Adobe 65061456 Manual

ADOBE® ILLUSTRATOR® CS5
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS5
PROGRAMMER’S GUIDE

©2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Programmer’s Guide
If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, as well as the software
described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.
Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Please note that the content in this guide is protected under copyright law
even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement.
The content of this guide 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 the informational content contained in this guide.
Please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under
copyright law. The unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of
the copyright owner. Please be sure to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner.
Any references to company names in sample templates are for demonstration purposes only and are not intended to
refer to any actual organization.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Illustrator, PageMaker, Photoshop, FrameMaker, Flash, Flex, and ActionScript are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries. Apple and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Incorporated, registered in the United
States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA. Notice to U.S. Government End Users.
The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of
“Commercial Computer Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48
C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through
227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are
being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted
to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright
laws of the United States. Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704, USA. For U.S.
Government End Users, Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate, the
provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act
of 1974 (38 USC 4212), and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR
Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding
sentence shall be incorporated by reference.

3
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Terminology and notational conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Supporting documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Sample code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What is a plug-in? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A brief history of the Adobe Illustrator API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Anatomy of a plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Types of plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Action plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plug-in file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plug-in filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plug-in menu commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plug-in notifiers and timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Plugin-group plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Plug-in tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Combining multiple plug-in types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Where plug-ins live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What defines a plug-in? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PiPL resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Plug-in management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Plug-in entry point and messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Message actions: callers and selectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Core message actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Reload and unload messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Start-up and shut-down messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Notifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Handling callers and selectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Message data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Illustrator API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Acquiring and releasing suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Publishing suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Binary compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Illustrator's artwork as seen by a plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Cross-platform support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Byte information and structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Helper classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Contents 4
Plug-in adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
About Plug-ins menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Next steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2 Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
PiPL resource and plug-in entry point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Handling callers and selectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using suites and callback functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Acquiring and releasing suites and calling suite functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Illustrator API suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Callers and selectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Caller: kSPInterfaceCaller, selector: kSPInterfaceStartupSelector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Caller: kSPInterfaceCaller, selector: kSPInterfaceShutdownSelector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Caller: kSPAccessCaller, selector: kSPAccessReloadSelector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Caller: kSPAccessCaller, selector: kSPAccessUnloadSelector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Plug-in type-specific messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Filter plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Tool plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Action plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Menu plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Next steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3 Creating a Flash UI for Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Creative Suite extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
About the Adobe Creative Suite SDK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Communication between plug-ins and extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using the PlugPlug API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the CSXS API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Delivering a plug-in with a Flash UI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Build and install the C++ plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Build the Flash extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Install the extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4 Plug–in Property Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
PiPL samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
PiPL structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Required PiPL properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Optional PiPL properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Export property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

5
Preface
This document introduces the Adobe® Illustrator® API for plug-ins.
XChapter 1, “Overview”describes the basic concepts behind Illustrator plug-in programming.
XChapter 2, “Tutorial”describes plug-in programming fundamentals using an example project.
XChapter 4, “Plug–in Property Lists”describes PiPL resources in detail.
Terminology and notational conventions
API — Application programming interface.
Application — Illustrator CS5, unless otherwise specified.
PiPL — Plug-in property list.
SDK — Software development kit for the application. <SDK> indicates your locally installed SDK root
folder. The actual root location depends on the installation and operating system.
Supporting documentation
The following documents are companions to this guide:
XGetting Started with Adobe Illustrator CS5 Development — Describes platforms supported for plug-in
development, how to set up the development environment, and the code samples included in the
SDK. Provides step by step guides on creating new projects either from scratch or from the templates
provided with the SDK.
XAdobe Illustrator CS5 Porting Guide — Describes issues related to porting plug-ins across different
versions of the Illustrator API. See <SDK>/docs/guides/porting-guide.pdf.
XAdobe Illustrator API Reference — Describes the suites and functions in the Illustrator API in detail. See
the <SDK>/docs/references/ folder.
XUsing the Adobe Text Engine with Illustrator CS5 — Describes how to use the Adobe text engine—the
text API provided by the Adobe® Illustrator® CS5 SDK—in your Illustrator plug-ins.
XAdobe Dialog Manager CS5 Programmer’s Guide — This document is included, but the Adobe Dialog
Manager has been deprecated in this release, and will not be supported in future releases.
Sample code
Sample plug-ins are provided in the sample code folder in the SDK, and described in Getting Started with
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Development . Chapter 2, “Tutorial,” describes plug-in programming fundamentals
using the Tutorial sample project.

6
1Overview
This chapter introduces the Adobe® Illustrator® plug-in architecture. It shows how plug-ins interact with
Illustrator and gives an idea of the power of plug-ins.
