------------------------------------------------------------------------- BatchProcess.isrx A replacement Batch Processing script for ImageStudio Release date 25th January 1998 FREEWARE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction ============ This script makes batch image processing a breeze with ImageStudio, which is written by Andy and Graham Dean. ImageStudio already has a script for batch processing, but it has two quirks which drive me nuts! First, it asks for the information a bit at a time. If you're like me and keep changing your mind (I've gone through a dozen this week already!), or make a mistake, you have to cancel the whole operation and start again. Second, you only get one line to type in the actual processing bit. This is fine if your're doing something simple, such as reducing the number of colours, but if you need to use conditions or loops, it gets really complex. This replacement script goes some way to addressing these two problem, by displaying (nearly) everything together in a window; and by launching "external" image processing scripts. Requirements ============ You need ImageStudio (registered or demo), triton.library (included), tritonrexx.library (also included), and rexxmast (with Workbench 2). If you are running MultiUserFileSystem, you will also need 'LoadResource', which comes with Workbench, so no problems there either. Installation ============ No installer script, but this wont hurt. Now open wide . . . - Back up the BatchProcess.isrx script that comes with ImageStudio. - Copy the contents of this ImageStudio drawer over your installed ImageStudio drawer. - If you dont already have tritonrexx.library, then copy it to libs: - If you dont already have triton.library, then copy that to libs: too. Usage ===== Launch the script from ImageStudio (i.e. run ImageStudio, display the scripts window, and double click on "BatchProcess") A resizeable window will open with three frames named Source, Process and Destination, and some menus. SOURCE ------ LISTVIEW displays the names of the images you want to process. If you double click on an entry, it will be loaded into ImageStudio. ADD button. This calls up a file requester to select the images you want to process. REMOVE button. Delete the currently selected entry from the listview. CLEAR button. Clear all the entries from the listview. PROCESS button. Start processing all the images one at a time. You should fill in the gadgets in the process and destination window first though... PROCESS ------- COMMAND string gadget. Type in the ImageStudio Arexx processes you want to apply. Seperate commands with a semi-colon. It works exactly the same way it does in the original script. The GET ENTRY gadget to the right of the string gadget brings up a list of all the ImageStudio ARexx commands. Double click on an entry to add it to the COMMAND string gadget. I haven't filtered out commands that might not be very useful though. EXTERNAL string gaget. Type in the path and name of the external rexx script which you want to apply. The GET FILE gadget to the right of the string gadget brings up a file requester listing the available external script files. Currently, there are only two, which rescale the image down to a maximum size, while preserving the aspect ratio. FORMAT cycle gadget. Click on this to change the output format type. As you do so, the OPTIONS display gadget and the RENAME string gadget will change to reflect the new image format type. OPTIONS display gadget. This displays the options for the current save format. To change them, click on the gadget on the right. I wont explain all the windows here, but they are basically the same as those in ImageStudio. DESTINATION ----------- DIRECTORY string gadget. Type in the directory where you want all the processed images to go. There is a Get Drawer button which brings up a drawer requester to help you. If you leave the gadget blank, the processed images will be saved to the directories they came from. RENAME string gadget. You can automatically change the extension of the files. This works exactly as it does in the original BatchProcess script. If you leave the gadget blank, the saved files will have the same name as the original. If you also leave the DIRECTORY gadget blank, the processed images will overwrite the source images. DELETE checkbox. Check this box to delete the source images, to save space. This works exactly the same way it does in the original script. MENUS ----- There are three menu items. QUIT finishes the script. ABOUT displays a bit of information. DISABLE PREVIEW (check mark) instructs ImageStudio not to display the image in the preview window while the script is running. This just saves time. Bugs ==== Icky nasty things. This script worked fine until I installed MultiUserFileSystem. Then it crashed, even when I was logged in as root. After lots of tracing, I found that it crashes when tritonrexx.library opens triton.library which then looks for a keyfile. It works fine if you open triton.library first, so I've added a few lines to check to see if MultiUser.server is running, and to use LoadResource to run triton.library. There is no error checking. I guess I should build some in, since if it hangs, you can be left with a dead window, and a blocked ImageStudio. As a partial measure, (to save me from so many reboots), the app and window variables are saved to the clip list, so you can close it 'manually'. Future ====== This version has exceeded my original plans. It is great to use, and I am really happy with it. I'm not likely to do much more work on it, unless I find some glaring bug in it, but if I have some time to kill, I might add a few of the following:- - Quickhelp. Its a kind of bubble help. Take a look at FindGUI, or any of the sample scripts that come with tritonrexx to see what I mean. - Localisation. Unfortunately, I'm only fluent in english, but it would be easy to modify the script to look for an external catalog. - Error handling. Some would be nice. - More external scripts - A proper way to abort. Perhaps I'll add a progress bar. - File/Directory notification, so we can replace BatchProcessNotify.isrx - Scantilly clad girls who serve ice cream during the intervals Disclaimer ========== NO! ITS NOT MY FAULT! GO AWAY! Credits ======= ImageStudio by Andy and Graham Dean. Without which, this product would be rather pointless :-) A demo is available from :- Aminet:gfx/conv/ImageStudio_1.lha Aminet:gfx/conv/ImageStudio_2.lha triton.library by Stefan Zeiger, at s.zeiger@laren.rhein-main.de The current version (6.114) is available from :- Aminet:dev/gui/tri20b2usr.lha 214K AFCD18:-Seriously_Amiga-/Commercial/MakeCD_2.4/Goodies/Triton AFCD17: AFCD16: tritonrexx.library by Jürgen Kohrmeyer, at j_kohrmeyer@wilma.north.de The current version (37.7) is available from :- Aminet:util/rexx/TritonRexx376.lha 198K Author ====== Hi! My name's Tak Tang. I dont have E-mail currently, but if you're REALLY desperate to contact me, you can mail me at Tak Tang 240 Broadlands Road Swaythling SOUTHAMPTON Hants SO17 3AS