Good call! And ... done. Thanks W_J_T! ... View more

A few new things to add to the list, in regards to images in palette and dialog windows: data URI support (i.e., embedded images) Animated gif support ... View more

Wow, that's interesting!!!! Thanks for sharing Silly-V‌. I've learned so much from your informative posts. Glad you got it figured out. So, let's put on our Illy-scripting wish-list: Embedded image support Animated gif support (totally off topic, but I ran into this recently and now seemed like a good time to mention it) ... View more

Interesting. ESTK crashes when it doesn't like the image string. So, I took your javascript unicode-escaped image string and ran it through: Escape for JSON and Javascript online tool‌ Then validated the below test JSON here: JSONLint PRO - The JSON Validator [     {         "image": "\\u0089PNG\\r\\n\\x1A\\n\\x00\\x00\\x00\\rIHDR\\x00\\x00\\x00F\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x1E\\b\\x02\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x1E\\u0091\\u00FFI\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x19tEXtSoftware\\x00Adobe ImageReadyq\\u00C9e<\\x00\\x00\\x03\\u0099IDATx\\u00DA\\u00EC\\u0098\\u00CDK\\x14a\\x1C\\u00C7\\u009DZ\\u00EC\\u00D0\\u00AE\\x07\\x13\\u00D4\\u00C4\\u00C2\\u0097\\u00D8,\\u00D8\\x12\\u0094\\u00A0\\b\\u00A2 \\n\\x02o\\u00DD:t\\u00EC\\u00D6\\u00BDK\\u00E7\\u00AE]\\u00FA\\x03\\u00BAu\\bO\\u0082\\u0081\\u0087\\u00C4 \\x14,\\u0083PR\\u00935S!]h\\u00D7C\\u00B3\\u0097>\\u00E3\\u00D7~>\\u00CC\\u00AC\\u00B3\\u00B9\\u00BB\\u00A2\\u00C8>\\f\\x0F\\u00CF<\\u00FB{\\x7F\\u009F\\u00F5\\u00DE\\u008F\\u00CE4\\x1C\\u00AFu\\u00A2\\u00E1\\u00D8\\u00AD\\u00BAJu\\u0095\\u008E\\u008AJk\\u00EB?\\u00E7\\x17\\u00E6\\u008E\\u009B\\u0097\\n[\\u00F9Z1\\u00C0@\\u009Ff\\u00A6\\u00D8c`\\x00\\u00D8/\\u00D9\\x18\\u0094DT\\u0082o\\x0B\\u00B3\\u0086\\u00B6\\u00BA\\u00B6\\u00D2\\u00DE\\u00D6\\u00A1\\u00D7\\u00E4\\u00E9T[\\u00EB\\u00D9\\u00F9\\u00C5\\x1D\\x07^\\u00CD\\f\\u0084\\u00A8\\u00F7v\\u00A7\\u0093\\u00C9\\u0094\\u00CE\\u00F8Yv\\u0081Z\\x7Ff\\u0090\\u00BDP\\u00C8\\u009B\\u00A5\\f\\u00D7\\u00E5\\b\\u00FD\\u00DE\\u009E\\u00B4K\\u00D0n\\u00C0\\x15_ndq\\u00A1\\u00B8\\x1Cm\\u009D|\\u00FC\\u00E8\\u0089\\u00FB\\x0E\\u00C4\\u00F9\\u00CE\\u00AE\\\\n\\x03\\u00E9y.\\u00F4\\\\\\x1C\\u00FF0v\\u00E7\\u00D6=\\u00CE~\\u00D1\\u00FF85q\\u00F3\\u00FAm\\u00CE\\u0090\\u00CE./57\\u00B7Hm]~\\u009D\\u00FD\\u00C2.:\\u00D9\\x1FK\\u00C8\\u00CD\\u00EB\\u0099\\u00E6\\x16\\u00DF\\u00F7\\u00A13=3\\x19\\u00C25\\u008E\\u00C5\\u00A2\\x0F\\u00B0n \\b\\u00C0\\u00A5\\u00BE\\u008C8\\\"=\\x00P\\x165n6s\\x1B\\u009C\\u0085\\u00D2\\u00D8x\\u00AA\\u0092\\u00F2\\u00804:@q\\u00D7c\\u00C9\\u0094L\\x0E{\\u00D9\\u00C9u/+_\\u00F8m\\u0096f\\u00C7.