What is a plug-in?
A plug-in is a library that extends or changes the behavior of Illustrator. On Windows, a plug-in is built as a
DLL (dynamic-link library). On Mac OS, a plug-in is built as a bundle that contains a shared library.
The plug-in architecture in Illustrator is very powerful. Plug-ins have access to Illustrator’s elegant vector,
text, and raster engines, as well as Illustrator’s user interface. The API is a fundamental part of the
application; in fact, most of Illustrator itself is implemented as plug-ins.
You can create plug-ins that add new tools to the drawing, shading, and raster tools already in Illustrator.
Plug-ins can turn Illustrator into a powerful CAD, cartographic, or other custom design application. Users
can add or remove plug-ins to quickly and easily customize Illustrator to their needs.
The Illustrator API offers several benefits to plug-in developers. Because Illustrator handles large
application tasks like printing and saving files, you can concentrate on the implementation of your
plug-in’s unique features. Plug-ins do not need to support undo or window updating; these are handled by
the API and are invisible to the plug-in. This translates into shorter development cycles.
A brief history of the Adobe Illustrator API
The Illustrator API first appeared in version 5.0. It supported one type of plug-in, filters. This was extended
in Adobe Illustrator 5.5 to include file formats. The 5.x APIs displayed characteristics of many early API
design efforts: the interface was monolithic, incorporating enough function to achieve its intended
purpose, but not allowing for future expansion. A single callback function table was provided, with no
means to extend or update it. Platform abstraction was minimal, and interaction with the user was
restricted to modal.
The Illustrator 6.0 API began addressing these limitations. A modular and extensible approach was used to
export the application’s functionality. Callback functions were organized into suites that could be easily
replaced or extended. The plug-in types were abstracted and extended to include tools, floating windows,
menu items, events, and combinations of these types. The first steps towards platform abstraction were
taken.
The Illustrator 7.0 API refined prior efforts. The API was extended to be truly cross-platform (the Windows
version of Adobe Illustrator jumped from version 4.2 directly to 7.0), including a complete set of
user-interface suites. The plug-in management core was generalized for not only cross-platform, but also
cross-product use. More of Illustrator’s core functionality was implemented through plug-ins, allowing the
application’s behavior to change without modifying the application itself.
The most significant change in the Illustrator 8.0 API was the switch from fixed numbers to floating-point
numbers. All suites that used fixed parameters were updated to use floating-point parameters; in some
cases, Adobe changed function names to reflect this. The Illustrator 8.0 API also included more than a
dozen new suites, many corresponding to new user features like plug-in groups, cursor snapping, and
actions.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Anatomy of a plug-in 7
Illustrator 9.0 in Mac OS stopped loading plug-ins containing Motorola 68K code. While early plug-in APIs
from Adobe would run 68K plug-ins from a PowerPC application or vice-versa, this mechanism was not
provided to Illustrator 9 plug-ins. Only plug-ins with the Illustrator 9 version information in the PiPL were
recognized and included in Illustrator 9’s initial start-up process; however, Illustrator 6 and 5.5 plug-ins
were supported by adapters.
The Illustrator 10.0 API changed API structures in Mac OS to use PowerPC alignment (four-byte aligned).
Earlier APIs used 68K alignment (two-byte aligned). Illustrator plug-ins in Mac OS had to be rebuilt with the
Illustrator 10 SDK, to be compatible with Illustrator 10. Illustrator plug-ins for Windows built with the
Illustrator 9 SDK or earlier were not affected and remained compatible with Illustrator 10.
NOTE: Originally, Illustrator was a 68K application. When Apple moved to the PowerPC platform, the
Illustrator API maintained 68K alignment for backward compatibility. This caused a small performance loss,
so the alignment was changed; this change broke backward compatibility.
Illustrator CS1 (Illustrator version 11.0) integrated a new text engine, the Adobe Text Engine (ATE). The text
API was revised completely. The text API from Illustrator 10.0 and earlier was obsoleted (AIText,
AITextFaceStyle, AITextPath, AITextRun, AITextStream, AITextStyle, etc.). The new ATE API
provided increased functionality and control over typography to Illustrator plug-ins (see IText and
ATESuites). This change broke backward compatibility. Illustrator plug-ins that used the obsolete text API
had to be rebuilt with the Illustrator 11 SDK and ported to use the new ATE API.
The Illustrator CS2 API (Illustrator version 12.0) introduced Unicode support. Unicode encoding should be
used for any strings displayed in the user interface. In Mac OS, the object-file format for Illustrator plug-ins
changed to Mach-O. The old format was PEF, a preferred executable format. Moving forward, Mach-O is
Apple’s preferred object-file format for the Mac OS X platform.
