Grouping objects to anchor them – but they already have Object Styles
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- This topic has 11 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by Colin Flashman.
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September 12, 2014 at 8:29 am #70538Eugene TysonMember
Basically,
I have say 3 images. They each have independent object styles. For example, one has a drop shadow, one has basic feather, and another has an innershadow – all applied via object styles.
I group these images. And anchor them.
But now I want to style the Anchor position so that when I copy and paste this again it appears in the correct anchored position – of course to do this you need to apply an object style.
However, this object style then becomes the object style for all 3 images.
How can I have 3 images grouped and anchored and with an object style so that the Anchored Object style is applied to all 3 without messing with the independent object styles?
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September 14, 2014 at 5:19 pm #70575Tom VenetiaMember
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September 15, 2014 at 11:11 am #70586Eugene TysonMember
Post above is blank?
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September 15, 2014 at 2:48 pm #70587Tom VenetiaMember
Sorry Eugene, I clicked without writing an answer. I am still investigating it.
Regards -
September 15, 2014 at 10:46 pm #70611Colin FlashmanParticipant
Make a new object style that has all of the little checkboxes with a “-” in them in both the “basic attributes” and “effects for” parts of the window, with the exception of the anchored object instructions.
Next, group your objects together and apply the anchor style as you were trying to do before, and the appearance will stay the same, but will now obey the anchored instruction rule.
The bad news is that if you change an object style, items that were grouped in this fashion will no longer obey their old style rules and maintain their present appearance.
Wish i’d known this trick earlier though, I could’ve saved myself hours on a recent project!
Colly
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September 16, 2014 at 4:10 am #70615Eugene TysonMember
Ah very good. That’s a very delicate solution!
Wish there was easier way though :)
Thanks
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September 16, 2014 at 4:22 pm #70630Colin FlashmanParticipant
If the grouped objects don’t actually need to have an object style but just obey an anchored object command, then I have thought of another way but it involves scripting, and I’m at work at the moment so can only suggest the idea at the moment.
If there was a script that would apply the desired anchored object settings to the selection, that should work AND be able to be either hot-keyed to a KBSC or available via the quick apply menu. The advantage is that objects should still maintain their object styles.
All this is untested though.
Colly
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September 17, 2014 at 6:22 am #70640Eugene TysonMember
Sounds great in theory!
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September 17, 2014 at 8:54 am #70643Stuart HornerMember
Just a thought, but could the grouped objects be pasted inside a container frame, sized to fit the content? The anchored object style could then be applied to that frame?
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September 18, 2014 at 1:21 am #70651Eugene TysonMember
Hmm, interesting thought stuart, I’ll have to try it out!
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September 19, 2014 at 8:41 am #70675Colin FlashmanParticipant
My trick works… just a case of getting the script to play ball.
So far, I have a found a script by Shirley Hopkins (www.yourscriptdoctor.com) that, when run, places an anchored object based on presets in the script. Her script has type in the anchored object, but I have changed it to a plain ol’ rectangle… but because my scripting skills are very basic trial-and-error stuff that makes most scripters facepalm, I’m having real difficulty pasting the grouped objects (that have their unique object styles) into the rectangle via the script. I’m sure the scripters out there could tackle it, no worries.
Doing it step by step (i.e. running the modded script that generates the no fill/stroke anchored object in the right spot, and then clicking on it and going “paste into”, and filling frame to fit content) it works, and the object styles can be manipulated individually via the object styles menu and the object styles change independently, so the proof of principle is there.
So it is possible, but not with my skillset unfortunately!
Colin
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September 20, 2014 at 2:06 am #70680Colin FlashmanParticipant
As I said before, it is possible but not with my skillset. Fortunately others have helped me on another forum to solve the issue:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1579946
Colin
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