Make/Release Clipping Mask via Script

[Wilson Faustino]

Hi, y'all

There is a way to reach the command "Make/Release Clipping Mask" in the Layer window via script?

What I'm trying to achieve is to create a rectangle using the size of my artboard, name it "CLIP", put it on the top of my active Layer and set it as my mask.

Example bellow:

Any help will be appreciated.

[moluapple · Accepted solution]

Hi, check this:

/* to make sure the desired layer(let's say layers[0]) been selected in the layers panel:
app.selection = null;
activeDocument.layers[0].hasSelectedArtwork = true;
*/
var actionStr = 
    '''
    /name [ 1    73]
    /actionCount 1
    /action-1 {
        /name [ 1    61]
        /eventCount 1
        /event-1 {
            /internalName (ai_plugin_Layer)
            /parameterCount 1
            /parameter-1 {
                /key 1836411236
                /type (integer)
                /value 18
            }
        }
    }
    ''';
createAction(actionStr, 's');
app.doScript('a', 's');
app.unloadAction('s', '');
function createAction(str, set) {
    var f = File(set + '.aia');
    f.open('w');
    f.write(str);
    f.close();
    app.loadAction(f);
    f.remove();
}

[Wilson Faustino]

thank you very much. that totally solves my problem. ❤️

[Wilson Faustino]

just one last question about it... how do you achieved the values in actions? there's a documentation of it? a way to "debug" the steps of actions? it would be very helpful on my learning curve.

[moluapple]

No documentation an all. Just record the action manually in UI, export the action set, open it with a text editor and you will get it.(Note that my sample code had simplified the contents of the action string, it's not necessary.)

[Wilson Faustino]

Great.

Your Script worked just fine in Illustrator running under Windows, but in Mac it didn't.

I will try to follow this steps in order to fix the problem on Mac.

Many thanks.

[Wilson Faustino]

Sorry for raising this question again, but I can't make it work on mac.

Here my code based on the mac action:

// cria retangulo do tamanho do artboard

var win = new Window ('dialog',"Clip Artboard"); 

win.alignChildren = 'left'; 

win.spacing = 2;

var chk = win.add('checkbox',undefined,"Clip content?"); 

var aviso = win.add('panel'); 

aviso.alignChildren = 'left'; 

aviso.add('statictext',undefined,"This will create a rectangle to clip");

aviso.add('statictext',undefined,"the content in this layer based in artboard.");

var btns = win.add('group'); 

btns.alignChildren = 'center'; 

btns.margins = [0,10,0,0]; 

var ok = btns.add('button',undefined,"OK"); 

var cancel = btns.add('button',undefined,"Cancel"); 

var actionStr =  

    ''' 

    /name [ 1    73] 

    /actionCount 1 

    /action-1 { 

        /name [ 1    61] 

        /eventCount 1 

        /event-1 { 

            /internalName (ai_plugin_Layer) 

            /parameterCount 1 

            /parameter-1 { 

                /key 1836411236 

                /type (integer) 

                /value 18 

            } 

        } 

    } 

    '''; 

cancel.onClick = function(){ 

    win.close(); 

} 

ok.onClick = function(){ 

    draw(0,"CLIP");

    if(chk.value == true){

        createAction(actionStr, 's'); 

        app.doScript('a', 's'); 

        app.unloadAction('s', ''); 

    }

     win.close(); 

}     

win.show(); 

function draw(bleed,name){ 

// create rectangle

var docRef = app.activeDocument;   

var artboardRef = docRef.artboards;  

for(i=0;i<artboardRef.length;i++){   

     var top=artboardRef.artboardRect[1];   

     var left=artboardRef.artboardRect[0];   

     var width=artboardRef.artboardRect[2]-artboardRef.artboardRect[0];   

     var height=artboardRef.artboardRect[1]-artboardRef.artboardRect[3];   

     var rect = docRef.pathItems.rectangle (top, left, width, height);   

     rect.fillColor = rect.strokeColor = new NoColor();  

     rect.name = name;

     docRef.activeLayer.clipping = true;

     }   

// 

} 

//create action to clip content

function createAction(str, set) { 

    var f = File(set + '.aia'); 

    f.open('w'); 

    f.write(str); 

    f.close(); 

    app.loadAction(f); 

    f.remove(); 

} 

[moluapple]

So what's the error info?

[Silly-V]

I bet it's not letting him write the file! Let's see.

[Wilson Faustino]

I'm not in front of the mac right now, but the Error is something like "Wrong Version".

The script creates the rectangle named "CLIP", but it can't create the action that would clip the layer.

Silly-V : you suspect the problem could be about permissions?

Thanks in advance.

[Silly-V]

Oh , no I don't think that's the case - I just recorded my own action which does this and the very first line says "/version 3"

Maybe it's really necessary for Macs?

[Wilson Faustino]

Even beggining with "/version 3" on top of the script it didn't worked. 

[Silly-V]

So what is the exact text of the .aia you export manually from the Actions panel, for study?

[Wilson Faustino]

/version 3
/name [ 4
    6d696e65
]
/isOpen 1
/actionCount 1
/action-1 {
    /name [ 4
        434c4950
    ]
    /keyIndex 0
    /colorIndex 0
    /isOpen 0
    /eventCount 1
    /event-1 {
        /useRulersIn1stQuadrant 0
        /internalName (ai_plugin_Layer)
        /localizedName [ 5
            4c61796572
        ]
        /isOpen 1
        /isOn 1
        /hasDialog 0
        /parameterCount 2
        /parameter-1 {
            /key 1836411236
            /showInPalette 4294967295
            /type (integer)
            /value 18
        }
        /parameter-2 {
            /key 1851878757
            /showInPalette 4294967295
            /type (ustring)
            /value [ 26
                4d616b652f52656c6561736520436c697070696e67204d61736b
            ]
        }
    }
}

[Silly-V]

So when you save this file manually, then load it in later, it works? If it works with manual usage, the same should work through a script as well.