The Illustrator CS3 API (Illustrator version 13.0) introduced support for universal binary plug-ins in Mac OS.
Universal binaries run in Mac OS computers using PowerPC or Intel microprocessors and deliver optimal
performance for both architectures in one package. The Apple Xcode development tool is the most
convenient way to produce universal binaries; therefore, Adobe switched to Xcode from CodeWarrior for
the development of Illustrator CS3 plug-ins.
The Illustrator CS4 API (Illustrator version 14.0) introduced support for multiple artboards and the FXG file
format, among other things. The multiple-artboards feature has been requested by many Illustrator users.
The FXG file format improves support for integrated designer-developer workflows and paves the way for
closer interaction between Illustrator and XML-based applications.
In Illustrator CS5 API (Illustrator version 15.0) the most significant change is that Adobe Dialog Manager
(ADM) has been deprecated. It is recommended that you replace any UI based on ADM with one based on
Adobe Flash® and Flex®-based controls, or another 3rd-party or platform-specific UI framework; see
Chapter 3, “Creating a Flash UI for Plug-ins for more infomation. This release also introduces a new suite for
working with the new Beautiful Strokes feature, and many existing features, such as perspective grids,
have been improved or enhanced. For documentation on these changes and other API changes, see the
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Porting Guide.
Anatomy of a plug-in
Like most programs, Illustrator plug-ins contain both code and data. The Illustrator plug-in manager loads
and executes a plug-in’s code when required, sending various messages to the plug-in. The plug-in
manager also unloads plug-ins that are no longer needed. See the following figure.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Types of plug-ins 8
Plug-ins are notified by Illustrator when they have just been loaded or are about to be unloaded,
permitting them to restore or save any state information.
Types of plug-ins
This section describes the different types of Illustrator plug-ins you can create. A single plug-in file can
contain multiple plug-in types. For example, a shape creation plug-in may implement several plug-in
filters and a plug-in tool. Plug-in types are listed in the following table and described more fully after the
table.
Adobe
Illustrator
Plug-in manager
Required
plug-ins
Additional
plug-ins
Plug-in Type What it does
Action Playback or register actions.
Effects Add menu items to the Effects menu.
File format Add file types to the Open, Save, and Export commands.
Filter Add menu items to the Filter menu.
Menu command Add menu items to the general menu structure.
Notifier Receive and process art-state events.
Plugin group Maintain “display” art that is associated with another art object
Suite Implement and publish your own suite of callback functions.
Timer Receive periodic notification.
Tool Add tools to the Tools panel.
Transform again Set the transform-again feature.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Types of plug-ins 9
Action plug-ins
Action plug-ins are used to execute Illustrator commands. An action plug-in can register itself so it can be
recordable via the Actions panel. For more information, see AIActionManagerSuite in Adobe Illustrator
API Reference.
Plug-in file formats
Plug-in file formats are used to extend the number of file types Illustrator can read and write. Plug-ins
indicate which file formats they support during initialization, specifying the supported names and file
types (or extensions). One plug-in can register as many formats as desired.
The file types supported by a file-format plug-in can appear in Illustrator's Export, Save, and Open dialogs,
depending on the options specified when the new file type is added.
For more information, see AIFileFormatSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference
Plug-in filters
Plug-in filters appear under the Object menu and are used to create or manipulate Illustrator artwork.
Typically, filters present a modal interface to the user, who can set parameters before executing.
NOTE: In other applications (including Adobe PageMaker® and Adobe FrameMaker®), the term “filter” or
“filter plug-in” sometimes is used to describe software that reads and writes non-native files (e.g., TIFF or
JPEG files). In Illustrator, these are called file-format plug-ins. Illustrator uses the term “filter plug-in” in a
way similar to Adobe Photoshop: a filter plug-in modifies the artwork in an algorithmic fashion.
Illustrator updates the Repeat and Undo menus automatically, making filters one of the simplest plug-in
types to create.
For more information, see AIFilterSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
NOTE: AIFilterSuite is deprecated in favor of AILiveEffectSuite. We recommend that you change
plug-ins which implement filters to use live effects instead, as AIFilterSuite will be removed at some
point in the future.
Plug-in menu commands
Plug-in menus are used to add menu items to Illustrator's menu structure other than the Filter menu. A
typical use of this plug-in type is to add a Hide/Show Window menu item to Illustrator's Window menu.
Plug-in menu commands can be added at several places in the menu structure.
For more information, see AIMenuSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Plug-in notifiers and timers
Plug-in notifiers and timers are used by a plug-in to have Illustrator inform it of certain events.
