cells_to_artboards.applescript

-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- script to replicate text boxes on Illustrator artboards 
-- with the content coming from the Excel selection
-- probably fails if the number of text boxes is different from the number
-- of columns, and if the number if artboards is more than the number of rows
-- TODO: checks
-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

set values_list to {}

tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    repeat with j from 1 to count large of selection
    	   set d to cell j of selection
	   set v to value of d
	   log v
	   set values_list to values_list & v
    end repeat
end tell

log values_list as text

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
  tell document 1
       set artboards_count to count of artboards
       set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {", "}

       set items_list to {}

       log count of page items
       log items_list

       set artboard_rectangles to {}
       set c to 2 -- start from second artboard      

       repeat while c <= artboards_count 
	      set artboard_rectangles to artboard_rectangles & (artboard rectangle of artboard c)
       	      set c to c + 1
       end repeat
       log count of artboard_rectangles	

       set base to artboard rectangle of artboard 1
       log base as text

       set k to 1 -- cell counter
       set m to count of page items
       set t to page items

       set c to 1
       repeat while c <= count of artboard_rectangles
       	   set i to 1 -- page item counter 

	   repeat while i <= m
               set current_item to item i of t
	       set pos to position of current_item
	       set x_off to (item 1 of base) - (item c of artboard_rectangles)
	       set y_off to (item 2 of base) - (item (c + 1) of artboard_rectangles)	      

	       set x to (item 1 of pos) - x_off
	       set y to (item 2 of pos) - y_off

	       set new_item to duplicate current_item to end with properties { position: { x, y } }

	       if (k <= count of values_list) then set contents of new_item to "" & (item k of values_list)

	       set k to k + 1
	       set i to i + 1
       	   end repeat
       	   set c to c + 4
       end repeat

       log count of artboards
       log count of artboard_rectangles	
   end tell
end tell