Applescripting Import and Export -> PNG to EPS
 

Hello all,

OG Version: OmniGraffle 4.2.3

I am not a fluent applescripter - so please bear with me if there are obvious solutions to these problems:

I've tested the export scripts on the various threads on this forum - [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=106"]Export thread[/URL] - but commonly receive errors when exporting to EPS.

I wish to make a droplet that will process dopped PNG screenshots (with transparency) to EPS (with transparency), maybe saving the graffle document along the way. One graphic per canvas.

Here's a simple import PNG/other-graphics-format script (currently not working!)

[CODE]-- This droplet processes files dropped onto the applet

on open these_items

tell application "Finder"
set saveFolder to desktop as string
end tell

try
process_item(these_items)
end try
end open

-- this sub-routine processes files
on process_item(this_item)
tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
activate
open document
tell canvas 1
activate
import (this_item)
end tell
end tell
end process_item[/CODE]

I see the IMPORT dictionary docs have numerous parameters - I would love a simple example showing how this works.

Here's my current export script (greatly simplified from the other examples). I will tie them together when I get my head around the basic simple functionality. Even when testing the working export scripts e.g. [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=106"]See SteveF's script[/URL] and changing PNG export to EPS, the scripts fails with:

OmniGraffle Professional 4 got an error: The document cannot be saved in the "eps" format.

Are there additional export settings I need to set to export to EPS: Here's a simple (non working example):

[CODE]tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
set myWindow to front window
set myDoc to document of myWindow
set export_folder to (choose folder with prompt "Pick the destination folder") as string

set exportType to "EPS"
set exportFileExtension to "eps"
set exportFileName to export_folder & "myFile" & "." & exportFileExtension

set include border of current export settings to false
set copy linked images of current export settings to false
set area type of current export settings to selected graphics
set draws background of current export settings to false
--set export scale to "100.0" -- not sure of what a 'real' is applescript - a decimal?

tell front document

activate
save myDoc as exportType in exportFileName


end tell

end tell[/CODE]

Any help, simple examples will be gratefully received.

Regards, Ian Grant

This is due to a change in Leopard, we've found out that the 'as "foo"' parameter doesn't work, however a UTI or CFBundle TypeName will. Quoth the OmniGraffle Team Lead:

[QUOTE]After some investigation I think the problem is that Apple changed the interpretation of the "as foo" parameter in 10.5.

The new behavior requires either a UTI or a CFBundleTypeName (it uses the new NSWorkspace type:conformsToType: method to search for a matching type in the list returned by -writableTypesForSaveOperation:; the method expects UTIs but is documented to take "other type names, including those declared in CFBundleTypeName Info.plist entries", which is a good thing because the strings that -writableTypesForSaveOperation: returns are not UTIs. It's not clear what other ways of specifying types might be accepted also.)

Right now it works if you specify a CFBundleTypeName string. From the release notes it looks like we can make it accept UTIs as well. The CFBundleTypeName strings in Graffle at the moment are: "OmniGraffle Format", "Apple PDF pasteboard type", "NeXT TIFF v4.0 pasteboard type", "PNG", "JPEG Format", "EPS Format", "HTML Image Map", "HTML Directory", "OOOutlineDocumentType", "Scalable Vector Graphics XML File Type", "PICT", "Photoshop", "BMP", and "VisioXMLDrawingType".

The other workaround is to leave off the "as foo" entirely; AppKit will guess a format from the file extension.[/QUOTE]

We're working on a better fix for the future, in the meantime this does work as a workaround.

Some success at importing images and exporting EPS
 

Hi, thanks for the advice Joel,

I am now getting my head around applescript and interpreting application's applescript dictionaries!

After a bit of applescript research and taking apart the address book chart example, I think I nearly have what I need.

There may be an easier or neater way but this works - I noticed the address book example creates a shape then sets an image as a fill and this is the way to 'import' an image rather than use the 'import' command. I use the 'image events' features - [URL="http://www.apple.com/applescript/imageevents/"]http://www.apple.com/applescript/imageevents/[/URL] - to get the size of the incoming image, and resize the shape.

One ongoing issue - I can't seem to solve: both the applescript export settings and the omnigraffle export settings for EPS when set to 'transparent background' do not export a transparent background. More accurately, if the imported graphics (a PNG) contains transparency, it is flattened (to white). If I draw a circle overlapping the edge in OG, then export to EPS, the canvas (outside of any shadowed area) is transparent. Maybe this is working as expected. I think I wont apply the drop shadow in the screen-capture application and add it during the automated process...

