Hi,
I'm getting stuck with random ESTK errors about ActionDescriptors/ActionReferences:
I've scripts involving them and, sometimes, the script halts at innocuous lines like the one above (yes, Photoshop is the target, if you're wondering 
)
There's no way to get through it, I've to reboot PS and everything (the very same script) runs fine again - yet it's quite annoying while debugging.
Mac OSX Mountain Lion, PS CS6 - resetted PS prefs, disk permissions ok... what else, voodoo?
Thanks in advance
Davide
1 Correct answer
Got it, finally.
The following function was buggy:
PSUtils.clipLayer = function() {
var d, r;
d = ActionDescriptor; // here lies the typo
r = ActionReference; // and there too
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
executeAction(s2t('groupEvent'), d, DialogModes.NO);
return void 0;
};
For reasons that I can't get (do you have any hint?), at the first run the script completes without errors anyway, and the output is as expected. H
...
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Replies
Oh dear, the next step would be to bin the Mac and get a PC 
I'm afraid I'm running out of sense of humour 
So far, I can't develop anymore - I launch a script, runs smoothly, relaunch it ZAC, ActionDescriptor error, and there's no way to create a new ActionScript object anymore, anywhere (in a new, blank script for instance) with any ESTK and PS version.
What kind of preference file could I manually delete? (already did the above mentioned steps, prefs, permissions - I'm not that confident that it's a pref problem anyway)
Currently, even uninstalling and reinstalling (deleting prefs - and I'm quite sure ESTK prefs went away as well because it opened with its peculiar small fonts that I'm used to boost) the entire Creative Suite did not help
I'm start wondering whether the problem could lie in the script, that somehow corrupts something, even though the probability that this would be the case seems unlikely - to me.
Rather unhappy business, aka PITA.
Ok, time to share - does the following works with you?
The exact, repeatable steps that cause me troubles are:
1. I create in PS a new document (whatever size), RGB, 8bit.
2. Run the script (below the code) in ESTK
3. Wait for it to create the layers it has to create, then when it's done:
4. Select in the History Palette the initial snapshot (i.e. I return back in time to the blank document)
5. Run again the script in ESTK.
6. Bang! (at least to me, it stops at line 209, the first ActionDescriptor in the createCurvesAdjLayer function
You're maybe more lucid than me to find something wrong in it.
(the actual script is really small, it's after a whole bunch of utility functions - please borrow them if you're in need )
// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.3.3
// A bunch of utility functions ===============
var blendModes, c2s, c2t, s2t, t2s, w,
__slice = [].slice;
w = function(txt) {
return $.writeln(txt);
};
c2t = function(charID) {
return app.charIDToTypeID(charID);
};
s2t = function(stringID) {
return app.stringIDToTypeID(stringID);
};
t2s = function(typeID) {
return app.typeIDToStringID(typeID);
};
c2s = function(charID) {
return app.typeIDToStringID(c2t(charID));
};
blendModes = {
"Normal": "normal",
"Dissolve": "dissolve",
"Darken": "darken",
"Multiply": "multiply",
"Color Burn": "colorBurn",
"Linear Burn": "linearBurn",
"Darker Color": "darkerColor",
"Lighten": "lighten",
"Screen": "screen",
"Color Dodge": "colorDodge",
"Linear Dodge": "linearDodge",
"Lighter Color": "lighterColor",
"Overlay": "overlay",
"Soft Light": "softLight",
"Hard Light": "hardLight",
"Vivid Light": "vividLight",
"Linear Light": "linearLight",
"Pin Light": "pinLight",
"Hard Mix": "hardMix",
"Difference": "difference",
"Exclusion": "exclusion",
"Subtraction": "blendSubtraction",
"Divide": "blendDivide",
"Hue": "hue",
"Saturation": "saturation",
"Color": "color",
"Luminosity": "luminosity"
};
PSUtils = function PSUtils() {};
PSUtils.getBlendMode = function(blendString) {
return s2t(blendModes[blendString]);
};
PSUtils.makeSO = function(layer) {
var doc, newSO;
doc = app.activeDocument;
layer = layer != null ? layer : doc.activeLayer;
if (doc.activeLayer !== layer) {
doc.activeLayer = layer;
}
try {
newSO = s2t('newPlacedLayer');
executeAction(newSO, void 0, DialogModes.NO);
return doc.activeLayer;
} catch (error) {
w("error: " + error);
return void 0;
}
};
PSUtils.clipLayer = function() {
var d, r;
d = ActionDescriptor;
r = ActionReference;
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
return executeAction(s2t('groupEvent'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.selectLayersByName = function() {
var d, firstLayer, layer, r, secondLayer, _i, _len;
firstLayer = arguments[0], secondLayer = 2 <= arguments.length ? __slice.call(arguments, 1) : [];
PSUtils.deselectAllLayers();
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
for (_i = 0, _len = arguments.length; _i < _len; _i++) {
layer = arguments[_i];
r.putName(s2t('layer'), layer);
}
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
d.putEnumerated(s2t('selectionModifier'), s2t('selectionModifierType'), s2t('addToSelectionContinuous'));
d.putBoolean(s2t('makeVisible'), false);
return executeAction(s2t('select'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.selectLayersByArtLayer = function() {
var d, firstArtLayer, item, layer, r, secondArtLayer, _i, _len;
firstArtLayer = arguments[0], secondArtLayer = 2 <= arguments.length ? __slice.call(arguments, 1) : [];
PSUtils.deselectAllLayers();
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
for (_i = 0, _len = arguments.length; _i < _len; _i++) {
item = arguments[_i];
layer = item.name;
r.putName(s2t('layer'), layer);
}
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