A notifier plug-in is notified when the state of an Illustrator document changes. For example, a plug-in may
request to be notified when the selection state changes. A notifier plug-in registers for one or more
notifications during start-up.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Where plug-ins live 10
A timer plug-in is notified at regular time intervals. For example, a timer plug-in may request to be notified
once a second.
For more information, see AINotifierSuite and AITimerSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Plugin-group plug-ins
Plugin-group plug-ins maintain one or more plug-in groups. A plug-in group is a special art object that
contains editable art as well as art that is displayed but not editable. A plugin-group plug-in is responsible
for regenerating the display art (or result art) whenever there is a change in the edit art. Plug-in groups are
used to make special art types like Live Blends and Brushes.
For more information, see AIPluginGroupSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Plug-in tools
Plug-in tools add an icon to the Tools panel, expanding the number of tools available to the user. Many
standard Illustrator tools, including the knife tool, shape tools, and twirl tool, are implemented as plug-in
tools.
When selected, a tool plug-in can track the mouse, determine which artwork was selected, and act on it.
For example, a tool might create or distort objects. Some things are handled automatically for plug-in
tools, like scrolling the window.
For more information, see AIToolSuite in Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Combining multiple plug-in types
As mentioned before, it is likely one plug-in file implements multiple plug-in types. A plug-in also may
need to add multiple instances of a single plug-in type. The plug-in API supports both these cases.
Where plug-ins live
Illustrator's Plug-ins folder is in the following locations:
Windows: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS5\Plug-ins\
Mac OS: /Applications/Adobe Illustrator CS5/Plug-ins/
A user-specific Plug-ins folder, which may be appropriate to use in multi-user systems, is located as
follows:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Adobe\
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings\<localeCode>\Plug-ins\
Windows Vista: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\
Adobe Illustrator CS5 Settings\<localeCode>\Plug-ins\
Mac OS /Users/{username}/Library/Application Support/Adobe/
Adobe Illustrator CS5/<localeCode>/Plug-ins
Optionally, an additional folder can be specified using Illustrator's Additional Plug-ins Folder preference.

CHAPTER 1: Overview What defines a plug-in? 11
In general, each plug-in type is in a specific subfolder; for example, tool plug-ins are in a folder named
Tools.
What defines a plug-in?
On Windows, an Illustrator plug-in is a DLL (dynamic-link library). In Mac OS, an Illustrator plug-in is a
bundle that contains a shared library. An Illustrator plug-in has the following characteristics:
XA file extension of .aip; for example, CoolEffect.aip.
XA valid plug-in PiPL resource. The PiPL resource contains information about your plug-in. Illustrator
considers only those files with PiPL resources to be potential plug-ins. Files with the correct properties
are added to the plug-in list.
XA code entry point containing binary code that can run on the target platform. The entry point is
specified in the PiPL resource and is called with several messages telling it which actions to take.
PiPL resources
A plug-in property list (PiPL) resource contains properties used by the Illustrator plug-in manager,
including the following:
XThe type of the plug-in, given by the kind property.
XThe calling mechanism for the plug-in code, given by the ivrs property.
XThe entry point of the plug-in, given by a code descriptor property.
Illustrator considers only files with a valid PiPL to be potential plug-ins. PiPL properties are defined using
native platform resources. For more information about PiPL resources and samples, see Chapter 4, “Plug–
in Property Lists.
Plug-in management
When Illustrator is launched, only plug-ins with a valid PiPL and code entry point are recognized and
included in the initial start-up process. Each plug-in is loaded into and unloaded from memory as needed
by Illustrator. A plug-in needs to be written assuming it is not always in memory. This is why a plug-in
should save and restore state information during unload and reload. A plug-in can expect certain services
from the application. Because a plug-in may be unloaded, Illustrator provides a means of storing
important data when the plug-in is unloaded. Each time a plug-in is called, it is given enough information
to accomplish the action to be performed.
The loading order of plug-ins becomes important when one plug-in depends on a resource provided by
another, as the resource providing plug-in must be loaded first. As mentioned above, plug-ins that export
one or more suites must declare (in the PiPL resource) what they export. Illustrator uses this information
when loading and executing plug-ins, ensuring that suites and other resources are available.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Plug-in entry point and messages 12
Plug-in entry point and messages
The Illustrator plug-in manager communicates with your plug-in by loading the plug-in code into memory
if necessary, then calling the entry point given by the code-descriptor property in the PiPL. By convention,
the entry point is called PluginMain and is compiled with C linkage:
extern "C" ASAPI ASErr PluginMain(char* caller, char* selector, void* message);
Three arguments are passed to the PluginMain function; collectively, they make up a message.
The first two parameters represent the message action, describing what the plug-in is supposed to do, as
described in the following section. The third parameter is a pointer to a data structure, which varies
depending on the message action. When you determine the message action, you typecast the data in the
message parameter as needed.
