Legend

Question

Illustrator scripting bug list.

Forum|Forum|10 years ago
October 12, 2015
6 replies
5694 views

Hello dear friends, the time has come... to assemble a list of bugs we want to have eliminated.

I've come into contact with an engineer on LinkedIn and he has this to say in a private email exchange:

Me: "I have a variety of issues I can provide you with, including cases provided by other scripters around the world. Would you want to focus on any specific issue at first, or do you wish to get the entire catalog of reports?"

Him: "Entire catalog in a prioritized list will be great. I can then get into a conversation with developers with this doc. Also, anything you can do to help me explain why fixing something “non obvious” is important will also help me."

Okay, so let's put some list together to send him and hopefully it can start some ball rolling.
I think we should come up with a format to document each "situation" , as these bugs are not typical user bugs and are sometimes more elusive.

This topic has been closed for replies.

ShivendraAgarwal

Participating Frequently

This bug has been fixed. You can find Scripts retained in Actions post relaunch in recent pre-release builds.

https://forums.adobeprerelease.com/illustratorpr/discussion/comment/3459#Comment_3459

Sturm359

Inspiring

I don't know if this thread will actually have any impact, but I certainly hope it does, since I have a major scripting issue that I know for a fact is a bug. I'll post it below, but if there is a more "official" place in which to submit this bug, please let me know and I will do so immediately. Seeing as how the first two problems below are still problems after several months, I'm guessing that this thread is being ignored by the powers that be. Still, I'll give it a shot.

MRAP:

First, let me open by saying that I, too, have been having many MRAP errors in our scripts. We are on Macs running Yosemite currently, which fits with your theory, Silly-V. This has been an issue since Mavericks and maybe even Mountain Lion, I think, but it appears to be happening much more often now on Yosemite, and typically whenever the script is opening/processing a larger file or one with more complex artwork / many hundreds of paths. I have been attributing it to my relatively poor scripting skills--that "MRAP" meant some sort of memory leak in the scripts--but now I am not so sure.

ESTK Pause:

This is also happening to me, also running the Creative Cloud version (CC) on Yosemite. Very frustrating, indeed. If I were a less patient person, I would have gone through a dozen keyboards by now. Perhaps it is a very inefficient auto-backup feature?

NoColor fill reads as GrayColor 0:

Here's the one I'm currently having. I'll try to follow the same format that has been established earlier in this thread:

Work Scenario:
- Reading the fill color of a path that has no color (i.e., using "PathItem.fillColor").
The Error:
- The script returns "GrayColor".
- Furthermore, when checking that "GrayColor"'s value (PathItem.fillColor.gray), it returns "0."
Workaround:
- No known workaround, to the best of my knowledge. Please feel free to suggest something.

The result of this is that whenever a path without a fill is being read, the script thinks that it has a fill of white. This can be easily replicated with the following steps:

Create a new document.
Using the pen tool, draw a closed polygon.
Make sure the polygon has no fill color. It should be empty. (Stroke color/existence does not matter.)

Write a small script in the ESTK as follows:

var workDoc = app.activeDocument;
$.writeln("Stroke Color: " + workDoc.pathItems[0].strokeColor.typename);
$.writeln();
$.writeln("Fill Color: " + workDoc.pathItems[0].fillColor.typename);
if (workDoc.pathItems[0].fillColor.typename == "GrayColor") {
    $.writeln("Fill Color's Gray Value: " + workDoc.pathItems[0].fillColor.gray);
}

Run it and observe the result.

And that's it. Thoughts/ideas/workarounds welcome.

CarlosCanto

Community Expert

for the Grey color issue, what would you take as acceptable workaround?

The script returns "GrayColor".

what do you need instead of "GrayColor"?

Sturm359

Inspiring

CarlosCanto wrote:

for the Grey color issue, what would you take as acceptable workaround?

what do you need instead of "GrayColor"?

Since the polygon has absolutely no fill, I would prefer it return "NoColor."

If you try out the steps in my previous post to replicate the issue and remove any stroke (so it is also set to None), then you'll see that the PathItem.strokeColor.typename will return "NoColor."

A GrayColor of 0 is equivalent to White, which is not the same thing as having no fill color at all.

