Inspiring

Question

Do I need Adobe ExtendScript installed to run VS Code's Extension?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
December 27, 2021
3 replies
1627 views

Hi Adobe Community,

Finally with some time on my hands, I'm trying to sink my head into using JSX with Photoshop and my install for ExtendScript fails. I come to find Adobe doesn't support ExtendScript any longer. So can I run VS Code's Package extension without it? As it seem like my only option besides Notepad.

Also, is there any easy install tutorials involving Photoshop out there? I can't seem to find any that aren't really involved. If possible just want to know how to use VS Code to get Photoshop to alert "Hello World", from there I can run tests, but I can't seem to just get setup without errors etc.

Thanks a bunch for any response!

This topic has been closed for replies.

JJMack

Community Expert

Do not miss "Clean SL" script by Tomas Sinkunas https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/clean-sl/m-p/9358420

Also the Photoshop extension "JSX Launcher" https://exchange.adobe.com/creativecloud.details.12096.jsx-launcher.html

If you use Windows you may find my DOS Bat file to control the Scriptlistenet Javescript Log file handy. I set the VSB log files attribute to read only it is nevers written to. "Control ScriptListener.bat"

	@Echo Off
:loop
	CLS
rem Display Log File Size
	Dir "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" /T:W /4 | find "%ScriptingListenerJS.log"
rem Display Log Attributes  R read only Locked no R log is Unlocked
	Attrib "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
Rem If timeout is use the above display lines will refresh over time else you need to use enter or number
	CHOICE /C 123456 /N /T 300 /D 6 /M "Enter:1 to Lock, 2 to Unlock, 3 to Edit, 4 to Clear, 5 To Exit :"
	Echo %ERRORLEVEL%
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==6 goto timeout
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==1 goto one
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==2 goto two
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==3 goto three
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==4 goto four
	if %ERRORLEVEL%==5 goto five
	goto loop
:timeout
	goto loop
:one
	Attrib +R "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
	goto loop
:two
	Attrib -R "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
	goto loop
:three
    Rem inline command use CMD independate command use start 
	CMD /C notepad "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
rem	Start notepad "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
	goto loop
:four
    Rem If the script log file is unlocked not read only  this echo will clear it 
rem	Attrib -R "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
	Echo. > "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ScriptingListenerJS.log" 
	goto loop
:five
	EXIT

JJMack

Gotta DanceAuthor

Inspiring

Awesome you guys, thanks so much!

Gotta DanceAuthor

Inspiring

I'm a Mac person so I'm at the behest of what's available on that side of the pond.

The ScriptListener/Clean SL combo is looking to be pretty formidable in the realm of access and return scripting back into form though.

In a number of minutes I was able to wrangle up an "Ungroup Artboards" command:

// =======================================================
ungroupLayersEvent();
function ungroupLayersEvent() {
var c2t = function (s) {
return app.charIDToTypeID(s);
};

var s2t = function (s) {
return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
};

var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
var reference = new ActionReference();

reference.putEnumerated( s2t( "layer" ), s2t( "ordinal" ), s2t( "targetEnum" ));
descriptor.putReference( c2t( "null" ), reference );
executeAction( s2t( "ungroupLayersEvent" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
}

Boom! I have to do this with every signle comp I open up at work. Now if I can just find a way to do it all boards to all files in a folder. That will be the next conquest.

Is there an online repository to share and retrieve JSX scripts at all? There isn't is there?

Hey JJMack,

Sweet, thanks for the site reference. I hear ya, go with what you know.

I can't stand artboards. I work in digital advertising production and working in an environment where i can't 'crop' is ridiculous. For me, the artboard is this decade's fascination of building HTML in tables instead of div tags. Artboards are great for presentation, but just non-functional for production. We should really be building in layer comps and then presenting in artboards, not the other way around, but it's not going to change since mobile apps and shared layout prototyping currently runs the world.

So working with automation that can remove them en masse will be great. 🙂

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Setting up VS Code does indeed take some work. Some links which I hope will help include:

https://extendscript.docsforadobe.dev/vscode-debugger/getting-started-with-vscode-debugger.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnYDiWxShR4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7AfZel_nYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a90H-Pf61LQ

Gotta DanceAuthor

Inspiring

Yes, yes yes!!

I found this one as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnYDiWxShR4 (listed second above).

