Automation, Actions, Inset Menu Item (sub-menus?)

[redwards_]

Reached an impasse while trying to record an action today.

I was curious if it is at all possible to insert a menu item that appears after an initial 'menu item'...

Selections based on previous selections...

This option seems to only allow me to pick something on the surface of the GUI... something readily available, so makes it tough to record the insert.

My question is, is there some formula to selecting menus-of-menus? (example: ThisMenu.thatMenu / ThisThing>ThatThing)

Or is this the extent of what can be recorded easily for playback?

It seems the same even in illustrator... something like selecting the menu items... 'Type'>'Find Fonts'>'Save'

.... something straight-thru as that can't be done either, is there some list of 'options' to tag/type into this box to get it to work?

step 1. 'select this menu'  *insert menu item*

step 2. 'ok as long as that menu is focused, select this button/option that *should* be visible at this point'  *insert menu item*

Or is this something entirely for scripts?  Just curious if there's any possibilities here, thanks for reading--I appreciate any help.

-Ryan

[Jeff Arola]

What do you want the action your recording to do?

Usually with Insert Menu Item you just have to select the menu item, not the previous ones.

For example if you want to to Insert the Variance stack mode, you would use Insert menu item and go to

Layer>Smart Objects>Stack Mode and click on Variance, which then shows in the Insert Menu Item dialog.

No need to insert the previous menu items, since photoshop is smart enough to know how to get to the Variance stack mode.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

What is

'Type'>'Find Fonts'>'Save'

supposed to be?

I can’t locate such a Menu Item in Photoshop.

I was curious if it is at all possible to insert a menu item that appears after an initial 'menu item'...

Are you talking about Menu Items or Dialogs?

[redwards_]

@R_Kelly .. the forums aren't letting me tag you--anyways

I appreciate the reply, very helpful.

I guess now I see any 'Menu Item' followed by a '>' is good and anything followed by a '...' is the end of the line for adobe actions....c.pfaffenbichler​ refers to them as 'dialogs' ...

if it 'pops-up' adobe isn't going to see the following buttons as 'menu items'

I was hoping they could be recorded/inserted though--since they are a menu item (i.e. the only way to get to them is from the menus in photoshop.)

It'd be nice if it could 'select' a menu item... more items are available after that jump.
You then insert a 'submenu' item or something of the like, I'm guessing this is what scripting is for though?

Was hoping to keep this all in a quick recorded action.

c.pfaffenbichler sorry got on a tangent about adobe illustrator ...
probably shouldn't have  😕

It seems the same even in illustrator... something like selecting the menu items... 'Type'>'Find Fonts'>'Save'

was just noticing they both seem to act the same as far as 'recording'
Those buttons available in the 'find font' dialog/pop-up menu -- 'find' 'change' 'change all' 'save list...' -- it'd be nice to insert a step dealing their selection into an action. But alas its looking hopeless through the record button.

Thanks for the feedback!

-Ryan

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I was hoping they could be recorded/inserted though--since they are a menu item (i.e. the only way to get to them is from the menus in photoshop.)

Menu Items are the items in the Menus, the subsequent entry opportunities (for example for choosing settings for a Filter) one can trigger with them are not Menu Items but Dialogs (or Dialog Windows).

You then insert a 'submenu' item or something of the like, I'm guessing this is what scripting is for though?

What exactly are you trying to achieve/automate?

[redwards_]

Okay, yeah I guess I wish I could automate those dialogues boxes too, anything ancillary-really to major menu selections.. even if it could just remember generic inputs or 'choices' that I made at the time of inserting the item/last using the dialogue.  Just seems weird that in CC you still can't go this 'deep' even if its just 1 menu past the one currently recoding/inserting.

c.pfaffenbichler Last thing I was attempting yesterday night was in illustrator CC... I was trying to collect lists of fonts in documents... ~400 files... (6 mouse presses x400  )I ended up using a third party app.. AutoMate7--an app that just records your mouse moves (very cumbersome really and not as fast as it intelligently selecting objects in adobe's menus/pop-ups/dialogues)

I was just very hopeful that adobe would let you insert any pressable item in their menus/pop-ups (much like something like Maxon Cinema4d is like pick any call anywhere... you just have to dig for it)

I need a javascript book looks like ... still new to automation.. but very much in love with it

-Ryan

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Just seems weird that in CC you still can't go this 'deep' even if its just 1 menu past the one currently recoding/inserting.

Why insert a menu item when one can simply record the operation it triggers?

What exactly are you trying to automate in Photoshop?

Many Photoshop operations that include dialogs can be recorded as Actions just fine – so please try to make clear what you want to achieve.

[redwards_]

Right now I've kind of moved onto illustrator and cant take my mind off it--trying to do the 'find fonts' thing described above--there seems to be no way in which to record this action.  I know the two apps are different.. but at least from 'recoding' standpoint seem similar enough.

Photoshop... here's one..

Click 'Image>Variables>Define...'

Anything in the resulting dialogue/popup can't be inserted / recorded in any way that I can tell...
It be nice if it was possible to insert a menu item.. it comes up... send a keysroke or something to cheat it accessing this sub-menu/dialogue

Hope this makes sense... anything I can get to from the GUI immediately--those actions are no issue.. its things with pop-ups for further setting of preferences that is my issue.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Why would you want to use Image > Variables > … in an Action or Script?

Are you aware that that feature is an automation-procedure itself?

The Illustrator team has not fixed a bug affecting Scripts in Actions for more than a decade and I suspect that Scripting is less-than-ideally implemented there but as concerns Scripting in Photoshop there may be options that could prove useful to you – but whether existing Scripts and plugins can be automated with Scripting depends on whether they have been created accordingly.

Photoshop Scripting

This has a code example for getting a list of fonts used in Type Layers in a group (edit: in a layered file in Photoshop):

Re: Re: How do I find the font for a specific character in a textItem?

[redwards_]

Ok, yeah I think yesterday I was doing things in both apps and it kind of dropped away to me just wanting to use Illustrator CC.. my fault for not having it posted more global as an automation question vs. 'photoshop-centric' (new to forums still)

Both  apps have the same offerings when 'recording'... illustrator just seems to not play as nice as Photoshop...PS has more 'up front' in menus/offerings

I used the automate7 program as a 'hack' ... co-workers are telling me to learn python an write an app to do my 'collect fonts' thing I was doing in illustrator.

I think its all good for now, I know illustrator's limitations a bit more now
I appreciate all the follow-ups c.pfaffenbichler​

-Ryan

[c.pfaffenbichler · Accepted solution]

I am not very familiar with Illustrator Scripting but I suspect JavaScript should suffice to get a list of fonts used in an open file. (I do not know Python, so I don’t know if it would provide benefits over JS for this task.)

But if the files are saved you might even be able to get the font information from the metadata.

Maybe you should ask around on the Illustrator Scripting Forum.