Save as BMP with target filename

[terrypin]

I am trying to write a script that saves the target file as a BMP with the same name. I'm using the following script as my starting point. See comments at its end.

Code: Select all

from JascApp import *

def ScriptProperties():
    return {
        'Author': u'',
        'Copyright': u'',
        'Description': u'',
        'Host': u'Paint Shop Pro',
        'Host Version': u'8.10'
        }
def Do(Environment):
    name = App.TargetDocument.Name
    # EnableOptimizedScriptUndo
    App.Do( Environment, 'EnableOptimizedScriptUndo', {
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.Match, 
                'Version': ((8,0,0),1)
                }
            })
   
    # SelectDocument
    App.Do( Environment, 'SelectDocument', {
            'SelectedImage': 0, 
            'Strict': App.Constants.Boolean.false, 
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.Match
                }
            })

    # FileSaveAs
    App.Do( Environment, 'FileSaveAs', {
            'Encoding': {
            'JPG': {
            'Variant': App.Constants.JpegFormat.Standard,
            'CompressionFactor': 15,
            'ChromaSubSampling': App.Constants.ChromaSubSampling.YCC_2x2_1x1_1x1
                }
            },
            'FileName': name,
            'FileFormat': App.Constants.FileFormat.JPG, 
            'FormatDesc': u'JPEG - JFIF Compliant', 
            'GeneralSettings': {
            'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Interactive, 
            'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.AllAlways
                },
            'DefaultProperties': []
            })

    # WORKS AS INTENDED. Saves the target file as a JPG with the same name. And if I replace the line
    # 'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Interactive, by
    # 'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, it requires no user action.

The following script also works correctly. See comments at its end.

Code: Select all

from JascApp import *

def ScriptProperties():
    return {
        'Author': u'',
        'Copyright': u'',
        'Description': u'',
        'Host': u'Paint Shop Pro',
        'Host Version': u'8.10'
        }

def Do(Environment):
    # EnableOptimizedScriptUndo
    App.Do( Environment, 'EnableOptimizedScriptUndo', {
            
            })

    # FileSaveAs
    App.Do( Environment, 'FileSaveAs', {
            'Encoding': {
                'BMP': {
                    'Compressed': App.Constants.Boolean.false, 
                    'Format': App.Constants.BmpFormat.Windows
                    }
                }, 
            'FileName': u'C:\\Users\\terry\\Dropbox\\FinishedWalks\\20170809Day02Trevone-Porthcot'\
                u'han-J-u502-red-m8.8-Gf4-Elev.bmp', 
            'FileFormat': App.Constants.FileFormat.BMP, 
            'FormatDesc': u'Windows or OS/2 Bitmap', 
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.AllAlways
                }, 
            'DefaultProperties': []
            })

    # This saves correctly as a BMP, with a BMP extension, but obviously always with the same fixed 
    # filename as when it was recorded, instead of the current target image filename.

But the following attempt to make that save with the target name fails. See comments at its end.

Code: Select all

from JascApp import *

def ScriptProperties():
    return {
        'Author': u'',
        'Copyright': u'',
        'Description': u'',
        'Host': u'Paint Shop Pro',
        'Host Version': u'8.10'
        }

def Do(Environment):
    name = App.TargetDocument.Name
    # EnableOptimizedScriptUndo
    App.Do( Environment, 'EnableOptimizedScriptUndo', {
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.Match, 
                'Version': ((8,0,0),1)
                }
            })
   
    # SelectDocument
    App.Do( Environment, 'SelectDocument', {
            'SelectedImage': 0, 
            'Strict': App.Constants.Boolean.false, 
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.Match
                }
            })

    # FileSaveAs
    App.Do( Environment, 'FileSaveAs', {
            'Encoding': {
                'BMP': {
                    'Compressed': App.Constants.Boolean.false, 
                    'Format': App.Constants.BmpFormat.Windows
                    }
                }, 
            'FileName': name,
            'FileFormat': App.Constants.FileFormat.BMP, 
            'FormatDesc': u'Windows or OS/2 Bitmap', 
            'GeneralSettings': {
                'ExecutionMode': App.Constants.ExecutionMode.Default, 
                'AutoActionMode': App.Constants.AutoActionMode.AllAlways
                }, 
            'DefaultProperties': []
            })
            
    # NOT WORKING: It saves as BMP but with a JPG extension             
    # (I also want to add a suffix '-PS' to the target name. For example if the target is C:\xyz\abc.JPG,
    # I want the saved file to be C:\xyz\abc-PS.BMP)

I have a 49 page Scripting Guide PDF but that's of no help. No hits on 'save file' and no relevant hits on 'Save'. Is there any fuller documentation? Meanwhile I'm pressing on with my 'trial and error' approach but would much appreciate some help please.