The result of the function is an error code.
Message actions: callers and selectors
Each time your plug-in is called, it receives a message action from Illustrator. The message action notifies
your plug-in that an event happened or tells your plug-in to perform an action.
The message action passed to your plug-in consists of two identifiers:
XThe caller identifies the sender of the message (PICA, the host application, or a plug-in) and a general
category of action.
XThe selector specifies the action to take within the category of action. All plug-ins receive at least four
message actions: reload, unload, startup and shutdown. In addition, your plug-in may receive
additional message actions specific to the plug-in type.
For example, Illustrator sends a plug-in a menu a message action based on these two strings, when a
menu item added by the plug-in is clicked:
#define kSPAccessCaller "SP Access"
#define kSPAccessUnloadSelector"Unload"
#define kSPAccessReloadSelector"Reload"
The caller and selector identifiers are C strings. By convention, each caller string has a prefix. This is so new
message actions can be easily defined by other applications and plug-ins, with little chance of conflict. For
example, callers and selectors from Illustrator suites use the prefix “AI”, while those from PICA use the prefix
“SP.”
Illustrator message actions are used to indicate events in which a plug-in has interest. Information on the
callers and selectors supported by the API is given by the Plug-in Callers and Plug-in Selectors pages in
Adobe Illustrator API Reference.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Plug-in entry point and messages 13
Core message actions
The following table contains the set of core message actions received by all plug-ins and corresponding
actions your plug-in should take.
Reload and unload messages
Whenever a plug-in is loaded into memory or unloaded from memory, Illustrator sends it an access
message action:
#define kSPAccessCaller "SP Access"
#define kSPAccessUnloadSelector"Unload"
#define kSPAccessReloadSelector"Reload"
The message action contains the access caller and a reload or unload selector. This is your plug-in’s
opportunity to set up, restore, or save state information. The access caller/selectors bracket all other callers
and selectors.
Access messages bracket all other messages. Reload is the first message your plug-in receives; Unload, the
last. At these times, your plug-in should not acquire or release suites other than those built into Illustrator.
Start-up and shut-down messages
Illustrator has two core interface message actions, where the plug-in can interact with the application:
#define kSPInterfaceCaller "SP Interface"
#define kSPInterfaceStartupSelector "Startup"
#define kSPInterfaceShutdownSelector "Shutdown"
When Illustrator is launched, it sends a “startup” message to each plug-in it finds. This allows your plug-in
to allocate global memory, add user-interface items to Illustrator, register suites, or perform other
initialization. The start-up message action consists of the interface caller (kSPInterfaceCaller) and
start-up selector (kSPInterfaceStartupSelector).
When the user quits Illustrator, it sends each plug-in a “shutdown” message. The shut-down message
action
comprises the interface caller ( kSPInterfaceCaller ) and s hut-down selector
(
kSPInterfaceShutdownSelector ). Shut-down is intended for flushing files and preserving preferences,
not destruction. A plug-in that exports a suite should not dispose of its plug-in globals or suite
information, since it may be called after its own shut-down by another plug-in’s shut-down. For example, if
Caller Selector Action to perform
kSPAccessCaller
(“SP Access”)
kSPAccessReloadSelector
(“Reload”)
Restore any state information (globals).
kSPAccessUnloadSelector
(“Unload”)
Save any state information (globals).
kSPInterfaceCaller
(“SP Interface”)
kSPInterfaceStartupSelector
(“Startup”)
Initialize globals and add features to the
application.
kSPInterfaceShutdownSelector
(“Shutdown”)
Free globals, remove features from the
application, and save preferences.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Plug-in entry point and messages 14
your plug-in implements a preferences suite that other plug-ins use, they may call you in their shut-down
handlers after you already shut down.
Notifiers
Some message actions also are referred to as notifiers, indicating something in Illustrator was changed by
the user; for example, when the user selects an object.
Plug-ins must register for the notifiers in which they are interested. The Notifier suite is used to register and
remove notification requests (see AINotifierSuite).
Plug-ins also can create their own notifiers, which can be used to broadcast changes to other plug-ins.
