Detect linked files in Illustrator CS

Is it possible to script the detection of linked files in Illustrator CS and above and actually get the linked file name to check and see if it is in the same directory for relinking?

Hi. I am also experiencing this very annoying problem. Currently using version CS2, but this problem dates back to version 9.  I check the box to link a tif file, not embed it, in Illustrator. All is well until I save and reopen the file. Suddenly the file is embedded. No other changes have been made to the folders or anything else. It just embeds itself and cannot be linked again.
So far, I conclude that something in the file itself has corrupted, because it is not possible to place a new file and have it link correctly again. So if I anticipate more changes, I create a new file.
Notice the upper left corner of the top toolbar. If you click on a file that has embedded itself, the file will be identified as "Group" instead of "linked file."
I've tried all kinds of things, like trying to ungroup it, trying to release a clipping mask, and so forth, to see what went wrong. Have not figured it out.

Similar Messages

  • Problems working with linked files in illustrator

    Hi everyone, i hope you can help me with this doubt that had given me problems since I started using illustrator. I'm using linked files in illustrator because i'm able to modify the files later, as I do in InDesign too, but in both cases I had have a lot of problems with the links, I don't know if i'm doing something bad, but this is what I do: I create a folder where I place my file (illustrator or InDesign) and the files that should be linked. Whit this i'm expecting of it to work like an html where the links works while they are in the folder, no matter if you move the folder, the links keeps working on the HTML.
    But I have noticed that it doesn't work in the same way, because, I had have cases when the links work perfectly, but then i format my computer (Mac) and after that, I open my files againg but the links don't work already. I have exactly the same problem with my coworker, because im trying to edit a file with linked files since the place where it is in the other computer, obviously it opens perfectly there, but in my computer it asked to repair the links, so I select to repair automatically but I ask me to does it manually... So this is getting me tired, because I must repair the links here in my computer to work on it, and when for it get finished, my coworker should repair the links again, and this is going to be always we share files or i format my computer. It is important to mention that my coworker and me use mac with leopard and the same version of adobe (CS4).
    So, as I said before, i dont knoe if my method is incorrect, should I do something different? any option to activate? or program that I should use? because I have herd a lot of Adobe Bridge, I don't know if this could have a option that could help me.
    I hope finally somebody can help me with this doubt, because im sure that I'm not the only one having thie problem.
    Thanks for your help

    Hi. I am also experiencing this very annoying problem. Currently using version CS2, but this problem dates back to version 9.  I check the box to link a tif file, not embed it, in Illustrator. All is well until I save and reopen the file. Suddenly the file is embedded. No other changes have been made to the folders or anything else. It just embeds itself and cannot be linked again.
    So far, I conclude that something in the file itself has corrupted, because it is not possible to place a new file and have it link correctly again. So if I anticipate more changes, I create a new file.
    Notice the upper left corner of the top toolbar. If you click on a file that has embedded itself, the file will be identified as "Group" instead of "linked file."
    I've tried all kinds of things, like trying to ungroup it, trying to release a clipping mask, and so forth, to see what went wrong. Have not figured it out.

  • Cannot link files in illustrator CC, as finder window closes by itself after installing maverick

    Hi, After installing Mavericks (Doh!) I can no longer link files in illustrator CC as the finder window closes by itself after one second or if I click on anything. It was happening with save as also, but that seems to have rectified itself by reinstalling the program. Anyone any thoughts? Im in a spot of bother!

    theoutset,
    There are several threads about Maverick issues just now, such as:
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1320367?tstart=0
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1319868?tstart=0
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1320608?tstart=0
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1320983?tstart=0
    Astute Graphics are working on making VectorScribe compatible with Maverick, http://www.astutegraphics.com/blog/mac-os-mavericks-10-9-compatibility /
    It may be worth postponing your use of Maverick until the dust has settled.

  • Can you link files between illustrator and photoshop and maintain layers?

    Want to be able to open an AI file in photoshop, maintain the layers I have in illustrator and be able to edit the AI file and have those edits automatically appear in photoshop.  I think this is possible.

