Scripting Illustrator actions, incorporating calls to Excel

Question

Hello all, I need some help...
I am building a series of logos — based on word strings —  using Illustrator CS4 with a combination of Actions, but also retrieving the word string from an Excel file.
Normally for one or two iterations of the process, I would not hassle with a script, but this is a mind-numbing repetitive task, and I have to make 6,000 logos!! Seems the ideal use for a script.
We have tried to work with ExtendScript Toolkit (ESTK) but we can't get our heads around how to make it do certain things, and I can't find anyone who really knows how to use ESTK correctly.
I have a MAC, so the script has to be written in Java Script or Apple Script.
Here's what I need to do:
Execute Action: Open a Master Illustrator doc. This doc is already configured with art board, pre-defined type box (Area Type Optioned), Charater Styles, Drop Shadow parameters set. <pause Action>
Run Script: Retrieve the word string from a cell in Excel worksheet (or CSV??). Some are single words, first letter capped. Some are two to four words Camel Cased. Example: "DinnerPartiestm". There are two additional charaters "tm" at the end of the word string that will be acted upon (remember these two characters for item 7 below)
Run Script: Place this WordString into the predefined type box in the Illustrator Master doc. That is, in Illustrator, "select" the type box so the cursor is at first position and place the word string — copy from Excel & paste into Illustrator? <pause Script>
Execute Action: Apply character style 1— font with point size, letter spacing, stroke and colour (It just happens to be red). Example: DinnerPartiestm  <pause Action>
Run Script: Select all caps in word string. Example: DinnerPartiestm <pause Script>
Execute Action: Apply character style 2 — Caps Only (selected) — New point size, baseline offset. Example: DinnerPartiestm <pause Action>
Run Script: Select last two letters of word string. Example: DinnerPartiestm <pause Script>
Execute Action: Apply character style 3 — last two letters only (selected) — New point size, change colour, baseline offset. Example: DinnerPartiestm <pause Action>
Run Script: Select text box. <pause Script>
Execute Action: Apply Stylize > Drop Shadow — On contents of text box, preset DS parameters in either Appearence panel or Effect menu.
Execute Action: File > Save As .ai document. <at Save As dialog, pause action>
Run Script: Retrieve file name from Excel and place in Save As dialog (copy & paste?). In next column in Excel doc, same row, is a SEO-friendly file name. Example: word string is "DinnerParties"; file name (next column) is "logo-dinner-parties"
Run Script: Select folder to save the .ai doc into. Example: Folder is "Logos AI". <pause Script>
Execute Action: Complete Save As. Example: in Folder "Logos AI" now we have the file "logo-dinner-parties.ai"
Execute Action [assumes that the Saved As document — logo-dinner-parties.ai — is now the active one in Illustrator]: Save for Web & Devices. Preset to PNG24/Transparent. Correct file name will NOT be in Save field. <at Save dialog, pause action>
Run Script: Repeat retrieval process to get same file name from Excel.
Run Script: Select new folder to save the .png doc into. Example: Folder  is "Logos PNG". <pause Script>
Execute Action: Complete Save for Web. Example: in Folder "Logos PNG" now  we have the file "logo-dinner-parties.png"
Execute Action: Close
Repeat steps 1 though 19 until all word strings processed: Script has to know to go to next word string (next row) in Excel doc.
This is a tricky one, but there's got to be a way to automate the process... otherwise I'll go crazy doing this manually!!
IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP?
Thanking you in advance for any assistance.
All the best.

