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Panchromatic
Inspiring
October 31, 2024
Answered

Get the clipping path flatness.

  • October 31, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 736 views

I'm trying to find the flatness value of the clipping path.

The code below returns a number but it needs to be converted.

How to get the real value of the flatness ?

 

alert (getClippingPathFlatness());

function getClippingPathFlatness(){
var ref = new ActionReference();
ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );
var desc = executeActionGet( ref );
var clippingPath = desc.getObjectValue(charIDToTypeID("Clpg"));
return  clippingPath.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("ClpF" ));
};

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Stephen Marsh

    @Panchromatic 

     

    That was a nice exercise!

     

    I looked for a pattern in the numbers:

     

    0.2 = 13107
    0.5 = 32768

    0.7 = 45875
    1.0 = 65536
    1.5 = 98304

    1.7 = 111411
    2.0 = 131072

     

    I then reverse-engineered that into the following, which appears to work consistently:

     

    /*
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/get-the-clipping-path-flatness/td-p/14953621
*/

alert("Clipping Path Flatness: " + getClippingPathFlatness() + " device pixels");

function getClippingPathFlatness() {
    var ref = new ActionReference();
    ref.putEnumerated(charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt"));
    var desc = executeActionGet(ref);
    var clippingPath = desc.getObjectValue(charIDToTypeID("Clpg"));
    // 65536 = 1.0 as the internal programming value, range of 0.2 - 100 scale in device pixels
    return (clippingPath.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("ClpF")) / 65536).toFixed(1);
}

     

    Edit: Not being a programmer, I asked AI why 65536 was significant and this was the reply –

     

    In programming, especially when dealing with digital graphics and certain encoding schemes, 65536 might represent 1.0 due to fixed-point arithmetic or specific scaling conventions.
    Here's the scoop: 65536 is 2^16, or a number representing the range of values in 16-bit systems. When graphics systems use 16-bit fixed-point numbers, 65536 is often the scaling factor to move between integer representation and floating-point representation.
    So, in your context, the value 65536 could be representing the normalized floating-point value 1.0. This mapping ensures precision in representing and manipulating values within the limited range of an integer but allows for smooth transitions when converting to floats. It's a nifty way to ensure compatibility and precision.

     

    2 replies

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 1, 2024

    I'd like to be able to apply that retrieved flatness value to a clipping path, however, I'm not having any luck 

     

    quote

    Error: General Photoshop error occurred. This functionality may not be available in this version of Photoshop.

    - The command “Set” is not currently available.

     

    setClippingPathFlatness(getClippingPathFlatness());

     

    function setClippingPathFlatness(theValue) {
var idset = stringIDToTypeID("set");
var desc1222 = new ActionDescriptor();
var idnull = stringIDToTypeID("null");
var ref75 = new ActionReference();
var idpath = stringIDToTypeID("path");
var idclippingPath = stringIDToTypeID("clippingPath");
ref75.putProperty(idpath, idclippingPath);
desc1222.putReference(idnull, ref75);
var idto = stringIDToTypeID("to");
var desc1223 = new ActionDescriptor();
var idpath = stringIDToTypeID("path");
var ref76 = new ActionReference();
var idpath = stringIDToTypeID("path");
var idordinal = stringIDToTypeID("ordinal");
var idtargetEnum = stringIDToTypeID("targetEnum");
ref76.putEnumerated(idpath, idordinal, idtargetEnum);
desc1223.putReference(idpath, ref76);
var idflatness = stringIDToTypeID("flatness");
desc1223.putDouble(idflatness, theValue); // Set the flatness
var idclippingPathEPS = stringIDToTypeID("clippingPathEPS");
desc1222.putObject(idto, idclippingPathEPS, desc1223);
executeAction(idset, desc1222, DialogModes.NO);
}

     

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 2, 2024

    Hmm... As usual, it appears that I have forgotten more than I have remembered!  :]

     

    https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/create-clipping-path-from-current-layer-s-vector-or-layermask/m-p/10475301

     

    https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/script-for-conversion-to-clipping-path-and-running-on-a-batch/td-p/14435255

     

    EDIT:

    After a lot of trial and error, I had to force the flatness value to a number for it to be accepted when setting the value.

     

    /*
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/get-the-clipping-path-flatness/td-p/14953621
*/

var theFlatnessValue = Number(getClippingPathFlatness()); // Force the value to a number
alert("Clipping Path Flatness: " + theFlatnessValue + " device pixels");

function getClippingPathFlatness() {
    var ref = new ActionReference();
    ref.putEnumerated(charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt"));
    var desc = executeActionGet(ref);
    var clippingPath = desc.getObjectValue(charIDToTypeID("Clpg"));
    // 65536 = 1.0 as the internal programming value, range of 0.2 - 100 scale in device pixels
    return (clippingPath.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("ClpF")) / 65536).toFixed(1);
}
      Stephen Marsh
      Community Expert
      Stephen MarshCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      November 1, 2024

      @Panchromatic 

       

      That was a nice exercise!

       

      I looked for a pattern in the numbers:

       

      0.2 = 13107
      0.5 = 32768

      0.7 = 45875
      1.0 = 65536
      1.5 = 98304

      1.7 = 111411
      2.0 = 131072

       

      I then reverse-engineered that into the following, which appears to work consistently:

       

      /*
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/get-the-clipping-path-flatness/td-p/14953621
*/

alert("Clipping Path Flatness: " + getClippingPathFlatness() + " device pixels");

function getClippingPathFlatness() {
    var ref = new ActionReference();
    ref.putEnumerated(charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt"));
    var desc = executeActionGet(ref);
    var clippingPath = desc.getObjectValue(charIDToTypeID("Clpg"));
    // 65536 = 1.0 as the internal programming value, range of 0.2 - 100 scale in device pixels
    return (clippingPath.getInteger(charIDToTypeID("ClpF")) / 65536).toFixed(1);
}

       

      Edit: Not being a programmer, I asked AI why 65536 was significant and this was the reply –

       

      In programming, especially when dealing with digital graphics and certain encoding schemes, 65536 might represent 1.0 due to fixed-point arithmetic or specific scaling conventions.
      Here's the scoop: 65536 is 2^16, or a number representing the range of values in 16-bit systems. When graphics systems use 16-bit fixed-point numbers, 65536 is often the scaling factor to move between integer representation and floating-point representation.
      So, in your context, the value 65536 could be representing the normalized floating-point value 1.0. This mapping ensures precision in representing and manipulating values within the limited range of an integer but allows for smooth transitions when converting to floats. It's a nifty way to ensure compatibility and precision.

       

        P
        PanchromaticAuthor
        Inspiring
        November 2, 2024

        Your solution gives the correct value.

        I specially appraised the detailed answer with the edit.

        Thanks again for your help.

        Stephen Marsh
        Community Expert
        Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        November 2, 2024
        quote

        Your solution gives the correct value.

        I specially appraised the detailed answer with the edit.

        Thanks again for your help.


        By @Panchromatic

         

        You're welcome, I have encountered this "magic number" before, however, I can never remember the where or why. It's just one of those internal workings that are not usually found until some esoteric scripting scenario finds them.

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