Handling callers and selectors
Your plug-in’s organization is based largely on the messages it receives. The main routine of your plug-in
must first determine the message action, using the caller and selector parameters. For example:
extern "C" ASAPI ASErr PluginMain(char* caller, char* selector, void* message)
{
ASErr error = kNoErr;
if ( strcmp( caller, kSPAccessCaller ) == 0 ) {
// Handle Reload and Unload
if ( strcmp( selector, kSPAccessReloadSelector ) == 0 )
error = MyRestoreGlobals( message );
else if ( strcmp( selector, kSPAccessUnloadSelector ) == 0 )
error = MySaveGlobals( message );
} else if ( strcmp( caller, kSPInterfaceCaller ) == 0 ) {
// Handle Startup and Shutdown
if ( strcmp( selector, kSPInterfaceStartupSelector ) == 0 )
error = MyStartupPlugin( message );
else if ( strcmp( selector, kSPInterfaceShutdownSelector ) == 0 )
error = MyShutdownPlugin( message );
} else if ( strcmp( caller, kCallerAIMenu ) == 0 &&
strcmp( selector, kSelectorAIGoMenuItem ) == 0 ) ){
// Handle menu message
error = MyHandleMenu( message );
}
return error;
}
Message data
The last argument passed to your plug-in entry point is a pointer to a message data structure, which
contains information appropriate to the message action. For example, when a mouse-clicked message
action is received, the message data structure contains the mouse position.
The contents of the message data structure depend on the message action and are not completely known
until your plug-in identifies this. While the contents of the message data vary, by convention all message
data structures begin with the common fields that are grouped into the SPMessageData structure:
typedef struct SPMessageData {
long SPCheck;
struct SPPlugin *self;
void *globals;

CHAPTER 1: Overview Illustrator API 15
struct SPBasicSuite *basic;
} SPMessageData;
If this is a valid message, the SPCheck field contains kSPValidSPMessageData.
The self field is a reference to the plug-in being called. The reference to the running plug-in’s self is used
to add plug-in suites, adapters, and other plug-in data to Illustrator. Illustrator stores this value with the
added data. It is used to recall your plug-in as needed.
The globals pointer is for use by your plug-in, to preserve any information between calls that it needs.
Usually, it is a pointer to a block of memory allocated by your plug-in at start-up. This value is preserved by
Illustrator when your plug-in is unloaded and passed back to the plug-in each time it is called. Plug-ins use
this block to store any state information they need to maintain between unload and reload.
NOTE: It is important that the memory for globals be allocated using Illustrator's memory-allocation APIs;
otherwise, the memory may be destroyed by the operating system when a plug-in is unloaded.
The basic field is a pointer to the Basic suite (see SPBasicSuite), which allows your plug-in to acquire
other suites and provides basic memory management. See “Suites” on page 15.
When Illustrator or a plug-in wants to send a message to your plug-in, it passes in a relevant message data
structure. Some examples are given below.
Once a plug-in identifies the message action via the caller and selector parameters, it casts the message
parameter to access further message data. For example:
if (strcmp(caller, kSPAccessCaller) == 0) {
SPAccessMessage* accessMsg = static_cast<SPAccessMessage*>(message);
// access accessMsg
}
else if (strcmp(caller, kSPInterfaceCaller) == 0) {
SPInterfaceMessage* interfaceMsg = static_cast<SPInterfaceMessage*>(message);
// access interfaceMsg
}
else if (strcmp(caller, kCallerAIMenu) == 0) {
AIMenuMessage* menuMsg = static_cast<AIMenuMessage*>(message);
// access menuMsg
}
Illustrator API
Suites
The Illustrator plug-in manager calls a plug-in through the plug-in’s entry point, sending various messages
as described in the previous section. When a plug-in is active, it needs a way to perform actions within
Caller Message type Description
kSPAccessCaller SPAccessMessage Contains SPMessageData.
kSPInterfaceCaller SPInterfaceMessage Contains SPMessageData.
kCallerAIMenu AIMenuMessage Contains SPMessageData and a reference to a menu
item that was chosen.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Illustrator API 16
Illustrator. The mechanism for this is plug-in suites, which are one or more related functions grouped
together in a C structure.
Functions are grouped into suites based on the services they provide; for example the Path Suite (see
AIPathSuite) contains functions that create and manipulate paths and segments. For detailed
documentation on the suites and functions provided, see Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Illustrator’s suite architecture, known as the Plug-in Component Architecture (PICA), also is found in the
latest versions of Adobe Photoshop and other Adobe applications. The former term for PICA was Suite Pea
(SP). Suites that are part of PICA all start with the suffix SP; for example, SPBasicSuite.
Suites fall into two general categories: those that implement a plug-in type (see “Types of plug-ins” on
page 8) and those that provide general functions. Suites that provide general functions make up most of
the API; they provide a wide range of capabilities for manipulating text, gradients or raster images, or
performing math functions. The following table lists several major suites and what they do.
For detailed descriptions of suites and their associated functions, see Adobe Illustrator API Reference.
Acquiring and releasing suites
Before you can use a function in a suite, you must first acquire the suite. When the suite’s functions are no
longer needed, your plug-in must release the suite.
