Bulletmeister Indesign. A Script for Creating Lists with Custom Bullets and Checklists

What is the Bulletmeister Script For?

Bulletmeister is a script for Adobe InDesign designed to simplify and automate the creation of custom lists (checklists or bullet lists) with flexible settings.

• Quickly create lists with custom bullets or checklists.
• Adjust the size, spacing, and positioning of bullets.
• Automatically process multiline text frames, splitting them into individual elements and turning them into a list.
• Disassemble lists created by the script back to their original state for editing.

Why is it Better Than InDesign’s Built-in Features?

InDesign’s standard tools for managing bullets have limitations:

1. They rely on font glyphs, which can be cumbersome and inconvenient when changing designs.
2. They don’t allow easy scaling or color changes for bullets independently of the text.
3. They offer limited options for working with graphic elements.

Bulletmeister addresses these issues by providing an automated tool with an intuitive interface.

• Automation: The script automatically processes multiline text, aligns elements, and manages object names—something standard InDesign features can’t do.
• Flexibility: You can precisely adjust the size, spacing, and direction of the list, which isn’t available in standard paragraph styles with bullets.
• Time-saving: Instead of manually creating and positioning bullets (especially for multiple lines or frames), the script does it in seconds.
• Precision: Settings in millimeters ensure accurate positioning, which is hard to achieve manually.
• Manageability: Object names make it easy to manage lists later, especially in complex documents.

Installing and Running the Script

Via the Scripts Panel

1. Install the script: Copy the bulletmeister.jsxbin file to the user scripts folder.
   Folder for user scripts:

• Windows: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\Version XX\en_US\Scripts\Scripts Panel\
• Mac: /Users/Username/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version XX/en_US/Scripts/Scripts Panel/

1. In InDesign, open the Scripts panel: Window → Utilities → Scripts.
2. Select the script:

• Open the User folder.
• Double-click the script name to launch it.

Drag-and-Drop into InDesign

Convenient for one-time use without adding it to the panel.

1. Drag the bulletmeister.jsxbin file from File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) directly into the InDesign workspace. The script will run immediately.

Script Interface

When launched, a “Bulletmeister” dialog window appears with the following elements:

1. List Type:

• Bullet List (default) — Creates a list with a custom bullet marker (“bullet”).
• Checklist — Creates a list with square checkboxes as markers. No separate bullet element is required for checklists.

1. List Direction:

• Vertical (default) — List items are stacked vertically.
• Horizontal — List items are placed side by side.

1. Split single list:

• Splits text into separate text frames for each line. Useful when working with a single multiline text frame or a bullet plus a multiline text frame.
• Automatically enabled if a single multiline text frame (or bullet + multiline frame) is selected.

1. Marker size:

• Sets the size of the marker (square or bullet) in millimeters. Defaults to 5 mm but adjusts to the largest dimension of the selected bullet if one is provided.

1. Spacing between items:

• Sets the distance between list items in millimeters (default is 5 mm).

1. Offset from marker:

• Sets the horizontal offset between the marker and text in millimeters (default is 1 mm).

1. Marker vertical offset:

• Sets the vertical offset of the marker relative to the text baseline in millimeters (default is 0 mm). Useful for manual correction if the script misaligns the bullet or checkbox.

1. Disassemble list — Breaks down existing lists (groups named chklst_item or lst_item), removing markers and returning text frames to their original positions.

Workflow

Important! Ensure your document’s units are set to millimeters for correct sizing and spacing.

1. Globally change this in Edit → Preferences → Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign → Preferences → Units & Increments (Mac). Set Horizontal and Vertical to millimeters in the Ruler Units section.
   
   
   
2. Alternatively, right-click the rulers and select millimeters.

Creating a Bullet List

1. Create a graphic object (e.g., a circle or star) and name it “bullet” in the Layers panel.
2. Select this object along with one or more text frames (single-line or multiline).
3. Run the script. If a bullet and a multiline text frame are selected, the “Split single list” option will be auto-enabled, splitting the multiline frame into individual lines and list items.
4. Adjust list settings: marker size, spacing, offsets, and direction. The marker size defaults to the largest dimension of the selected bullet but can be manually adjusted.
5. Click “OK”. The script creates groups with the following names:

• Group: lst_item.
• Bullet: bullet.
• Text frame: lst_text.
  Each text frame is paired with a copy of the bullet, aligned according to the specified settings.

Creating a Checklist

A checklist is essentially the same as a bullet list but uses a predefined square checkbox as the marker.

1. Select one or more text frames (no bullet required).
2. Run the script. If a single multiline frame is selected, “Split single list” will be auto-enabled.
3. In the dialog, select “Checklist” and adjust settings: marker size, spacing, offsets, and direction.
4. Click “OK”. The script creates groups with the following names:

• Group: chklst_item.
• Square (marker): chklst_checkbox.
• Text frame: chklst_text.
  Each text frame is paired with a square, aligned according to the specified settings.

Disassembling a List

If you need to edit or redo a list created by the script:

1. Select one or more groups named chklst_item or lst_item (created by the script).
2. Run the script and click “Disassemble list”.
3. Markers (squares or bullets) are removed, and text frames return to their original positions, accounting for their initial offsets.

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