Answer 1

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP?
Depends on what you mean by "help." Are you asking someone to do the whole thing for you (would require more detail), or do you intend to do it yourself, but are stuck on something? (You say you "tried to work with ESTK" and "can't find anyone who really knows how to use ESTK correctly"; but you don't say specifically what you're struggling with in ESTK.)
...doc is already configured with art board, pre-defined type box (Area Type Optioned), Charater Styles, Drop Shadow parameters set.
Much of what can be done with any approach depends largely upon what Appearances and/or Effects are involved, and where. You imply that you want all of the "logo" to be contained in a single textFrame object. But Drop Shadow Effect cannot be applied at the character level, so it can't be included in a Character Style.
So if you don't want all the text to have the same drop shadow, you will be involving multiple textFrame objects. That will lead to the complication of having to position the two textFrames relative to each other, depending on their dimensions after the varying text is inserted.
Retrieve the word string from a cell in Excel worksheet (or CSV??)
With scripting, it would be inefficient and unnecssary to go back-and-forth to the spreadsheet to extract values one at a time. Typically, you would create an array containing the full set of values, and then iterate through the elements of the array.
Some are single words, first letter capped. Some are two to four words Camel Cased. Example: "DinnerPartiestm".
So you're going to need a sub-routine of some kind (in Javascript, a function) to find capital letters.
There are two additional charaters "tm" at the end of the word string that will be acted upon...
If this is the same in each instance, and if you are going to script this, there is no need to include it in the data.  Insert the "tm" programmatically.
That is, in Illustrator, "select" the type box so the cursor is at first position and place the word string — copy from Excel & paste into Illustrator?
Using script, you don't have to select the textFrame, copy, or paste in order to insert content. You would declare a variable, assign its value (from the above-mentioned array), add the variable's value as text to textFrame's content.
Apply character style 1— font with point size, letter spacing, stroke and colour (It just happens to be red). Example: DinnerPartiestm
Here you will run into a difficulty inherent in Illustrator's poor implementation of stroked text. You can apply a Stroke at the Character level and include that Appearance in a Character Style. But Illustrator always positions such strokes in front of the fill--something you almost never want, because it "chokes" the fills, wrecking the shape of the characters. The workaround is to Add New Stroke and position that below the Characters listing in the Appearance Palette. But script provides no access to added strokes or fills and Added Strokes cannot be applied at the character level.
Select all caps in word string. Example: DinnerPartiestm
Illustrator cannot select discontiguous text strings. Again, script does not have to select objects in order to change their properties.
Apply character style 2 — Caps Only (selected) — New point size, baseline offset. Example: DinnerPartiestm
Apply character style 3 — last two letters only (selected) — New point size, change colour, baseline offset. Example: DinnerPartiestm
The applyTo method of the CharacterStyle object. Or, just set the size and baselineShift properties of the characterAttributes property of the textRange directly.
Apply Stylize > Drop Shadow — On contents of text box
Drop Shadow Effect cannot be applied to the contents (character level) of a textFrame--only to the textFrame object itself.
My very limited understanding of ESTK is that it is a scripting tool for  use in Illustrator.
It's a script text editor included with the Creative Suite. You can use it to build scripts for any of the CS products (or entirely other purposes, for that matter). Or, you can choose to not use it at all. A Javascript is just a text file. Tools like ESTK add conveniences, references, etc., geared toward scripting.
So, I'm only acting on the word string....
But I am also not a coder...
Which is why I would look into simpler already-built methods before jumping into a tedious solution scripted for Illustrator. For example: Many, if not most, AI users are familiar with InDesign. InDesign provides a proper dataMerge feature that can handle ordinary tab-delimited text. It's handling of strokes on text is correct, unlike Illustrator. If you set it up accordingly, it can create all the separate pages for you.
You would:
1. Draw the fixed graphic in Illustrator.
2. Place the Illustrator graphic on InD's master page.
3. Set and style the text objects. Insert DataMerge tags.
4. Import the data and run the Merge function.
InD builds individual pages for each row of the data. You're done. Export to PDF. InD and Acrobat also have their own scripting models. Either one can handle the specific naming convention, if really needed.
Again, it depends on what exactly is "special" about the text object(s) you are manipulating with variable content. For example, if you're using an AI-specific Warp effect, you'd be back to Illustrator.
Anyway, you want a paying gig?
I do some freelance work as time permits and interest strikes, but I'm not cheap, and that's not why I frequent these forums.
Scripting your solution entirely in AI may very well be possible, but whoever does it will need to see the specific objects, styles, etc., involved to avoid unnecessary guessing and time-consuming round-tripping. Why don't you post an image and/or an AI file?
JET