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.
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