If this isn't a bug, then I don't know what is.

As for a workaround, I wish I could think of one. I need to be able to detect if a path that the script is looking at has no fill instead of telling me that it has a grayscale value of 0.

mickyhulse

Known Participant

A few new things to add to the list, in regards to images in palette and dialog windows:

data URI support (i.e., embedded images)
Animated gif support

Disposition_Dev

Legend

I also wanted to add that just about ALL of the MRAP errors i get seem to be directly related to opening/closing a lot of files (or sometimes not even a lot..)

If i try to batch a folder using a script to open, manipulate, save, close, repeat... I will often get 2-3 files completed before an MRAP halts everything. However, as Silly-V‌ has pointed out in the past, simply opening a large number of files first, then looping through the open documents seems to run in a much more stable fashion, until of course, as silly has also pointed out, this then causes a period of unresponsiveness when the script is complete.

Many of the scripts that i used are not intended for batching a folder of files, but rather for making a lot of adjustments to one particular file based on input that I'm giving at the beginning of the script. So this requires me to open 2 files, copy artwork from one to another, run the script. save the destination file, close both files and repeat. I often only get through 4-5 files before MRAP's force me to quit and relaunch illustrator before i can continue.. but when I do the above method of opening many files at once, then batching the open files, i can get through many more before i get any errors.

I wasn't sure how to put that in the catalog format we've been using, but that's my experience thus far. Hope it's helpful.

Disposition_Dev

Legend

7. MRAP errors when creating/modifying layers. ESTK on Mac (i don't use PC so i don't know if it's an issue there as well)

Work Scenario
- Creating/renaming/modifying layers
The error(s):
- MRAP error when attempting to toggle visibility/locked status.
- MRAP error when attempting to rename layer created by a script
- Occasionally ESTK will return error "undefined is not an object" when attempting to rename a layer immediately after it was created
  - eg. var newLayer = layers.add();
  - newLayer.name = "The Layer";
  - //result is error "newLayer is undefined"
The Workaround:
- Retry running script several times.
  - This works ~20% of the time.
  - Result of retry can occasionally be changed by moving artwork on pasteboard, zooming in/out or deliberately moving quickly/slowly through prompt boxes..
    - WTF?!
- Quit illustrator and re-open. Then retry.

Qwertyfly___

Legend

Most of my issues are with the stability of the engine. and the lack of meaningful error messages when errors occur.

(this one is hard as I can run the same script for days before it errors a hand full of times, then it might be good for a week before it happens again. with no consistency it makes it hard to know the what, why, how)

the next biggest issue for me is all the items that we Don't have access to via javascript.

ie.

Variable Width Strokes

Contents of Opacity masks

autofit area text toggle

But I think your trying to get existing bugs fixed, not so much what we want added, that sounds like a different thread.

I'll come back and post more as I come up against them so I can test and give the required detail

ScriptUI has some big ones that I can think of, but will need to play with them before I can provide useful information.

8. #target illustrator (does not point to latest version installed)

Work Scenario
- Use of "#target illustrator"
The error(s):
- opens old version of illustrator rather then the latest version, even if latest version is open and running
The Workaround:
- use #target illustrator-19 (targeting a particular version is great when required, but to have to do it means the script needs updating every time a new version is released)

W

W_J_T

Inspiring

This is a joke that this even has to be talked about, but given the total lack of effort by the developers over the years, not surprising. Most all of these "bugs" should have been dealt with years ago with direct involvement.

Qwertyfly... wrote: .... all the items that we Don't have access to via javascript.

Such a list could be extensive, given how lacking scripting support is in Illustrator, along with how few of features were added since scripting was implemented.

Mouse Events: Down, Up, Move, Drag, Idle, Speed, Scroll, etc...
Timers: ie: SetInterval, clearInterval, etc...
Key Events: Press, Release, etc...
Basic progress indicator when (non UI) scripts run, ability to abort scripts when running and proper garbage collection after
Better support for Actions, shortcuts, inserted menu commands, etc.,
Direct Access to load and use sub Libraries (Brushes, Swatches, etc., all)
Complete access to Menu items and documentation of this feature (I think it would be nice if menus could be addressed via: (Menu/menuitem/subitem) or with corresponding documented numbers ie: 62)
Create Pattern Swatch via script
Improved performance with selections, currently the .selected property can be very slow
HitTest
Mesh Points
Improved ScriptUI overall / GUI for making UI's?
Better documentation overall and direct involvement with the community by the AI developers moving forward
General optimization, better garbage collection during and after scripts execution, memory management and purging, etc.
etc.,
etc.,
etc.,
etc.,
etc...
Shall we go on?

