Sorting app.documents

mike · Post by **mike** » Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:11 pm

How do I sort the app.documents object by the psd names?

eg.

Code: Select allinputFiles = app.documents;

// inputFiles[0].name = "filename2.psd"
// inputFiles[1].name = "filename1.psd"
// app.documents is ordered in the order you opened psds (which isn't always alphanumeric)

// if i change inputFiles to this: inputFiles = Array('b.psd', 'c.psd', 'a.psd') -- the sort method below works... however when I try to sort the object itself it breaks...

inputFiles.sort( function (a, b) {
function chunkify(t) {
var tz = new Array();
var x = 0, y = -1, n = 0, i, j;

while (i = (j = t.charAt(x++)).charCodeAt(0)) {
var m = (i == 46 || (i >=48 && i <= 57));
if (m !== n) {
tz[++y] = "";
n = m;
}
tz[y] += j;
}
return tz;
}

var aa = chunkify(a.toLowerCase()); //even if i change this to a.name.toLowerCase() - it still doesn't work
var bb = chunkify(b.toLowerCase()); //even if i change this to b.name.toLowerCase() - it still doesn't work

for (x = 0; aa[x] && bb[x]; x++) {
if (aa[x] !== bb[x]) {
var c = Number(aa[x]), d = Number(bb[x]);
if (c == aa[x] && d == bb[x]) {
return c - d;
} else return (aa[x] > bb[x]) ? 1 : -1;
}
}
return aa.length - bb.length;
}
);

xbytor · Post by **xbytor** » Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:54 pm

Code: Select allvar appList = // make a copy of app.documents as a proper Array. app.documents.slice(0) will probably not work.

function sortByName(ary) {
function nameCmp(a, b) {
// add toLowerCase calls here if required
if (a.name < b.name) {
return -1;
} else if (a.name > b.name) {
return 1;
}
return 0;
}

return ary.sort(nameCmp);
};

sortByName(appList);

mike · Post by **mike** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 1:17 am

Thanks for replying xbytor. Few things - it looks like you forgot to add how I get the appList?

var appList = // make a copy of app.documents as a proper Array. app.documents.slice(0) will probably not work.

Also later in my script I'm setting the activeDocument to an inputFile in a for loop (which may already be open but not the activeDocuement...hence me setting it as active)

Code: Select allapp.activeDocument = inputFiles[iii]; //this works and set the active doc as the next input file (which may already be open)

How would i do that with a regular array and not a document object?

xbytor · Post by **xbytor** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 1:46 am

appList as an array. Copy the docs in app.documents to that appList the sort it.

mike · Post by **mike** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 3:15 am

I'm not sure what you mean?

Do you mean create a loop that makes a new array that contains only the string name:
Code: Select allloop (i++){
newArray(i) = activeDoc(i).name;
}

I've tried that and it works however the problem is I still need to be able to set the activeDoc to inputFiles and also get the path, eg. inputFiles.path. I'm also opening files this way too: Code: Select allopen( File(inputFiles) ); None of which I would be able to do with just a string array.

Is there any way I can sort the app.documents object by .name?

Mike Hale · Post by **Mike Hale** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:07 pm

Not sure what you mean. app.documents is read-only so you can't sort it directly. It is also what Adobe calls a collection and not an array so even if it wasn't read-only you couldn't sort it like a normal array.

So like xbytor suggested you made a new array and use the documents collection to populate the elements. You can then sort that array however you like. If you use the function x posted you can sort by name. You can then use that sorted array to switch document. Just remember it will not update if you add or close a document.

But it will be an array of document objects. You sill will not be able to use it with app.open. You need a valid file object for that( and why are you trying to open an already open document )
Code: Select allvar aNewArray = [];
for(var docIndex=0;docIndex<app.documents.length;docIndex++){
aNewArray.push(app.documents[docIndex]);
}
sortByName(aNewArray);
app.activeDocument = aNewArray[0];

function sortByName(ary) {
function nameCmp(a, b) {
// add toLowerCase calls here if required
if (a.name < b.name) {
return -1;
} else if (a.name > b.name) {
return 1;
}
return 0;
}

return ary.sort(nameCmp);
};

mike · Post by **mike** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 3:03 pm

Thank you guys! This board is so helpful!

The code works perfectly! I just had to change the sort so it ordered the files naturally. So instead of sorting like: a.psd, b10.psd, b1.psd, b2.psd it sorts a.psd, b1.psd, b2.psd, b10.psd.

If anyone needs that sort:
Code: Select allvar inputFiles = [];
for(var docIndex=0;docIndex<app.documents.length;docIndex++){
inputFiles.push(app.documents[docIndex]);
}

//sort all opened files by filename / do this so when i export and # each one they export in the right order
inputFiles.sort(function (a, b) {
function chunkify(t) {
var tz = new Array();
var x = 0, y = -1, n = 0, i, j;

while (i = (j = t.charAt(x++)).charCodeAt(0)) {
var m = (i == 46 || (i >=48 && i <= 57));
if (m !== n) {
tz[++y] = "";
n = m;
}
tz[y] += j;
}
return tz;
}

var aa = chunkify(a.name.toLowerCase());
var bb = chunkify(b.name.toLowerCase());

for (x = 0; aa[x] && bb[x]; x++) {
if (aa[x] !== bb[x]) {
var c = Number(aa[x]), d = Number(bb[x]);
if (c == aa[x] && d == bb[x]) {
return c - d;
} else return (aa[x] > bb[x]) ? 1 : -1;
}
}
return aa.length - bb.length;
}
); //sort */

undavide · Post by **undavide** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 8:56 pm

Mike,
the chunkify() function has earned a place in my snippets library
Thanks,

Davide