HELP - How to replace placeholderTexts in Pages (iWork) using JXA?

Question

wchongo OP

Created Mar ’20

Replies 2

Boosts 0

Participants 2

I’m getting error on last line trying to replace every placeholderText tag.

I'm stuck for a couple of days trying to fix the error.

Thanks a lot for any kind of help.

Here's the code:

var PagesApp = Application("Pages");

var theseTags = PagesApp.documents[0].placeholderTexts.tag()

var uniqueTags = []

for(var i=0; i < theseTags.length; i++){

var thisTag = theseTags[i];

if (!(uniqueTags.includes(thisTag))) {

uniqueTags.push(thisTag);

}

var theDate = "20200326"

for(var i=0; i < uniqueTags.length; i++){

var thisTag = uniqueTags[i];

if (thisTag.includes("theDate")) {

PagesApp.documents[0].placeholderTexts.whose({tag: thisTag}).tag = theDate; // Error: Error: Invalid key form.

}

The error line in AppleScript works well :

set ( everyplaceholder textwhose tag is thisTag) to theDate

Boost

Answer 1

hhas01 OP

Apr ’20

“The error line in AppleScript works well”

I think you’ve found your solution: stick to AppleScript. The language may be a mess, but at least it knows how to speak Apple events right. ScriptingBridge and JXA don’t work right; never have, never will.

0

Answer 2

wchongo OP

Apr ’20

After trying a lot, I found the solution. Thanks for everyone who tried to help me, specially hhas01.

Here is the solution:

PagesApp.documents[0].placeholderTexts.whose( { tag: thisTag })[i].set(theDate);

Notes:

1. If you want to replace one placeholderText use [0]

2. If you want to replace placeholderText that appears more than once, just repeat the lines as number of times of placeholder using variable [i]

0