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Resize Artboard

New Here ,
Feb 05, 2009 Feb 05, 2009

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Unsure if Im asking in the right spot but is it possible to automate the resizing of the artboard say from A0 down to A1
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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Feb 05, 2009 Feb 05, 2009
No. Artboard size is created with the document and cannot be changed.

From the Scripting Reference:

A documents color space, height, and width can only be set when the document is created. You cannot modify these properties in an existing document.

You would have to create a new document at the right size and move everything to the new document.

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Community Expert ,
Feb 05, 2009 Feb 05, 2009

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No. Artboard size is created with the document and cannot be changed.

From the Scripting Reference:

A documents color space, height, and width can only be set when the document is created. You cannot modify these properties in an existing document.

You would have to create a new document at the right size and move everything to the new document.

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Explorer ,
Nov 25, 2009 Nov 25, 2009

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I wrote a Javascript that will resize the artboard in Illustrator CS4.

 
/**********************************************************
 
FitArtboardToArt.jsx

DESCRIPTION
In Adobe Illustrator CS4, fit the artboard to the visible bounds of a document.
NOTE: The script leaves behind some artifacts in the document window but is correct.

Darryl Zurn, 2009-11-25 daz-scripting@zzzurn.com
 
**********************************************************/

if (app.documents.length > 0) {
     var docRef = app.activeDocument;
     if (docRef.artboards.length > 1) 
     {
          alert('Need exactly one artboard');
          quit;
          }
     // Found 1 artboard
     
     var myVisibleBounds = docRef.pageItems[0].visibleBounds;
     
     // The VisibleBounds rect is in this order: left, right, top, bottom
     // so use variables to show which side we are using
     var myLeft = 0;   var myRight = 1;   var myTop = 2;   var myBottom = 3; 
     for ( var i = 1; i < docRef.pageItems.length ; i += 1 ) 
     { 
          // We want the ultimate maximum bounds, so select the minimum left and bottom, and max right and top of our rect.
          myVisibleBounds[myLeft  ] = Math.min( myVisibleBounds[myLeft  ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myLeft  ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myRight ] = Math.max( myVisibleBounds[myRight ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myRight ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myTop   ] = Math.max( myVisibleBounds[myTop   ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myTop   ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myBottom] = Math.min( myVisibleBounds[myBottom], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myBottom] );
          }
     // We have our maximum bounds, so use it to set the document's (only) artboard
     docRef.artboards[0].artboardRect = myVisibleBounds;
}
else {
     alert('Open a document before running this script', 'Error running FitArtboardToArt.jsx');
}

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Participant ,
Oct 08, 2010 Oct 08, 2010

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Hi D Zurn

Your script is really working great. Is it possible that we can maintain some certain distance instead of fitting exactly? I mean now it is exactly fitting with artwork. I am requesting to maintain 10mm from 4 sides. 

If it is possible, please edit this script.

if (app.documents.length > 0) {
     var docRef = app.activeDocument;
     if (docRef.artboards.length > 1)
     {
          alert('Need exactly one artboard');
          quit;
          }
     // Found 1 artboard
    
     var myVisibleBounds = docRef.pageItems[0].visibleBounds;
    
     // The VisibleBounds rect is in this order: left, right, top, bottom
     // so use variables to show which side we are using
     var myLeft = 0;   var myRight = 1;   var myTop = 2;   var myBottom = 3;
     for ( var i = 1; i < docRef.pageItems.length ; i += 1 )
     {
          // We want the ultimate maximum bounds, so select the minimum left and bottom, and max right and top of our rect.
          myVisibleBounds[myLeft  ] = Math.min( myVisibleBounds[myLeft  ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myLeft  ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myRight ] = Math.max( myVisibleBounds[myRight ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myRight ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myTop   ] = Math.max( myVisibleBounds[myTop   ], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myTop   ] );
          myVisibleBounds[myBottom] = Math.min( myVisibleBounds[myBottom], docRef.pageItems.visibleBounds[myBottom] );
          }
     // We have our maximum bounds, so use it to set the document's (only) artboard
     docRef.artboards[0].artboardRect = myVisibleBounds;
}
else {
     alert('Open a document before running this script', 'Error running FitArtboardToArt.jsx');
}

Thanks in advance..

