Is there a script to combine selected frames as Threaded Text

try this link:

https://ajarproductions.com/blo…..-indesign/

or if that link fails, type MergeTextframes_ID into google. should take you to ajarproductions, where the script which does exactly what you want is.

don't forget to thank the author of the script

colly

Here is a script, specially written for you! It links any two text frames (obviously, only if they are not already linked) in top-down left-right order.

Make sure each frame ends with a hard return, or preferably even a Break Frame character!

if (app.selection.length == 2)
{
a = app.selection[0];
b = app.selection[1];
if (a instanceof TextFrame && b instanceof TextFrame)
{
if (a.geometricBounds[0] > b.geometricBounds[0])
{
a = app.selection[1];
b = app.selection[0];
} else
if (a.geometricBounds[0] == b.geometricBounds[0] && a.geometricBounds[1] > b.geometricBounds[1])
{
a = app.selection[1];
b = app.selection[0];
}
if (a.nextTextFrame == null && b.previousTextFrame == null)
a.nextTextFrame = b;
else
alert (“Oops …”);
} else
alert (“Oops …”);
} else
alert (“Please select two text frames”);

Hey, no prob. I enjoy solving little problems like this

Try this one for size. Select any amount of unlinked (!) text frames in any screen order, and they'll get linked, top to bottom, left to right. The script will not mess up any existing linked frames, even if some are already linked — it'll skip these and link to their first/last frames instead:

var combineMe = new Array;

for (a=0; a<app.selection.length; a++)
{
if (app.selection[a] instanceof TextFrame)
combineMe.push(app.selection[a]);
}
combineMe.sort (function (a,b) { return (a.geometricBounds[0] < b.geometricBounds[0]) || (a.geometricBounds[0] == b.geometricBounds[0] && a.geometricBounds[1] < b.geometricBounds[1]) ? -1 : 1; } );
for (a=0; a<combineMe.length-1; a++)
{
if (combineMe[a].nextTextFrame == null)
{
nextFree = a+1;
while (nextFree < combineMe.length && combineMe[nextFree].previousTextFrame != null)
nextFree++;
if (nextFree < combineMe.length)
combineMe[a].nextTextFrame = combineMe[nextFree];
}
}

(Ed.: Forum didn't like font changes :-P Restored to normality — I hope)

Hmmm … Testing, it appears to do exactly what I was intending: frames get linked top to bottom, and if the tops are equal, left to right. Can you switch on “Show Text Threads” and check if that's correct?

Remember: it doesn't destroy any existing links, so that's why you might get something you didn't expect — see also my image above.

Under normal circumstances, this is the result of linked six frames that are perfectly aligned:

… Make sure each frame ends with a hard return, or preferably even a Break Frame character … Perhaps that's what's messing your frames up …

If it is, I might be able to insert Frame Breaks where needed with the script.

Good! — One thing left to do, here is a version that changes the last hard return into a Frame Break, or in case there is no return, adds the break.

Man I need to learn how to script.

Why not have a go thinking of something you'd like to script and see how far you get? The JS Guide over at Adobe's (InDesign section, “Scripting Stuff” button) has a lot of snippets for common tasks, so you can cut 'n' paste entire sections to make something new. And there always is the Adobe Scripting forum for the odd question left.

Anyway, here is the amended script. The changed section is around the “combine me with next” clause.

var combineMe = new Array;

for (a=0; a<app.selection.length; a++)
{
if (app.selection[a] instanceof TextFrame)
combineMe.push(app.selection[a]);
}
combineMe.sort (function (a,b) { return (a.geometricBounds[0] < b.geometricBounds[0]) || (a.geometricBounds[0] == b.geometricBounds[0] && a.geometricBounds[1] < b.geometricBounds[1]) ? -1 : 1; } );

for (a=0; a<combineMe.length-1; a++)
{
if (combineMe[a].nextTextFrame == null)
{
nextFree = a+1;
while (nextFree < combineMe.length && combineMe[nextFree].previousTextFrame != null)
nextFree++;
if (nextFree < combineMe.length)
{
// Add Frame Break when needed:
if (combineMe[a].characters[-1].contents != SpecialCharacters.FRAME_BREAK)
{
if (combineMe[a].characters[-1].contents == “r”)
combineMe[a].characters[-1].contents = SpecialCharacters.FRAME_BREAK;
else
combineMe[a].insertionPoints[-1].contents = SpecialCharacters.FRAME_BREAK;
}
combineMe[a].nextTextFrame = combineMe[nextFree];
}
}
}

.. the latest version will only work if you have text in all the frames you are linking.

Good catch — I did think of making a separate test for it but actually did not because I didn't think you would do that, as I thought there would be no point in linking an empty frame in the middle of a thread …

If I can find some more time, I might look into it (no promise …).

It looks like you're looking for TextStitch…

https://www.rorohiko.com/wordpr&#8230;..extstitch/