That one is perfect for any craetive types trying to get things just set up and rolling without any errors and have no clue about app building/debugging. Brass tacks, no multi-tasking, upper-level "here's what you can do while skipping 2-3 major things you need first" tutorial. Awesome.

I found this one that was a real boon: https://youtu.be/EvUDLbxGzmE

...It introduces ScriptListener like JJMack mentioned above, but doesn't step you through getting started. I'm on a Mac which I understand leaves me handicapped in attaining ExtendScript at all. So I'm left with the VS Code environment which is actually pretty nice for a novice like me.

One thing that I ran into which was frustrating was the launch.json / hello.jsx wouldn't load in the app even open. It would just stall during run/debug. I found in my extensions that I also installed ExtendScript itself along with the ExtendScript Debugger extension. I uninstalled ExtendScript and I think that fixed the problem. I still have to make the application (PSD, AE, etc.) active in focus in order for the script to run, but it works.

Thanks you guys, I think I'm up and running JSX files in VS Code, way cool!!

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Some links on SL:

https://www.tranberry.com/photoshop/photoshop_scripting/tips/listener.html

https://www.kirupa.com/motiongraphics/scripting5.html

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/clean-sl/m-p/9358420

JJMack

Community Expert

Extendscript is I believe all 32Bit code therefore will not be supported on a newer Mac. When you run a Photoshop you do not use Extebscript or VS Code. Scripts are more computer programs source code then they are programs. Scripts are text files you do not need ExtendScript or VS Code to develop Photoshop Scripts. You just need a text editor. I do not user a MAC

Both ExtendScript and VS Code have built is text editors they are sensitive to scripting languages syntax like VSB and JavaScript. While I have ExtendScript and VS Code installed on My Windows PC I do not use either of them to develop and test Photoshop Script. I never got VS Code and the Extentscript add onns working correctly on my PC and I dislike ExtendScript. For I'm Dyslexic and when I use extendscript UI to develop and test Photoshop scripts there are too many windows where things are changing all the times, they are more a distraction then helpful. and I have also encountered problems in Extendscript implmentation where the problem I had was in extendScript not my script.

One also need the use Action Manager code to script Photoshop for Adobe DOM does not cover all Of Photoshop features. Action Managers code is complex and nor very readable oe easy toe create. Thankfully Adobe Provides a Photoshop Plug-in Scriptlistener which is more or less a Script Recorder like the Action Palette is an Action recorder and editor. However, Script recorder has no controls or editing capability. It just records Photoshop Steps like the action recorder . These Steps have recorded steps settings that are not variable. Step. Step. Step.... no logic just sequences of fixed Photoshop steps.

However, using a Text editor you can change the Action Manager code recorded to have variable setting and add logic to perform the steps in a logical way to perform procedure you want automated.

So you may ask what do I use to develop Photoshop Script. First I chose to user JavaScript for I want my scripts to work on both PC and Mac. That a problem for me for I never thought myself JavaScript. I never had the need to learn it while I was employed as a Programmer. I use others programming languages. Because I was a Programmers over the years I used many Programmings language and operating systems. So without knowing JavaScript I can more or less read Javascript code and understand what is going on and with the help of some manuals I can modify existing script code. So I need to doe a lot of searching.

So I need a text Editor. I use NotePad++ it is freeware has syntax highlighting for Java and has spell checking.

Now Action Mangers code is ugly and not something I want to learn to code. So I need to install Adobe Plug-in Scriptlistener. However, it has no controls or editing feature and it records ugly code. So I wrote DOS bat file to give me some controls for the Scriplistener-in and add an edit feature. Still the scriptlistener Action manager coder is ugly not something you want to use. fortunately a very good javascript coders posted Javascript in this forum that can clean up the Scriptlisener recorded code into Javascript functions the are not that difficult to read and use. He also added code to remove some unusable junk code thet it records for me. So I intergraded that script into my Photoshop Scripting work flow. My entire Photoshop Script development work-flow is tied together by an Photoshop extension JSX Launcher a free extension on Adobe exchange. This adds a Extension Panels to Photoshop that is like a one ScriptSet you can run Scripts from. You cans easily change the ScriptSet from its fly-out menu. So I have a collection of scripts sets I use developing Photoshop scripts. The main development set contains the Scriptlisener cleaner and the scripts I currently working on. Other set in the collection contains utilities and scripts that lets me examine Document I'm developing script to work on.

JJMack

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