adobe-illustrator-scripting

What it does

Guides expert handling of Adobe Illustrator automation through ExtendScript (JavaScript/JSX), detailing how to script documents, layers, paths, text frames, colors, symbols, artboards, and other Illustrator DOM objects. Emphasizes understanding the complete JavaScript object model, coordinate system, measurements, export workflows, and scripting best practices.

How it works

The skill provides concrete, code-oriented guidance and patterns for:

• Accessing and manipulating top-level objects (Application, Document, Layer) and their properties/methods.
• Working with units, coordinates, and item bounds to perform geometric or layout tasks.
• Creating, opening, saving, exporting, and batch-processing documents with various formats.
• Constructing and altering paths and shapes via pathItems methods, including built-in shapes and freeform paths.
• Managing colors, swatches, and gradient fills, including color object types (RGB, CMYK, Gray, Lab) and color application.
• Handling text with different frame types, character/paragraph attributes, and content access.
• Layer and symbol management, including reordering, visibility, and symbol instances.
• Transformations (rotate, scale, translate, matrix-based transforms).
• Artboards, data-driven graphics (variables and datasets), and printing workflows.
• Scripting execution context (how to run scripts, directives like #target, and environment options).

It enumerates representative code patterns and object model references to apply in real JSX files.

When to use it

• When writing new Illustrator automation scripts (.jsx or .js)
• When debugging or fixing existing ExtendScript code for Illustrator
• When manipulating documents, layers, items, paths, text, or colors programmatically
• When batch-processing files or generating artwork from data
• When exporting documents to formats like PDF, SVG, PNG, or EPS
• When working with the Illustrator DOM objects (Application, Document, Layer, PathItem, TextFrame, etc.)
• When creating data-driven graphics using variables and datasets
• When automating print workflows with scripted options

What it can touch

• The skill references tool names and files exactly as used in Illustrator scripting: it discusses the ExtendScript/JavaScript environment, objects like Application (app), Document, Layer, PathItem, TextFrame, and various options (IllustratorSaveOptions, PDFSaveOptions, ExportOptionsPNG24, etc.). It describes how to invoke File > Scripts, Startup Scripts, and external invocation contexts. It also mentions scripting constructs like #target, #targetengine, and use of the DOM hierarchy. Specific code patterns show interactions with documents, layers, pageItems, color objects, gradients, text frames, symbols, artboards, and data-driven features.

Note: It does not touch external systems beyond Illustrator scripting contexts and provided script patterns.

Caveats

• License shown as MIT for the skill.
• The material assumes Illustrator CC or later and ExtendScript ES3 with Adobe extensions.
• No explicit limitations or risk disclosures beyond what's described in the examples and prerequisites.