\\u00E8\\x13\\u00C2-\\u00B9 \\\"\\u00CF\\u0088\\u00A3\\\"\\u00D6\\u00A8\\u00C9\\\"\\u00F1\\x02'\\u00AAL\\x15\\u00E4Km5aZ\\u00B9T\\u0097(@\\u00A8\\u00B0\\u00A7\\u0092M\\n\\u00B3\\u00D5\\u00F5\\x15\\u008BX\\u00D3\\u00B3D\\x0E\\x17\\u00F2\\u00FC\\u00E4\\u00E6\\u0089\\u00DC\\u00AE`\\x11\\u0080\\u0099f\\x07>\\x12x\\u0089\\u00EA\\u00B3\\u00DF\\x12C^\\\"\\u008B\\u00D0\\u0084\\u00FCq\\u0099q\\u00E3\\u00E6\\u00CF^\\u00C9\\u008D\\u00DA\\x04B\\bR\\u00BE2M\\\\\\u0087\\x03\\u00EF\\x02\\u00C7\\x05\\x1E\\u00E9af0\\u00A7\\u00EFu6\\u00DD\\x14$\\x04\\x15?\\u00C1\\x18i\\u00EC!\\u008FM\\u008Dh\\u0087\\u00B0\\x00\\u0093\\x03\\u00ED\\f\\x11yi\\u00FA\\u00F3\\u00A4\\u00F1mo\\u00ED\\u0088\\u00B7\\u00B2\\x17\\x1A[\\u00AD\\u00B6\\u00B8\\u009C\\u00940%\\u00CF\\u00C4\\u00BDdU\\u0094\\u0083\\u008B\\u00F4!\\u00E3\\u0089\\u00A6\\u00EE\\x05iUd\\u00D7?\\u00DB\\x15RXf\\x1D+hv\\x13\\u00AA\\u0081%Iy\\x071\\u0089\\u008F\\u008C\\x0E\\u00DF\\u00BF;d\\u00AF\\x18;\\x14\\u0087\\x07\\u00BA\\u00CA\\u00AB$\\x0B\\u0099y*h\\u0085%\\u00BB\\u00C7\\u00A1\\u00CDxA\\x7F,\\x04\\u00F1\\u00F0\\u00F2\\u00D5\\u008B}\\u00D1\\x05\\u00C5\\u009E\\u00FF\\u00D7\\u00E7\\u00D9\\u00F3\\u00A7e\\u00ED[\\u0095\\u0097\\u00E4\\x1Fl\\x1C\\u00EC=\\u00E9P\\u00F8\\u00CAu\\u00AA\\x07\\u00FC\\x14\\u00F5\\u00A1\\u00CA@\\u0090c\\u00FFT2\\u0082\\u0096\\u008D\\u00C18\\u00B20\\u00C7\\u00AB\\u00E5\\u00AD\\x11\\u00D7Y\\u009DW\\u00DCU\\u00E2\\u00CA\\u00C6K\\u009C\\u0097\\u00A0H]\\u0096\\x1A\\u00F0\\u00A0\\u00FD+}\\u00DF\\u00BC}\\u00BD#\\u00CD\\u00E2\\u00DC\\u00C8\\u00BBa\\u00E3\\x1D\\n<)/`%\\u0098\\u00BC\\u00A7\\u00B1\\x18\\u00C9T\\x15\\u00A5CP\\x1E\\u00B6[\\u0099)\\u00CF\\x19\\\\\\u00F4\\x07\\u0080\\u00B3\\u00AC\\u0080<\\u00D1zPf \\n-\\u009B;\\u0090\\u00FE\\u00DA\\u00C0\\r\\u009B\\u00984\\u00FB\\u00F0l\\u00E6~]\\u00EE\\u00CB\\u00F0\\n3\\x0E\\u00AE\\u0087\\u00CFuv\\u0081\\u00E8y\\u009E\\\\\\u00C1\\u00AF\\x1Ay\\u0098\\u00AA\\u00FC\\u00E2\\x1F\\u00BA'\\u00C4\\u00E51$\\u00E6\\u00A6\\u00FF\\u00CA 7\\u0092\\u0098=\\u00BB\\u00FC}\\u00E8\\u00C1C(\\u00F0\\u00C0\\x11\\u00E5\\u0099\\u0092\\x00\\u0080l\\u00ED\\u00A7\\u0087P\\x0F\\u0095\\x04\\b\\x17\\u00AD{\\u00F4M\\u0089\\u00A8Q\\u00CD&,\\u00B3\\u00B4.\\u00B9\\u0089\\u00C6\\u0092\\r_\\u0087\\u00F3\\t\\u00E8&\\u008C\\u00A2\\x0E\\u00DFR\\u00C7\\u00D9\\u00E9\\u0092\\u00A1\\u009C\\u008EJ\\u00BF\\u00AFZZ\\u00B2YW\\u00AB\\x12\\\"\\u0096\\rhe3\\u008B\\u00E1\\u0085\\u00B3;\\x1F(\\u00CB\\u00CBr\\u00B1\\t&\\u00CA1\\u00FEs.\\x11o\\f2\\u0084\\u00E9&\\b\\u008C\\u00EE\\u00B4\\u008D\\u00A1\\u0096\\u00E5\\u00FC\\u00BAW\\u00CBr\\u0085VQq?\\x04\\u0083I\\u00C2!n\\x15\\u00C2\\u00BD!\\u00F0\\u00A2\\x1FN\\u00F6\\u00F5QU\\u00AB=\\u00AC\\u00A5\\u00E8\\u00AD\\x001qd\\u00F5\\x19\\u009F\\x18\\u00ABl\\u00F2\\u00F0\\u00EA\\u00FF\\u00B6\\u00D6U\\u00AA\\u00ABT\\u0093\\u00F5W\\u0080\\x01\\x00H@\\u00A4W\\u009F\\u008F\\u00E9\\u009D\\x00\\x00\\x00\\x00IEND\\u00AEB`\\u0082"     } ] Validates as JSON. You'd just need to unescape before calling it in a dialog window. Not sure if that's headed in the right direction, but that's probably the route I would head. ... View more

