Creating Multi-Page PDF from a Layerd Illustrator file (script)

Question

Often times when designing a logo I create different versions and variable options on layers. This can result in several layers in one Illustrator file. Is there an easy way or an existing script that will allow me to (with one click) create a multi-page PDF consisting of all the layers within my .ai file? The current method is turning on each layer, performing a save-as (PDF), then turning off said layer and turning on the next layer and repeating the task and so-on-and-so-forth, etc … It becomes tedious and quite often I save over the previous version, forgetting to re-name it or forget to perform a save on a certain layer. Can anyone help with some advice? I have never written my own script before but am not opposed to trying, where do I begin?
Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

You don't say what OS you are using and which scripting language you are thinking of doing this in…
This is a sample that may get you started done in JavaScript so it's platform independent with the exception of my 'mac style' file paths.
If your on a PC it may just be a typo to set to C drive or whatever you call them things…
If you are on the mac OS then it should just dump a load of PDF's on your desktop.
You say about a multi-page PDF but don't think Illustrator can do this unless its been added with multi-artboards in CS4?
Others would have to let you know that…
#target illustrator
var docRef = app.activeDocument;
with (docRef) {
var docName = baseName(name)
var pdfOptions = new PDFSaveOptions();
pdfOptions.pDFPreset = '[High Quality Print]';
// Turn all layers off
for (var i = 0; i < layers.length; i++) {
layers[i].visible = false;
// Turn each layer on
for (var i = 0; i < layers.length; i++) {
if (i == 0) {
layers[i].visible = true;
redraw();
var layerName = layers[i].name;
var saveAsPath = new File('~/Desktop/' + docName + '_' + layerName + '.pdf')
saveAs(saveAsPath, pdfOptions);
} else {
layers[i-1].visible = false;
layers[i].visible = true;
redraw();
var layerName = layers[i].name;
var saveAsPath = new File('~/Desktop/' + docName + '_' + layerName + '.pdf')
saveAs(saveAsPath, pdfOptions);
//close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
function baseName(fileName) {
var nameString = '';
var extOffset = fileName.lastIndexOf('.');
if (extOffset == -1) {
nameString = fileName;
} else {
nameString = fileName.substr(0, extOffset);
return nameString;