So many glaring issues/omissions its hard to remember them all.

Silly-VAuthor

Legend

Don't everybody just jump in all at once now!

CarlosCanto

Community Expert

yeah, please one at the time, we don't want to crash the site.

Silly-VAuthor

Legend

MMkay let me start off. These issues are prevalent on Mac OS, but also may be present on Windows too.

PARM/MRAP errors relating to reading of spot color swatches in batch processes.
- Work scenario:
  - A script which processes a folder of documents and reads each document's spot colors in the process.
- The Error:
  - Some of the spot color objects are read in with "Invalid Object" and script cannot continue unless document is closed and re-opened. As more documents are processed, the chance of this occurring increases until the script cannot function at all.
- Workaround:
  - Closing & re-opening a document using a try-catch statement. Inconvenient and slow, also not viable during large document sets.
PARM/MRAP errors relating to reading of pageItems in a document in a batch process or any singular script process.
- Work scenario:
  - A script which processes a folder of documents and manipulates various pageItems in the document, or a script which does so on a single document.
- The Error:
  - Some of the pageItems are read in with "Invalid Object" and cause the script to be aborted. User williamdowling reports that "nudging" the pageItems by changing their coordinates sometimes fixes this.
- Workaround:
  - Closing & re-opening a document using a try-catch statement. Inconvenient and slow, also not viable during large document sets.
PARM/MRAP errors relating to reading of pathItems which have been created via createOutline from editable text.
- Work scenario:
  - A batch or singular script which processes editable text to be converted into outlines and the resulting pathItems and compoundPathItems.
- The Error:
  - Batch: Some of the pathItems are read in with "Invalid Object" and require document to be closed and re-opened. As more documents are processed, the chance of this occurring increases until the script cannot function at all.
  - Single: When a script is ran a single time, it will work, but the consequent time it crashes the application.
- Workaround:
  - Adapt the script to duplicate every single pathItem created from editable text and remove original. Duplicated items now possess valid properties. Viable workaround, but should not have to use it.
Non-responsive application after a batch script.
- Work scenario:
  - Any batch script which saves multiple documents or opens and saves multiple documents.
- The Error:
  - Illustrator will remain unresponsive, sometimes showing spinning beachball for several minutes after a batch script is concluded. On my laptop this period is accompanied by an increase in the fan activity.
- Workaround:
  - Wait or force-quit Illustrator if in a hurry. Very inconvenient.
ExportOptionsTIFF resolution bug.
- Work scenario:
  - Any script which sets the resolution to export a TIFF.
- The Error:
  - The resolution is always set by previous UI-entered resolution during a manual TIFF export. Script-set resolution seems to be ignored.
- Workaround:
  - Saving the file 3 times previously with script-set resolution as it seems to use setting from 3rd previous save. Not confirmed to be reliable 100% and inconvenient.

Philosophical reasons to fix these although they are non-obvious to average users:

Globalization has driven down the price of manufactured and decorated consumer goods, forcing those businesses to rely on automation to stay competitive and afford their costs. Often, a promotions/print/decoration business cannot stay in business due to low margins and high competition, if an extra employee is required. Rather than investing in extra employees to perform clerical graphic arts tasks, they are investing in automation to empower the existing experienced employees to output a high volume of files in a fast-paced environment. As these kinds of enterprises focus on promotional, print and apparel goods for licensed and corporate clients, using spot-color swatches and especially PANTONE color books is essential. When you have PARM errors which result during processes which deal with spot colors, their efficiency gains are negated and they are forced to spend more money in areas of low return until they are forced to go out of business. Therefore, it is very important to eliminate the errors which result from such basic processes such as manipulating art objects in documents or reading spot colors in documents.

Okay, that's what I got so far, please feel free to correct, enhance, append, etc.

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