Date- and/or Time-stamp Documents

This package of two scripts, DateTimeSetup.jsx and DateTimeInsert.jsx, provides automatic date- and time-stamping of documents. The scripts have been created for InDesign CS2 and tested with it. They might work with CS and probably will work with InCopy, also.

DateTimeSetup allows you to create two DateTimeFormat/Character style pairs (by means of a dialog) that allows you to have up to two date/time stamping formats in any of your documents. There are 14 different formats built-in and instructions are provided on how to add more.

DateTimeInsert uses the settings for your document to insert the current date/time in place of any text that uses the character styles you assigned.

There's an eight-page user guide which explains how to install the scripts, how to operate them, and how to customize them.

Text Styles Reporter

This script provides detailed reports of the characteristices of the paragraph styles and character styles in your document (or even of your application default styles. TextStylesReporter.jsx is for InDesign CS2 only. It does not work with InDesign CS nor with InCopy CS2.

The reports are customizable through a dialog box which allows you to choose which aspects of the styles to report on -- the organization matches that of the Paragraph Style Options dialog in InDesign. The reports are created in a new document; you get to choose the document preset that is used to create those documents. You can also choose between an alphabetical listing of the styles or they can be in based-on order.

Reassert Paragraph Styles

This script reasserts the paragraph style of every paragraph in your document. This completely eliminates all local styling in your document, but leaves untouched any character styles that might be applied.

Used inappropriately, this could lead to your losing a lot of formatting work if you did not protect that formatting by use of character styles and/or nested styles.

The most common need for this script is to clean up a fresh import from Word. I usually import to a temporary document, run this script and then copy and paste with the text tool to my real document.

Delete Paragraph Style with Replace

Use this script to delete a paragraph style and replace all applications of the style with a selected other style.

Note that running this script will eliminate local styling from any paragraphs that use the style you're in the process of deleting. Any application of character styles in the affected paragraphs will still apply after running the script.

Note that because scripted dialogs cannot adjust themselves in response to user actions, it is possible to request that a style replace itself, in which case, the script will issue an appropriate, but polite, error message.

Based-On List Generator

This script creates a hierarchic listing of the paragraph styles in a document, showing the based-on relationships.

It displays the result in a text file which it stores in the same folder as the document, using a name based on the document name but with a .txt extension. Note the warning in the script.

Bug fix uploaded Aug 29, 2004.

Export/Import User Dictionaries

Two complementary scripts that export user dictionaries to a formatted text file and reimport them.

The export script exports both "Added Words" and "Removed Words" from any populated dictionary; the import script imports any file in the format created by the Export script.

"Proportional Leading" for Inlines

This script mimics PageMaker's proportional leading for inline graphics that are set as part of a paragraph.

Very useful for equations set in text. Can be rerun if a subsequent edit messes up the vertical spacing around a graphic. Applies fixed leading up to the first character of the next line to achieve the effect.

Reset Cell Insets for Linked Worksheets

This script resets to zero the top and bottom insets of all cells in a linked table. The need for this stems from InDesign's propensity for resetting those values to 0p4 whenever a linked table is updated.

The script seeks out tables by examining the links in your document, so if you have other, unlinked tables, they are ignored.

Proxy-based Text Wrap Nudging

Two scripts and a shared library. NudgeWrap.js nudges a text wrap one point in the direction indicated by the current proxy selection without moving the graphic or frame.

NudgeGraphic.js nudges the graphic or frame without moving the wrap. So, say you're unhappy with a wrap around a circular or ellipitcal object, this script allows you to nudge the object while leaving the wrap exactly where it is.

Caveats: If you select the center proxy point, nothing happens. Using either of these scripts changes your wrap to a user-modified custom wrap around the frame. I've not tried all possibilities, so there might be some bugs and the error messages could do with some improvement. If there's enough interest, I'll attended to those issuse.

Where to Save Scripts

After any of these scripts are downloaded, save them to the Scripts folder in the Presets folder of your InDesign CS Application folder.

If you view them with a text editor, be sure to save them as plain text should you make any changes (Please be very careful about changing these scripts. Keep the original around and make careful annotations of any changes so that should you approach me for help I'll have some idea of what you've done.)

If you find these scripts valuable, please encourage me to produce more or reward me for the impact on your job with a donation at my Kagi store.

The following terms and conditions apply for each of these scripts:

1. Scripts are provided as is with no guarantee of functionality.
2. You use these products at your own risk.
3. PDS Associates is not responsible for any consequential damages or liabilities.

I have set up a forum on Delphi for people who want to discuss these (or any) PDS Associates scripts. You'll need a Delphi account -- free if you're willing to live with the advertisements. Click here to join or participate in the forum.