Is it possible to control source patching using ExtendScript?

[ETorr]

My impression is this is not possible, but on the off-chance, the idea would be something along these lines...

thisSourceTrack = app.project.activeSource.audioTracks[0];  //"activeSource": a made-up property
thisProgramTrack = app.project.activeSequence.audioTracks[5];
thisSourceTrack.patchTo(thisProgramTrack); // "patch-to": made=up function
thisSourceTrack.active(true); // "active": made-up function

Goal: We're interested in developing custom keyboard shortcuts to patch source to sequence.

Current options are mostly mouse-driven.

[Bruce Bullis]

Could you expand on what patchTo() would actually do, from a user's perspective?

Can you accomplish the same thing today, using PPro's UI?

[ETorr]

The equivalent in PPro's UI is drag-n-dropping timeline source track indicators up and down to route them to different sequence tracks.

[Bruce Bullis · Accepted solution]

Ahh, I get it now.

Not currently possible, and I don't see an existing API feature request for that; added B-125622.

Can you provide an overview of the workflows you'd like to support, given that capability?

[ETorr]

The background from this comes from discussions with fellow editors about how to speed up the process of activating and routing timeline track indicators.  The current control is largely mouse-based.  That's great at first: intuitive and clear.

But jockeying indicators is a process that goes on all day long, just about every minute of the day.   For editors looking to shave off those aggregating micro-seconds, developing keyboard shortcuts to track indicators actions would be empowering.

There's no immediate and obvious solution.  Avid has a couple of kb shortcut options that help a but but fall short a keyboard-only alternative and are hardly a model worth building on.

The thought was to use a custom panel to create a keyboard-driven (keystroke listeners) UI that would allow articulate and elaborate control over the indicators with the speed and fluency of playing a piano.

[e_d_]

Hi ETorr,

it should be made clear that keystrokes are only captured by a panel when

it is focused, but not when another panel/window is, IIRC.

So this might not be what you're looking for...

Am Donnerstag, 3. August 2017 schrieb ETorr :

Is it possible to control source patching using ExtendScript? created by

ETorr <https://forums.adobe.com/people/ETorr> in Premiere Pro SDK - View

the full discussion <https://forums.adobe.com/message/9743623#9743623>

[ETorr]

e.d.  wrote

Hi ETorr,

it should be made clear that keystrokes are only captured by a panel when

it is focused, but not when another panel/window is, IIRC.

So this might not be what you're looking for...

I suspect you're right.  We're more than a few steps away from this whole idea.

Unless there's a command hidden somewhere, it would require a feature request that allows you to activate a custom panel via keystroke, which would be valuable for a variety of reasons.

[Bruce Bullis]

There's no such keystroke, nor can panels be assigned keystrokes at the application level; most Adobe apps are almost out of assignable shortcuts.

Panels can activate themselves based on application activate messages.

[ETorr]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Bruce+Bullis  wrote

Panels can activate themselves based on application activate messages.

Intriguing, that.  How would that work?  Can you point to a example or the code that makes this possible

[Bruce Bullis]

Sure; check out the manifest on CEP's invisible panel sample.

Samples/CEP_HTML_Invisible_Extension at master · Adobe-CEP/Samples · GitHub

[ETorr]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Bruce+Bullis  wrote

Panels can activate themselves based on application activate messages.

***

check out the manifest on CEP's invisible panel sample.

Samples/CEP_HTML_Invisible_Extension at master · Adobe-CEP/Samples · GitHub

That hints at a Panel that activates itself on app startup.

But would that mean any key listeners (keystroke, keydown keyup) would be "heard" when PPro panels other than custom panel are active?

[Bruce Bullis]

com.adobe.csxs.events.ApplicationActivate is sent at app launch, and whenever the user returns to PPro from elsewhere (the OS, other apps).

More on ApplicationActivate, here:

https://www.davidebarranca.com/2014/07/html-panels-tips-12-cep-application-events/

It may be challenging to build your keyboard-driven workflow; PPro only sends keyboard events to a panel when it has focus, and only for those specific key events for which it has registered. Your panel won't hear anything, until the user interacts with it.

[ETorr]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Bruce+Bullis  wrote

com.adobe.csxs.events.ApplicationActivate is sent at app launch, and whenever the user returns to PPro from elsewhere (the OS, other apps).

More on ApplicationActivate, here:

https://www.davidebarranca.com/2014/07/html-panels-tips-12-cep-application-events/

Thanks!

It may be challenging to build your keyboard-driven workflow; PPro only sends keyboard events to a panel when it has focus, and only for those specific key events for which it has registered. Your panel won't hear anything, until the user interacts with it.

Understood.  A solution (feature request?) I can imagine would be an ability to activate/give focus to a custom panel of your choosing via keyboard shortcut, at which point the Custom Panel takes subsequent keyboard control until you or it takes focus elsewhere.

[ETorr]

Posting a more general followup question here

Is it possible to control source patching using ExtendScript?

for some feedback and will send a feature request as well.

[woodced]

Hi all, 

Does anyone know if this ever made it into the ExtendScript API. I have a similar need to automate source patching (and don't need the global keyboard hook)?

[dpt12]

I would like to know it too

[Trevor_Asq]

• Ideally they would modify regular app behaviour to allow avid style patching..

ie

1. make the toggle track patch dependent on bin/source or program/timeline having focus - so same shortcuts would toggle V1 A1 etc (as Avid works)

2. have an 'Autopatch' setting - see user voice requests for how this works in Avid

[arturos62950942]

Hi, ¿Does anyone has a follow up on this? thats a great idea, or at least have a way to select tracks without going the A1 in the UI, i work in an ultra wide monitor and it's literally so painfull to drag the mouse each time to active or deactive a track to insert sounds.