EDOBE XDOM TPC Technical Information download pdf (Page 7)

CHAPTER 1: Introduction Scripting language support in Adobe Illustrator CS5 7

Scripting language support in Adobe Illustrator CS5

Illustrator scripting supports VBScript and JavaScript scripts for Windows, and AppleScript and JavaScript

scripts for Mac OS.

Script file extensions

For a file to be recognized by Adobe Illustrator CS5 as a valid script file, the file must have the correct file

name extension:

JavaScript development options

You can use the ExtendScript Toolkit to create JavaScript scripts explicitly for Illustrator, or you can use the

Creative Suite Extension Builder and the Creative Suite SDK to develop CS extensions in ActionScript. CS

extensions are Flash-based (SWF) and can potentially work in a variety of Creative Suite applications.

Developing a CS5 extension using ActionScript

In Creative Suite 5, the applications have an extensibility infrastructure that allows developers to extend

the capabilities of the applications; the infrastructure is based on Flash/Flex technology, and each CS5

extension is delivered as compiled Flash (SWF) file. Creative Suite 5 includes the Extension Manager to

enable installation of CS5 extensions.

An example of a CS5 extension that ships with the point products is Adobe Kuler. Kuler has a consistent

user interface across the different suite applications, but has different logic in each, adapted to the host

application.

The user interface for an extension is written in ActionScript, using the Flex framework. A C5S extension is

typically accessed through its own menu item in the application’s Extensions menu. CS Extension Builder

allows you to design the user interface interactively using the Design view of FlashBuilder. The Creative

Suite SDK also allows you to develop all of the application logic for your CS5 extension in ActionScript; you

can develop and debug your extension in the familiar FlashBuilder environment.

To develop your application logic, we recommend using the Creative Suite ActionScript Wrapper Library

(

CSAWLib), which exposes the scripting DOM of each host application as an ActionScript library. This is

tightly integrated with the CS Extension Builder environment, which includes wizards to help you build

your extension’s basic structure, and run and debug your code against suite applications such as Adobe

InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.

The methods, properties, and behavior of the scripting DOM is as described in the JavaScript Scripting

Reference for the host application. For details of how to use CS Extension Builder and the wrapper libraries,

Script type File type (extension) Platforms

AppleScript compiled script (

.scpt)

OSAS file (no extension)

Mac OS

JavaScript or ExtendScript text (

.js or.jsx) Windows

Mac OS

VBScript text (

.vbs)Windows

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EDOBE XDOM TPC Technical Information Page 7