Scripting Module

Automate EasyCatalog with your own scripts

EasyCatalog is designed so you don’t need to know how to program to get value from it. But sometimes your workflow needs something very specific – the kind of custom logic no generic feature will ever quite cover.

Use ExtendScript to build tailored automation on top of EasyCatalog and InDesign. From one-click workflows to full end-to-end catalog production, you can shape EasyCatalog to fit your processes, not the other way around.

What the Scripting Module lets you do

Control EasyCatalog from your scripts
Access a rich scripting dictionary to work with datasources, panels, records, pagination and more.
Build fully custom workflows
Automate those “we always do it this way” steps that are unique to your organisation or client.
Combine with InDesign scripting
Use the power of InDesign’s own scripting model plus EasyCatalog’s commands to build complete, production-ready solutions.
Scale repetitive tasks
Turn multi-step, error-prone routines into a single script you can run again and again.

Once you’ve developed and tested your scripts using the desktop version of EasyCatalog, you can take them even further with our InDesign Server–based solution. The same scripting logic you build on the desktop can be deployed to run automatically on InDesign Server, allowing you to scale up to high-volume, fully automated production. It’s the perfect next step when your workflow outgrows manual or semi-automated processes – letting you move from “run a script” to true 24/7, hands-free catalogue generation.

Example Scripts

A list of all methods is available in the Scripting Module manual here. More sample scripts are available for download inside of EasyCatalog from the InDesign Scripts panel’s pop-out menu.

To illustrate how easy it is to script EasyCatalog, here’s a simple example showing how to update all fields called “USD-Price” in the document:

linkArray = app.activeDocument.ecLinks.find( {
    ecLinkType: LinkType.FIELD,
    ecField : "USD-Price"
});

for (i = 0; i < linkArray.length; ++i) {
    linkArray[i].update()
}

linkArray = app.activeDocument.ecLinks.find( {

ecLinkType: LinkType.FIELD,

ecField : "USD-Price"

});

for (i = 0; i < linkArray.length; ++i) {

linkArray[i].update()

}

Get added value from our Value Added Resellers

Our Value Added Resellers can also use the Scripting Module to deliver fully customised solutions on top of EasyCatalog – from specialised catalog builders to tightly integrated publishing pipelines.

If you’d like a bespoke solution built for your environment, please contact a reseller to discuss what’s possible.