bt.headers ["myNewCaption"] = "" + myCaption;

#target indesign

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;

var mySelection = app.selection;



if (mySelection.length != 2) {

   alert("One image and one textframe should be selected.");

   exit();

}

try {

   if (mySelection[0].constructor.name == "TextFrame" && mySelection[1].images.length == 1) {

      var myTextFrame = mySelection[0];

      var myImage = mySelection[1].images[0];

      var myCaption = myTextFrame.contents;

      var myPath = new File(myImage.itemLink.filePath).absoluteURI;

   }

   else if (mySelection[1].constructor.name != "TextFrame" && mySelection[0].images.length == 1) {

      var myTextFrame = mySelection[1];

      var myImage = mySelection[0].images[0];

      var myCaption = myTextFrame.contents;

      var myPath = new File(myImage.itemLink.filePath).absoluteURI;

   }

}

catch(e) {

   alert("Something wrong with your selection.\nError: " + e.message);

   exit();

}



var bt = new BridgeTalk();

bt.target = "bridge";

var myScript = 'function WriteCaption(myCaption, myPath) {\n';

myScript += '    if( xmpLib == undefined )\n';

myScript += '    {\n';

myScript += '       if( Folder.fs == "Windows")\n';

myScript += '       {\n';

myScript += '          var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/AdobeXMPScript.dll";\n';

myScript += '       }\n';

myScript += '      else\n';

myScript += '      {\n';

myScript += '          var pathToLib = Folder.startup.fsName + "/AdobeXMPScript.framework";\n';

myScript += '       }\n';

myScript += '       var libfile = new File( pathToLib );\n';

myScript += '       var xmpLib = new ExternalObject("lib:" + pathToLib );\n';

myScript += '    }\n';

myScript += '   var thumb = new Thumbnail (File (myPath));\n';

myScript += '   if (thumb.hasMetadata)\n';

myScript += '    {\n';

myScript += '      var md = thumb.synchronousMetadata;\n';

myScript += '      var xmp = new XMPMeta(md.serialize());\n';

myScript += '      xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_XMP, "Description");\n';

myScript += '      xmp.setProperty(XMPConst.NS_XMP, "Description", myCaption);\n';

myScript += '      var updatedPacket = xmp.serialize(XMPConst.SERIALIZE_OMIT_PACKET_WRAPPER | XMPConst.SERIALIZE_USE_COMPACT_FORMAT);\n';

myScript += '      thumb.metadata = new Metadata(updatedPacket);\n';

myScript += '   }\n';

myScript += '}\n';

myScript += 'WriteCaption(\"' + myCaption + '\", \"' + myPath + '\");\n';

bt.body = myScript;

bt.send();

Recently I received an e-mail from a user asking me to remake the script I had posted here a while ago.

I rechecked my previous post and found a couple of serious mistakes. So I revised it according to what he asked. Each page in his InDesign document contains one image and one text frame with description.

At start the script checks the selection. If nothing is selected it processes all pages in the document. In case two objects are selected – it checks whether one of them text frame and the other a rectangle and if the rectangle contains an image, then it reads the contents of the text frame, replacing hard and soft returns with spaces and writes this text to the corresponding image’s description field.

In the end, it updates all links and saves the file.

The script works both on Mac and PC, assuming that CS3 installed in the default location so long as it depends on libraries:

/C/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Bridge CS3/AdobeXMPScript.dll (on PC)

/Applications/Adobe Bridge CS3/Bridge CS3.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobeXMPScript.framework (on MAC)

So, if necessary, correct these lines.

Here is my script in case somebody is interested:

#target indesign

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var mySelection = app.selection;

if (mySelection.length == 0) {
    ProcessPages();
}
else if (mySelection.length == 1) {
    alert("One image and one textframe should be selected.");
    exit();   
}
else if (mySelection.length == 2) {
    try {
        if (mySelection[0].constructor.name == "TextFrame" && mySelection[1].images.length == 1) {
            var myTextFrame = mySelection[0];
            var myImage = mySelection[1].images[0];
            var myCaption = ReplaceReturnWithSpace(myTextFrame.contents);
            var myPath = new File(myImage.itemLink.filePath).absoluteURI;
        }
        else if (mySelection[1].constructor.name == "TextFrame" && mySelection[0].images.length == 1) {
            var myTextFrame = mySelection[1];
            var myImage = mySelection[0].images[0];
            var myCaption = ReplaceReturnWithSpace(myTextFrame.contents);
            var myPath = new File(myImage.itemLink.filePath).absoluteURI;
        }
    }
    catch(e) {
        alert("Something wrong with your selection.\nError: " + e.message);
        exit();
    }

    CreateBridgeTalkMessage(myCaption, myPath);
}
else if (mySelection.length > 2) {
    alert("One image and one textframe should be selected.");
    exit();
}

UpdateAllOutdatedLinks();
myDoc.save();
alert("All done.");

//+++++++++++++++++++ FUNCTIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++

function CreateBridgeTalkMessage(myCaption, myPath) {
    var bt = new BridgeTalk();
    bt.target = "bridge";
    var myScript = WriteCaption.toString() + '\r';
    myScript += 'WriteCaption(\"' + myCaption + '\", \"' + myPath + '\");';
    bt.body = myScript;
    bt.send();
}

function WriteCaption(myCaption, myPath) {
    if( xmpLib == undefined ) {
        if( Folder.fs == "Windows") {
            var pathToLib = "/C/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Bridge CS3/AdobeXMPScript.dll";
        }
        else {
            var pathToLib = "/Applications/Adobe Bridge CS3/Bridge CS3.app/Contents/MacOS/AdobeXMPScript.framework";
        }
        var libfile = new File( pathToLib );
        var xmpLib = new ExternalObject("lib:" + pathToLib );
    }
    var thumb = new Thumbnail (File (myPath));

    if (thumb.hasMetadata) {
        var md = thumb.synchronousMetadata;
        var xmp = new XMPMeta(md.serialize());
        xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_XMP, "Description");
        xmp.setProperty(XMPConst.NS_XMP, "Description", myCaption);
        var updatedPacket = xmp.serialize(XMPConst.SERIALIZE_OMIT_PACKET_WRAPPER | XMPConst.SERIALIZE_USE_COMPACT_FORMAT);
        thumb.metadata = new Metadata(updatedPacket);
    }
}

function ProcessPages() {
    var myPages = myDoc.pages;
    for (i = 0; i < myPages.length; i++) {
        var myPage = myPages[i];
        if (myPage.textFrames.length == 1 && myPage.rectangles.length == 1) {
            if (myPage.rectangles[0].graphics.length == 1) {
            var a = myPage.rectangles[0];
                var myImage = myPage.rectangles[0].graphics[0];
                var myPath = new File(myImage.itemLink.filePath).absoluteURI;
                var myTextFrame = myPage.textFrames[0];
                var myCaption = ReplaceReturnWithSpace(myTextFrame.contents);
                CreateBridgeTalkMessage(myCaption, myPath);
            }
        }
    }
}

function ReplaceReturnWithSpace(myString) {
    myString = myString.replace( /\n/g , " " );
    myString = myString.replace( /\r/g , " " );
    return myString;
}

function UpdateAllOutdatedLinks() {
    for(var myCounter = myDoc.links.length-1; myCounter >= 0; myCounter--){
        var myLink = myDoc.links[myCounter];
        if (myLink.status == LinkStatus.linkOutOfDate){
            myLink.update();
        }
    }
}

If somebody interested in developing this script further, do not hesitate to post here your feedback.

Kasyan