A way to select all Artboards and make them transparent?

[TestriteVisual]

Greetings,

Is this a bug or not a feature?

There seems to be no way to do a select all Artboards in the Layer window using shift+click.

I've found that I can ctrl/cmd+click on each Artboard name in the graphics area one by one or I can ctrl/cmd+click on each Artboard in the Layer window, and I can then change the Artboard background simultaneously to transparent (or the same color), but if I try a shift+click on the top and bottom Artboards it Layer window, PS treats this as some type "select everything" and not just a "select all" Artboards, so the Properties window just goes blank, where the Artboard background color box was when individually picking an Artboard or ctrl/cmd+clicking on each Artboard.

Thanks for any help on this.

[Stephen Marsh]

If  artboards are collapsed, then there is no difference between SHIFT or CMD/CTRL clicking the artboards – as the content of the artboards isn't selected.

EDIT: I tested in haste with an empty layer, where there is no difference between SHIFT or CMD/CTRL... However, if the artboard does have actual content, then there is a difference and you have to use CMD/CTRL.

If artboards are expanded, then yes, SHIFT and CMD/CTRL have different behaviours – as using SHIFT will include consecutive/contiguous/adjacent content inside artboards.

This is by design and common throughout Photoshop and other software, including selecting files in the operating system.

A script could automatically select all artboards for you to manually change the artboard background, or a script could change all artboards and automatically change their background to transparent.

[TestriteVisual]

Thanks for the reply. Based on my  screencap video below which, show three scenarios, Scenario1, is the one that does not appear to work, which seems like a bug. Please let me know if you have the same result when testing. Thanks.

Scenario1. Shift+click on the artboards with an object on each artboard, with the artboards collapsed. The dropdown box for changing Artboard background color disappears.

Scenario2. Ctrl/cmd+click on each artboard with an object on each artboard, with the artboards collapsed. The dropdown box for changing Artboard background color remains

Scenario3. Shift+click on the artboards with objects detlete from all artboards, with the artboards collapsed. The dropdown box for changing Artboard background color remains.

[Stephen Marsh]

Scenario1. Shift+click on the artboards with an object on each artboard, with the artboards collapsed. The dropdown box for changing Artboard background color disappears.

By @TestriteVisual

I originally tested in haste with an empty layer, where there is no difference between SHIFT or CMD/CTRL... However, if the artboard does have actual content, then there is a difference and you have to use CMD/CTRL!

It appears that if one uses SHIFT, the content on the top artboard is unexpectedly selected, while the content of the lower artboards isn't selected. Most likely a long-standing bug, probably inherited from layer groups which I seem to recall having the same issue with contiguous selections.

So the moral of the story is to just use CMD/CTRL to select multiple artboards if you wish to modify their common properties.

[Stephen Marsh]

The following script will change all artboard backgrounds to transparent:

/*
All Artboards to Transparent.jsx
v1.0 - 26th April 2024, Stephen Marsh
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/a-way-to-select-all-artboards-and-make-them-transparent/td-p/14579880
*/

#target photoshop

function main() {

    for (var i = 0; i < activeDocument.layerSets.length; i++) {
        try {
            activeDocument.activeLayer = activeDocument.layers[i];
            if (isArtboard() === true) {
                artBoardBackground(3);
            }
        } catch (e) {
            alert("Error!" + "\r" + e + ' ' + e.line);
        }


        function artBoardBackground(artBoardColor) {
            /* https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/setting-artboard-background-to-transparent/m-p/12438157 */
            var ideditArtboardEvent = stringIDToTypeID("editArtboardEvent");
            var desc520 = new ActionDescriptor();
            var idnull = stringIDToTypeID("null");
            var ref129 = new ActionReference();
            var idlayer = stringIDToTypeID("layer");
            var idordinal = stringIDToTypeID("ordinal");
            var idtargetEnum = stringIDToTypeID("targetEnum");
            var desc521 = new ActionDescriptor();
            var idartboard = stringIDToTypeID("artboard");
            var idchangeBackground = stringIDToTypeID("changeBackground");
            ref129.putEnumerated(idlayer, idordinal, idtargetEnum);
            desc520.putReference(idnull, ref129);
            // Static options for "Other" idartboardBackgroundType = 4
            var idcolor = stringIDToTypeID("color");
            var desc523 = new ActionDescriptor();
            var idred = stringIDToTypeID("red");
            desc523.putDouble(idred, 128.000000);
            var idgrain = stringIDToTypeID("grain");
            desc523.putDouble(idgrain, 128.000000);
            var idblue = stringIDToTypeID("blue");
            desc523.putDouble(idblue, 128.000000);
            var idRGBColor = stringIDToTypeID("RGBColor");
            desc521.putObject(idcolor, idRGBColor, desc523);
            var idartboardBackgroundType = stringIDToTypeID("artboardBackgroundType");
            // putInteger 1 = White, 2 = Black, 3 = Transparent, 4 = Other
            desc521.putInteger(idartboardBackgroundType, artBoardColor);
            desc520.putObject(idartboard, idartboard, desc521);
            desc520.putInteger(idchangeBackground, 1);
            executeAction(ideditArtboardEvent, desc520, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function isArtboard() {
            // modified from a script by greless with hints from jazz-y!
            // returns true or false
            try {
                var d = new ActionDescriptor();
                var r = new ActionReference();
                r.putEnumerated(stringIDToTypeID('layer'), stringIDToTypeID('ordinal'), stringIDToTypeID('targetEnum'));
                var options = executeActionGet(r);
                return options.hasKey(stringIDToTypeID('artboard')); // test for the required key
            } catch (e) {
                //alert(e);
            }
        }
    }

}
app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("All Artboards to Transparent", "main()");

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html