Regards

HARI

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Explorer ,
Oct 09, 2010 Oct 09, 2010

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I got a message from another user who had modified my script to ask the user how much to add, and then did it. I thought it had been sent to the rest of the group too, but I don't see it and I think I deleted the message.

I'll try my other computer to see if the script is still around, or hopefully they can repost it to the forum.

Darryl

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Participant ,
Oct 09, 2010 Oct 09, 2010

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Hi D Zurn

Thanks for your reply,

Could you guys please post the updated script.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

HARI

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Advocate ,
Jul 06, 2022 Jul 06, 2022

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If im correct the bounds are actually 0,1,2,3 equals left, top, right, bottom

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New Here ,
Feb 05, 2009 Feb 05, 2009

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Dang

Thanx for the very quick response.

Ok can I ask this then
What I really want to do is automate the making of PDF's of multiple standard sizes, outline text 71% reduction each time so that I get A0 down to A4 final PDF's is this possible in some way

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New Here ,
Apr 20, 2009 Apr 20, 2009

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The only way I have found to do this is to copy the contents of the original into a new document.

Here is my code:

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

activate

open your_doc.ai --replace with your filename and path

tell me to do shell script "sleep 3"

tell application "System Events" --Select all.

tell application "Adobe Illustrator" to activate

key code 0 using command down

end tell

tell application "System Events" --Group objects, may not be necessary.

tell application "Adobe Illustrator" to activate

key code 5 using command down

end tell

tell application "System Events" --Copy selection.

tell application "Adobe Illustrator" to activate

key code 8 using command down

end tell

close this_file without saving --out with the old, in with the new

--make a new artboard with the appropriate dimentions

set docRef to make new document with properties {«class caCS»:«constant eCLSeCyM», «class pSHw»:205.2, «class pSHh»:61.2, «class pNAr»:1, «class pALy»:«constant eDALpGrR», «class pASp»:20.0, «class pARC»:3}

tell application "System Events"

tell application "Adobe Illustrator" to activate

key code 9 using command down

end tell

end tell

------------------

In the above, "«class pSHw»:" is width in pixels, "«class pSHw»:" is height in pixels, «class pNAr»: is the number of artboards.

The artboard with automatically be centered.

I figured this out from messing with the default scripts.

There is no way to do it in the current document, so this is the only workaround.

Cheers.

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 20, 2009 Apr 20, 2009

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Not sure if this is what you want, but you can resize the artboard in CS4 with this call in javascript

app.activeDocument.artboards[0].artboardRect = [333,1182,1197,318];

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New Here ,
Sep 01, 2009 Sep 01, 2009

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I get a crash in VB when I try it in CS4 VB script.

aiDoc.ArtBoard.ArtboardRect(0)=333
aiDoc.ArtBoard.ArtboardRect(1)=1182
aiDoc.ArtBoard.ArtboardRect(2)=1197
aiDoc.ArtBoard.ArtboardRect(3)=318


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New Here ,
Oct 22, 2009 Oct 22, 2009

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I use Applescript, so I do not know if this works for anybody else, but this is where I ended up:

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

tell current document

tell artboard 1

--get original page size

set artPage to artboard rectangle

set x1orig to item 1 of artPage

set y1orig to item 2 of artPage

set x2orig to item 3 of artPage

set y2orig to item 4 of artPage

--determine new page size (add half inch in each direction)

set x1new to (x1orig - 36) as real

set y1new to (y1orig + 36) as real

set x2new to (x2orig + 36) as real

set y2new to (y2orig - 36) as real

--set new page size

set artboard rectangle to {x1new, y1new, x2new, y2new}

end tell --artboard

end tell --document

end tell --AI

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New Here ,
Oct 01, 2010 Oct 01, 2010

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I amended panda42_s script to allow variable adjustment of height and width:

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

tell current document

tell artboard 1

--get original page size

set artPage to artboard rectangle

set x1orig to item 1 of artPage

set y1orig to item 2 of artPage

set x2orig to item 3 of artPage

set y2orig to item 4 of artPage

set newHeight to text returned of (display dialog "enter increase in height in mm" default answer "")

set newWidth to text returned of (display dialog "enter increase in width in mm" default answer "")

--determine new page size (add half inch in each direction)

set x1new to (x1orig - newWidth / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set y1new to (y1orig + newHeight / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set x2new to (x2orig + newWidth / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set y2new to (y2orig - newHeight / 2 * 2.834645) as real

