What Is Scripting; Why Use Scripting; Why Use Scripts Instead Of Actions - Adobe PHOTOSHOP CS 2.0 - SCRIPTING GUIDE Manual

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Scripting Guide
AS
layer 1 of layer set 1 of current document
VBS
appRef.ActiveDocument.LayerSets(1).Layers(1)
JS
app.activeDocument.layerSets[0].layers[0]
Finally, tables are sometimes used to organize lists of values specific to each scripting language.

What is scripting?

A script is a series of commands that tells Photoshop CS2 to perform a set of specified actions, such as
applying different filters to selections in an open document. These actions can be simple and affect only a
single object, or they can be complex and affect many objects in a Photoshop CS2 document. The actions
can call Photoshop CS2 alone or invoke other applications.
Scripts automate repetitive tasks and are often used as a creative tool to streamline tasks that might be too
time consuming to do manually. For example, you could write a script to generate a number of localized
versions of a particular image or to gather information about the various color profiles used by a collection
of images.

Why use scripting?

While graphic design is characterized by creativity, some aspects of the actual work of illustration and
image manipulation are anything but creative. Scripting helps creative professionals save time by
automating repetitive production tasks such as resizing or reformatting documents.
Any repetitive task is a good candidate for a script. Once you can identify the steps and conditions
involved in performing the task, you're ready to write a script to take care of it.

Why use scripts instead of Actions?

If you've used Photoshop CS2 Actions, you're already familiar with the enormous benefits of automating
repetitive tasks. Scripting allows you to extend those benefits by allowing you to add functionality that is
not available for Photoshop CS2 Actions. For example, you can do the following with scripts and not with
actions:
You can add conditional logic, so that the script automatically makes "decisions" based on the current
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situation. For example, you could write a script that decides which color border to add depending on
the size of the selected area in an image: "If the selected area is smaller than 2 x 4 inches, add a green
border; otherwise add a red border. "
A single script can perform actions that involve multiple applications. For example, depending on the
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scripting language you are using, you could target both Photoshop CS2 and another Adobe Creative
Suite 2 Application, such as Illustrator
You can open, save, and rename files using scripts.
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Photoshop CS2
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CS2, in the same script.
Introduction 2