Adobe 23101764 - Photoshop CS - PC User manual

ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
Corporate Headquarters
345 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95110-2704
[phone]
http://partners.adobe.com
bbc
October 2003
Photoshop CS
Scripting Guide

Adobe Photoshop Scripting Guide
Copyright 1991–2003 Adobe Systems Incorporated.
All rights reserved.
The information in this document is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be
construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for
any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document.The software described in this document is furnished under license and
may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license.
Adobe,Photoshop,and PostScript areeither registeredtrademarksor trademarksof AdobeSystems Incorporated inthe UnitedStates
and/or other countries. Apple, Macintosh, and Mac are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the United States and other
countries.Microsoft andWindows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Table of contents
Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 What is scripting? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Why use scripting?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 What about actions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.6 JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.7 Choosing a scripting language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.8 Legacy COM scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.9 New Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.10 What’s Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2 Scripting basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.1 Documents as objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Object model concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Object Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.4 Documenting scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.5 Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.6 Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.7 Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.8 Commands and methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.9 Handlers, subroutines and functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.10 Debugging and Error Handling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.11 What’s Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chapter 3 Scripting Photoshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
3.1 Photoshop scripting guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.2 Viewing Photoshop objects, commands and methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.3 Your first Photoshop script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.4 Advanced Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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Table of contents
3.5 Object references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
3.6 Working with units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.7 Executing JavaScripts from AS orVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.8 The Application object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
3.9 Document object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
3.10 Layer objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
3.11 Text item object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
3.12 Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3.13 Working with Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
3.14 Channel object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
3.15 Color objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.16 History object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
3.17 Clipboard interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

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1
Introduction
1.1 About this manual
This manual provides an introduction to scriptingAdobe
®
Photoshop
®
CS on Mac OS and
Windows
®
. Chapter one covers the basic conventions used in this manual and provides an
overview of requirements for scripting Photoshop.
Chapter two covers the Photoshop object model as well as generic scripting terminology,
concepts and techniques. Code examples are provided in three languages:
• AppleScript
•Visual Basic
•JavaScript
Note : Separate reference manuals are available for each of these languages and accompany
this Scripting Guide. The reference manuals are located on the installation CD.
Chapter three covers Photoshop-specific objects and components and describes advanced
techniques for scripting the Photoshop application.
Note : Please review the README file shipped with Photoshop CS for late-breaking news,
sample scripts, and information about oustanding issues.
1.1.1 Conventions in this guide
Code and specific language samples appear in monospaced courier font:
app.documents.add();
Several conventions are used when referring to AppleScript, Visual Basic and JavaScript.
Please note the following shortcut notations:
• AS stands for AppleScript
• VB stands for Visual Basic
• JS stands for JavaScript
The term “commands” will be used to refer both to commands in AppleScript and methods in
Visual Basic and JavaScript.
When referring to specific properties and commands, this manual follows the AppleScript
naming convention for that property and the Visual Basic and JavaScript names appear in
parenthesis. For example:
“The display dialogs ( DisplayDialogs/displayDialogs ) property is part of the
Application object.”

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Introduction
What is scripting?
1
In this case, display dialogs refers to theAppleScript property, DisplayDialogs refers
to the Visual Basic property and displayDialogs refers to the JavaScript property, as
illustrated below.
Once you become familiar with this notation, simply focus on the values and description for
the language you intend to use, ignoring the rest.
For larger blocks of code, scripting examples are often placed side by side.
AppleScript
layer 1 of layer set 1 of current document
Visual Basic
appRef.ActiveDocument.LayerSets(1).Layers(1)
JavaScript
app.activeDocument.layerSets[0].layers[0];
Finally, tables are sometimes used to organize lists of values specific to each scripting
language.
1.2 What is scripting?
A script is a series of commands that tells Photoshop 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 complex and affect many objects in a Photoshop document.
The actions can call Photoshop 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.
The display dialogs (DisplayDialogs/displayDialogs) property is part of the
Application object.
Visual Basic JavaScript
AppleScript

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Introduction
Why use scripting?
1
1.3 Why use scripting?
Graphic design is a field characterized by creativity, but aspects of the actual work of
illustration and image manipulation are anything but creative. Scripting provides a tool to help
save time spent on repetitive production tasks such as resizing or reformatting documents.
Start with short, simple scripts such as those described in this manual and move on to more
involved scripts as you become more proficient.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.
1.4 What about actions?
Photoshop actions are different from scripts. A Photoshop action is a series of tasks you have
recorded while using the application—menu choices, tool choices, selection, and other
commands. When you “play” an action, Photoshop performs all of the recorded commands.
Actions and scripts are two ways of automating repetitive tasks, but they work very differently.
•You cannot add conditional logic to an action. Unlike a script, actions cannot make
decisions based on the current situation.
•Asingle script can target multiple hosts.Actions can’t. For example, you could target both
Photoshop and Illustrator in the same script.
The Actions palette, invoked under the Window menu, supports actions with a great deal of
sophistication (including the ability to display dialogs) and allows users to work with selected
objects, as illustrated below.