[LeviFiction]

Yes there is fuller documentation, it's called the Script API. Several links to various versions of the API are listed under the Scripting Resources topic pinned to the top of this sub-forum.

Save and SaveAs use the filename given. They don't attach the extension for you unless you run the dialog interactively as that's a function of the saveas dialog and not of the save function itself. It may save with a .jpg extension but it is still a .bmp file.

App.TargetDocument.Name returns the full path of the file including the filename and current extension.

In order to make it save with a .bmp extension. You need to remove the currrent extension, if one exists, and replace it with the new one.

The easisest method is to simply add ".bmp" to the end of name so you'd end up with "filename.jpg.bmp" if you want to completely replace .jpg with .bmp there are several python specific options.

[terrypin]

Thanks, duly downloaded that. Comprehensive yes, but heavy going for a novice! Worse, not a single example!

I had searched through Suz Shook's site without finding any File Save As or Renaming script.

"In order to make it save with a .bmp extension. You need to remove the currrent extension, if one exists, and replace it with the new one."

Not sure I follow you. My scenario is that I have opened the JPG, let's call it C:\xyz\abc.JPG, operated on it with a dozen scripts, and now want to save it as a BMP file called C:\xyz\abc-PS.BMP. Do you mean I must first save it as a BMP (with my second script) , re-open that and then use another script?

"The easisest method is to simply add ".bmp" to the end of name so you'd end up with "filename.jpg.bmp"
Do you mean on this line?:
'FileName': name,


"if you want to completely replace .jpg with .bmp there are several python specific options."
Sorry for being slow to get this, but I don't see any:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kk7zjef7u1kcs ... .jpg?raw=1

I have done it automatically with an MX Pro macro but as usual that's a bit kludgy and I thought it would be trivial with a PSP script.

[JoeB]

I'm just following this thread to see if I can learn something new. And maybe I just don't understand something here.

I downloaded the third script and (after changing the Host name in case it matters because I don't have 8.1) I ran interactively on several different .jpg images. In each case the bmp dialogue came up with the target image name and .bmp extension and saved it with that name and just the .bmp extension without a preceding .jpg extension.

Trying to run it silently resulted in nothing being saved at all.

What am I misunderstanding about the issue?

[LeviFiction]

App.TargetDocument.Name just return text. Nothing else. So when you do this.

name = App.TargetDocument.Name

You are setting the variable "name" equal to the text that is inside App.TargetDocumemt.Name. in this case that is the entire path of the file. So for example.
C:\xyz\abc.JPG

You will notice this has an extension of ".jpg" if you pass this as a parameter to the save as command then the file will save with a .jpg extension. This is because the command does not care about extensions. It will use any filename you want. So in order to make sure you are saving with a .bmp extension you have to change the text in the name variable using the various string operations available in Python.

The easiest is to simply add the string ".bmp" to the end of the file name. You can do this anywhere.

name = App.TargerDocument.Name + ".bmp"

Or in the place you indicated.

'FileName': name + '.bmp',

Either works, so long as the text passed into the filename parameter ends with '.bmp'

You can also use text manipulate functions to replace the '.jpg' portion with '.bmp' and, again, there are a lot of ways to do this with python. If you do a Google search for python replace file extension. You will get a lot of answers as it is a common question.

@JoeB - when the dialogue runs it replaced the extension I'm the filename. When the script runs silently the script still saves as a bmp but it doesn't care what extension you use. So it will still claim to be a JPG bit is in fact a bmp. You can verify this with the file properties or by looking at the file in a hex editor and seeing that it now starts with a standard bmp header. In other words you overwrite your jpg with a bmp of the same name

[terrypin]

Thanks Levi, I’ll try that in the morning back at the PC. I had tried various edits with spaces, single or double quotes, ‘&’, etc - but not a ‘+’! Is that in other documentation or just considered obvious?

Can you recommend any other source or tutorial (re PSP scripts rather than the Python programming language, which I’ve no intention of tackling) that gets into this sort of detail, but with practical examples please?

I’ll now do some iPad googling re text manipulation.