    Do you mean you want an Illustrator Smart Object’s Layers represented as Photoshop Layers and still be linked to one ai/pdf file?
    If so I have to disagree with your assumption:
    I think this is possible.
    While Photoshop Smart Objects have Layer Comps capabilities in Photoshop CC 2014 Illustrator Layers (and pdf Layers) are quite different from Photoshop Layers.
    What exactly are you trying to achieve?

  • Problem retaining link to .tif file in Illustrator

    I'm using CS4 on a PC, however this problem dates back to Version 9 of Illustrator.
    I link .tif files to Illustrator .eps files, so that if I make changes to the .tif, the Illustrator file will show the changes. I place the .tif on a layer, making sure that I've checked the box to "place" rather than "embed" the file. In the upper left corner of the top tool bar, I verify the link by seeing that the file is identified as "linked file". All is good. Now, I save the file, close it, reopen it, and presto, sometimes it has become an embeded file. When this happens, the toolbar will now read "Group." No attempts to replace or re-link the file will be successful. It is as though the file has been corrupted. The only solution I have found is to create a new file and start over.
    Any suggestions?

    Thank you for answering.
    It happens with CMYK files. I haven't used a clipping mask. I routinely use the overprint feature on elements that are on a layer above the .tif, with no resulting problems. I always lock the .tif layer to prevent bad things from happening.
    But if you are saying that some kind of file conversion can happen automatically to "retain appearance", and that no warning or verification occurs, that is interesting. Do you know of a way to reverse this effect?

  • "Placing" linked PDF File in Illustrator for Markup Edits?

    When I highlight text in a PDF file that is linked to an Illustrator file (PDF is "Placed" in the Illustrator file as a linked object), text highlights in the PDF file do not show up in Illustrator when I update the link.  Does anybody know why, or is there some setting or workaround to force the PDF markups to show up in Illustrator?
    Reason for Question
    I often use Illustrator as a PDF editor because it is much more flexible than Acrobat's clunky editing tools.  There are some significant problems however.  If you open a PDF page in Illustrator, you lose some stuff like paragraph formatting, which Illustrator wants to left justify (same problem when opening an AutoCAD file in Illustrator).  You can also have trouble with missing fonts like Helvetica, which isn't a default system font because it is licensed and expensive.  Illustrator will swap the missing font out with a substitute so it can edit the text.  (Acrobat will do the same thing if you try to edit a font that isn't loaded in your system).
    A workaround to maintain exact registration if I just want to mark up a PDF file (rather than changing the text) is to "Place" the PDF file in Illustrator.  When Placed, the file behaves like an object the isn't editable in Illustrator (you can edit a Placed object from Illustrator, but Illustrator will use the authoring application to do the edits, in this case, Acrobat).  I you are interested doing the same thing,... when I use Illustrator to mark up another file like PSD, JPG or PDF, I initially open the file in Illustrator to capture the dimensions, and then delete everything, and then "Place" the file back into Illustrator.  You can optionally link or embed the Placed object.  After Placing, I use the transform tool to move the Placed Object's upper left corner to 0,0 (XY Coordinates) to acquire registration, lock the layer, and do my markups on separate layers.
    This procedure is a bit clunky and requires multiple construction files but Illustrator's vector tools are much better than the most of the markup tools (but not all) in Photoshop or Acrobat.  A Photoshop file will link to Illustrator, and you can export it back to Photoshop, but the Illustrator construction file will not be "linked" into Photoshop, so if you need to make changes with Illustrator you have a couple of options.  You can open the Illustrator smart object from Photoshop (Photoshop will launch Illustrator to do the edits), or you can delete the smart object and work on the Illustrator construction file directly and re-import.
    Since you can't select the text of a Placed PDF file object in Illustrator to highlight text, I'd like to do some of the text highlighting in the linked Acrobat file upstream of Illustrator.  I should be able to bounce back and forth with both files open, the Illustrator construction file and the linked PDF file.  Problem is that when I add a highlight to the PDF file, it does not show up in the Illustrator placed object that is linked to the PDF file.
    So back to my original question.  Does anybody know why PDF text highlights do not show up in Illustrator when the PDF file is placed as an object in Illustrator?  Is there a workaround to force the PDF text highlights to display in Illustrator?
    FYI, I working on a business presentation and need to mark up a few pages of IRS publication 463, which is a 58 page PDF document with a bunch of "destination" links (10 to 20 links per page).  I can extract a page, do my markup edits, and then "replace" the page back into the original Acrobat file and all the links and bookmarks will still work, but registration is critical.
    I'm using CS6
    Thanks in advance for your insight.