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Introduction
System requirements
1
1.5 System requirements
The language you use to write scripts depends on your operating system:AppleScript for Mac;
Visual Basic for Windows; or JavaScript, a cross-platform scripting language that can run on
either Windows or Mac. While the scripting systems differ, the ways that they work with
Photoshop are very similar.
1.5.1 Mac
Any system that runs Photoshop CS will support scripting.You will also needAppleScript and
a script editor installed.AppleScript and the Script Editor application fromApple are included
with the Mac OS. For Mac OS X, they can be found in the Applications folder. If these items
are not installed on your system, reinstall them from your original system software CD-ROM.
As your scripts become more complex, you may find the need for debugging and productivity
features not found in the Script Editor. There are many third-party script editors that can write
and debugApple Scripts. For more details, check:
http://www.apple.com/applescript
We use the Script Editor from Apple in this manual.
For more information on theAppleScript scripting environment, see Section 3.2.1, “Viewing
Photoshop’s AppleScript dictionary
1.5.2 Windows
Any Windows system that runs Photoshop CS will support scripting.You will also need either
the Windows Scripting Host, MicrosoftVisual Basic, or one of the applications that contains a
Visual Basic editor. Most Windows systems include theWindows Scripting Host. If you do not
have Windows Scripting Host or would like more information about Windows Scripting Host,
visit the Microsoft Windows Script Technologies Web site at:
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/).
We use the Microsoft Visual Basic developer framework to edit scripts in this manual.
For more information on the Visual Basic scripting environment, see Section 3.2.2, “Viewing
Photoshop’s type library (VB)

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Introduction
JavaScript
1
1.6 JavaScript
In addition to writingAppleScripts and Visual Basic scripts, you can also write cross-platform
JavaScripts (using the text editor or your choice) on either the Mac or Windows platform.
Photoshop provides a built-in, platform-independent framework for executing JavaScripts.
The easiest way to run your JavaScripts is to use the “File>Scripts” menu. JavaScripts are
stored in or accessed through the Scripts folder.
Scripts folder
The Scripts folder is located in the “Presets” folder of your Photoshop installation. All
JavaScript files placed in the Scripts folder are available for execution from the Scripts menu.
On both Mac and Windows, JavaScript files must be saved as text files with a '.js' file name
extension.
For more information on the JavaScript scripting environment, see Section 3.2.3, “Viewing the
JavaScript Environment.
1.7 Choosing a scripting language
Your choice of scripting language is determined by two trade-offs:
1. Do you need to run the same script on both Macintosh and Windows computers?
2. Do you need to control multiple applications from the same script?
As mentioned earlier, JavaScript is a cross-platform language that works on either platform.
The same script will perform identically on Windows and Macintosh computers. However,
JavaScript is invoked from the Scripts menu within Photoshop and lacks the facilities to
directly address other applications. For example, you cannot easily write a JavaScript to
manage workflows involving Photoshop and a database management program.
AppleScript andVisual Basic are only offered on their respective platforms. However, you can
write scripts in those languages to control multiple applications. For example, you can write an
AppleScript that first manipulates a bitmap in Photoshop and then commands a web design
application to incorporate it. This same cross-application capability is also available with
Visual Basic on Windows.
You may also use other scripting languages when working with Photoshop. On Mac OS, any
language which lets you send Apple events can be used to script Photoshop.
On Windows, any language which is COM aware can be used to script Photoshop.