It is important to release suites so the Illustrator plug-in manager can run optimally. The plug-in manager
uses the acquire/release mechanism to determine when plug-ins can be unloaded to free memory.
Suite Name Suite Services provided
Art suite AIArtSuite Access the artwork tree.
Block suite AIBlockSuite SPBlocksSuite Allocate and free memory.
Custom Color suite AICustomColorSuite Create or work with custom colors.
Document list suite AIDocumentListSuite Create or work with documents
Document suite AIDocumentSuite Get and set document information.
Gradient suite AIGradientSuite Create or work with gradients.
Group suite AIGroupSuite Make clipped groups.
Layer suite AILayerSuite Get information about layers.
Path suite AIPathSuite Work with Illustrator paths.
Random suite AIRandomSuite Generate random numbers.
Raster suite AIRasterSuite Work with raster objects.
Real Math suite AIRealMathSuite Many useful math functions.
Tag suite AITagSuite Associate information with art objects.
Text frame suite AITextFrameSuite Work with text objects.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Illustrator API 17
When your plug-in is first called, it “knows about” only the Basic suite (see SPBasicSuite), which was
introduced earlier in this chapter (as part of the SPMessageData structure). The Basic suite is used to
acquire and release other suites.
The following code snippet shows how to pop an alert on start-up using the ADM Basic suite (see
ADMBasicSuite).
extern "C" ASAPI ASErr PluginMain(char* caller, char* selector, void* message)
{
ASErr error = kASNoError;
if (strcmp(caller, kSPInterfaceCaller)==0) {
if (strcmp(selector, kSPInterfaceStartupSelector)==0) {
SPMessageData* messageData = (SPMessageData*)message;
SPBasicSuite* sSPBasic = messageData->basic;
ADMBasicSuite11* sADMBasic = nil;
error = sSPBasic->AcquireSuite(kADMBasicSuite, kADMBasicSuiteVersion11,
(const void**)&sADMBasic);
if (error == kNoError) {
sADMBasic->MessageAlert("HelloWorld!");
sSPBasic->ReleaseSuite(kADMBasicSuite, kADMBasicSuiteVersion);
}
}
}
return error;
}
This code snippet is intended to show only the concepts of acquiring, using, and releasing a suite; this is
not the preferred way to acquire and release suites. To see how suites normally are acquired and released,
see the sample plug-ins provided in the SDK.
Publishing suites
All plug-ins use suites, since they are the fundamental mechanism of the Illustrator API. Plug-ins also can
publish suites of their own, for use by other plug-ins. This feature, where plug-ins may be both clients of
suites and publishers of suites, is extremely powerful. Several plug-ins included with Illustrator publish
suites used by many other plug-ins.
From the plug-in’s perspective, it is unimportant whether a particular suite is implemented within
Illustrator itself or as a plug-in. The Illustrator plug-in manager is responsible for managing suites among
various plug-ins and the application.
To export a suite, a plug-in must call SPSuitesSuite::AddSuite on start-up. We also recommend that a
plug-in declare a PIExportsProperty in its PiPL, to allow Illustrator to optimize the plug-in initialization
process. Illustrator always tries to load plug-ins with a PIExportsProperty first, so other plug-ins that
depend on exported suites can load and start up successfully on the first try.
For more information on how to publish suites, see SPSuitesSuite::AddSuite in Adobe Illustrator API
Reference and “Export property” on page 36.
Binary compatibility
Illustrator makes its best effort to support binary compatibility across two previous product versions. For
example, this means a plug-in built with the Illustrator CS3 SDK or Illustrator CS4 SDK should load and run
under Illustrator CS5. Changes to the development, operating system, or hardware platform can
compromise this objective.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Illustrator API 18
Illustrator's artwork as seen by a plug-in
Most plug-ins manipulate Illustrator artwork (including paths, text, and raster art) in some manner.
Illustrator artwork objects are presented to plug-ins as a hierarchical tree, which plug-ins can freely modify.
Plug-ins can create, remove, and change the characteristics of artwork objects. For example, plug-ins can
group objects, move or distort paths, adjust colors, and search and change text.
Cross-platform support
The implementation of the Illustrator API is highly portable across platforms. Plug-ins can be written for
Mac OS and Windows platforms. Working with Illustrator data types is the same on both platforms.
Differences are related to the architectures of the hardware or operating system on which Illustrator runs,
and these are abstracted, so the API call works on both environments with a minimum of platform support
code. There are platform-specific API functions, but these exist largely for backward compatibility with
earlier implementations; there are cross-platform versions that we suggest you use instead.
Because of this high level of compatibility, writing an Illustrator plug-in for Mac OS and Windows is fairly
easy. The Illustrator-specific code can be run with little modification, often only a few lines of code within
an #ifdef. For example, the Tutorial sample in the SDK uses identical source code; only the resources are
platform specific.