hi, format does look odd. Have you tried using a tool like (found randomly via Google search): Base64 Image Encoder ... View more

Awesome! Thanks Silly-V‌ and Ten A‌! Great tips and linkages! Here's one I forgot to post: ScriptUI AutoLayout Manager Algorithm (PDF) I've also resorted to a global Adobe forums search if the Illustrator-specific search doesn't pan out. Sometimes people have solved the same problems in other Adobe apps (most of the time, from what I have experienced, the code posted is directly translatable into Illy). Lastly, here's a filter for the tag "illustrator-scripting" on Graphic Design Stack Exchange. Does not seem as active as this forum though. ... View more

Qwertyfly... wrote: I think you've got the main gist of it. I'm happy to go through any parts your still un sure about. Only on the phone for today and tomorrow. So I'll be back on a computer after that and I'll bash together a bit of a rundown. glad you like the script. It's good to know your going to get more out of it then just a script. your enthusiasm is great. Awesome! Thanks again Qwertyfly...‌! I think I now understand most of the script. If I had to pick one thing for you to explain in more detail, I'd love to know how you built the Action. I was able to convert the action string into an installable action: /version 3 /name [      4      74656d70 ] /isOpen 0 /actionCount 1 /action-1 {      /name [           4           74656d70      ]      /keyIndex 0      /colorIndex 0      /isOpen 0      /eventCount 1      /event-1 {           /useRulersIn1stQuadrant 0           /internalName (ai_plugin_Layer)           /localizedName [                5                4c61796572           ]           /isOpen 0           /isOn 1           /hasDialog 0           /parameterCount 3           /parameter-1 {                /key 1836411236                /showInPalette -1                /type (integer)                /value 7           }           /parameter-2 {                /key 1937008996                /showInPalette -1                /type (integer)                /value 23           }           /parameter-3 {                /key 1851878757                /showInPalette -1                /type (ustring)                /value [                     11                     48696465204f7468657273                ]           }      } } What is ai_plugin_Layer? What steps did you take to build this action? When I inspect the action in the actions palette, it doesn't seem like there's much there to dissect. Oh, and one thing I got wrong earlier … The first for loop in your script records original layer visibility, but it also sets all layers to visible; I noticed the action doesn't work without this temporary step. Thanks again for your help! I was totally able to get your code to work with a BridgeTalk script I'm working on! Thank you!!!! ... View more

