter. “true” or “false” for boolean values, an integer for any measurements (always in points)

Sets the paramater of a pattern. For example, for an ISBN barcode, parameters include “ISBN”, “Top font”, “Include text”, etc. Type the name of the parameter exactly as it appears in the PatternMaker palette.

JavaScript and AppleScriptt
duplicate

VBScript
Duplicate

Pattern Preset

Event

Name	Type	Description
name	String, optional	What to name the duplicate. If omitted, will append the word “copy” to the existing preset name

Creates a duplicate of the preset

JavaScript:
patternParameters

VBScript:
Pattern Parameters

AppleScript:
pattern parameters

Pattern Preset

Property

This is a string property describing all parameters in a given parameter in a single string of name value pairs. Each pair is separated by a tilde (~) and names and values are separated by a colon (:). So a typical pattern’s parameters might look like this:

EAN-2:10~Include text:true~Font:Verdana~Font style:Regular~Font size:10~Font position:0~Barcode Height:1~Ink Spread:0.15

Setting this property will set all parameters at once. it is much faster to use this property than to set parameters one at a time with SetPatternParam.

JavaScript and ApplieScript:
pattern

VBScript:
Pattern

Pattern Preset

Property

The preset’s pattern

Setting this property will define what pattern is applied by the preset.

JavaScript and ApplieScript:
name

VBScript:
Name

Pattern Preset

Property

The preset’s name

This is the name of the preset, that appears in the presets dropdown in the PatternMaker palette and in the Edit Presets dialog