Using Frontier Runtime Scripts

Alternating Rules

The Alternating Rules script stripes lines of text with alternating rules to create a table or bar chart. 

1.  Select a text box containing a series of one-line paragraphs such as a list. Each line must be followed by a Return character. 

2.  Choose Alternating Rules from the Scripts menu. 

3.  Select a color for the rules and enter a shade in the Color Shade dialog box. Enter a numerical value in the Continuous Rows Highlighted dialog box (enter 1 to apply rules to every other line, 2 to apply a rule to two lines, and so on).

4.  Click OK. Rules are automatically applied to the specified lines.

The script stripes the lines by applying and positioning rules as you would in the Rules dialog box (Style menu). A black Rule Above and Rule Below are applied; the Length of the rules is set to Indents. The size of the text and the leading determine the width of the rules. If you run the script again on the same text box, the rules are removed completely and reapplied.

Select the text box containing the list of eyeglasses on page 2 of the “Demo Document” and run the script. 

Fit Box to Text

The Fit Box to Text script automatically shrinks a text box to the exact size necessary to contain the text. 

1.  Select a text box with the Content tool or the Item tool.

2.  Choose Fit Box to Text from the Scripts menu. The box is resized to frame the text precisely.

Select any text box on page 2 of the “Demo Document” and run the script.

Import EPS Colors

The Import EPS Colors script adds colors from EPS files to a document’s Colors list. The script can process a selected EPS file or all the EPS files in a document.

To import colors from a selected EPS file:

1.  Click on a picture box containing an EPS picture with the Content tool or Item tool selected. 

2.  Choose Picture Usage from the Utilities menu and confirm that the picture’s status is OK or Modified. 

3.  Choose Import EPS Colors from the Scripts menu. A dialog box lets you choose to import another EPS picture or import colors from the current EPS.

4.  Click Current to import colors from the EPS in the active picture box. (Click Other to import a different EPS picture with colors.)
When the script is finished, a dialog box reports how many colors in the EPS were created and how many already existed in the document. 

To create EPS colors for a document:

1.  Open the document you want to process. Click on a blank area of the page or pasteboard to ensure that no items in the document are active. 

2.  Choose Picture Usage from the Utilities menu and confirm that the status of all EPS pictures is OK or Modified. (If you do not choose Picture Usage before running the script, the script may erroneously report an EPS as missing.)

3.  Choose Import EPS Colors from the Scripts menu. 

4.  Click Yes in the dialog box to add custom colors to the document.

When the script is finished, a dialog box reports how many colors in the EPS files were created, how many colors already existed, and how many EPS files were listed as Missing in the Picture Usage dialog box and therefore not processed.

Custom colors are created by this script as follows:

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Pantone® colors that exist in the standard pantone® color model in QuarkXPress will be created as pantone® colors.

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Colors from other color models (including focoltone, trumatch, pantone Process, pantone ProSim, and pantone Uncoated) will be created in the CMYK color model.

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For colors created by this script, the Process Separation check box in the Edit Color dialog box will be unchecked, so QuarkXPress will generate spot color plates for these colors when printing separations. 

QuarkXPress 3.3 automatically adds colors from EPS files as it imports pictures, but the feature is not retroactive. Use this script to automatically add colors from imported pictures in documents created with previous versions of QuarkXPress. Try the script on any documents you have that do not currently have the necessary EPS colors created.

Lock Guides

The Lock Guides script allows you to lock and unlock ruler guides. 

1.  Open the document with the guides you want to lock; the script locks guides in the frontmost document.

2.  Choose Guide Locking from the Scripts menu. A dialog box reports that the guides are currently unlocked.

3.  Click OK to lock the guides.

4.  To unlock guides that are locked, choose Guide Locking from the Scripts menu again. A dialog box reports that the guides are currently locked.

5.  Click OK to unlock the guides.

Choose View –> Show Guides if guides are hidden. Experiment with locking and unlocking guides on page 2 of the “Demo Document.”

Reverse Head

The Reverse Head script automatically centers a line of text within a black rule and changes the color of the text to white.

1.  Place the Text Insertion bar in the line of text you want to be a reverse head (preferably a one-line paragraph such as a headline).

2.  Choose Reverse Head from the Scripts menu.

The script changes the color of the text to white and applies a black Rule Above and Rule Below. The size of the text determines the width and offset of the rules necessary to center the text.

Select a text box containing a subhead, such as “Ordering Information” or “Product Information,” on page 2 of the “Demo Document” and run the script.