[LeviFiction]

Learning the absolute basics of the Python language is your best bet. It takes less than three hours of your time to learn the basics and helps you to understand exactly what you are looking at. Knowing how to edit text like by adding two text items together is a basic of Python not of scripting in PSP.

Scripts in PSP are Python scripts that call PSP commands by repeatedly calling only one command. How to perform math, manipulate text, and know what you are looking at will help you. You don't have to be good at Python, and it takes no time to get these basics.

[JoeB]

@JoeB - when the dialogue runs it replaced the extension I'm the filename. When the script runs silently the script still saves as a bmp but it doesn't care what extension you use. So it will still claim to be a JPG bit is in fact a bmp. You can verify this with the file properties or by looking at the file in a hex editor and seeing that it now starts with a standard bmp header. In other words you overwrite your jpg with a bmp of the same name

My error. The reason I thought nothing was happening was because when I checked the saved files in Windows Explorer (both the one done interactively and saved with .bmp and the one done silently) only the .bmp one showed with the current date and time. Unfortunately I was only looking at Date Created, not Date Modified. The latter does, of course, show that the one with the .jpg extension was modified with the current date and time.

[JoeB]

Learning the absolute basics of the Python language is your best bet. It takes less than three hours of your time to learn the basics and helps you to understand exactly what you are looking at. Knowing how to edit text like by adding two text items together is a basic of Python not of scripting in PSP.

Scripts in PSP are Python scripts that call PSP commands by repeatedly calling only one command. How to perform math, manipulate text, and know what you are looking at will help you. You don't have to be good at Python, and it takes no time to get these basics.

I'm thinking that you might want to check out the link below and determine whether or not it should be added to your list of online Python resources:

https://www.programiz.com/python-programming#tutorial

That said, in my experience it is not easy to find resources - particularly free ones - that actually provide the absolute basics of Python language. Virtually all of them require at least some basic understanding of the terms being used. As an example, the following statement is about as simple a definition as I have seen for one term:

"Python Identifiers: Identifier is the name given to entities like class, functions, variables etc. in Python. It helps differentiating one entity from another."

For someone with no programming knowledge, there is no actual, basic english description of what an "identifier" actually means. Instead, it is defined simply as a name for OTHER terms for which there are also no simple, english descriptions of what they mean. E.g., what is the purpose of "class" or "function"? What do each of them actually do, in simple lanquage that makes sense to someone with absolutely no knowledge of programming?

For example, for most people, the function of a hammer is to drive a nail (or the definition of a hammer is a tool specifically designed for the purpose of driving a nail). If you were an alien you would first need to have it explained what a nail is before you could understand a description of "hammer". In the above quote, I think you similarly need to understand what each of class, functions, variables, etc are in Python before the word "identifier" can make any sense. And in what way - if any - does the word "function" in Python differ from the meaning most people understand for it (as in my example above, where the word "function" is almost synonymous with "purpose")? There seems to be a dearth of truly basic descriptions in the resources available for beginners. JMHO, of course.

[LeviFiction]

What you say is very true, I also feel like it over complicates it. "Identifier" is just a name. And that's the opening part of that sentence you don't have to understand the rest of the sentence to get that small nugget. Identifiers are names. From there they name things like "classes, functions, etc." but you don't have to know what those are yet. Just know they get names and you're about to learn how names are constructed. Similarly while we would think of a hammer an nail, hammers do one thing only, they hit. And that's all that would need to be explained. We could later explain and demonstrate a nail, and then finally show how a hammer, which we previously learned, can interact with that nail.

Names by themselves are kind of useless. Just like a hammer that only hits kind of doesn't seem immediately useful. We can still learn it, understand it, and move on without feeling confused or intimidated because the concept itself is simple. It's a hammer, it's a name. These are basic educational scaffolding techniques. The same way any student is taught new information.

In our very narrow and express circumstance of helping terrypin to become more confident in scripting, I would personally focus on more practical tutorials, like CodeAcademy or the like where you learn short concepts through actual interactive work to get these basics. Otherwise it's just a bunch of words on a page anyway.

[JoeB]

In our very narrow and express circumstance of helping terrypin to become more confident in scripting, I would personally focus on more practical tutorials, like CodeAcademy or the like where you learn short concepts through actual interactive work to get these basics. Otherwise it's just a bunch of words on a page anyway.