Ah, I see! Thanks for the reply and explanation Silly-V‌! I'm playing with action scripts now. I never really utilized actions in Illustrator before this. Pretty cool stuff. Thanks again!!!! ... View more

app.userInteractionLevel; ... and: UserInteractionLevel.DONTDISPLAYALERTS; What is userInteractionLevel? Ah, I see what that is now. That bit of code saves the current UserInteractionLevel and then temporarily turns off alerts. After executing the action your code resets the userInteractionLevel back to what it was before the script ran. It's funny, I totally mis-read DONTDISPLAYALERTS as "don't display layer TS". Lol. That damn constant needs underscores for readability. Ha! ... View more

mickyhulse wrote: Also, what doe the action actually do? I hate to sound ignorant, but I don't understand what exactly it does by just looking at the code. What are the action parameters for? I am looking forward to fully understanding this code! Ok, so, I think I understand the basic logic of get_selected_layers: First for loop, you record existing layer visibility The call to make_action will make all selected layers visible and hide the rest (though, I don't yet understand how the action does this) Next for loop, you grab the selected visible layers Next for loop, you restore visibility Finally, return the selected layers array Pretty dang cool! ... View more

Also, what doe the action actually do? I hate to sound ignorant, but I don't understand what exactly it does by just looking at the code. What are the action parameters for? I am looking forward to fully understanding this code! ... View more

Hi Qwertyfly..., Your script works perfectly! I'm in the process of getting it to work with a BTM-based script. I'll update this thread if I make any significant progress. A few questions … What does this code do(?): app.userInteractionLevel; ... and: UserInteractionLevel.DONTDISPLAYALERTS; What is userInteractionLevel? Also, in the action string, what do the hashes mean? 53637269707465645f416374696f6e73 53656c6563745f4c6179657273 4c61796572 1836411236 1937008996 1851878757 48696465204f7468657273 Does it matter what those strings are? Do they have any meaning? Also, how did you make the action? I'm guessing you used the standard actions palette, and then saved/copied/pasted/converted the action code into the format we see in your script? Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to fully grok your script. Thanks again for the interesting and functional solution! Cheers, Micky ... View more

Wow! Thanks for the replies everyone!!! I really appreciate the help! I'm going to play around with all the ideas/code mentioned in this thread and I'll be back with my findings. Thanks again for taking the time to help out! Also, Qwertyfly...‌, your code looks really cool! You're creating an action on the fly? That's so interesting! I am looking forward to testing the code. Seems like that technique could really open the doors to a whole bunch of cool scripting ideas. I'll be back! Thanks again. Cheers, M ... View more

Silly-V‌ That's awesome!!!! Sounds impressive! I'd love to see some code down the road. Do you have plans to put a demo on GitHub? Thanks for sharing! ... View more

Awesome! Thanks Silly-V‌! I can't believe I didn't think to set the activeLayer like that. It's so obvious now that you point it out. Lol. +1 on the zOrderPosition. I saw that in the object viewer, but I wasn't sure if that was a reliable way to get the index. Much appreciated! Also, for future readers, one way to check for active layer when looping over layers is: _doc = app.activeDocument; for (i = 0, l = _doc.layers.length; i < l; i++) {   current = _doc.layers;   if (current === _doc.activeLayer) {   // The `current` layer is the `activeLayer`, so do something.   } } Thanks a billion Silly-V‌, I totally appreciate all of your pro help! Have a great week! Cheers, M ... View more

Awesome! Thanks for tips Silly-V‌! I'm looking forward to testing out #include now. ... View more

Silly-V‌ thanks a ton for all the info! I really appreciate you sharing all of your knowledge and tips! This function apparently was created with some open-ended possibilities of including more than 1 argument for the onResult function, and that's why you see "uiStuff" passed in as an array of a single item. I was just working on this! I ended up realizing that I could pass an array of variables to BT and then convert the array to a comma delimited string of quoted args. talk.body = (NS + '.' + $name1 + '.apply(null, [' + $params1 + ']);'); Using apply, that allows me to pass unlimited args; unfortunately, it looks like only strings will make it through to the other side? I have yet to figure out if it's possible to pass anything other than strings to the BT function call. I updated my gist with this new code if you are interested: Adobe Illustrator JSX script demo using BridgeTalk to communicate with palette window. · GitHub Anyway, I'll keep dissecting your examples to learn more! Thanks again for being so willing to share your code and ideas. Spec Writer looks awesome! Aslo, Script Panel (2) sounds super cool! I see v1 here: https://github.com/Silly-V/Adobe-Illustrator/blob/master/Script%20Panel/ScriptPanel.jsx I'm looking forward to checking out the next version. ... View more