    Mylenium, Thank you for your on-point explanation of why the markups don't import into Illustrator.  Based on your input, I did some digging and discovered:
    I can export the Acrobat "Comments" (text highlights, but not markups?) to a FDF file
    http://help.adobe.com/en_US/acrobat/pro/using/WS40A4853E-0D48-46a6-8AB6-6B9A27A22D83.html
    and then optionally re-import them to another PDF, including a blank document (with the same dimensions to maintain registration) or the final output file.  I can then open the PDF (that contains the comments only) using Photoshop and save as a PSD file.  Photoshop captures the text highlight color graphic without the white background or text so I am able to achieve transparency.  I can then "Place" the Photoshop file as an object on its own layer in the Illustrator construction file as either an embed object or a linked object, but I tend to link for a number of workflow reasons.
    Quite clunky, but it seems to maintain exact registration (although for some reason, whenever I place an object in either Illustrator or Photoshop I need to move (transform) the object corner to 0,0 because it is typically off by a pixel or 2).  Not sure if there is a way to also export PDF "Markups", but my objective was to use Acrobat's highlighting tools combined with Illustrator's vector graphic tools for markups, so even if I can only export the Acrobat text highlights and not the "Markups", I can still achieve my objective.
    From a work flow perspective, I may optionally choose to use the text highlights only as a reference in the Illustrator construction file and turn them off when saving back to PDF.  I would then import the text highlights (FDF file) into the final PDF so they are actual Acrobat highlights rather than raster objects, but I do have the option.
    I have also noted that I can print an Acrobat file to PDF to capture the text highlights, but that method introduces problems with registration and transparency (the white paper background).  I'll often print my final output to PDF rather than saving to achieve a small flat file that will render consistently on different computers, but in this case registration is important so it is better to save to PDF and live with the larger files size.
    Why all the fuss?  Acrobat is good at highlighting text and Illustrator is good at drawing stuff like curvy paths with variable strokes.  Illustrator also has layers and stacking order control.  (Acrobat has clunky wannabe layers that are good for limited stuff like multiple versions, but not much help with graphic composition or stacking order).  I need workflows that can merge tools from multiple programs (Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, Autocad, and Solidworks).  I could do my vector markups in Illustrator, then save to PDF and do the highlights in the final Acrobat file, but if I need to change the vector graphics later I would lose the highlights.  Doing the highlights in a separate PDF file and then exporting to a FDF file lets me make changes in Illustrator without having to recreate the highlights from scratch.
    Thank you for your assistance.  If you have any additional suggestions I am always striving to improve my workflows.  btw, I've experimented with some of the 3rd party PDF editor's, but not the expensive ones (less than a few hundred dollars).  Most of them do a few things better than Acrobat, but they all have their shortcomings and I'm leery of investing my time in applications that might be obsolete in few years.  Perhaps this discussion is better suited to the Acrobat Forum, but I do a lot of PDF editing with Illustrator despite its limitations.

  • Why does Illustrator embed my linked files after packaging?

    Once I've successfully placed images into an illustrator document at 100%, all is looking good and just peachy until I package the file to prepare for print.  The package report denotes a successful job completed, but when I open the packaged illustrator file again to make sure files are still linked, I find the files embedded.  I even tried copying a successful packaged file in which I replaced the linked image with the new desired image to no avail.  Any constructive comments or tips to help would be greatly appreciated.
    -Thanks.
    (Package report attached for reference).

    Yes I did @Larry...
    After reading your post, I promptly repackaged the file again, this time omitting the "include linked files" box.  Upon reopening the file, the files remain properly linked.
    Thank you kindly for your insight!

  • Unable to link psd files in Illustrator CC

    Hello,
    When I place a psd file in Illustrator, I am not able to check the "link" box and it automatically embeds the image. I don't know if there is something else I need to do to make the box checkable, but I need to be able to link the images.
    Thank you.

