Scripting a PostScript File directly to folder no user interaction

[iGraphix_777]

Hey guys hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction here. I'm a noob at scripting Illustrator and have been racking my brain over this script for a few days now.  What i would like to achieve is creating a script that will print a Postscript file to a designated folder with no user interaction. This folder will be on an external volume but just trying to get it to a folder on my desktop at this point... so this is what i started with initially :

var myDoc = app.activeDocument;

var options = new PrintOptions();

options.printPreset="PS_print";

myDoc.print(options);

Simple, and it works except that i still have to designate the folder in which the PostScript will be saved..  so i did some digging and came across this code Muppet Mark created on a thread called " Script: print to PostScript" here Re: Script: print to PostScript .  i ran it through ExtendScript and it executed once fine only thing i need to change is where the file is saving.   So i edited it and came up with this:

printPostScript();

function printPostScript(){

    app.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevel.DONTDISPLAYALERTS; 

    var docPath, docs, opts, psPath;

    jobOpts = new PrintJobOptions(); 

        opts = new PrintOptions(); 

        opts.printPreset = 'PS.print'; 

        opts.jobOptions =  jobOpts;

    docPath = decodeURI( app.activeDocument.fullName ); 

            psPath = new File( "~/Desktop/TEST" ); 

            jobOpts.file = File( psPath ); 

            app.activeDocument.print( opts ); 

            app.activeDocument.close( SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES );

     app.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevel.DISPLAYALERTS; 

}

problem is every time i use the userinteractionLevel command illustrator throws me an error  for the line where its supposed to execute the actual printing
"app.activeDocument.print( opts );"  Or at least im assuming the userinteractionLevel command is the culprit as Illustrator throws me the same error with the script   that i started with now when it didnt before.   If any of you guys could help me out here it would be appreciated!

Thanks

[Jongware]

You mention twice that you get "an" error. Don't keep us in suspense! What error do you get?

[iGraphix_777]

I guess it would help if gave the error huh lol sorry for the undue suspense.

It tells me an Illustrator error occurred: 20052('TN")

Then when i try and go back and run the initial code that was executing just fine before it will highlight the line
"myDoc.print(options);"

and just say the operation was cancelled. What am I doing incorrect ?

[Laubender]

What am I doing incorrect ?

Hi,

hard to tell what is provoking the error.

At least you should give the file you are writing a decent name.

Currently you are writing a file that is named "TEST" without suffix.

I tested your code using one of my print presets and it was running as expected.

Illustrator CC v 17.1.0 on OS X 10.6.8

Regards,
Uwe

[iGraphix_777]

Hi Uwe !

Thanks for testing the code out for me. Its nice to know the code is executing, maybe it just something w/ my personal computer we're running the same version of illustrator. 

Don't pay attention to the "TEST" name that's just me being a scripting noob and trying to figure out how to write the PostScript file to the folder located on my desktop named "TEST", the file name is actually "0904USCPWU_Franky_WHT-CRD_CF_SEPS.eps". 

i thought theses lines of code

docPath = decodeURI( app.activeDocument.fullName ); 

            psPath = new File( "~/Desktop/TEST" ); 

got the actual file name then wrote it to that location. how should i be doing this ?

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

You assign new File() to a variable named psPath. It's nothing magic with that variable name. You could name it whatEverThatIsWhatIsStoredInMe; if you assign a file and not a folder the file is stored and not the folder.

So in effect you are storing a file in variable psPath. The name of the file is simply TEST and is saved directly on the Desktop. If you want a file in folder TEST then add a reasonable file name to the string.

"~/Desktop/TEST/myPostScriptFile.ps"

Or have a new look into the script where you copied the code from.

There a file is done by using the AI file name. But in a different line of code you did not copy over. The suffix ai is replaced by ps using a regular expression.

If you want to use the name of your active document you could do something like that where a regular expression is used to replace the .ai at the end of the name with .ps.

Here an example:

psPath = new File( "~/Desktop/TEST/"+app.activeDocument.name.replace(/\.ai$/,".ps") );

Now you are using TEST as a folder name plus the name of the active document as base name for the file.

ps stands for PostScript. Not for EPS ( Encapsulated PostScript ).

That's a difference! If you want an EPS file you have to use Illustrator's save feature.

Regards,
Uwe

//EDITED

[iGraphix_777]

Thanks for the assist and insight Uwe!

your explanation and example "psPath = new File( "~/Desktop/TEST/"+app.activeDocument.name.replace(/\.ai$/,".ps") ); "

made it execute perfectly.

Below is the final code if anyone is interested:

function printPostScript(){

    app.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevel.DONTDISPLAYALERTS; 

    var docPath, opts, psPath;

    jobOpts = new PrintJobOptions(); 

        opts = new PrintOptions(); 

        opts.printPreset = 'PS.print'; 

        opts.jobOptions =  jobOpts;

    docPath = decodeURI( app.activeDocument.fullName ); 

    psPath = new File( "~/Desktop/TEST/"+app.activeDocument.name.replace(/\.eps$/,".ps") );

    jobOpts.file = File( psPath ); 

    app.activeDocument.print( opts ); 

    app.activeDocument.close( SaveOptions.SAVECHANGES );

     app.userInteractionLevel = UserInteractionLevel.DISPLAYALERTS; 

}

printPostScript();