[CS3] Search Index Markers

Question

Is there a way to search for index markers and then get the content from it to put it in a new created anchored inline textframe? I wan't to create side-heading like in Framemaker.

Answer 1

Hi Peter,
what a nice script!
I have took the liberty of doing some modifications to take use of the conditional text feature in
InDesign CS4. So one can make the previous index entries visible or not.
Here it goes with the (new) function 'conditional_note()' instead of 'side_note()':
// index2text.jsx
// based on a script of Peter Kahrel, modified to take use of InDesign CS4 conditional text
Object.prototype.get = function( )
   try {
      var myObject = this.item( arguments[0].name );
      myObject.name;
   catch (e) {
      var myObject = this.add( arguments[0] );
   return myObject;
var myConditionSet = app.activeDocument.conditions.get( {name:'Index',  indicatorMethod:ConditionIndicatorMethod.USE_HIGHLIGHT} )
index2text (app.activeDocument);
//delete_index (app.activeDocument);
myConditionSet.visible = false;
function index2text (doc)
   var tops = doc.indexes[0].allTopics;
   for (var i = 0; i < tops.length; i++)
      for (var j = tops[i].pageReferences.length-1; j > -1; j--)
         var ip = tops[i].pageReferences[j].sourceText;
         var p_ref = topic_path (tops[i], tops[i].name);
         conditional_note (ip, p_ref)
// create topic string. Subtopics are separated by '#'
function topic_path (top, str)
   if (top.parent.constructor.name == 'Index')
      return str;
   else
      return topic_path (top.parent, top.parent.name + '#' + str)
function delete_index (doc)
   // delete page references and topics
   doc.indexes[0].topics.everyItem().pageReferences.everyItem().remove();
   doc.indexes[0].topics.everyItem().remove();
function conditional_note (ins_point, s)
   ins_point.appliedConditions = myConditionSet;
   ins_point.contents = s;
function side_note (ins_point, s)
   var sidebar = ins_point.textFrames.add ();
   sidebar.geometricBounds = [0,0,10,70];
   sidebar.appliedObjectStyle = app.activeDocument.objectStyles.get( { name:'sidebar' } );
   sidebar.itemLayer = app.activeDocument.layers.get( { name:'sidebar' } );
   sidebar.contents = s;
   sidebar.fit (FitOptions.frameToContent);
Thanks
Martin Fischer