Scripting Basics

A script is like a little program that runs inside a container program (Paint Shop Pro in this case). If you find yourself often carrying out the same sequence of commands in Paint Shop Pro then you can speed up your work by saving the sequence of commands into a script that you can run with a single click. Also, once you created a script, you can apply the same script to a whole bunch of selected images - this is called batch processing. For example, I have made a script that resizes my high resolution images to a smaller size - I apply this script (using batch processing) to the many pictures that I include on my web pages.

Our scripting work will be much easier if the script toolbar is visible. If it is not already displayed, choose View > Toolbars > Script to view the toolbar.

Before you learn how to create you own scripts, you should know that Paint Shop Pro contains some built-in scripts, so let's learn how to use these first.

Running a Saved Script

You can run a saved script by selecting the script from the Select Script drop-list in the script toolbar:

1. Click the drop-list to display the scripts.
2. Click the script that you want to run.
3. To run the script, click Run Selected Script (the script may take many seconds to complete). If the 'Toggle Execution Mode' option is turned on then the script will present you with any dialog boxes that the script uses, so that you can change options if you wish. If you want don't want to make any changes (and don't want to see the dialog boxes) then turn this option off.

Open any image that you like and try applying one of the built-in scripts to it. I recommend you try the 'Art' script for it does a great job simulating an oil painting. Be sure to try also the Watercolour effect and the Infra-red effect.

Recording and Saving a Script

Most actions you perform in Paint Shop Pro are scriptable (see the help system to learn which actions cannot be scripted).

Scripting rules of thumb: The longer a task takes to complete, the more desirable it is to have a script for it. However, if a task only takes two or three mouse clicks to complete, creating and running a script for those few actions may not save you any time.

To record and save a Script:

1. Make a note of or write down the specific actions you wish to record. Ideally, your actions should be as efficient as possible (you don't want to include mistakes or undos in your script).
2. To begin recording, click Start Script Recording .
3. Perform the actions that comprise the script.
4. Click Save Script Recording . In the Save As dialog, do the following:
   1. Turn on the options 'Remove Undone Commands', 'Save Materials' and 'Save Dialog Positions'.
   2. The dialog should try to save the script into the 'Restricted scripts' folder - don't change this. Scripts saved into this folder can never harm your computer whereas scripts placed into the 'Trusted scripts' folder could possibly harm your computer (in more advanced work you might in some cases need to include those risky commands that can cause damage if misused).
   3. Enter a name for the script, and then click Save.

Editing Scripts

The script toolbar includes a button 'Edit Selected Script' which allows you modify the text of the script (which is written in the Python scripting language). This is beyond the scope of this course, so if you want to modify a script you will have to delete it and make a new version.

Batch Processing (Processing Multiple Files)

You can apply the same script to multiple files automatically by using batch processing (you can also use batch processing to rename multiple files, but that won't be explained here). To apply a script to multiple files:

1. Open the Batch Process dialog by choosing File > Batch > Process.
2. Click the Browse button (located in the Batch Process dialog's upper right corner) to open the Select Files dialog. Use the Select Files dialog to navigate to the folder containing the source (original) files.
3. Click the files you want to process. Note that you can Shift-click to select adjacent files, or Ctrl-click to select non-adjacent files.
4. When you've chosen the files to process, click Select. In the Batch Process dialog, the files you chose will appear in the Files to process list.
5. Use the Script section of the dialog to run a script on all the files. Make sure the Use Script check box is selected. You can then choose the desired script from the list. Mark the Run script in silent mode check box to ensure the script does not present you with dialog boxes while it runs.
6. In the Save Mode section of the dialog, choose one of the following options:
   1. New Type: This option is not relevant to us, so don't choose it. You would choose this option if you simply want to convert a bunch of files from from one format to another e.g. from pspimage format to jpeg (as well as possibly running a script). The modified file would be saved in the same folder as the original.
   2. Copy: This is the best option for us since we probably do not want to overwrite the original file - we want to save a modified copy of the original file. This option requires that a script is defined in the Script group box. This option will: a) read in the file, b) apply the script to the file, and c) save the file to a new location and/or name.
   3. Overwrite: This option requires that a script is defined in the Script group box. This option will: a) read in the file, b) run the script against the file, and c) save the file to its original location (the original file is overwritten).
   4. Obey Script: you would only use this option when you know the script performs a save, which is not our case so do not choose this option (otherwise nothing will happen).
       
7. In the Save Options section of the dialog, you can set the following (as men­tioned above, your Save Mode setting affects what is available here):
   1. Unless you specify another output folder, Paint Shop Pro saves the converted files in the same folder as the source files. Optionally, you can designate another output (destination) folder for the new files by typing a path in the Folder field, or by clicking the Browse button next to this field and navigating to another folder.
   2. You also have the option of renaming the converted files. To do so, click Modify to open the Modify Filename Format dialog. The Rename Options list displays the choices for renaming your files. Select an option and click Add to move it into the Included list. Choose from the following options:
      1. Custom Text When you choose this option, the program dis­plays a Custom text field below the Included list. In this field type the text you want applied to the converted files.
      2. Date The current date is added to the name.
      3. Document Name Include the original name in the new name, but also allows for case changes (upper, lower, etc.).
      4. Sequence The position of a file in the renaming process is added to each file.
      5. Time The current time is added to the name.
      6. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons if you wish to rearrange the Rename options you've included.
   3. A preview of the new file naming scheme appears at the bottom of the dialog. Click OK to close the Modify Filename Format dialog and return to the Batch Process dialog.
8. Click Start.