Home » Adobe Manuals » Computer Software » Adobe 23101764 » Manual Viewer

Adobe 23101764 Scripting Guide - Page 63

Special unit value types

UPC - 718659340025

Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals

Page 63 highlights

Scripting Photoshop 3 Working with units The points and picas unit value types are PostScript points, with 72 points per inch. The traditional points and traditional picas unit value types are based on classical type setting values, with 72.27 points per inch. When working with unit values, it is possible to convert, or coerce, a unit value from one value type to another. For example, the following script will convert a point value to an inch value. set pointValue to points 72 set inchValue to pointValue as inches When this script is run the variable inchValue will contain inches 1 , which is 72 points converted to inches. This conversion ability is built in to the AppleScript language. To use a unit value in a calculation it is necessary to ﬁrst convert the value to a number (unit value cannot be used directly in calculations). To multiply an inch value write: set newValue to (inchValue as number) * someValue Special unit value types The unit values used by Photoshop are length units, representing values of linear measurement. Support is also included for pixel and percent unit values. These two unit value types are not, strictly speaking, length values but are included because they are used extensively by Photoshop for many operations and values. NOTE: In AppleScript you can get and set values as pixels or percent as you would any other unit value type. You cannot, however, convert a pixel or percent value to another length unit value as you can with other length value types. Trying to run the following script will result in an error. set pixelValue to pixels 72 -- Next line will result in a coercion error when run set inchValue to pixelValue as inches Photoshop CS Scripting Guide 59

Section	Page
Photoshop CS Scripting Guide	1
Table of contents	3
Introduction	5
1.1 About this manual	5
1.1.1 Conventions in this guide	5
1.2 What is scripting?	6
1.3 Why use scripting?	7
1.4 What about actions?	7
1.5 System requirements	8
1.5.1 Mac	8
1.5.2 Windows	8
1.6 JavaScript	9
1.7 Choosing a scripting language	9
1.8 Legacy COM scripting	10
1.9 New Features	10
1.10 What’s Next	11
Scripting basics	12
2.1 Documents as objects	12
2.2 Object model concepts	12
2.2.1 Object classes	12
2.2.2 Object inheritance	13
2.2.3 Object elements or collections	13
2.2.4 Object reference	13
2.3 Object Model	14
2.3.1 Additional Containment Classes	16
2.3.2 Hello World Sample Scripts	18
2.4 Documenting scripts	21
2.5 Values	22
2.6 Variables	24
2.6.1 Assigning values to variables	24
2.6.2 Using variables to store references	25
2.6.3 Naming variables	25
2.7 Operators	26
2.8 Commands and methods	26
2.8.1 Conditional statements	27
2.8.2 Control structures	28
2.9 Handlers, subroutines and functions	29
2.10 Debugging and Error Handling	30
2.10.1 AppleScript debugging	31
2.10.2 Visual Basic debugging	32
2.10.3 JavaScript Debugging	33
2.10.4 Error handling	33
2.11 What’s Next	34
Scripting Photoshop	35
3.1 Photoshop scripting guidelines	35
3.2 Viewing Photoshop objects, commands and methods	35
3.2.1 Viewing Photoshop’s AppleScript dictionary	36
3.2.2 Viewing Photoshop’s type library (VB)	37
3.2.3 Viewing the JavaScript Environment	37
3.3 Your first Photoshop script	39
3.3.1 AppleScript	39
3.3.2 Visual Basic	40
3.3.3 VBScript	42
3.3.4 JavaScript	43
3.4 Advanced Scripting	45
3.4.1 Advanced JavaScript	45
3.4.2 Advanced Visual Basic	50
3.4.3 Advanced AppleScript	54
3.5 Object references	59
3.5.1 AppleScript	59
3.5.2 Visual Basic and JavaScript	60
3.6 Working with units	61
3.6.1 Unit values	61
3.6.2 Unit value useage	64
3.6.3 Changing ruler and type units	65
3.7 Executing JavaScripts from AS or VB	66
3.7.1 Passing arguments to JavaScript	67
3.7.2 Executing one-line JavaScripts	68
3.8 The Application object	68
3.9 Document object	72
3.9.1 Saving documents and save options	72
3.9.2 Document information	74
3.9.3 Document manipulation	75
3.10 Layer objects	76
3.10.1 Setting the Active layer	79
3.10.2 Layer sets	79
3.10.3 Linking layers	80
3.10.4 Applying styles to layers	81
3.10.5 Rotating layers	81
3.11 Text item object	81
3.11.1 Setting the contents of the text item	83
3.11.2 Setting text stroke colors	84
3.11.3 Setting fonts	84
3.11.4 Warping text	85
3.12 Selections	85
3.12.1 Defining selections	86
3.12.2 Stroking the selection border	88
3.12.3 Inverting selections	88
3.12.4 Expand, contract and feather selections	88
3.12.5 Filling a selection	90
3.12.6 Rotating selections	91
3.12.7 Loading and storing selections	91
3.13 Working with Filters	92
3.13.1 Selecting channel(s) to filter	92
3.13.2 Other filters	93
3.14 Channel object	93
3.14.1 Channel types	93
3.14.2 Setting the active channel	94
3.14.3 Creating new channels	94
3.15 Color objects	95
3.15.1 Setting a Color	95
3.15.2 Getting and converting colors	97
3.15.3 Comparing Colors	98
3.15.4 Getting a Web Safe Color	98
3.16 History object	98
3.16.1 Filling a selection with a history state	99
3.17 Clipboard interaction	100
3.17.1 Copy	100
3.17.2 Copy merged	100
3.17.3 Cut	101
3.17.4 Paste	101
3.17.5 Paste into command	102

Match case Limit results 1 per page

Photoshop CS Scripting Guide

Scripting Photoshop

Working with units

The

points

and

picas

unit value types are PostScript points, with 72 points per inch. The

traditional points

and

traditional picas

unit value types are based on classical

type setting values, with 72.27 points per inch.

When working with unit values, it is possible to convert, or coerce, a unit value from one value

type to another. For example, the following script will convert a point value to an inch value.

set pointValue to points 72

set inchValue to pointValue as inches

When this script is run the variable

inchValue

will contain inches 1 , which is 72 points

converted to inches. This conversion ability is built in to the AppleScript language.

To use a unit value in a calculation it is necessary to

ﬁ

rst convert the value to a number (unit

value cannot be used directly in calculations). To multiply an inch value write:

set newValue to (inchValue as number) * someValue

Special unit value types

The unit values used by Photoshop are length units, representing values of linear

measurement. Support is also included for pixel and percent unit values. These two unit value

types are not, strictly speaking, length values but are included because they are used

extensively by Photoshop for many operations and values.

OTE

In AppleScript you can get and set values as pixels or percent as you would any other

unit value type. You cannot, however, convert a pixel or percent value to another length

unit value as you can with other length value types.

Trying to run the following script

will result in an error.

set pixelValue to pixels 72

-- Next line will result in a coercion error when run

set inchValue to pixelValue as inches