I post the full applescript code should this help anyone wondering how you can place a graphic in omnigraffle 4.2.3 using applescript and how the export business works.

[CODE]
-- convert image to EPS and GRAFFLE document applescript droplet
-- assembled by Ian Grant 2008
-- tested with OmniGraffle 4.2.3 and Mac OS 10.5.3
-- currently the script wont repeat over multiple dropped files

global myDocument

-- Some configurable Settings
property templateName : "A4 with Grid (Metric)" -- Graffle template to use when creating a document - make sure you have it!
property exportFileType : "EPS" -- current workround use FILE extension to save as supported export types
property exportFileExtension : "eps"
property myScale : "1.0" -- 1.0 = full size
property myResolution : "1.0" -- The number of pixels per point in the resulting exported image (1.0 for 72 DPI).
property shouldClose : "true"
property defaultName : "myEPSImage"
-- End of Configurable Settings

-- droplet routine
on open of target_files

-- TODO Sanity Check - check all dropped files are images

try
tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
--activate
set myDocument to (make new document at end of documents)
set template of myDocument to templateName
set myCanvas to canvas 1 of myDocument
set originShape to my makeShape(myCanvas, target_files)
end tell
end try

-- call the export and save as graffle routine
my exportImageAsGraffleAndEPS(target_files)

end open

-- make the shape - I can't get the import construct to work - so I make a shape and set its fill with the image.
on makeShape(onCanvas, myFile)
using terms from application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
tell onCanvas
set theShape to make new shape at front of graphics with properties {origin:{0, 0}, thickness:0.0, fill:no fill, draws stroke:false, image scale:1, size:{20, 20}, draws shadow:false}
my getPicture(theShape, myFile)
return theShape
end tell
end using terms from -- OmniGraffle
end makeShape

-- Get the dropped image, get it's size and set it as a fill to the shape, and some (adjustable) settings.
on getPicture(theShape, myFile)
set filePath to (myFile) as string
set posixPath to POSIX path of file filePath
try
tell application "Image Events"
-- start the Image Events application
launch
-- open the image file
set this_image to open filePath
-- extract the property value
set the props_rec to the properties of this_image
copy (dimensions of props_rec) to {myX, myY}
-- purge the open image data
close this_image
end tell
end try

tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
ignoring application responses
set image of theShape to posixPath
set image sizing of theShape to manual
set image scale of theShape to 1
set image offset of theShape to {0, 0}
set size of theShape to {myX, myY}
select theShape
end ignoring
end tell
end getPicture


-- export EPS and GRAFFLE
on exportImageAsGraffleAndEPS(filename)
tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 4"
set myWindow to front window
set myDoc to document of myWindow

--prompt for save destination
set export_folder to (choose folder with prompt "Pick the destination folder") as string

--prompt for file name
set myFileName to text returned of (display dialog "Enter new filename (no extension required)" buttons {"OK"} default button 1 default answer defaultName with icon 2)
set exportFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & exportFileExtension
set asSourceFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & "graffle"

-- SANITY CHECK if chosen filename already exists -- TODO check validy of file name
repeat
tell application "Finder"
activate
if exists file asSourceFileName then
--asSourceFileName Already exists
set myFileName to text returned of (display dialog "File already exists. Enter new filename." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 default answer defaultName with icon 2)
set exportFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & exportFileExtension
set asSourceFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & "graffle"

else if exists file exportFileName then
--exportFileName Already exists
set myFileName to text returned of (display dialog "File already exists. Enter new filename." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 default answer defaultName with icon 2)
set exportFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & exportFileExtension
set asSourceFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & "graffle"
else
exit repeat
end if
end tell

end repeat


set exportType to exportFileType
set exportFileExtension to exportFileExtension

set exportFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & exportFileExtension
set asSourceFileName to export_folder & myFileName & "." & "graffle"




-- export settings TODO make more of them configurable?
set include border of current export settings to false
set area type of current export settings to selected graphics
set draws background of current export settings to false
set export scale of current export settings to myScale
set resolution of current export settings to myResolution

-- do the export and save
tell front document
activate
-- save export
save myDoc in exportFileName
-- safe graffle
save myDoc in asSourceFileName

-- close doc if configure to
if shouldClose is "true" then close

end tell


end tell
end exportImageAsGraffleAndEPS


[/CODE]

Thanks again! I hope this helps!

Cheers, Ian