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A
Alexey Danilchenko
Known Participant
October 14, 2013
Answered

Automation plugin as action and via File/Automate

  • October 14, 2013
  • 1 reply
  • 1372 views

Hi,

I have an Automation plugin that is scriptable (it has a number of exposed scriptable parameters and can be recorded and run from Actions palette). The plugin displayes the UI when it is called interactively (from File/Automate).

I am however having troubles distinguishing when it is called from an Action palette as a playback of recorded action and when it actually was called interactively from File/Automate (testing it in Photoshop CS6). On plugin invocation I check passed action descriptor and if not empty, read parameters from it and don't show the UI. On the call end, I write script parameters back to a descriptor to be able to use them in recorded action. With this in mind, after PS start first time selecting File/Automate works as expected - no descriptor/parameters passed into the plugin. But after a first call, Photoshop seems to keep the descriptor/parameters written at the end of the plugin and passes it on subsequent user invoked File/Automate. The same happens if plugin is getting called from a recorded action playback (and its expected). Basically after a first invocaction, the plugin will always receive action descriptor whether it called from an action playback or invoked by user.

I need to distinguish these two cases and basically present UI/start from scratch when user invokes it and use the passed action parameters when action plays it. I have not found anything in SDK to point me to the solution so I'd appreciate the help.

In filter plugins I can at least get selector start when invoked from UI and use that to free/ignore the action descriptor data.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Tom Ruark

I don't think you should care. The option you do care about is this one:

PIDialogPlayOptions playInfo

That is part of  PIActionParameters *actionParameters

That is part of your PSActionsPlugInMessage that comes into your automation plugin entrypoint.

This parameter has three options:

a) always display the dialog,

b) only display the dialog if you don't like the parameters you are given,

c) never display a dialog (either return an error or proceed with best options but don't stop with a dialog)

From the file menu, user selected, you should get option a (always). From the actions panel you should get option a or b. From scripting you can get all three options.

There is also a property in PIProperties.h called propPlayInProgress but the above information should be what you need to do the correct thing with dialogs.

1 reply

Tom Ruark
Tom RuarkCorrect answer
Inspiring
October 14, 2013

I don't think you should care. The option you do care about is this one:

PIDialogPlayOptions playInfo

That is part of  PIActionParameters *actionParameters

That is part of your PSActionsPlugInMessage that comes into your automation plugin entrypoint.

This parameter has three options:

a) always display the dialog,

b) only display the dialog if you don't like the parameters you are given,

c) never display a dialog (either return an error or proceed with best options but don't stop with a dialog)

From the file menu, user selected, you should get option a (always). From the actions panel you should get option a or b. From scripting you can get all three options.

There is also a property in PIProperties.h called propPlayInProgress but the above information should be what you need to do the correct thing with dialogs.

A
Alexey DanilchenkoAuthor
Known Participant
October 15, 2013

Thanks - using play options did the trick. I knew I was missing something obvious

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