Documentation

# Transform Methods

Transform

The Transform method is used to change the positioning, rotation, shear-angle, and scaling of document art according to Illustrator UI's Transform dialog feature as well as the Transform Panel.

Positioning, rotation, shear-angle, etc. can be set at the same time.

Note: As the Darty-Ai tagging mechanism allows for setting the same tags on multiple items, this method effectively simulates Illustrator's "Transform-Each" dialog except for the "Random" parameter at this time.

# Transform - Positioning

The following parameters are used to change an object's position on the artboard explicitly by setting the coordinate through data:

Method Description
x 
 The x coordinate to move the object to, use the useGlobalRuler property to specify whether to use the Global or Artboard coordinates
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
y 
 The y coordinate to move the object to, use the useGlobalRuler property to specify whether to use the Global or Artboard coordinates
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
xyAnchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be scaled, rotated, etc. and then moved to the x and y coordinates
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
useGlobalRuler 
 Whether or not to use use global ruler. The artboard ruler will be used if the global ruler is not used.
Valid Values: true or false
usePreviewBounds 
 Whether to transform the object based on its preview bounds. The preview bounds take into account the object's strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false

# Positioning Example Spreadsheet
star
transform
x y xyAnchorPoint useGlobalRuler changeStrokePattern scaleStrokes changeFillPatterns transformObjects:true
50 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE
CENTER FALSE TRUE TRUE TRUE
50 50 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
50 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
Download: transform-move-and-rotate.ai
Download: transform-positioning.csv

# Transform - Translation

Move

These parameters are used to move an art-item relative to its current location in the document. All parameters not involving rotation angle in this sub-set of transform parameters are change-values which will calculate against the object's current measurements.

Method Description
deltaX / deltaH 
 Moves the object on the horizontal axis relative to it's current position.
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
deltaY / deltaV 
 Moves the object on the vertical axis relative to it's current position.
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
distance 
 Distance to move at a given angle, if no angle is given, the object will be moved to the right
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
angle 
 Set the angle to move the object when a distance property is set.
Use the rotation parameter to additionally rotate the object about itself if required.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false

# Translation Example Spreadsheet
star
transform
deltaX deltaY angle distance anchorPoint changeStrokePattern scaleStrokes changeFillPatterns transformObjects:true
50 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE
72 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE
50 50 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
72 50 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
50 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
72 50 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
Download: transform-move-and-rotate.ai
Download: transform-translation.csv

# Transform - Rotation and Flip

Rotate

The rotation property turns the art object about itself.
The flip property flips the object, horizontally, vertically or both.

Method Description
anchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be moved to the x and y coordinates and then scaled, rotated, etc.
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
xyAnchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be scaled, rotated, etc. and then moved to the x and y coordinates
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
rotation 
 Rotates the art object about itself.
Note: This is not the same as the angle parameter that controls the angle of the item's translation when using the distance parameter.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
flip 
 Will flip the object along it's horizontal or vertical axises or both
Valid Values: h, v, hv, vh
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
useGlobalRuler 
 Whether or not to use use global ruler. The artboard ruler will be used if the global ruler is not used.
Valid Values: true or false
usePreviewBounds 
 Whether to transform the object based on its preview bounds. The preview bounds take into account the object's strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false

# Rotation Example Spreadsheet
star
transform
rotation anchorPoint changeStrokePattern scaleStrokes changeFillPatterns transformObjects:true
72 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE
72 CENTER TRUE TRUE
72 TOPLEFT FALSE FALSE
72 CENTER FALSE FALSE
72 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE FALSE
72 CENTER TRUE TRUE FALSE
Download: transform-move-and-rotate.ai
Download: transform-rotation.csv

# Transform - Shear

Shear

These parameters skew the art item with a specified angle.

Method Description
anchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be moved to the x and y coordinates and then scaled, rotated, etc.
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
xyAnchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be scaled, rotated, etc. and then moved to the x and y coordinates
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
shearH 
 Horizontal shear angle.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
shearV 
 Vertical shear angle.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
useGlobalRuler 
 Whether or not to use use global ruler. The artboard ruler will be used if the global ruler is not used.
Valid Values: true or false
usePreviewBounds 
 Whether to transform the object based on its preview bounds. The preview bounds take into account the object's strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false

# Shear Example Spreadsheet
star
transform
shearH shearV anchorPoint changeStrokePattern scaleStrokes changeFillPatterns transformObjects:true
10 10 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE
20 20 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE
10 10 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
20 20 TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE TRUE
10 10 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
20 20 CENTER TRUE TRUE TRUE FALSE
Download: transform-move-and-rotate.ai
Download: transform-shear.csv

# Transform - Scaling and Sizing

These properties control the scale and size of the art item.

