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Inspiring
May 5, 2015
Open for Voting

Photoshop: Add/Share Actions + Scripts to CreativeCloud Library

  • May 5, 2015
  • 23 replies
  • 1990 views
Would be a comfortable way of getting script updates to coworkers.

23 replies

Inspiring
October 30, 2020

hi. i want share atn file with another user but i cant because my action Comes with my location and Users can no longer use

What can I do to fix this problem?

Known Participant
May 2, 2019
I used to have .jsx scripts copy and update the photoshop scripts folder, but file permissions changed with either Win 10 or photoshop 2017 so the installation folder is admin access required. Short of having batch files that run as admin or some kind of native installer, users have to manually copy updated scripts if they want them in the file menu.
Pedro Cortez Marques
Legend
May 2, 2019
Hi,
on a group of Macs connected to a network I would do the same logic:

1. common folder somewhere in the network where all the original files are to be placed on each computer
2. a script (apple script) to transfer(copy) all the files from the central folder to the User Shared folder in each mac computer. This can be done either when the computer starts, or photoshop starts.
3. All the Actions, filepaths references, etc, will always point not the central folder but the user shared folder: this folder on Mac is 
Folder("/Users/Shared")
Using a reference to this folder will always make sure that any logged User account accesses the Shared folder.

Resume:
A) copy central folder contents to Folder("/Users/Shared") = updated!
B) only after A) finished successfully, photoshop will start (or restart) and automatically run a startup script to install the actions, assets, etc needed to work.

This is the simplest way to centralize everything.

Note: on Mac, there are some specific limitations due to access privileges so I don't know if the transfer of files can be defensively blocked by the system.  
Participant
May 1, 2019
Hello Pedro, thank you for the response. We do have a central server that we use, but I am also the one that manages it. Currently the main issue is that when I send out actions with file paths embedded or linked - everyone that installs them needs to run the linking step and have to delink the files and such.

I was looking to scripting to see if I can amend the filepaths of the actions to be more fluid? Like say - get from server filepath instead of the concrete pathts that photoshop actions give which reference the user and what not. Hope that makes sense.

I haven’t worked with actions palette before since I always find I have to save down the groups and then open those atn files to install them. Is palette a more efficient way of doing this then? Does it port all of the actions in a package or?

Sorry I have so many questions - I really appreciate you taking the time to guide me in the right direction, as we work on Mac our server is much more difficult to maneuver around for me due to lack of understanding.
Pedro Cortez Marques
Legend
May 1, 2019
There are several solutions. 
If you have a common network where your computers are in, you can use a central folder to be mirrored to a folder on each computer each time photoshop starts.
My solution was implemented only on windows, and the folder on each PC to mirroed from the central folder I use the Public folder (available to all users account on each computer)

You don't really need a script to mirror the folder with all its content. Another solution could be created by a command line that updates all the files for you from a central folder (if you have an IT manager you can ask him to do that for you)

If you need only to update the actions, you can centralize the file "Actions Palette.psp". This file is stored inside the personal photoshop settings of a user.
When you pick the "Actions Palette.psp" of another user and put it in your photoshop settings, your photoshop will load all those new actions from the other user. 
The advantage is that you don't need to use any *.ATN files. "Actions Palette.psp" is a file containing all the inner action Sets and all its actions embedded.

So, any IT guy can set windows to load a common "Actions Palette.psp" file and put it in the Photoshop user settings when windows start.
(each version of Photoshop have different folder settings, so all the users must work with the same photoshop version)

Participant
May 1, 2019
Hello Pedro, I know this is an old topic but you seem to have a lot of the answers that I am currently looking for. Particularly on how to set it up to where I can update the scripts / share across multiple stations without breaking referenced filepaths to linked files and such. Hope it makes sense, would love to ask you a few questions in regards to that part of the process and I have just recently started to learn scripting. 
Inspiring
April 12, 2019


I have no idea IF this can be done, but for those of us that work with tons of mockups and repetitive actions, this would be really handy. Also, it would allow us to share image treatment actions with teammates.
Inspiring
April 12, 2019


Photoshop actions would be great to be able to share with other members in a team through CC libraries.
Inspiring
November 14, 2017
Yes, this would be fabulous! Please consider implementing. 🙂
Inspiring
November 14, 2017
I agree. This would be incredibly handy. I would love to have action sets for our design team (image treatments, mockups, etc) and (crop actions, wireframe template storage) for the web team.