It more important to understand that it is not possible to pause an action or a script. That you can program both to simulate a pause. What is good about that is everything is programmed into a single file. There is only one file to maintain. However the file when used must be used twice to get its full function. If you look at the action palette and expand an action part way so you can see all the steps but not the setting used in the steps. You can highlight the action and click the play button and the action will run. You could also have highlighted one of the action step and clicked the play button and the action would have starter from the highlighted step. So you could say a action contains many actions. Inserting a STOP in an action in effect breaks and action into at least two every stop you add basically adds an additional action. So if you add a single stop into an action it brakes the action into the first part and a second part. So when you highlighted the action it will play the first part and stop when it encounter the stop and the step after the stop is highlighted. when you click the play button a second time the second part plays plays and the action complete it job. The Stop is not a pause its a place holder. You do not have to play the second part. You can do the same in a script you can program Part One and program Part Two what you need do is program the place holder. It could be a crude as a prompt which part do you want to execute One or Two or the place holder could be set by part one so that when and it the script is run the second time part two would execute.
You might call the Actions and Scripts "Run or Play Twice" programs....
Here is and example of one of my run twice scripts I created to be used within actions.
SaveAndRestoreResolution.jsx
/* ======================================================================================
// 2009 John J. McAssey (JJMack) http://www.mouseprints.net/
//
// This script is supplied as is. It is provided as freeware.
// The author accepts no liability for any problems arising from its use.
//
// This script is designed to be used by a Photoshop Action twice
// A good pratice to use when creating an actions that use this scipt is for the action
// not to do a save or play some other action between its two useages of this Script.
//
// The first time this script is used by an action the documents current resolution
// and ruler units are saved into the document's meta-data Info Instructions field.
//
// The second time this script used by the action the script retreives what was
// saved in the meta-data during the first usage, resolution and ruler units.
// The document is resized to the saved resolution,
// Photoshop's ruler units are set to saved units
// and the saved data is removed from the document's meta-data Info Instructions field.
//
// ===================================================================================== */
/*
<javascriptresource>
<about>$$$/JavaScripts/SaveAndRestoreResolution/About=JJMack's SaveAndRestoreResolution.^r^rCopyright 2009 Mouseprints.^r^rRun twice script utility for action.^rNOTE:Don't play other actions between runs!^r^rFirst Run records Photoshop's preferences Units and documents DPI resolution.^rSecond Run restores the recorded setting and removes the recording.</about>
<category>JJMack's Action Run Twice Utility</category>
</javascriptresource>
*/
if (app.documents.length > 0) {
if (app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("<Resolution>") == -1 ){ // no footprint fisrt useage
//alert("first");
// Retreive Document information for Foot Print
var units = app.preferences.rulerUnits;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS; // set ruler units to PIXELS
var typeunits = app.preferences.typeUnits;
var res = app.activeDocument.resolution;
// put footprint in metadata info instructions
app.activeDocument.info.instructions = app.activeDocument.info.instructions + "<Units>" + units + "</Units>" + "<Tunits>" + typeunits + "</Tunits>" + "<Resolution>" + res + "</Resolution>";
//alert( "Saved =" + "<Units>" + units + "</Units>" + "<Tunits>" + typeunits + "</Tunits>" + "<Resolution>" + res + "</Resolution>" );
app.preferences.rulerUnits = units; // restore ruler units
}
else {
//alert("second");
// Retreive saved information
unitsOffset = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("<Units>") + "<Units>".length;
unitsLength = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("</Units>") -unitsOffset;
savedUnits = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.substr(unitsOffset, unitsLength);
tunitsOffset = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("<Tunits>") + "<Tunits>".length;
tunitsLength = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("</Tunits>") -tunitsOffset;
savedTunits = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.substr(tunitsOffset, tunitsLength);
resOffset = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("<Resolution>") + "<Resolution>".length;
resLength = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("</Resolution>") + -resOffset;
savedResolution = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.substr(resOffset, resLength);
//alert("Resolution = " + savedResolution + " Units = " + savedUnits );
// Restore resolution
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;
activeDocument.resizeImage(null, null, savedResolution, ResampleMethod.NONE);
// Restore ruler units
// I get a message Enumerated value expected if I try to use var savedUnits app.preferences.rulerUnits = savedUnits;
// perhaps if I knew Javascript I would not need to use the following if else if .....
if ( savedUnits == "Units.INCHES" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.INCHES;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.CM" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.CM;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.PERCENT" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PERCENT;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.MM" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.MM;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.PIXELS" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.POINTS" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.POINTS;}
else if ( savedUnits == "Units.PICAS" ){ app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PICAS;}
// Restore Type units
if ( savedTunits == "TypeUnits.PIXELS" ){ app.preferences.typeUnits = TypeUnits.PIXELS;}
else if ( savedTunits == "TypeUnits.POINTS" ){ app.preferences.typeUnits = TypeUnits.POINTS;}
else if ( savedTunits == "TypeUnits.MM" ){ app.preferences.typeUnits = TypeUnits.MM;}
// Remove footprint from metadata info instructions
before = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.substr(0,app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("<Units>"));
afterOffset = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.indexOf("</Resolution>") + "</Resolution>".length;
after = app.activeDocument.info.instructions.substr(afterOffset, app.activeDocument.info.instructions.length - afterOffset);
//alert ("before = " + before + " after = " + after);
app.activeDocument.info.instructions = before + after;
}
}
else { alert("You must have at least one open document to run this script!"); }
JJMack
1 Correct answer
20
Replies
AdChoices