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Introduction
Legacy COM scripting
1
1.8 Legacy COM scripting
Photoshop CS supports legacy COM scripting as long as you modify the way that you refer to
the Photoshop application object in your scripts. For example, instead of saying:
Set appRef = CreateObject("Photoshop.Application")
you must change the above code to read:
Set appRef = CreateObject("Photoshop.Application.8.1")
No other change is necessary for legacy COM scripts to run under Photoshop CS.
1.9 New Features
• Layer Comps
New to Photoshop CS is the ability to group layers into a "layer comp" or layer
composition.
A layer comp is a snapshot of a state of the Layers palette. Layer comps record three types
of layer options: layer visibility (whether a layer in the Layers palette is showing or
hidden); layer position in the document; and layer appearance (whether a layer style is
applied to the layer).
Designers often create multiple compositions or "comps" of a page layout to show clients.
Using layer comps, you can create, manage and view multiple versions of a layout in a
single Photoshop or ImageReady file.
•Web Photo Gallery
One of the most popular features of Photoshop is the ability to create a web photo gallery
out of a folder of files.You can now perform the same function through scripting.
•JavaScripts get their own Scripts menu
JavaScripts now join AppleScript and Visual Basic scripts as first-class citizens.You can
add your own custom JavaScripts to the Photoshop menu system. The JavaScripts you
write are displayed in the “File->Scripts” menu item along with several pre-built
JavaScripts that ship with the product.
• UI for JavaScript
New to Photoshop CS is the ability to create graphical interface objects, such as windows
and panels, employing the JavaScript programming language. UI for JavaScripts is covered
in the JavaScript Reference Guide.
•Paths
Although Illustrator is the premier path (or vector ) editing application, many users want to
modify their path items in Photoshop. This release of Photoshop allows you to manipulate
the path items and obtain path points in a Photoshop document. Functions include the
ability to create, modify, delete and copy paths using scripts.

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Introduction
What’s Next
1
• PDF Presentation
Photoshop Elements introduced the ability to save multiple images in a single PDF
document for presentation as a slide show. Photoshop CS has this feature -- called PDF
Presentation -- which you can access through the scripting interface.
• XMP Metadata
Metadata is any data that helps to describe the content or characteristics of a file.
With an XMP-enabled application like Photoshop CS, information about a objects and
properties and data such as camera settings and photo captions can be captured during the
content creation process and embedded within the file. Meaningful descriptions and titles,
searchable keywords, and up-to-date author and copyright information can be captured in a
format that is easily understood by you as well as by software applications, hardware
devices, and file formats.
To access XMP metadata via scripts you also need to know XML and XAP.
1.10 What’s Next
The next chapter describes the Photoshop Object Model and shows how it can be used to script
“Hello, World” in three languages -- AppleScript, Visual Basic, and JavaScript. In addition,
scripting basics and general scripting techniques are covered.

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2
Scripting basics
2.1 Documents as objects
If you use Photoshop, then you create documents, layers, channels and design elements and
probably think of a Photoshop document as a series of layers and channels — or objects.
Automating Photoshop with scripting requires the same object-oriented type of thinking.
The heart of a scriptable application is the object model. In Photoshop, the object model is
comprised of documents, layers and channels. Each object has its own special properties, and
every object in a Photoshop document has its own identity.
This chapter covers the basic concepts of scripting within this object-oriented environment.
2.2 Object model concepts
The terminology of object-oriented programming can initially be a formidable obstacle to
understanding. “Objects” belong to “classes” and have “properties” you manipulate using
“commands” (AppleScript) or “methods” (Visual Basic and JavaScript). What do these words
mean in this context?
It makes sense to think about objects and their properties as components of an object model.
Imagine that you live in a house that responds to your commands. The house is an object, and
its properties might include the number of rooms, the color of the exterior paint or the date of
its construction.
Your house can also contain other objects within. Each room, for example, is an object in the
house, while each window, door, or appliance is an object inside of the room. And each object
can respond to various commands according to its capabilities.
Now apply this object model concept to Photoshop. The Photoshop application is the house,
its documents are the rooms, and the objects in your documents are the windows and doors.
You can tell Photoshop documents to add and remove objects or manipulate individual
properties like color, size and shape. Actions can also be performed -- windows and doors, for
example, may open and close.
2.2.1 Object classes
Objects with the same properties and behaviors are grouped into “classes.” In the house
example, windows and doors belong to their own classes because they have unique properties.
In Photoshop, every type of object— document, art layer, etc.—belongs to its own class, each
with its own set of properties and behaviors.