    Hi,,
    Same here. I use to be able to read the files but now Im unable to read it.
    The Illustrator would open and prompt a dialogue box saying file cannot be read, and closed immediately.
    Appreciate any help.
    Thank you.

  • Exporting a inDesign CS2 File to Illustrator CS2 and Preserving LInks

    Hi,
    I have 3 InDesign CS2 files that have several links which have been modified withing the file. The printer needs these files in Illustrator format with the links preserved, so they can swap images, adjust colors and such.
    I am having a problem exporting these files to Illustrator CS2 while preserving the links.
    I have tried exporting as hirez PDF/X-1a as well as a EPS. They both embedd all the files. When I go to relink everything the images come in as their original form as expected and I find I have to reformat every image which is very time consuming.
    I don't want to spend hours trying to relink everything for each package, so I was wondering if there was a way I would be able to export them while preserving all my images as links to Illustrator. Is that even possible? Is there an option in CS3 perhaps? I am willing to upgrade if necessary.
    Please Help!

    My boss is in charge of talking to the client and the printer. I am the designer asked to post this question to see if there was another way besides spending hours adjusting these files. I believe he is going to try and convince him otherwise looks like I will be relinking and adjusting for a while to give them what they want.

  • Does an image which is linked to an illustrator file have to be scaled correctly in size, or will it

    does an image which is linked to an illustrator file have to be scaled correctly in size, or will it automatically rescale to itself to the placeholder image size?

    Consider using the report generation tools.  If I remember correctly they're available, in limited form, in all LabVIEW editions; the optional add-on makes it possible to generate reports in Office, but since you don't have Office installed that's irrelevant to you.  It makes it easy to generate a printable report.
    Also, there's no need for the sequence structure in your block diagram.

  • Illustrator CS linked files problems..Please help...

    hi all,
    I have this problems linked files (Illustrator CS2) and I didn't find the answer on this forum yet, so please help me...
    Config: All the PowerMac and the server are on the network. Mac OS 10.4.11. Creative Suite CS2. Images of .ai files are linked to an image folder, not embedded.
    Problem: I take a folder containing .ai files and the image folder from either the server or one of the other Mac and put it on my desktop. I open the .ai file and discover that all the images are linked to the image folder from the disk I took but NOT linked to the image folder that sit on my desktop. I can not use the "Edit Original" feature because Illustrator will bring me the image from the other disk and not the one on my desktop. Of course I can relink all the images to the image folder on my desktop but this is a big hassle. This problem also creates big trouble when I think that the revised image is on my desktop and upload it to the client's site but it wasn't and the client receive an .ai file with old images....
    question: Does anyone came across this problem and know how to fix this? or hear about this problem and know the answer? Please help
    thanks in advance...

    You can do that by "hiding" the original links from Illustrator before you open the file. Either put away the disk containing the original links, or temporarily rename the folder or any parent folder containing the links, or temporarily move the links to another folder.
    Then when you open the file, Illustrator will prompt you to "Replace" the missing links, one at a time. But if all the missing links are in the same folder (and named exactly the same) then Illustrator will update all other links after the first one automatically.
    Save the file, and then restore the original linking configuration. The file will have "forgotten" the old links.
    Hope that makes sense...
    Mike D.

  • Unable to open linked files in new CS3 install

    One of my clients just purchased a new PC (Dell Inspiron 537S) with Windows Vista Home Premium to replace his old Inspiron 530 (also running Vista HP). After installing CS3 Design Studio and attaching an external drive loaded with his file archive, all of his Illustrator files which include links load with the following error:
    "An error occurred trying to read the linked file "file.xxx". Choose Repair to locate the missing file, Replace to select another file or Ignore to leave the link unchanged."
    This shouldn't be unusual, if the path to a linked file has changed, you'd need to point the link to the new path, but clicking Repair or Replace and browsing to the linked file (which invarably is in the same directory as the .ai file, and is usually a .psd which opens just fine in Photoshop) just cycles back to the same error message, ad infinitum. After about 30 tries, I got one of the links to load correctly, resaved the document, thinking that would repair it, but when I opened it again, got the error.
    These files were created on multiple computers, and none of the other computers (all with CS3) have ever had any trouble opening them. This despite the drive letter on the external drive being unstable on the old system (would often be J:, K: or L:, and images always worked).
    Any new .ai files we create on this file which have links all work fine.
    Manually replacing the links in a file is not an option for two reasons:
    1. There are thousands of .ai files in this archive, and re-linking images in them will take weeks.
    2. It simply doesn't work. I tried ignoring the error on one file to load it, and re-linking the .psd backgrounds to re-save it, and the images still didn't load after re-linking them.
    I have already tried doing a factory-restore of the system and reinstalling CS3, making sure that there were no errors in the install. What else might cause this behavior, and how can I resolve it?

