Digital Light & Color

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Would it to be possible to add 'comments' within a script after an "end_image" and before the next "image index n" in a script? These comments would only be viewable when viewing/editing a script file with Notepad or BabelPad.

Perhaps a prefix/suffix notation where whatever is in between is ignored.

Example:

image index 4 caption ″Gaussian Blur″ saved_as ″″ saved_on ″″ parent 3 bypass 0 same_size 1 size_specific 0 breakpoint 0 n_inputs 0 n_masks 1 command ‴gaussian_blur 0 radius 20 threshold 255 what 0 amount 1 -1 0 0 ″Amount: ″ ″Mask″ display 1 sync_scroll 1‴
end_image

# A 20 radius Gaussian blur is added at 100% Amount. #

image index 5 caption ″Composite″ saved_as ″″ saved_on ″″ parent 4 bypass 0 same_size 1 size_specific 0 breakpoint 0 n_inputs 1 n_masks 2 command ‴composite 0 operation 3 alignment 0 nalign 0 label 1 overlay_color ffffff overlay_amount 1 -1 0 0 ″Overlay Amount:″ ″Overlay Mask″ amount 1 -1 0 0 ″Amount:″ ″Base Mask″ display 2 sync_scroll 1 auto_preview 1 ‴
input base_image 5 input_number 0 index 1 caption ″Overlay″
end_image

I would also like to be able to add comments before the beginning of the script:

# This is a Glow Effect originally suggested by TESchmitz in a 2004 'old' Message Board posting. #

script 1.0
color_management enabled 1 on_mismatch 0 acs_profile ″sRGB Color Space Profile.icm″ gray_acs_profile ″Gamma 2.2.icm″ wcs_profile ″sRGB Color Space Profile.icm″ gray_wcs_profile ″Gamma 2.2.icm″ monitor_curves_file ″″ monitor_curves_enabled 0

Something perhaps for the future. Currently, I am able to add comments after the scripts 'end' with no prefix/suffix notations.

...den...

Currently, you can edit the image browser thumbnail caption via Edit/Image Info and place descriptive information there instead of the transformation name. This has the advantage that it is automatically saved with the script file and you don't need a text editor to create or edit comments. If that's not good enough, I could possibly add an additional description field that you also access via Image Info.

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I have edited the 'caption' descriptions but find that in normal browser view they usually are not completely viewable unless thumbnail size is significantly increased.

This suggestion comes more for a way to explain what is occurring in a script workflow that someone new to their use could better follow... ...so "Image Info" would not necessarily be the place to accomplish this.

Let's leave things as is... ...I can detail comment a script after its "end" and that along with concise/abbreviated caption edits should be sufficient.

Thank you for the consideration... ...den...

The problem with inserting comments manually is that they get lost if you save a modified script over a commented script file.

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Funny you should mention this as I have been there and done that... ...so I have a 3 part naming scheme for both setting and script file names:

1) Prefix:
"yymmdd" of the PWP 8.0.exe version generating the file

2) "description"

3) Suffix:
"v0" original version, no annotation
"v1a" first revision with annotation

Example:

181215 TESchmitz Glow Effect v0a.script

File Explorer will list these files in order of the date of the executable generating them which makes it easy to know if they need to be updated as the PWP8 executable updates.

Perhaps others will find this useful. Have fun...

...den...

Just to be clear, what I was suggesting was editing the comment in a new Image Info comment field and then storing them in some format in the script file similar to what you were proposing, but using a special unicode character to delimit the comment string so it can contain any normal character. By attaching the comment to the image internally, it would be preserved when the script file was opened or saved.

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If I understand correctly, the comments/annotations could be temporarily associated with a new "Image Info... tab" for each "image index n... ...end_image" of a script, accumulating through the browser tree to the last "image index n+... ...end_image end", then saved with the script or discarded if the script is not saved.

If true, what is there to prevent including for editing the "image index n ... ... end_image" of a script as well, doing away with with Notepad or BabelPad after the script is saved?

Of necessity, the "image index n ... ... end_image" sub-script would have to be able to auto-update as "Edit Transformation..." and/or "Change name..." is updated graphically.

In this manner encoding/font incompatibilities of plain text could be avoided as sometimes occurs when using separate plain text editors... ...perhaps something for the future.

I was hoping that something simple could be done and am not adverse to manually transferring/editing script comments/annotations as scripts are changed.

I am somewhat familiar with html programming where one can insert comments in the code by simply beginning with <!-- add comment(s) and end with -->

...den...

I do not want to allow users to edit parts of the script file that, if done incorrectly, will cause the program to crash. Editing comments is safe in this regard.

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I understand... ...but if implemented with a checker, it would be possible to keep PWP8 scripts proprietary if that is of concern... ...requiring a PWP8 program version to read, write, edit, and as well as execute its scripts.

...den...
PS... ...tried exploring "Image Info... Notes" for annotations and discovered a possible concern that is posted separately.