Kelso’s Corner

[Editor's note: I have updated my Calendar script to version 5. It now automatically formats the text with tab stops, date box grid, and art placeholders. Tooltips help explain the options and the script will automatically create a document if one is not open. Over 25 new features, updates, and bug fixes. Screenshots and native Illustrator template files included at end of post.

Magicien de calendrier, Kalender-Zauberer, Mago del calendario, 日历巫术师, カレンダーの魔法使い, Чудодей календара.]

I was asked recently if I could automate the creation of calendars in Adobe Illustrator. It turns out there are a couple script for accomplishing this in InDesign (best is from sselberg), but only pre-built templates for Illustrator. If you need a new year, you’d have to search for a new template, which is lame. New script to the rescue! Thanks go to Joyce for this suggestion.

NOTE: The script is free to download and use. There is no license fee for publication of calendars based on the script. I reserve the right in the future to start charging a fee for the script. But this version is free.

Download version 5 of Calendar Script (100 k).

NOTE: You will need version CS3 or CS4 of Illustrator. If you have CS or CS2, get a trial version of CS4 from Adobe. Also see posts about version 3 and version 4 of the Calendar script.

New features and bug fixes in version 5:

NEW FEATUES

1. NEW: Tab stops supported!!! Date numbers are automatically spaced over the correct distance Big thanks go to N at Adobe Developer Support on this one.
2. NEW No longer requires an open document, one will be created for you in the right page size if necessary.
3. NEW “help” tooltips on all the wizard options (thanks John!). Tooltips are only in English now, other languages in future update.
4. NEW Wall calendar style has grid of date boxes.
5. NEW Wall, page, and compact calendar styles has art hole (for placement of photos, etc).
6. NEW starting month and starting and ending year now relative to the current date (was always Jan 2009)
7. NEW if 12-up type calendar selected, the current year’s 12 months are auto enabled
8. NEW mini Page calendar type for making the mini calendars
9. NEW mini Wall calendar type for making the mini calendars
10. NEW Tabloid calendar type for big wall calendars for each month with big big numbers
11. NEW mini Tabloid calendar type for making the mini calendars
12. NEW Compact calendar type for calendars that are suitable for newspaper

UPDATED FEATURES

1. UPDATE: Existing templates updated with tab stops, text sizes, other formatting
2. UPDATE mini “business card” type calendar uses underlining for the day header, removed trailing tab, and adjusted gutter width
3. UPDATE Page calendar type now based on letter page size with big numbers
4. UPDATE Wall calendar type now based on tabloid page size with date numbers in corner of grid cells
5. UPDATE Wall calendar type now auto-shrinks the text frame if a month has a short number of weeks.

BUG FIXES

1. BUG FIX: Month lines now auto-centered
2. BUG FIX: Leading space in month name line removed
3. BUG FIX: Fail on selected text if it is point or path. Now creates new text frame at the same location.
4. BUG FIX: Changing calendar size / style now sets the right day header abbreviation (shorten, letter)
5. BUG FIX: Change of character format from month header to date in calendar page function (remove underlining)
6. BUG: Page 12-up style calendar now the same size and style as a Page 1-up but with extra months (had been compact like). Expand or link the text frame to see additional content that is hidden at first.
7. BUG: Abbreviation for “Jan” lacked the . period (thanks John).
8. BUG: Custom language did not show the current settings for English (default) to edit. Now it does (disabled Holiday for now).
9. BUG: Canceling “custom language” dialog now returns to previous language preset, not English.
10. BUG: Enabling multi-month calendars via check box now works after choosing a single month calendar preset.

There are several sizes of calendars:

1. Tabloid calendar with larger date numbers grid (no boxes) on tabloid size 2/3rds of page.
2. Tabloid mini 1 month that fits below the main calendar in 1/6th of tabloid size page (prior month, next month).
3. Wall calendar with smaller dates in box grid (boxed dates) on tabloid size half-page with room for half page of art (horizontal / landscape 8.5 x 11 inch page).
4. Wall mini 1 month calendar that fits in a date square in a wall calendar (prior month, next month).
5. Page calendar, larger dates fill grid (no boxes) on 8.5 x 11 inch page.
6. Page calendar, larger dates fill grid (no boxes) – 12 months at a time option.
7. Page mini calendar, calendar that fits in a date square in a page calendar (prior month, next month).
8. Compact calendar, 12 months small enough to fit on a single 8.5 x 11 inch page with artwork.
9. Mini calendar, 12 months small enough to fit on a business card.

All calendars are Multi-lingual. Languages include English, Deutsch, Español, Français, 中文, 日本語, русский язык, and custom. This affects both the graphical dialog for creating the calendars and the month and day words in the calendar itself when it is created.

NOTE: While character and paragraph styles are created for each style of calendar (you can have multiple calendar types in one document), there is an error with Adobe Illustrator where you do not actually see this script-created styles until you either (a) save the document – thanks JC, or (b) switch back to the document from another (open or new) document.