How to Stroke grouped objects?

[Guy Burns]

I have just grouped two objects: a text frame and an image frame. When I tried to stroke the grouped fame (already framed for me automatically) the stroke was applied to the individual frames. Is it possible to have the stroke applied to the grouped frame?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

No. Groups don't actually have frames. What you see is the highlighted bounding box.

I use this script to address this issue. It creates a paper rectangle as the background to the selected group. When the script finishes running, that rectangle is selected allowing you to apply an object style to it or manually set its look and even resize it, if you wish (for example, to provide some offset between a stroke and the contents):

//DESCRIPTION: Give selected group Paper background

myGroup = app.selection[0];
if (myGroup.constructor.name == "Group") {
try {
existingBG = myGroup.rectangles.item("PDScanvas");
existingBG.label;
app.select(existingBG);
} catch (e) {
myBounds = myGroup.geometricBounds;
myRect = myGroup.textFrames.add();
myRect.contentType = ContentType.unassigned;
myRect.textWrapPreferences.textWrapType = TextWrapTypes.none;
myRect.geometricBounds = myBounds;
myRect.fillColor = app.documents[0].swatches.item("Paper");
myRect.sendToBack();
myRect.label = "PDScanvas";
app.select(myRect);
}
}

Notice that the script checks to see if the group in question already has a background, in which case it selects it and exits.

I call this script PaperBackground.jsx and keep it in a folder named Groups within the Scripts folder in my Presets folder in the InDesign application folder. If you're copying and pasting from the forum, make sure you save as a plain text file with the .jsx extension (for CS, use .js as the extension).

Dave

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

While a group indeed is an object with its own properties, an own stroke or fill is not among them.
I can only assume that you talk about that dotted line that appears when you group something? This is an indicator, not a frame. Hence the dotted line.

Gerald

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Darn, Dave was faster and more comprehensive than me. As usual ;)

Gerald

[Guy Burns]

Thanks Dave for the script.

I'm never too sure what's a bounding box and what's a frame, but here's what my two boxes look like. One is an image with a single blue-line border with eight handles. The other is a Text frame with two blue borders.

When I group them I get a new single blue-line border with eight handles. Looks exactly the same as what surrounded the image, and since I can stroke that, I thought I'd be able to stroke the grouped box.

One more thing: I've just noticed a mini box to the right of my group. What's that?

And something else: when I move the newly created grouped box, the mini box disappears, never to reappear, and the group changes to a double-outlined box.

Complicated!

Thanks.

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Guy,
can it be that you are using CS1?
The dotted line was introduced with CS2. If you don't mention your version we assume you are up to date.

I have never seen a double-outlined box on a group unless I held Alt while dragging. Which duplicates the group

Gerald