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Scripting basics
Object model concepts 2
2.2.2 Object inheritance
Object classes may also “inherit,” or share, the properties of a parent, or superclass. When a
class inherits properties, we call that class a child, or subclass of the class from which it
inherits properties. So in our house example, windows and doors are subclasses of an openings
class, since they are both openings in a house. In Photoshop, art layers, for example, inherit
from the layer class.
Classes often have properties that aren’t shared with their superclass. Both a window and a
door, for example, inherit an "opened" property from the opening class, but a window has a
"number of panes" property which the Opening class does not. In Photoshop, art layers, for
example, have the property "grouped" which is not inherited from the Layer class.
2.2.3 Object elements or collections
Object elements (AppleScript) or collections (Visual Basic, JavaScript) are objects contained
within other objects. For example, rooms are elements (or collections) of our house, contained
within the house object. In Photoshop, documents are elements of the application object, and
layers are elements of a document object. To access an element (or member of a collection),
you use an index. For example, to get the first document of the application you write:
AS: document 1
VB: appRef.Documents (1)
JS: app.documents[0];
IMPORTANT: Indices in AppleScript and Visual Basic are 1 based. JavaScript indices are 0
based.
2.2.4 Object reference
The objects in Photoshop documents are arranged in a hierarchy like the house object —
layers are contained within layer sets, which are placed inside a document which exists within
the Photoshop application. When you send a command to a Photoshop object, you need to
make sure you send the message to the right object. To do this, you identify objects by their
position in the hierarchy — by an object reference.You might, for example, write the
following statement.
AppleScript
layer 1 of layer set 1 of current document
Visual Basic
appRef.ActiveDocument.LayerSets(1).Layers(1)

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Object Model 2
JavaScript
app.activeDocument.layerSets[0].layers[0];
When you identify an object in this fashion, you’re creating an object reference. While
AppleScript, Visual Basic and JavaScript use different syntax for object references, each gives
the script a way of finding the object you want.
2.3 Object Model
To create efficient scripts, you need to understand the containment hierarchy of the object
model. Understanding the relationships among objects allows you to construct logical scripts
with sound structures that contain fewer bugs and are easier to maintain.
In the object model illustrated below, the Photoshop Application object sits at the top of the
containment hierarchy. The Document object, directly below the Photoshop application, is the
the active object you are working with and the gateway to the main components of the
Photoshop object model.
Document Class
The Document class is used to make modifications to the document image. By using the
Document object you can crop, rotate or flip the canvas, resize the image or canvas, and trim
the image.You could also use the Document object to get the active layer, for example, save
the current document, then copy and paste within the active document or between different
documents.
For more information on document objects, see Section 3.9 on page 68.

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Scripting basics
Object Model 2
.
Selection Class
The Selection class is used to specify an area of pixels in the active document (or in a selected
layer of the active document) that you want to work with. For more information on selections,
see Section 3.12 on page 81.
Channel Class
The Channel class is used to store pixel information about an image’s color. Image color
determines the number of channels available. An RGB image, for example, has four default
channels: one for each primary color and one for editing the entire image.You could have the
red channel active in order to manipulate just the red pixels in the image, or you could choose
to manipulate all the channels at once.
These kinds of channels are related to the document mode and are called “component
channels. In addition to the component channels, Photoshop lets you to create additional
channels.You can create a “spot color channel”, a “masked area channel” and a “selected area
channel.”
Using the methods of a Channel object, you can create, delete and duplicate channels.You can
also retrieve a channel's histogram, change its kind or change the current channel selection.
For more information on channels, see Section 3.14 on page 89.
Application
Document
Art Layer
Channel
Histogram
Selection History
State
Document
Info
Object Model Classes
Array Text Item
Layer Set
Layer SetArt Layer
Path Item
Path Point (Object)

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Object Model 2
Layer Classes
Photoshop has 2 types of layers: an art layer that can contain image contents and a layer
set that can contain zero or more art layers.
An Art Layer is a layer class within a document that allows you to work on one element of an
image without disturbing the others. Images are typically composed of multiple layers (see
Layer Set, below).You can change the composition of an image by changing the order and
attributes of the layers that comprise it.
A Text Item is a particular type of art layer that allows you to add type to an image. In
Photoshop, a text item is implemented as a property of the art layer. For more information on
text items, see Section 3.11 on page 77.
A Layer Set is a class that comprises multiple layers. Think of it as a folder on your desktop.
Since folders can contain other folders, a layer set is recursive. That is, one layer set may call
another layer set in the Object Model hierarchy.
For more information on layers, see Section 3.10 on page 72.
History Class
The History class is a palette object that keeps track of changes made to a document. Each
time you apply a change to an image, the new state of that image is added to the palette. These
states are accessible from document object and can be used to reset the document to a previous
state. A history state can also be used to fill a selection. For more information on history
objects, see Section 3.16 on page 94.
NOTE:In AppleScript, if you create a document and then immediately try to get history state,
Photoshop returns an error.You must first activate Photoshop -- make it the front-most
application -- before you can access history states.
Document Info Class
The Document Info class stores metadata about a document. Metadata is any data that helps to
describe the content or characteristics of a file.For more information on document info, see
Section 3.9.2 on page 70.
NOTE:Not shown in the Object Model are collections. A collection is a convenient way of
grouping classes. Not all classes are associated with a collection.
2.3.1 Additional Containment Classes
In addition to the classes described in the Object Model, other classes allow you to open and
save objects in various formats and to specify color options.

