C
HAPTER
5: Scripting with JavaScript
Creating paths and shapes
46
var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var myLine = myDoc.pathItems.add();
//set stroked to true so we can see the path
myLine.stroked = true;
var newPoint = myLine.pathPoints.add();
newPoint.anchor = [220, 475];
//giving the direction points the same value as the
//anchor point creates a straight line segment
newPoint.leftDirection = newPoint.anchor;
newPoint.rightDirection = newPoint.anchor;
newPoint.pointType = PointType.CORNER;
var newPoint1 = myLine.pathPoints.add();
newPoint1.anchor = [375, 300];
newPoint1.leftDirection = newPoint1.anchor;
newPoint1.rightDirection = newPoint1.anchor;
newPoint1.pointType = PointType.CORNER;
var newPoint2 = myLine.pathPoints.add();
newPoint2.anchor = [220, 300];
//giving the direction points different values
//than the anchor point creates a curve
newPoint2.leftDirection =[180, 260];
newPoint2.rightDirection = [240, 320];
newPoint2.pointType = PointType.CORNER;
Combining path point types
The following script sample creates a path with three points:
var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var myLine = myDoc.pathItems.add();
myLine.stroked = true;
myLine.setEntirePath( [[220, 475], [375, 300]]);
// Append another point to the line
var newPoint = myDoc.myLine.pathPoints.add();
newPoint.anchor = [220, 300];
newPoint.leftDirection = newPoint.anchor;
newPoint.rightDirection = newPoint.anchor;
newPoint.pointType = PointType.CORNER;
Shapes
To create a shape, use the
pathItems
method that corresponds to the shape’s name (like
ellipse
,
rectangle
, or
polygon
), and use the parameters to specify shape’s position, size, and other information
like the number of sides in a polygon.
Remember:
➤
All measurements and page coordinates are processed as points by the scripting engine. For details,
see
“Measurement units” on page 29
.
➤
x and y coordinates are measured from the bottom-left corner of the document, as indicated in the
Info panel in the Illustrator application. For details, see
“Page-item positioning and dimensions” on
page 29
.