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#81
General Discussion / Re: reference position of an o...
Last post by joseb - February 06, 2026, 09:19:36 AM
Hello,

After reading this thread and others, I thought about creating a script for Scribus that can synchronize the size or position of several objects using a selected one as a reference.

To run the script, the name of each object must contain a keyword (or two or three reference words...).

How to use:
- Name the objects with one or more keywords.
- The script will search within each object name for the specified keyword (the keyword can be at the beginning, middle, or end of the name).
- Select a reference object.
- Run the script.
- Enter the keyword.
- Select what you want to modify. For example: size and position at the same time... or just the width... or just the X position.
- When finished, all objects with that keyword will copy the size/position of the object selected just before running the script.

Attached is a GIF demonstration video:


The script is as follows:
synchronize_geometry_bynamecontains.py

I am not a programmer and the script is written with AI. I am leaving it here in case the team that develops Scribus would like to use it as a starting point for developing the function.

POSSIBLE USES OF THE SCRIPT
- Reference position of an object (X/Y) to the X/Y properties of another object.
- Copy the size and position of many objects at once throughout the document.
- Something similar or close to what master pages can do with editable objects... For example, if a text frame is repeated on all pages and we want to edit its size and position, the script helps to resize them all in reference to the object we select.

IMPROVEMENTS SCRIBUS NEEDS TO HELP THE SCRIPT
- Is it possible to rename many objects at once in Scribus?
#82
General Discussion / Re: reference position of an o...
Last post by drobble - February 06, 2026, 01:04:05 AM
After a period of absence... thanks for the tips.
I'm still trying to find my way through Scribus.  ;)
#83
Scripts and Plugins / Re: Assign a formatted text to...
Last post by MrB - February 05, 2026, 08:50:46 PM
I guess the question might be where is the HTML coming from?
We can add another function to do direct HTML import in the future.
#84
Scripts and Plugins / Re: Assign a formatted text to...
Last post by Alcantara - February 05, 2026, 07:55:27 PM
Thank you all for your answers.

I wasn't sure if I could rely on the "scribus.insertHTMLText()" function, but now I know for sure.
#85
User Interface / Re: Hyperlinks as text properl...
Last post by antoineb - February 05, 2026, 12:07:52 PM
Hello,
The links to the pages from the table of contents can be created manually. But right now, I'm working on a 56-page document. Adding all the links to the PDF table of contents is really tedious. And if the table of contents changes, I have to redo everything!

I would really appreciate either of the proposed solutions.
Initially, this simple option would be fine. See this small mock-up.



Thank you again for developing this wonderful software!
#86
Features / Re: Styles, Master pages, Scra...
Last post by omoro - February 03, 2026, 03:04:09 PM
Well, let me explain again what could be very usefull.
My book is using several layouts and the basic job is done with Master Pages and Styles.
Afer applying a MP, I copy several frames from the Scrapbbok. Then I import the content (textfile.txt and image.jpg).
When I want to change the layout (for various reasons) I need to change the frames one by one. Very fastidious.

Now imagine I set up all my frames in the MP. After applying the MP to pages, I just need to import text and images. Fast and easy. Let's say I want to move a frame or change the style inside. I just change the MP and that's it !

All what is needed is to have the choice for each frame of the MP: fixed OR modifiable.
If it's too much to ask, at the very least, text and image frames in a MP can be fixed BUT could import content.
#87
Features / Re: Styles, Master pages, Scra...
Last post by joseb - February 03, 2026, 02:34:40 PM
Sorry for the earlier suggestion with INLINE ITEMS or SYMBOLS. I didn't understand what you were looking for.

I guess what you're looking for might be something like this:
- You have several text frames throughout your Scribus document.
- All of those text frames are linked so that the text flows from frame to frame.
- At some point in the workflow, you would like to change the size or position of a "source" frame and have all the following frames adjust accordingly. For example, if you decide to change the width of the frame, all frames should automatically adjust their width.

On the other hand, I have also read what you say about text frames in "linkable" or "modifiable" masters, as other programs do. It seems to be difficult because the bug tracker issue has been stalled for a long time.

I think Scribus should stop looking at other DTP software. Perhaps look for other ways to solve problems that are not so focused on Desktop Publishing.

POSSIBLE SOLUTION
I thought it would be good if Scribus could identify within the document:
- A "source" object. We could name this object "GEOM_ORIGEN"
- Several "destination" objects. The names of these objects could contain "GEOM_SYNC_"

These objects could be text frames, an image frame, or a geometric shape, etc.

Then generate a script that copies the size and position of "GEOM_ORIGEN" and modifies it in all "GEOM_SYNC_" objects.

I've attached the script in case you want to try it at the following link:
sync_frame_geometry.py

I've also attached a GIF so you can see it in action:


This is a first test I've generated with AI. Unfortunately, I'm not a programmer, but maybe someone else can improve it.

I also don't know if there's anything similar already built into Scribus.

I think a feature like this could be incorporated into Scribus within the LOCK or GROUP tools. That way, you could link size/position/etc. between objects and manage these values from a source object.
#88
Layout Issues / Re: Resizing document and all ...
Last post by OSDP - February 02, 2026, 06:15:42 PM
Hello.
Is this function (resizing the .sla document with all pages/layers/objects/text) is in preparation?
The current trick is to resize an exported .pdf with Inkscape (or an online tool), and to import it into a document .sla in the desired format.
Maybe, with separate elements with Inkscape for re-arranging (effects broken).
Resizing directly under Scribus would be great !
#89
Scripts and Plugins / Re: Assign a formatted text to...
Last post by Lynn - February 02, 2026, 03:54:45 PM
If you want to know what issues other people have been having with a function in Scribus and whether the developers have been informed, I recommend searching on the bug tracker. I do not think ChatGPT has crawled the Scribus bug tracker, and even if it had, going to the source is going to be faster.

You can find the bug tracker at https://bugs.scribus.net/view_all_bug_page.php and search by entering your search text in the box next to "apply filter". Then click Apply Filter.

Looking it up, I can see that the insertHTML function was added to the scripter in 2012 when a volunteer wrote it up for scripts they were personally using: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=11104

At least one other person had issues with html formatting not importing correctly, but never followed up on the bug to provide additional information or documentation so it didn't get follow-up: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=17380

And a.l.e. filed a bug suggesting the function be replaced last year on the basis of confusing documentation and inability to import text without putting it in a separate file: https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=17360

There were a few other bugs you could read through but those seemed the most relevant. At this point the only way to run the function is on a file, so if you need to import html text it needs to be saved as a file during the run of your script. If you're doing that and it's not bringing in the correct formatting, I'd add a comment to the second bug on that list.
#90
Scripts and Plugins / Re: New AI-Powered Plugin: Gam...
Last post by bastiaanw - February 02, 2026, 03:28:40 PM
I forgot the screenshots..