Photoshop supports actions and automation for plug-ins in two ways.
Plug-ins can be made scripting-aware, which means that they are able to record scripting parameters and be automated by them. For further information, see Scripting-Aware Plug-ins.
You can also create automation plug-ins, which can access all Photoshop scriptable events. These plug-ins appear under the Automate menu or Help menu. Automation plug-ins are built on top of the Adobe Plug-in Component Architecture (PICA). For further information, see Photoshop Actions Event Guide, and Adobe PICA API.
Suites for Automation and Scripting
- Action Control Suite
Allows automation plug-ins to control playback, and actions taken on events.
- Action Descriptor Suite
Allows a plug-in to put keys and objects into descriptors, get them out of descriptors, and perform other descriptor management.
- Action List Suite
Allows a plug-in to get values from and put values into a list. These lists can be used as values for Action Descriptors.
- Action Reference Suite
Provides routines for building references to objects, which allows the plug-in to get and set properties and target events from the Action Control Suite and the Basic Action Control Suite. These references can also be used to build descriptors.
- Basic Action Control Suite
Allows non-automation plug-ins access to some of the routines available in the Action Control Suite.
- Descriptor Registry Suite
Allows the plug-in to pass descriptors between plug-ins or save parameters between invocations.
- Window Notify Suite
Allows plug-ins on Mac OS to receive event notification during play.
- Descriptor Suite Callbacks (deprecated Standard Suite)
Provides callbacks related to scripting.
Automation Modules
- Automation Module
Automation plug-in modules access all Photoshop scriptable events. These modules appear under the Automate menu or the Help menu.
Terminology Resources
Other Documentation