I do get your point, but even going through some of the available tutorials the later learning stuff isn't as simple as it could be IMHO. I learned - from scratch back in the 90's - how to code HTML pages just from words on a page - i.e., various online stuff - without once having to register for a course (and proceeded to design web sites for small businesses and art galleries). And an example of what I mean by simple definitions would be some of the basic HTML code. So something as simple as <b> </b> was not explained by simply saying that this code is a character definition. It was further explained by saying it created a bold text character, with the forward slash indicating the end of the bolding. I don't think I've yet seen a python tutorial that (at least anywhere near where they are teaching certain code) says in simple terms what def Do actually means, or what distinquishes it from App.Do and what that latter (or the former for that matter) actually means in english, in the way that the bolding code example means, in english, "bold, or a text character that is darker than and stands out from non-bold characters" (which also distinguishes it from "bold" meaning a person with an upfront or perhaps exceptionally confident personality). That's the type of thing I mean by describing the Python terms (names if you will) that put them in some sort of beginning context for absolute beginning learners.

Again, that's just the way I see things.

[terrypin]

I'm with Joe on this one. I've installed Python and I've scoured many tutorials but once I get beyond trivial examples at the "Hello World" or adding two numbers level the learning curve steepens hyperbolically

In addition to the daunting complexity of its terminology and syntax, a significant obstacle for me is the apparent gulf between Python scripts and the sort of useful PSP scripts I need for my current project. I've therefore set Python aside for the time being to press on with practical work.

After several hours of googling, mostly in StackOverflow, I failed to discover any PSP script code that would achieve the subject objective. So most of my subsequent 'programming' today has been with Macro Express Pro, (with which I'm confident after many years), plus a few Excel VBA scripts (the basics of which I'm slowly re-learning after a long gap), and the dozen or so PSP scripts (mostly adapted from work by LeviFiction). Pleased to say that I now have that 'hybrid' solution working.

[JoeB]

I'm with Joe on this one. I've installed Python and I've scoured many tutorials but once I get beyond trivial examples at the "Hello World" or adding two numbers level the learning curve steepens hyperbolically....

I was beginning to think it was just me.

In addition to the daunting complexity of its terminology and syntax, a significant obstacle for me is the apparent gulf between Python scripts and the sort of useful PSP scripts I need for my current project.

The best suggestion I can come up with is to say that the PSP Scripting Guide for Authors is, at least, written in quite acceptable ordinary English, and best used in conjunction with the knowledge you have already gained simply by the script recording and subsequent editing you have done on your own. For beginners it still assumes some interpretation of terms in the context of programming/scripting (e.g., what do words like "method", "parameter", "variable" mean in that context). This line from the guide would be easier to understand if those terms had been explained in more detail and better earlier in the text: "The first parameter is the Environment variable passed to the script’s Do method." Most people have a concept of what "variable" means, but talking about the Environment Variable doesn't fit with anything unless you first know what Environment is all about (calling it a "convention" as they do doesn't really help much) and why is it called a variable. And exactly what is the PSPApp Module - i.e., what specific type of information does it contain that is needed by the scripts?

So the next suggestion is, upon coming on those types of terms, Google search for definitions and check out the various Wiki and Wikipedia links you're presented with - particularly ones where the subject and/or summary indicate it's about computers or programming - which often actually do help to clarify some of those terms in the context of programming, and usually do so much better than the various tutorials do.

I think that this combination of resources at least helps to make more sense of the API, much more than any of the tutorials that claim to be easy learning for beginners. And it does help to narrow the learning towards scripting specifically for PSP. If the author(s) of the Guide had decided to write a more comprehensive document I think it would have been a much better guide for beginners (given that it is relatively lucid in its short length) than any of the other stuff I came across that claims to be easy for beginners.

It is my own opinion that lucid, real world analogies that define and explain terms being used in the context in which they are being used should be placed at/near the beginning of any teaching aid or tutorial. Without that - i.e., if one is supposed to expect that this stuff will become more evident the further one reads - the risk is extremely high that many, if not most, beginners will simply stop reading before they ever get to that explanatory information, having become just confused and frustrated by not having understood the stuff that they have already slogged through.

EDIT: I truly feel bad that, in my post above about using some resources along with your own learning experience in recording and editing scripts I left out one resource that has also proven invaluable - i.e., the information received, in answer to questions posted by us and others, and provided by LeviFiction. That, for me and I'm sure you, has added much to what we have otherwise gleaned from out own experiences with recording and editing scripts. Didn't want to leave that out!