--set new page size

set artboard rectangle to {x1new, y1new, x2new, y2new}

end tell --artboard

end tell --document

end tell --AI

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New Here ,
Oct 01, 2010 Oct 01, 2010

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Sorry forgot to take comment out of previous post (not that it stops it from working):

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"

tell current document

tell artboard 1

--get original page size

set artPage to artboard rectangle

set x1orig to item 1 of artPage

set y1orig to item 2 of artPage

set x2orig to item 3 of artPage

set y2orig to item 4 of artPage

set newHeight to text returned of (display dialog "enter increase in height in mm" default answer "")

set newWidth to text returned of (display dialog "enter increase in width in mm" default answer "")

--determine new page size

set x1new to (x1orig - newWidth / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set y1new to (y1orig + newHeight / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set x2new to (x2orig + newWidth / 2 * 2.834645) as real

set y2new to (y2orig - newHeight / 2 * 2.834645) as real

--set new page size

set artboard rectangle to {x1new, y1new, x2new, y2new}

end tell --artboard

end tell --document

end tell --AI

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 20, 2011 Apr 20, 2011

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Hi,

First an elegant solution, and then a question.

If your goal is to reduce the size of the artboard to the visible boundaries of the artwork, this works like gang busters.  (I can't take credit, but I can share it.)

#target illustrator

var doc = app.activeDocument;
doc.artboards[0].artboardRect = doc.visibleBounds;

Now, I'd like to enlarge the artboard on all sides by say, 20px.  I don't want to set specific X and Y coordinates, since the art I will be running it on is variably-sized.

How do we then enlarge the artboard dimensions relatively from the new artboard values? Thanks for the Applescript, Panda, btw.

This should be easy, but I can't quite figure it out. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance, you'll be saving my rear end.

-t

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 20, 2011 Apr 20, 2011

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OK, with some help, I have a JS ExtendScript that works, but I still need help making it more batchable.

This script below will for perform the following two changes to all open documents:

  1. Shrink the artboard to the "visible" art (beware of clipping masks, which it sometimes breaks on)
  2. Increases the artboard out 20 increments on all sides.  Keep in mind that the values are in the sequence are: left, top, right, and bottom dimensions.  It's helpful to know that the left value and the bottom value begin at zero; thus, when you want to add space to the artboard, you need negative numbers, as shown.
  3. Save and close the open documents.

var myDocs = app.documents;
var i = 0;

for (i = myDocs.length-1 ; i >= 0; i--)

{

    var doc = myDocs;

    app.activeDocument= doc;

    var myVisibleBounds = doc.visibleBounds; //Rect, which is an array;

    myVisibleBounds[0] -= 20;

    myVisibleBounds[1] += 20;

    myVisibleBounds[2] += 20;

    myVisibleBounds[3] -= 20;

    doc.artboards[0].artboardRect = myVisibleBounds;

    doc.close(SaveOptions.SAVECHANGES);

}

But this is limited, since you can only load so many files at once into Illustrator.  Does anyone know how to point the JS at a folder?

Thanks!

Tom

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Guide ,
Apr 20, 2011 Apr 20, 2011

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Some thing like this should do it for CS5… Plus I did it so it's simple enough to adjust…

#target illustrator var doc = app.activeDocument; var docVB = doc.visibleBounds; var left = docVB[0] - 20; var top = docVB[1] + 20; var right = docVB[2] + 20; var bottom = docVB[3] - 20; var ab = doc.artboards.getActiveArtboardIndex(); doc.artboards[ab].artboardRect = [left,top,right,bottom];

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 20, 2011 Apr 20, 2011

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Muppet,

Great, thanks for the code.  Any thoughts on how to make it more batchable?  I've got thousands of files to do...