Scale

# Scale Example Spreadsheet

Method Description
anchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be moved to the x and y coordinates and then scaled, rotated, etc.
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
xyAnchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be scaled, rotated, etc. and then moved to the x and y coordinates
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
scale 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size
scaleH 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object horizontally.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size.
scaleV 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object vertically.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size.
height 
 Value to set the item's height to.
Example Values: 10in, 5p3, 1' etc.
heightDiff 
 Increases or decrease the height of the object by the given distance.
Example Values: 1in, -1in etc.
width 
 Value to set the item's width to.
Example Values: 10in, 5p3, 1" etc.
widthDiff 
 Increases or decrease the width of the object by the given distance.
Example Values: 1in, -1in etc.
keepProportions 
 Enforces a proportional scaling operation in the cases where a height or width are not both specified
If both height and width (any of these or their vertical counterparts: scaleH, width or widthDiff) are specified and keepProportions is set to TRUE, the width-based parameter is accepted as the value to proportionally fit the height.
Valid Values: true, false
scaleCorners 
 Whether or not to scale corners.
Valid Values: true or false
scaleStrokes 
 Whether or not to scale strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
useGlobalRuler 
 Whether or not to use use global ruler. The artboard ruler will be used if the global ruler is not used.
Valid Values: true or false
usePreviewBounds 
 Whether to transform the object based on its preview bounds. The preview bounds take into account the object's strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false
star
transform
scaleH scaleV keepProportions widthDiff heightDiff width height scaleStrokes anchorPoint changeStrokePattern changeFillPatterns transformObjects:true
50 TRUE FALSE CENTER TRUE TRUE
50 FALSE
1" TRUE TOPLEFT TRUE TRUE
TRUE 100pt CENTER
300 TRUE CENTER TRUE TRUE
TRUE 2cm FALSE CENTER TRUE FALSE FALSE
TRUE 2cm TRUE CENTER TRUE FALSE FALSE
50 50 TRUE CENTER TRUE TRUE
20 60 TRUE CENTER TRUE TRUE FALSE
Download: transform-move-and-rotate.ai
Download: transform-scaling.csv

# Transform - All Properties

A list of all the transform properties

Method Description
anchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be moved to the x and y coordinates and then scaled, rotated, etc.
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
xyAnchorPoint 
 The anchor point to scale, rotate or reflect from, if an x or y value is provided, the object will first be scaled, rotated, etc. and then moved to the x and y coordinates
Valid Values:
tl topLeft 1, t top 2, tr topRight 3
l left 4, c center 5, r right 6
bl bottomLeft 7, b bottom 8, br bottomRight 9
angle 
 Set the angle to move the object when a distance property is set.
Use the rotation parameter to additionally rotate the object about itself if required.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
distance 
 Distance to move at a given angle, if no angle is given, the object will be moved to the right
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
deltaX / deltaH 
 Moves the object on the horizontal axis relative to it's current position.
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
deltaY / deltaV 
 Moves the object on the vertical axis relative to it's current position.
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
height 
 Value to set the item's height to.
Example Values: 10in, 5p3, 1' etc.
heightDiff 
 Increases or decrease the height of the object by the given distance.
Example Values: 1in, -1in etc.
width 
 Value to set the item's width to.
Example Values: 10in, 5p3, 1" etc.
widthDiff 
 Increases or decrease the width of the object by the given distance.
Example Values: 1in, -1in etc.
x 
 The x coordinate to move the object to, use the useGlobalRuler property to specify whether to use the Global or Artboard coordinates
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
y 
 The y coordinate to move the object to, use the useGlobalRuler property to specify whether to use the Global or Artboard coordinates
Example Values: 10in, 2000, 1' etc.
flip 
 Will flip the object along it's horizontal or vertical axises or both
Valid Values: h, v, hv, vh
rotation 
 Rotates the art object about itself.
Note: This is not the same as the angle parameter that controls the angle of the item's translation when using the distance parameter.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
scale 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size
scaleH 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object horizontally.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size.
scaleV 
 How many times bigger you want to scale the object vertically.
Example Values: 50 - Half it's size, 200 - Double it's size.
keepProportions 
 Enforces a proportional scaling operation in the cases where a height or width are not both specified
If both height and width (any of these or their vertical counterparts: scaleH, width or widthDiff) are specified and keepProportions is set to TRUE, the width-based parameter is accepted as the value to proportionally fit the height.
Valid Values: true, false
shearH 
 Horizontal shear angle.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
shearV 
 Vertical shear angle.
Example Values: 0, 45, 180, 303, -20
scaleCorners 
 Whether or not to scale corners.
Valid Values: true or false
scaleStrokes 
 Whether or not to scale strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
transformObjects 
 Whether or not to transform the object, the case for setting this to false would be if you only want to transform the objects pattern if it has one
Valid Values: true or false
changeFillPatterns 
 Whether or not to transform the object's fill pattern
Valid Values: true or false
changeStrokePattern 
 Whether or not to transform the object's stroke pattern
Valid Values: true or false
useGlobalRuler 
 Whether or not to use use global ruler. The artboard ruler will be used if the global ruler is not used.
Valid Values: true or false
usePreviewBounds 
 Whether to transform the object based on its preview bounds. The preview bounds take into account the object's strokes and effects.
Valid Values: true or false
tagSearch 
 The tag search of the tagged artwork to set the attributes.
Example Values: eyes | nose | mouth | ears, face
skip 
 Set to true is you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details.
Valid Values: true or false
* 
 Set to false if you want the method to be skipped in a particular row.
See * and Skip for details Valid Values: true or false
Last Updated: Jun 05, 2025, 18:58:07

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