What are Scripts and how do I use them? – by Bonnie Willis aka Cancer Moon Creations

Scripts are a recorded set of actions that you may wish to use as a time saver for processes that you perform repeatedly in Paintshop Pro (PSP).

Downloaded/received script files have a file extension ending with (.pspscript). Many script writers will include a text file with the downloaded script that contains important information and/or instructions regarding that particular script. Many scripts have specific requirements. For instance, some may require a specific shape, selection, or plug-in. While others may require that you have an image or tube open in PSP before beginning the script. Therefore, it is extremely important to read any text file included with the script – Every TIME you use the script.

Installing A Script

Scripts are installed into folders within your My PSP Files folder that is located in My Documents. In your My PSP Files folder you will see that you have two folders for scripts, one labeled Scripts-Trusted and the other labeled Scripts-Restricted. If your script came with an info/instruction text file, it should tell you which folder to put the script in. If you don’t have instructions – by default, you should place the script in the restricted folder.

NB:- Don’t worry too much about placing a script in the wrong folder. PSP will not allow you to run a trusted script from the restricted folder. You will receive an error message telling you that you cannot run the script. If this happens, simply relocate the script to the scripts trusted folder.

Once you have read the info/instructions text file included with your script, have your script installed into the correct folder and have noted any requirements specific to the script, you’re ready to begin.

Scripts Tool Bar Overview

If you have customised your toolbar, then you may not see the Script toolbar at the top of your screen. You will need to go to View/Toolbars/Scripts. You should now see a small script toolbar that you can drag to the top of your work space and dock there so that it is handy to locate and utilise for playing your scripts.

Toggle list of scripts – Click on this drop down selection box to show all the scripts in both the trusted and restricted folders alphabetically.

“Tip – if you are recording scripts – even just starting out – give them a name you can always find. Most people start collecting scripts as soon as they discover them, and PSP comes with quite a few *in house* scripts – so the numbers add up fast and your list gets very long. Name your script with a signature or something. My scripts all begin with cmc – cancer moon creations.”

Play script – Click on this button to start to play the selected script.

Script editor – You can use this to make some small changes and add information to previously recorded scripts.

Execution mode – Click this button to run the scripts in either interactive or silent mode.

The little folder & play button – I didn’t label it – it is another way to play the script – but lets you browse for it – rather than toggle the drop down list.

The recorder – The part that looks like a mini music or video player/recorder.

When you want to record a script – click the circle to start recording your steps.

“Tip – Because every action you take is recorded, write down all the steps you want to record including settings for effects, before you start recording so that when you come to record your script, the recording process is much easier for you to do”

Pause – If you need to pause to think something through, do something you don’t want recorded – or take a bathroom break.

X that – Cancels your recording – it is not a stop button – it will literally throw your script out and you will lose all your info – so……… only use it if you are sure you don’t want to save what you have recorded already.

Save – Save your scripts – remember to give them a unique name that you can find and recognize later.

Playing/Using A Script

There are two ways to locate your scripts in PSP. One is located under File on your top toolbar and the other is via an icon on your script toolbar that resembles a recorder with pause and play buttons etc.

Execution Mode – If scripts are running for you but you keep seeing windows open requiring you to click Okay, then you’re running in Interactive mode rather than silent mode. To correct this you can click on the execution mode icon in your script toolbar – silent mode is active when this icon is NOT highlighted.

NB:- In silent mode you may still have to click Okay once or twice during a script. These pauses are intentional, allowing the user to make certain adjustments at specific steps.

Some people prefer to run scripts in interactive mode to give them more control over the actual image or outcome of a script, while others prefer to run in silent mode to make the process faster – after all, one of the benefits of scripts is saving time. I recommend that you start out with silent mode until you have the hang of running scripts and then you can get creative and try it both ways.

However, a good script will let you have some control while still saving you time, by having significant effects that are interactive while lesser or required steps are silent.

Version Conflict

One very common problem with scripts – both for people that want to run them, and people that want to write them is that they come across version conflicts.

Scripting became possible in PSP version 8 – but changed slightly when Corel took over and introduced version 10. The good news is, scripts written in 8 or 9 still work in the newer versions. The bad news – scripts written in 10 or 11 or 12, don’t work in earlier versions. That is probably true about most software and even some hardware.

The best news of all is that we can edit the script ourselves to work in earlier versions. Although this fix will work for version 9, I can’t guarantee that it will work for version 8. (If anyone has version 8 and this fix works for you, please would you let me know.)

One easy fix – open your script file as a text file. Two ways to do this….. in PSP – toggle the script – open the script editor and click text editor.

The other way is to find the actual script file (my documents/my psp files/scripts-restricted or scripts-trusted) Right click on the file and open with notepad.

It is Very important that you [right click – open with] if you just click or double click the script file – it will try to run in PSP – and you are frozen until you can click the error pop up that comes up.

Whichever way you choose – you will have a notepad file with the actual code of the script in front of you.

On the very top line – you will see the words, “from PSPApp Import*” if the script was recorded in version 10 or later. Changing “PSPApp” to “JascApp” will often enable you to run the script in version 9, however there are sometimes steps that when recorded in version 10 or later still do not work in version 9.

In the next section is the code that gives information about the script – including the host version [yellow box area in screen shot].

The text in the red box is the information about the script – you can type your information in between the apostrophes and commas or you can fill this in using the script editor inside PSP. (Probably the easiest way to go)

I hope you have enjoyed this guide to Scripts and how to use them. You can always find additional, more detailed scripting tutorials by performing an on-line search for Paint Shop Pro Script tutorials and for additional tips on scripting be sure to check my blog: Cancer Moon Creations