d.putEnumerated(s2t('selectionModifier'), s2t('selectionModifierType'), s2t('addToSelectionContinuous'));
d.putBoolean(s2t('makeVisible'), false);
return executeAction(s2t('select'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.hasLayerMask = function(layer) {
var d, hasMask, r, wasActive;
if (layer != null) {
wasActive = app.activeDocument.activeLayer;
app.activeDocument.activeLayer = layer;
} else {
layer = app.activeDocument.activeLayer;
}
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
d = executeActionGet(r);
hasMask = d.hasKey(s2t('userMaskEnabled'));
if (wasActive != null) {
app.activeDocument.activeLayer = wasActive;
}
return hasMask;
};
PSUtils.deleteLayerMask = function(layer) {
var d, layerName, r;
layerName = layer != null ? layer.name : app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name;
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putEnumerated(s2t('channel'), s2t('channel'), s2t('mask'));
r.putName(s2t('layer'), layerName);
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
return executeAction(s2t('delete'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.deselectLayer = function() {
var d, item, layer1, layer2, r, _i, _len, _results;
layer1 = arguments[0], layer2 = 2 <= arguments.length ? __slice.call(arguments, 1) : [];
_results = [];
for (_i = 0, _len = arguments.length; _i < _len; _i++) {
item = arguments[_i];
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putName(s2t('layer'), item.name);
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
d.putEnumerated(s2t('selectionModifier'), s2t('selectionModifierType'), s2t('removeFromSelection'));
d.putBoolean(s2t('makeVisible'), false);
_results.push(executeAction(s2t('select'), d, DialogModes.NO));
}
return _results;
};
PSUtils.deselectAllLayers = function() {
var d, r;
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
return executeAction(s2t('selectNoLayers'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.deleteSmartFilterMask = function(layer) {
var d, layerName, r;
layerName = layer != null ? layer.name : app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name;
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putEnumerated(s2t('channel'), s2t('channel'), s2t('filterMask'));
r.putName(s2t('layer'), layerName);
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
return executeAction(s2t('delete'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
PSUtils.setSmartFilterBlendMode = function(layer, blending) {
var d, d2, d3, r;
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putIndex(s2t('filterFX'), 1);
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
r.putName(s2t('layer'), layer.name);
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
d2 = new ActionDescriptor();
d3 = new ActionDescriptor();
d3.putUnitDouble(s2t('opacity'), s2t('percentUnit'), 100.000000);
d3.putEnumerated(s2t('mode'), s2t('blendMode'), PSUtils.getBlendMode(blending));
d2.putObject(s2t('blendOptions'), s2t('blendOptions'), d3);
d.putObject(s2t('filterFX'), s2t('filterFX'), d2);
return executeAction(c2t('setd'), d, DialogModes.NO);
};
var createCurvesAdjLayer = function(layerNameString, blendingMode) {
var d, d2, d3, r;
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
r.putClass(s2t('adjustmentLayer'));
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
d2 = new ActionDescriptor();
d2.putString(s2t('name'), layerNameString);
d2.putEnumerated(s2t('mode'), s2t('blendMode'), PSUtils.getBlendMode(blendingMode));
d3 = new ActionDescriptor();
d3.putEnumerated(s2t('presetKind'), s2t('presetKindType'), s2t('presetKindDefault'));
d2.putObject(s2t('type'), s2t('curves'), d3);
d.putObject(s2t('using'), s2t('adjustmentLayer'), d2);
executeAction(s2t('make'), d, DialogModes.NO);
return app.activeDocument.activeLayer;
};
// Actual script ===============
// Generated by CoffeeScript 1.3.3
var USMDark, base1, curve, darkSet, doc, invertLayer, lay;
doc = app.activeDocument;
lay = doc.activeLayer;
darkSet = doc.layerSets.add();
darkSet.name = "Dark Halos";
darkSet.blendMode = BlendMode.LINEARBURN;
base1 = lay.duplicate(darkSet);
base1.name = "base";
curve = createCurvesAdjLayer("subtract", "Subtraction");
if (PSUtils.hasLayerMask(curve)) {
PSUtils.deleteLayerMask(curve);
}
USMDark = PSUtils.makeSO(base1.duplicate(darkSet));
USMDark.applyUnSharpMask(500, 10, 0);
PSUtils.setSmartFilterBlendMode(USMDark, "Luminosity");
PSUtils.deleteSmartFilterMask(USMDark);
USMDark.blendMode = BlendMode.DARKEN;
USMDark.name = "USM - Darken";
PSUtils.clipLayer();
I've tested this on 2 different Mac (PS CS6 and PS CS5) - after the error has been fired, no any other script can create ActionDescriptor() and ActionReference() objects anymore, no way. WTF?!
Me, I'm quite in desespair.
Cheers
Davide
Got it, finally.
The following function was buggy:
PSUtils.clipLayer = function() {
var d, r;
d = ActionDescriptor; // here lies the typo
r = ActionReference; // and there too
r.putEnumerated(s2t('layer'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
d.putReference(s2t('target'), r);
executeAction(s2t('groupEvent'), d, DialogModes.NO);
return void 0;
};
For reasons that I can't get (do you have any hint?), at the first run the script completes without errors anyway, and the output is as expected. How come?! 
The second run it hangs, not in the buggy lines (easy peasy), but within another innocent function where the correct
d = new ActionDescriptor();
r = new ActionReference();
are declared.
Thanks to everyone who's stepped in helping with suggestions
Davide (who tomorrow morning will be on his way to a long - very much needed - holidays weekend un in the mountains far from any electronic device with a display on it)
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