-Tom

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Guide ,
Apr 20, 2011 Apr 20, 2011

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Firstly… You could just save that snippet in to Illustrator's scripts folder, make a action that calls it via 'insert menu item' from the flyout, once you have the recorded and saved action use as a batch… The other way would be to have a purpose built script that does the whole of the processing for you… Much would depend up on the files in question where they are within your file system… If you need the latter then start a new topic this is an old thread… If you go down the action route don't forget that the script call will be forgotten by the app at quit… A much complained about issue…

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Community Beginner ,
Apr 21, 2011 Apr 21, 2011

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Great tip about "Insert Menu Item". Once I placed my script in the Illustrator CS4>Presets>en_US>Scripts folder it showed up in the menu list, and I could access it through batch.  I modified the script to be used in the batch, and I'll include that here:

    app.activeDocument= doc;
    var myVisibleBounds = doc.visibleBounds; //Rect, which is an array;
    myVisibleBounds[0] -= 20; //left coordinate (use negative values to add artboard)
    myVisibleBounds[1] += 20; //ltop coordinate
    myVisibleBounds[2] += 20; //right coordinate
    myVisibleBounds[3] -= 20; //bottom coordinate (use negative values to add artboard)
    doc.artboards[0].artboardRect = myVisibleBounds;

Thanks for your help, Muppet!

tf

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New Here ,
Aug 19, 2011 Aug 19, 2011

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This script seems to be exactly what I'm looking for, also, but it's not working for me. I suspect my problem is that I'm in CS3. Can anyone dumb it down to work in CS3?

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Guru ,
Aug 20, 2011 Aug 20, 2011

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Sorry it's just not possible pre CS4…

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Explorer ,
Nov 20, 2013 Nov 20, 2013

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I realize this post is a bit dated, but was hoping someone might know how to modify this script; I have been using it daily, and have it saved three ways in my script folder (one reduces the artboard to the art, one adds 1/8" distance from the art, and one adds 5" distance). Is there a way to make the 'edge' a percentage of the artwork, so if the art was 10"x10" and the percentage was 10% it would add an inch, whereas art 100"x100" with 10% would get a 10" border? I wouldn't need to set the percentage each time; that could be built into the script.

-g-

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Engaged ,
Nov 20, 2013 Nov 20, 2013

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OK -- this will challange you a little bit, in that you have to do a little conversion from VB.NET to JS, but this should do the trick for you. It should be easy enough. At minimum, you'll understand the differences a little bit.

A few caveats:

1) You may or may not find that you desire a consistent margin on a rectangular-dimensioned collection of pathitems. Since you chose a "square" excample, you may or may not have considered that.

2) This has been tested on CS6. I beileve that it works back to CS5, but I forget when (what version) the vertical scale was changed so before that it probably needs some adjustment.

3) I used the variable abMargin to allow you to adjust easily the percentage that you desire in margins for your artboard. Note: '10' = 10%. While I could have made the code a little cleaner with less variables, I thought that spelling it out may help you understand the logic better.

4) I noticed in a previous post's example the use of Artboards(0). While the documentation states a zero-based array value, in my testing I could only get it work as a 1-base array. I'm sure that I am missing something that someone else may spell out.

5) Lastly (thank goodness) in the future, you may be better served by opening a new discussion and referencing the old discussion link. That's just my opinion, though. No harm, no foul.

So here you go. Hope this helps. Good luck!    -TT 

----------------

Public Sub DrawBorderPcnt(app As AI.Application, abMargin As Double)

  Dim aDoc As AI.Document = app.ActiveDocument

  Dim vb = aDoc.VisibleBounds

  Dim width = (vb(2) - vb(0))  'left-right

  Dim height = -(vb(3) - vb(1)) 'bottom-top

  vb(0) -= (width * (1 + abMargin / 100) - width) / 2  'left

  vb(1) += (height * (1 + abMargin / 100) - height) / 2 'top

  vb(2) += (width * (1 + abMargin / 100) - width) / 2  'right

  vb(3) -= (height * (1 + abMargin / 100) - height) / 2 'bottom

  aDoc.Artboards(1).ArtboardRect = vb

End Sub

---------------

PS: If you still need help in the conversion, let us know and if someone doesn't get to it first, I'll try to help. -TT

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Explorer ,
Nov 21, 2013 Nov 21, 2013

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Thanks, TT for the reply -- the extent of my script abilities are making slight modifications to existing ones, so much of what you posted is beyond me. I think what you are doing is getting the width of the artboard, dividing by 100, adding 1, dividing this in half, and adding this number to each dimension. I'm not sure how abMargin works here... See if what I have below might work: 

replace in the JS example:

var left = docVB[0] - 20;

var top = docVB[1] + 20;

var right = docVB[2] + 20;

var bottom = docVB[3] - 20;

var left = docVB[0] - ((1+(docVB[0]-docVB[2])/100)/2)

etc...

Thanks for any insights...

-g-

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