Select Similar Text Frames
Script for Adobe Illustrator
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Functionality
The Select Similar Text Frames script for Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool designed to help users quickly find and select all text frames throughout a document that share the same formatting attributes. Whether you’re working on complex typographic layouts, branding documents, or large-scale designs, this script saves time by allowing you to locate text frames based on specific formatting properties like font family, size, color, alignment, and more.
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Installation
- Place the script in your Illustrator Scripts folder:
MacOS: /Applications/Adobe Illustrator <Version>/Presets/<Language>/Scripts
Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator <Version>\Presets\<Language>\Scripts
- Restart Adobe Illustrator to load the script into the File > Scripts menu.
This tool is especially useful for maintaining consistency in text styles across a document, making it easier to edit and standardize text formatting in your design projects.
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How It Works
ㅤ➋ Run the Script
ㅤ➌ Configure the Search Criteria
ㅤ➍ Start the Search
ㅤ➎ Text Formatting Attributes Explained
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➊ Select a Reference Text Frame
Before running the script, select a single text frame in your document that contains the formatting you want to find and match.
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➋ Run the Script
- Go to File > Scripts > Select Similar Text Frames
- Alternatively, Go to File > Scripts > Other Script… or use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl + F12.
- Locate and select the script file named Select Similar Text Frames.jsx then click Open.
- You can also drag and drop the script file into your Illustrator window to run it.
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➌ Configure the Search Criteria
After launching the script, a dialog box will appear, displaying multiple checkboxes. These checkboxes represent various formatting attributes you can use to filter text frames.
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The script allows you to find text frames based on the following attributes:
- Character Style
- Character Tracking
- Font Family
- Font Size
- Font Style
- Text Alignment
- Text Color
- Text Contents
- Text Leading
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Select the Formatting Attributes to Match:
- Check one or more formatting attributes that you want the script to consider when searching for similar text frames.
- You can select multiple options simultaneously for a more precise match.
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➍ Start the Search
Click the OK button to initiate the selection process.
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- The script will analyze the selected text frame and compare its properties against all other text frames in the document.
- Only text frames matching the selected attributes will be included in the selection.
- After the search is complete, an alert message will display the number of text frames that matched your selected attributes.
- The matched text frames will be automatically located and selected in your document.
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⚠︎ Note: Text frames that are locked or hidden in layers will be ignored to prevent unintended selections.
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➎ Text Formatting Attributes Explained
Here’s a quick breakdown of the formatting attributes you can use in your search:
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1. Character Style
- A Character Style is a pre-set text styling that includes attributes like font, size, and color. This option helps find text frames using the same applied character style.
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2. Character Tracking
- Tracking is the spacing between characters in text, affecting readability and text density. Selecting this option ensures that all matched text frames use the same tracking value.
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3. Font Family
- Fonts are grouped into families, such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. If you check this box, the script will match text frames using the same font family.
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4. Font Size
- Font size determines the height of characters in text, measured in points (pt). Use this option to find text frames with the exact same font size.
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5. Font Style
- Font styles include Bold, Italic, Regular, Light, etc. Checking this box will find text frames that share the same font style variation.
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6. Text Alignment
- This attribute refers to Left, Center, Right, or Justified alignment. If selected, the script will only match text frames with the same alignment setting.
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7. Text Color
This option finds text frames with the same fill color. Useful for identifying text frames that match specific brand colors.
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8. Text Contents
- If checked, the script searches for exact text content matches. This is helpful if you’re looking for repeated words or phrases within your document.
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9. Text Leading
- Leading refers to the vertical spacing between lines of text. Selecting this option ensures that only text frames with the same line spacing are selected.
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☻ Conclusion
The Select Similar Text Frames script is an essential tool for designers working in Adobe Illustrator. It simplifies text selection, maintains formatting consistency, and reduces manual work when managing large text-heavy documents.
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