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Scripting basics
Object Model 2
Open and Save Options
Options for opening and saving objects in Photoshop are illustrated below.
Solid Color Classes
In Visual Basic and JavaScript, the SolidColor object handles all colors. The solid color
classes available in Photoshop are illustrated below. For more information on colors, see
Section 3.15 on page 91.
Save Classes
Open Classes
Open
Options
Generic
PDF
Generic
EPS
Raw
Photo CD
Save
Options
Photoshop BMP GIF EPS JPEG PDF
Pict
File Pict
Resource
Pixar PNG TIFF Raw DSC1 DSC2 SGI
RGB Targa
RGB
Color
CMYK
Color
Grey
Color
HSB
Color
Lab
Color
No
Color
Solid
Color
Color Classes

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Object Model 2
2.3.2 Hello World Sample Scripts
When all is said and done, the Object Model is simply a means to an end -- writing Photoshop
scripts that accomplish something useful using the classes provided. Traditionally, the first
thing to accomplish in any programming environment is the display of a "Hello World"
message.
You can script such a message in Photoshop CS using AppleScript, Visual Basic or JavaScript.
Regardless of the language employed, the basic steps involved are the same:
• Open the Photoshop application
• Create a new document object
• Add an art layer to the document
• Change the art layer to a text item
• Set the contents of the text item
These steps mirror a specific path in the containment hierarchy, as illustrated below.
The relationships exposed in the containment hierarchy are fully preserved in the scripting
sequence. Understanding the Object Model is the key to writing effective scripts in
Photoshop CS.
To see how this plays out in practice, we include three sample scripts implementing "Hello
World!".
NOTE:For details on advanced scripting techniques for AppleScript, Visual Basic and
JavaScript, see Chapter 3, “Scripting Photoshop.
Application
Document
Art Layer
Text Item

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Object Model 2
AppleScript Sample Code
This code contains AppleScript commands that instruct the Photoshop application to create a
new document with width and height in inches and place an art layer within the document.
The art layer is then changed to a text layer, whose contents are set to "Hello World!".
tell application "Adobe Photoshop CS"
set docRef to make new document with properties ¬
{width:4 as inches, height:2 as inches}
set artLayerRef to make new art layer in docRef
set kind of artLayerRef to text layer
set contents of text object of artLayerRef to "Hello, World!"
end tell
Visual Basic Sample Code
This code contains Visual Basic commands that instruct Photoshop to configure the width and
height of a new document in inches and place an art layer within the document. The art layer is
then changed to a text item, whose contents are set to "Hello World!". Initial unit settings are
restored after the script is run.
Dim appRef As New Photoshop.Application
Dim originalRulerUnits As Photoshop.PsUnits
originalRulerUnits = appRef.Preferences.RulerUnits
appRef.Preferences.RulerUnits = psInches
Dim docRef As Photoshop.Document
Dim artLayerRef As Photoshop.ArtLayer
Dim textItemRef As Photoshop.TextItem
Set docRef = appRef.Documents.Add(4, 2, 72, "Hello, World!")
Set artLayerRef = docRef.ArtLayers.Add
artLayerRef.Kind = psTextLayer
Set textItemRef = artLayerRef.TextItem
textItemRef.Contents = "Hello, World!"
appRef.Preferences.RulerUnits = originalRulerUnits

Photoshop CS Scripting Guide 16
Scripting basics
Object Model 2
JavaScript Sample Code
This code contains JavaScript commands that instruct Photoshop to remember current unit
settings and then create a new document with height and width in inches. An art layer created
within the document is then changed to a text layer, whose contents are set to "Hello World!".
References are released after the script is run and original ruler unit settings are restored.
var originalUnit = app.preferences.rulerUnits;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.INCHES;
var docRef = app.documents.add( 4, 2, 72, "Hello, World!");
var artLayerRef = docRef.artLayers.add();
artLayerRef.kind = LayerKind.TEXT;
var textItemRef = artLayerRef.textItem;
textItemRef.contents = "Hello, World!";
docRef = null;
artLayerRef = null;
textItemRef = null;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = originalUnit;
Hello World
Aside from minor differences in display format, all three scripts produce the message
illustrated below.
NOTE:The remainder of this chapter provides information about general scipting tips and
techniques. Experienced AppleScript writers and Visual Basic and JavaScript
programmers may want to skip to Chapter 3 for specifics on scripting Photoshop.