    What else might cause this behavior, and how can I resolve it?
    Outdated permissions on the files from your old computer. Right-click, Properties --> Security --> Advanced, disable Inherit settings from parent folders, chose to copy. After that, delete outdated security keys and assign current ones. You may even need to go so fart as to Take Ownership of some files to correctly restore the new system's default security settings.
    Mylenium

  • Can I open .ai file w/ text editor and edit linked file path?

    I want to relink a placed file in a lot of illustrator files to a new file with a different name. I've tried setting up various actions but it is not doing what I need. If I open the file in a text editor such as Notepad++ or Text Wrangler, I can find the linked file path in two places, if I edit this path and save the file (still with .ai extension) I thought the link would change, but when I reopen the file, it does not change. Any ideas?
    If I make an action to relink a file, the action will only place a new file but not replace the old one. I also can't get it to place into a specific layer.
    Any ideas?

    CSS files are plain text with no links, so what you see is all there is.
    In order to apply CSS to HTML, you need a <link> tag in your HTML.
    If you install the Web Developer Extension from the Firefox add-ons site, there is a handy "Edit CSS" sidebar that lets you play with style rules and see the effects live. Note that this pane is not saved, so if you switch tabs, you lose your changes. Make sure to copy out any changes you want to remember.

  • How do I transfer a .psd file to illustrator that can then be placed in Muse as a .svg with transparent background?

    I just wrote all this up in another thread.  I did not realize at the time that the last post was in 2014, so I'm giving it a go here.
    I am currently trying to create an .svg using Photoshop .psd file (with layers in tact).  I'm new to these products so it may be obvious to others that the above intention was to eventually place the .svg in some sort of website creation software such as Muse.  Which is precisely what I am attempting. However, I am getting a white background once I place or copy and paste into Muse.  My starting .psd has a transparent background without any hidden layers causing this problem.  To test this I placed the .psd file into Muse and it still has a transparent background.  However when opening or placing this file into illustrator, it picks up a white background. If I do exactly as described above, I still get the same result.  So far I have tried:
    1) Simple copy and paste from Photoshop .svg to illustrator to Muse.  Result - white background.
    2) Placing the .psd in illustrator, then placing the .svg file in muse.  Result - white background.
    4) I have also tried the every combination of 1 and 2. - Result - white background.
    3) I have now created a path in Photoshop from the text layer to yet again attempt the above methods.  Result - white background.
    I'm including an image of the object I am trying to place with transparent background, but I have both a flattened rasterized version, a version complete with layers and a third (.svg) with the corresponding objects.  I am completely new to Illustrator as of today so any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.
    Link to .psd file "Welcome text"

    I was having some difficulties getting the correct dimensions of one of my objects, I eventually solved this problem without using svg.  It was pretty simple when I stopped trying to over complicate things.  I just linked the object to a near by object in photoshop, merged and placed it all as one.  It looks great now.  Thanks for your reply.  You are correct, SVG was not the answer.

  • Good day! When saving a file in Illustrator, I can not keep the older version. How You can save the file in an older version?

    Good day! When saving a file in Illustrator, I can not keep the older version. How You can save the file in an older version?

    When you save a file that's what options offers application
    05 мая 2014 г., в 13:40, Jacob Bugge <[email protected]> написал(а):
    sage go to everyone subscribed to this thread, not directly to the person who posted the message. To post a reply, either reply to this email or visit the message page:
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