The main differences are in presenting the user interface and resource data; depending on user-interface
complexity, this can be a significant undertaking. User-interface items like menus are implemented using
the Illustrator API and are highly compatible across platforms.
Memory
Memory-management functionality is provided by SPBasicSuite and SPBlocksSuite. The Basic suite
(SPBasicSuite) memory allocation functions are convenient since this suite is readily available when a
plug-in is called (see SPMessageData).
Resources
Illustrator plug-ins define their resources in the format native to the platform on which they are running.
The resources can be accessed from a plug-in using SPAccessSuite::GetAccessInfo.
Byte information and structures
Illustrator-specific data structures for the Mac OS and Windows implementations are the same, with the
exception of platform dependencies like byte order. On Windows and Mac OS, byte alignment is to
four-byte boundaries.
System requirements
The platforms supported for Illustrator plug-in development are documented in Getting Started with Adobe
Illustrator CS5 Development. Platform requirements for Illustrator are defined in the product release notes.

CHAPTER 1: Overview Plug-in adapters 19
Helper classes
The API provides helper classes that make it easier to write plug-in code. These classes encapsulate calling
of suites; they remove the need to call suites directly in your code. For example, ai::UnicodeString
provides support for Unicode strings and removes the need to call AIUnicodeStringSuite.
Source files for these helpers are provided by the API. To use a helper, add the .cpp file that implements it
to your project and build the code as part of your plug-in. For example, IAIUnicodeString.cpp file
implements the ai::UnicodeString class.
NOTE: Using helper classes is different than using suites. Suites are implemented by another binary
component (the Illustrator application or its plug-ins) and called by your plug-in; an API header file defines
the interface. Helper classes, on the other hand, are built as part of your plug-in; an API header file defines
the interface, and an API source file (.cpp file) provides the implementation.
To use a helper class, a plug-in typically must provide pointers to the suites used by the class, in global
variables with well-known names. For example, ai::UnicodeString requires that the calling plug-in
acquire a pointer to AIUnicodeStringSuite and SPBlocksSuite in the global variables below:
extern "C" {
AIUnicodeStringSuite* sAIUnicodeString = nil;
SPBlocksSuite* sSPBlocks = nil;
}
If you add a helper class to your plug-in and you do not declare the global suite pointers it requires, you
will get linker errors when you build your project. If you do not acquire the suites the class depends on,
run-time errors will occur (see “Acquiring and releasing suites” on page 16). On Windows, if you add a
helper class to your plug-in and your Visual Studio project is using pre-compiled headers, you will get a
compilation error, because the source file for the helper class does not #include your pre-compiled
header file. To fix this override the Create/Use Precompiled Header setting to be Not Using Precompiled
Headers for the helper-class source file.
For documentation on the classes provided, see Adobe Illustrator API Reference > Helper classes.
Plug-in adapters
Support for older plug-ins, as well as for Photoshop plug-ins, is provided through plug-in adapters, plug-ins
that map API calls between Illustrator and the older or non-native APIs of the other plug-ins. Adapters are
not discussed in detail in this document.
About Plug-ins menu
To display company contact information or copyright statements about your plug-in, follow these steps:
XCreate a new menu group under Illustrator’s About group (see kAboutMenuGroup), to contain all the
About plug-in menu items.
XFor each plug-in, create a menu item under this new group.
XHandle the menu message related to use of your About plug-in menu by popping an About box
containing plug-in specific information.
An illustration of the resulting menus on Mac OS is given below:

CHAPTER 1: Overview Next steps 20
Illustrator > About MyCompanyName Plug-ins > MyPluginName1...
MyPluginName2...
An illustration of the resulting menus on Windows is given below:
Help > About MyCompanyName Plug-ins > MyPluginName1...
MyPluginName2...
A helper class that supports this functionality is provided as sample code; see SDKAboutPluginsHelper.
The Tutorial sample shows how to use this class.
NOTE: Before Illustrator CS3, the list of plug-ins that were loaded was displayed in the About Plug-ins
dialog, and the user could choose to request further information about a specific plug-in. As of
Illustrator CS3, the About Plug-ins dialog was removed.
Next steps
In this chapter, we introduced plug-ins for Adobe Illustrator, and defined several key concepts, including:
XPlug-in manager
XPlug-in types
XMessages and message actions
XNotifiers
XLoading and unloading
XAcquiring, using, and releasing suites
Chapter 2, “Tutorial”explains the process of writing a plug-in in more detail. Adobe Illustrator API Reference
describes each function in detail and provides information on the artwork objects and data structures you
need to complete the job. Finally, the sample projects in the SDK provides concrete examples and are a
good starting point for your project.