Whoa, that's awesome! I can't wait to test out #include ! Thanks for tips and for sharing your workflow Silly-V‌, I really appreciate it! ... View more

I'm not familiar with onResult? Can you recommend docs or script(s) that would shed some light on how that event handler works? Ahh, I just realized I need to get return value from BTM; looks like bt.onResult is the answer: Re: BridgeTalk Messages Inside onClick Function Cool! ... View more

You may be interested in seeing my first BT experiment which had resulted in that code for full context: Re: any body knows how to add dimension to a square, circle, (geometric drawings) would you please let me know how. thanks (just in case someone answer). scripts. thanks Ooooh, that's awesome! Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to dissect more of your code samples. This forum has been such a great help for when it comes to Illy scripting. I really appreciate you sharing all of your code (I'm all about open source). See my script toward the bottom. It's the 1st and only script I've made which uses a palette in such a way: unfortunately I've never had a need to do anything which required an updated/refreshable floating panel. The only other times I've had to use a bt panel are for script panels (panels which contain buttons to run individual .jsx files), or ones which did not require an onResult function. My first "real" script was a dialog window. While it got the job done, I'm not a fan of not being able to interact with the interface. Until recently, I didn't think it was possible to have a floating window that could "know" about the contents of the Illy file after it had been run; I'm stoked that BridgeTalk does the trick (and that it has nothing to do with the Application Bridge ... I don't get why they have the same name?) You script panel script sounds awesome! That sounds like a perfect way to save one some time (vs. having to always go to scripts menu). Is that something I could download? I'm not familiar with onResult? Can you recommend docs or script(s) that would shed some light on how that event handler works? Thanks a billion Silly-V! Btw, I'm following you on GitHub. Oh, perhaps the scripts panel script is on there? Looking now. Cheers! M ... View more

For sure! Keep in mind, I'm just not starting to learn about BridgeTalk ... I just got this example working (other than the palette title returning NaN): Adobe Illustrator JSX script demo using BridgeTalk to communicate with palette window. · GitHub Here's an earlier version I made a few days ago: Adobe Illustrator JSX script demo using BridgeTalk to communicate with palette window. · GitHub That was based on the post (between you and another member) found here: More agile way to use BridgeTalk functions I'm still working on figuring out a good pattern here. I'll be updating my gist as (or, if) I improve things. And thanks for your original source of inspiration! That other thread was a real eye opener. ... View more

Playing with your tips, I think I found a way to work out a namespace setup: var NS = 'FOO'; this[NS] = (function($ns, $app, undefined) { .... talk.body = (NS + '.' + $name + '(' + params + ');'); .... }((this[NS] || {}), app)); this[NS].init('Test'); Basically I'm just trying to build a plugin pattern that will work well with BridgeTalk. Of course, still trying to feel my way through things here, but your tip has definitely helped to shed some light on the situation. Thanks again Silly-V! ... View more

Wow, interesting! Cool, that really helps a bunch Silly-V! Thanks so much for the clarification. My first thought was to (also) use app.foo, but that didn't work (as you pointed out). Also, thanks for clarification on JS version. It's good to know the limitations I'm working around. I appreciate the quick reply and help! Cheers, Micky ... View more

Hi William! Sorry for my late reply. Also, thanks so much for you help, I really appreciate it! I did try turning off GPU. It didn't seem to make a difference. So, looks like I'm going to write a new script that allows me to cycle layers on a button click. I'm hoping that controlling the layer cycling in this way will force the app to refresh on my system. A part of me wonders if I were to buy a new computer if the problem would go away. My mac is getting older. On the other hand, I think modifying the script will be a good workaround. For what it's worth, this is the script I wrote that's having issues: pixelfoot/illy-anim · GitHub I'll post an update to this thread with my new script (that is, if it works out). Thanks again for all of your help, I greatly appreciate it! ... View more