CHAPTER
38
WRITING SCRIPTS FOR CANVAS
Canvas is now a scriptable application. Scripting gives you the ability
to execute a wide range of functions outside of Canvas. Now you can
create and edit a host of scripts that can save you time and money.
Briefly, a script is a succession of commands that Canvas can execute
automatically. The script can be simple and affect only a single item
in a current document. It can also be very complex to the extent
where it could affect all of your Canvas documents.
For example, you can execute a script that will open Canvas and per-
form all the tasks needed to prepare a set of files for your service
bureau.
What is Scripting?
Scripting is a programmable feature that can execute tasks that are
too difficult or too time consuming to do manually.
Designers and technical illustrators can activate a script to
automatically create a complex piece of line art from a com-
bination of other Canvas objects.
Photographers can create a script to apply a specific imag-
ing or resizing function to a set of images.
An engineer can easily create a drawing of an often-used
engine component by executing a script.
In short, any task that needs to be dealt with on a repetitive basis is a
good candidate to become a scriptable function. Once created, a
script will perform any task without a need for you to intervene.
For example, a script can:
Import a list of images into Canvas, change resolution,
adjust size, and export each of them into an HTML docu-
ment to create a presentation.
Automatically connect Canvas to other scriptable applica-
tions and exchange content.
Download a file from Internet Explorer and automatically
open it in Canvas.
Prepare files for use by your service bureau.