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Adobe 23101764 Scripting Guide - Page 7

Why use scripting?, 4 What about actions?

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Introduction 1 Why use scripting? 1.3 Why use scripting? Graphic design is a ﬁeld characterized by creativity, but aspects of the actual work of illustration and image manipulation are anything but creative. Scripting provides a tool to help save time spent on repetitive production tasks such as resizing or reformatting documents. Start with short, simple scripts such as those described in this manual and move on to more involved scripts as you become more proﬁcient. Any repetitive task is a good candidate for a script. Once you can identify the steps and conditions involved in performing the task, you're ready to write a script to take care of it. 1.4 What about actions? Photoshop actions are different from scripts. A Photoshop action is a series of tasks you have recorded while using the application-menu choices, tool choices, selection, and other commands. When you "play" an action, Photoshop performs all of the recorded commands. Actions and scripts are two ways of automating repetitive tasks, but they work very differently. • You cannot add conditional logic to an action. Unlike a script, actions cannot make decisions based on the current situation. • A single script can target multiple hosts. Actions can't. For example, you could target both Photoshop and Illustrator in the same script. The Actions palette, invoked under the Window menu, supports actions with a great deal of sophistication (including the ability to display dialogs) and allows users to work with selected objects, as illustrated below. Photoshop CS Scripting Guide 3

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

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Photoshop CS Scripting Guide

Introduction

Why use scripting?

1.3 Why use scripting?

Graphic design is a

ﬁ

eld characterized by creativity, but aspects of the actual work of

illustration and image manipulation are anything but creative. Scripting provides a tool to help

save time spent on repetitive production tasks such as resizing or reformatting documents.

Start with short, simple scripts such as those described in this manual and move on to more

involved scripts as you become more pro

ﬁ

cient. Any repetitive task is a good candidate for a

script. Once you can identify the steps and conditions involved in performing the task, you’re

ready to write a script to take care of it.

1.4 What about actions?

Photoshop actions are different from scripts. A Photoshop action is a series of tasks you have

recorded while using the application—menu choices, tool choices, selection, and other

commands. When you “play” an action, Photoshop performs all of the recorded commands.

Actions and scripts are two ways of automating repetitive tasks, but they work very differently.

•

You cannot add conditional logic to an action. Unlike a script, actions cannot make

decisions based on the current situation.

•

A single script can target multiple hosts. Actions can’t. For example, you could target both

Photoshop and Illustrator in the same script.

The Actions palette, invoked under the Window menu, supports actions with a great deal of

sophistication (including the ability to display dialogs) and allows users to work with selected

objects, as illustrated below.