# Automating Import of Illustrator (AI) files

**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/automating-import-of-illustrator-ai-files/329229
**Category:** flash
**Created:** [August 4, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/automating-import-of-illustrator-ai-files/329229 "2012-08-04T06:31:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![scotru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@scotru](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/scotru)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/automating-import-of-illustrator-ai-files/329229/1 "2012-08-04T06:31:30Z")

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Greetings,

I’m pretty new to Flash coming from a C#/C++ background. I’m not sure if this a question for the IDE section or the AS3 section, but I’ll ask it first here. I have a large and growing number of assets I need to use in my project (several hundred now, likely to eventually be several thousand). These assets are almost all vector art generated in Illustrator. I need to retain them in vector format because they get resized a lot, and the vector format keeps them looking so sharp.

However, each time I import one I have a process to go through:

1. Import the asset to a library.
2. Place the asset on the stage and resize it down to a scale that will work for me.
3. Convert the asset to a symbol which includes:  
a) Exporting it for ActionScript  
b) Changing the base class for my asset to a custom class.  
c) Moving it to the appropriate folder.
4. Removing the symbol from the stage.

I’m having to repeat this process for every asset I want to import and it’s very tedious.

I know that I can import bitmap assets from ActionScript, but I haven’t found a way to do this for vector (AI) assets. Is there a way to script Flash to do this? A way to do it from ActionScript?

Thanks!