Your Script Doctor

The Script

The script starts by checking to make sure that a rectangle in an active document is selected. It then presents the user with a dialog in which to enter the name for the multi state object and choices for the button color and place point position (relative to the rectangle chosen). It then has the user choose the location of the images prepared as per the discussion above (see The Slideshow Images). For the slideshow buttons, the sample project uses buttons from InDesign’s Button Library. 

 Start a new script in AppleScript Editor. Copy and paste the code below into the script. Add your own comments to the top of the script.

MSObject_button Script

global buttonNumbers
global buttonPositions
global buttonColors
set buttonColors to {"blue", "gray", "green", "red", "black"}
set buttonNumbers to {143, 145, 147, 149, 151}
set buttonPositions to {"left and right center", "top center", "bottom center"}
set dlgName to "MS Object Choices"
set cancelIt to true
set dlgLabel to "MSLabel"
--check for rectangle selected and present user with dialog. Get list of filenames in folder chosen.
try
	set selItem to getSelection()
	set {MSOName, colorIndex, positionIndex} to dialogChoices(dlgName, cancelIt, dlgLabel)
	activate
	set imagePath to (choose folder with prompt "Select folder of images") as string
	set fileNames to list folder imagePath without invisibles
on error errMsg
	activate
	display alert errMsg
	return
end try

--call to handler that places the images and creates the multi state object
set MSObject to makeMSO(selItem, imagePath, fileNames, MSOName)
--makes sure button library is open and calls handler to place the buttons
tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
	set docRef to document 1
	set pageRef to parent page of MSObject
	if not (exists library "ButtonLibrary.indl") then
		set appPath to file path as string
		set libPath to appPath & "Presets:Button Library:ButtonLibrary.indl"
		set libRef to open libPath
	else
		set libRef to library "ButtonLibrary.indl"
	end if
	my placeButtons(docRef, pageRef, MSObject, libRef, colorIndex, positionIndex)
end tell
--=============
--HANDLERS
--=============
--places images from folder chosen and makes multi state object
on makeMSO(selItem, imagePath, fileNames, MSOName)
	set statesToAdd to (length of fileNames) - 2
	tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
		set imageBounds to geometric bounds of selItem
		tell document 1
			set layerRef to layer 1
			set MSORef to make multi state object with properties {name:MSOName, geometric bounds:imageBounds, item layer:layerRef}
			set curStates to states of MSORef
			repeat with i from 1 to statesToAdd
				tell MSORef to make state
			end repeat
		end tell
		repeat with i from 1 to length of fileNames
			set nameStr to item i of fileNames
			set fileAlias to (imagePath & nameStr) as alias
			tell state i of MSORef
				if i = 1 then
					set rectRef to selItem
				else
					set rectRef to make rectangle with properties {geometric bounds:imageBounds, name:("State" & i), fill color:"None", stroke weight:0}
				end if
			end tell
			tell rectRef to place fileAlias
		end repeat
	end tell
	return MSORef
end makeMSO
--places buttons and associates to multi state object
on placeButtons(docRef, pageRef, MSObject, libRef, colorIndex, positionIndex)
	set assetNum to item colorIndex of buttonNumbers
	tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
		set assetRef1 to asset ("" & assetNum) of libRef
		set assetRef2 to asset ("" & (assetNum + 1)) of libRef
		copy geometric bounds of MSObject to {y0, x0, y1, x1}
		if positionIndex > 1 then
			set cx to (x1 - x0) / 2 + x0
		else
			set cx0 to x0 - 24
			set cx1 to x1 + 6
		end if
		if positionIndex is 2 then
			set cy0 to y0 - 24
			set cx0 to cx - 24
			set cx1 to cx + 24
		else if positionIndex is 3 then
			set cy0 to y1 + 6
			set cx0 to cx - 24
			set cx1 to cx + 24
		else if positionIndex is 1 then
			set cy0 to y1 - (y1 - y0) / 2
		end if
		set backButton to my makeButton(docRef, pageRef, assetRef1, cx0, cy0)
		set foreButton to my makeButton(docRef, pageRef, assetRef2, cx1, cy0)
		tell backButton
			make goto previous state behavior with properties {associated multi state object:MSObject, behavior event:mouse down, enable behavior:true, loops to next or previous:true}
		end tell
		tell foreButton
			make goto next state behavior with properties {associated multi state object:MSObject, behavior event:mouse up, enable behavior:true, loops to next or previous:true}
		end tell
	end tell
end placeButtons
--called from placeButtons handler to place and move buttons into position
on makeButton(docRef, pageRef, assetRef, cx, cy)
	set placePt to {cx, cy}
	tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
		set placedObj to place asset assetRef on docRef
		move placedObj to pageRef
		move placedObj to placePt
	end tell
	return item 1 of placedObj
end makeButton
--checks for rectangle selection. Throws error if rectangle is not selected.
on getSelection()
	set errMsg to "Requires rectangle selection"
	tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
		set selList to selection
		if length of selList = 0 then
			error errMsg
		end if
		set selItem to item 1 of selList
		if class of selItem is not rectangle then
			error errMsg
		end if
	end tell
	return selItem
end getSelection
--custom dialog for name of multistate object, button color and position
on dialogChoices(dlgName, cancelIt, dlgLabel)
	set wasCancelled to false
	--make sure user interaction level will allow a dialog
	tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
		set origLevel to user interaction level of script preferences
		set user interaction level of script preferences to interact with all
		set dlgRef to make dialog with properties {name:dlgName, canCancel:cancelIt, label:dlgLabel}
		tell dlgRef
			tell (make dialog column)
				tell (make dialog row)
					make static text with properties {static label:"MS Object Name:"}
					set nameField to make text editbox with properties {min width:144, edit contents:""}
				end tell
				tell (make dialog row)
					make static text with properties {static label:"Button Color:"}
					set colorDrop to make dropdown with properties {min width:144, string list:buttonColors, selected index:0}
				end tell
				tell (make dialog row)
					make static text with properties {static label:"Button Position:"}
					set positionDrop to make dropdown with properties {min width:144, string list:buttonPositions, selected index:0}
				end tell
			end tell --column
		end tell --dialog
		set userResponse to show dlgRef
		if userResponse = true then
			set nameStr to edit contents of nameField
			set colorIndex to (selected index of colorDrop) + 1
			set positionIndex to (selected index of positionDrop) + 1
		else --user cancelled
			set wasCancelled to true
		end if
		destroy dlgRef
		set user interaction level of script preferences to origLevel
		--if cancelled, throw error; otherwise return values
		if wasCancelled then error "User cancelled"
		return {nameStr, colorIndex, positionIndex}
	end tell --application
end dialogChoices 

Run the Script

You can run the script from within AppleScript Editor. For future use you may wish to save the script in the Scripts folder for InDesign. To organize your scripts, create a folder in the Scripts folder just for your EPUB Animation scripts.

When you run the script, you will be presented with the dialog shown in the screen capture below. .