passing long string variable

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

Hi Folks-

I’m looking for an elegant way to deal with passing long strings of variables to Illustrator. Say I’m trying to do multiple find and replaces. I have had no problem passing numerical values, but if I try to pass a whole phrase, it balks.

works


set theVar to 2.0
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains {stroke width:theVar})
end tell

no worky


set theVar to "closed:false"
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains {theVar})
end tell

While the second example is simplistic, the idea is to create longer strings, which would then be passed to Illustrator.

Thanks,

Ralph

#2

Hi,

you cannot pass properties as literal string variables at run time,
because all application terminology must be first compiled

#3

I don’t really understand what your after. But if you want to get elements of which a property contains a specified value, you can do it (in most cases) with whose blabla contains/is/is not/does not contain blabla. So maybe this will work for you:

set theVar to 2.0
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
   set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose stroke width is theVar)
end tell

Hope it works,
ief2

#4

Ralph wants something like this


set theVar1 to {"closed:false"}
set theVar2 to {"closed:false", "stroke width:2.0"}
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar1)
	-- do something
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar2)
	-- do something
end tell

I’m quite sure that this doesn’t work either


set theNum to 2.0
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
	set theVar1 to {closed:false}
	set theVar2 to {closed:false, stroke width:theNum}
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar1)
	-- do something
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar2)
	-- do something
end tell
#5

And yet, Stefan, your second version works.


set theNum to 2.0
tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
	set theVar1 to {closed:false}
	set theVar2 to {closed:false, stroke width:theNum}
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar1)
	-- do something
	set selection to (every path item of document 1 whose properties contains theVar2)
	-- do something
end tell

yields:

set selection to every path item of document 1 whose properties contains {closed:false}
	set selection to every path item of document 1 whose properties contains {closed:false, stroke width:2.0}

this suggests that Applescript is compiling the individual sections, perhaps in the same manner as references?

Thanks! :smiley:

-Ralph