Participant

Question

Document saved property not updating when manipulating guides

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
September 28, 2017
5 replies
5665 views

I'm working on a script which among other things removes all guides in an image file. It's meant to run as a batch script, so for speed I don't want to save an image if I didn't actually removed anything.

I'm checking the saved property of the active document, but it doesn't seem to change when removing guides (or adding them). Doing this manually in Photoshop triggers a change in the value, but not when I script it. I'm also removing color samplers via the same script, and that changes the value of the saved property as expected.

The only option right now seems to be to save all images regardless of any change, but that will slow things down a lot. Does anyone know why manipulation of guides doesn't change the saved state?

app.open( new File( 'path/to/image' ) );
var theImg = app.activeDocument;
theImg.guides.removeAll();
if ( ! theImg.saved ) {
    theImg.save();
}
theImg.close();

Actions and scripting

This topic has been closed for replies.

Kukurykus

Legend

Although Jarda Bereza suspendHistory() solution is functional I think correct would be to use r-bin Action Manager code. The question is why activeDocument.guides.removeAll() doesn't work for Photoshop same like clear_guides() function if we know DOM is based on AM code? My approach to problem (using AM code though) but with checking guides length:

if ((aD = activeDocument).guides.length) {
    function sTT(v) {return stringIDToTypeID(v)}
    (ref1 = new ActionReference()).putEnumerated
    (sTT('good'), sTT('ordinal'), sTT('allEnum'));
    (dsc1 = new ActionDescriptor()).putReference(sTT('null'), ref1)
    executeAction(sTT('delete'), dsc1, DialogModes.NO), aD.save()
}
aD.close()

R

r-bin

Legend

Because in AM there is no code to delete one guide.

And the removeAl()l method for guides, as for many other collections, deletes the guides one by one.

Run the script. Then uncomment the clear_guides() and comment removeAll(). Compare the speed.

for (var i = 0; i < 100; i++)
  activeDocument.guides.add(Direction.HORIZONTAL, UnitValue(i, "px"))
activeDocument.guides.removeAll() 
//clear_guides()

P.S. alert(get_prop_value("document", null, "numberOfGuides"))

Kukurykus

Legend

Okey. I understand if Action Manager deletes all guides at once (I saw it running your fantastic snippet) then .removeAll() method (that deletes singly) is not based on AM code. So conclusion is, not everything what we have in DOM comes from AM, right? Well how is that .removeAll() methos recogines single lines while AM doesn't?

Whatever is answer it should be easy to delete certain line (one of many) by rewritting binaries. I don't have time to do it now, but maybe one day when someone needs...

btw, how to use that: alert(get_prop_value("document", null, "numberOfGuides"))

R

r-bin

Legend

use such function instead of guides.removeAll()


function clear_guides()
    {
    try {
        var d = new ActionDescriptor();
        var r = new ActionReference();
        r.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID( "Gd  " ), charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" ), charIDToTypeID( "Al  " ) );
        d.putReference( charIDToTypeID( "null" ), r );
        executeAction( charIDToTypeID( "Dlt " ), d, DialogModes.NO );
        d = null;
        r = null;
        }
    catch (e) { alert(e); throw(e); }
    }

Jarda Bereza

Inspiring

I would try "suspendHistory" so you can force photoshop to create new history step. Even if nothing happens.

app.refresh() can be slow ;-)

Davide_Barranca12040269

Legend

app.refresh is one of those all-purpose medicaments :-) True, it's slow.

In my case, I already had a complex routine within a suspendHistory, but I had to store a history status in a variable, and in some cases, it didn't stick unless I app.refresh. Go figure.

Davide Barranca - PS developer and authorwww.ps-scripting.com

Jarda Bereza

Inspiring

That is possible. Anyway I would try first this. This should create history step everytime. So we probably want add condition if there was one or more guides and in this case create history step. Which means we don't need history step. We just need save document if there was one or more guides.


app.open( new File( 'path/to/image' ) );  
var theImg = app.activeDocument;  
theImg.guides.removeAll();  
app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("Make it dirty",function(){});
if ( ! theImg.saved ) {  
    theImg.save();  
}  
theImg.close();

JJMack

Community Expert

If a File has saved guide and you remove the files need to be resaved. Photoshop internally has a Dirty bit for documents and if you try to close a document with its dirty bit set Photoshop will let you know the documnebt has unsaved changes with a prompt to save or not. However I do not know if there is a way to test this bit in a script.

If I open a psd the does not have saved canvas guides. If I look in menu View the item Clear Canvas Guides will be grayed out unavailable. Most of the time in Action or Script if is has coded something like that and it is currently unavailable the script or action will through an error. However not always some commands Photoshop scripts and actions ignore. Like arrange layer to the front or back when they are the front or back and the function is not available the command is just ignored in actions and scripts. So it must be the same for View Clear Canvas guides your scripts are not throwing an error. So you can not tell if the was available or not. If it were the guides would be removed and the dirty bit set.

I do not know if Photoshop Scripting exposes this dirty bit to the script writer. That is what your script would need to test to see if a save is requited or not.

A document opened from a file would for sure have a backing file a saved file it is what you opened. The document opened in Photoshop may be dirty or not and would need to be saved again to save the current changes.

JJMack

L

LP-LuddeAuthor

Participant

That's the problem. The dirty state doesn't change when removing or adding guides via the script. I expect it to work just like you describe, but it doesn't.