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PatchPanel

From Adobe Labs

Table of contents
1 Introduction to the Adobe® PatchPanel Technology - Preview Release 3
2 PatchPanel Software Development Kit (SDK) for Adobe Flex Developers

2.1 System and Software Requirements

2.1.1 Other software required

2.2 Installing the PatchPanel SDK
2.3 Getting Started
2.4 Known Issues

3 Release Notes
4 For more information
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Introduction to the Adobe® PatchPanel Technology - Preview Release 3

Adobe is pleased to offer our third-party developers and the larger Adobe Flex® development community this preview of PatchPanel, a first glimpse at combining the dynamic control of ActionScript™ with the power of Adobe’s Creative Suite®. Similar to Adobe’s ExtendScript environment for the Creative Suite, PatchPanel provides developers deep access into controlling the Creative Suite through independently-created scripts. PatchPanel provides the necessary link between the Flex development environment and the Creative Suite’s internal controls, allowing existing ActionScript developers the ability to apply their skills toward enhancing the creative process, as well as inviting a new generation of creative minds to explore the flexibility and automation possible with ActionScript.

PatchPanel is a Flex library and set of services that make it possible for Shockwave® Flash® (SWF) files to work as Adobe Creative Suite CS3 and CS4 plug-ins. Flex developers can include this Flex library in their projects in order to create Flash plug-ins that access the ExtendScript Document Object Model (DOM) of Creative Suite applications through ActionScript objects.

Note: PatchPanel is the temporary internal name of this technology. The final name has not been determined.

Note: Your use of this site including software downloads, submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe’s rights to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

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PatchPanel Software Development Kit (SDK) for Adobe Flex Developers

The library and software development kit (PatchPanel SDK) is available for Creative Suite 3 and for Creative Suite 4, with versions for Windows XP/Vista, and for Mac OSX. The structure of the SDK is the same for both Creative Suite 3 and Creative Suite 4, but the names of some files and folders contain either "cs3" or "cs4", depending on the version.

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System and Software Requirements

The system requirements for the PatchPanel SDK are:

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Other software required

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Installing the PatchPanel SDK

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Getting Started

Once you have installed the PatchPanel SDK, see the Getting Started with Adobe PatchPanel document included in the SDK.

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Known Issues

In CS3 products, only first frames of SWFs are displayed in Mac OSX 10.5. The result is an empty frame without any controls. This problem is fixed in CS4 products. InDesign 5.0.4 provides a fix for the problem in CS3.
InDesign CS3 crashes on quit after using a panel that runs a SWF. This problem is fixed in CS4 products. InDesign 5.0.4 provides a fix for the problem in CS3.
The trace() statement is currently not supported when debugging SWFs in host applications with Flex Builder's debugger.
In CS4, you can launch your PatchPanel SWF using File > Scripts or Windows > Extensions. If you launch from Windows > Extensions, PatchPanel takes advantage of a technology called CSXS, which is being introduced with CS4 products. Because of limitations in the architecture of CSXS, PatchPanel is not able to register callbacks with the host application. The Callback example will therefore not work properly when executed through Windows > Extensions.
Every sample application comes with a small install script called Install.jsx that allows you to conveniently install your sample. When you double click the Install.jsx file, the operating system launches either ExtendScript Toolkit 2.0 or ExtendScript Toolkit CS4, depending on whether you have installed CS3 or CS4. If you only have CS3 installed and you run the script within ExtendScript Toolkit 2.0 on Vista, while User Access Control (UAC) is enabled, the installation fails, because Vista prevents write access to system folders. The script shows an alert if the error occurs.
As a workaround, either manually create the folders and copy the files, or turn off UAC temporarily while running Install.jsx.
SWFs that are copied into Adobe Illustrator CS4’s Plug-ins/Panels folder are not automatically registered under Windows > Extensions.
As a workaround, copy your project.js script into Preset/Scripts and launch your SWF using File > Scripts.
PatchPanel clients can check the status of a CS application by using the BridgeTalk.ping() method as follows:
BridgeTalk.ping( <target>, "STATUS" );
CS applications usually return "BUSY" if a modal dialog is currently open, and otherwise "IDLE". This method cannot be used for InDesign CS3 and CS4. Future versions of InDesign will provide a fix for this problem.
The Illustrator Scripting Reference mentions two classes, Point and Rect, that are not supported by Illustrator’s scripting Document Object Model (DOM). PatchPanel compensates for the difference between documentation and implementation by providing Point and Rect implementations for Illustrator CS3 and CS4.
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Release Notes

Adobe PatchPanel 0.63 was released on 1/23/2009.
This version includes Adobe SwitchBoard 1.1.37.
This version integrates CSXS 1.0.20080722.m.20.
Adobe PatchPanel 0.62 was released on 12/16/2008.
This version includes Adobe SwitchBoard 1.1.37.
Fixed: Photoshop CS4 crashes when launched with PatchPanel CS4 AdobeOwl.dll
Fixed: Cannot retrieve Selection.Bounds in Photoshop
Fixed: Missing constructor for ExtendScript's UnitValue
Fixed: SwitchBoard.Client.init() always returns true
Adobe PatchPanel 0.61 was released on 11/18/2008.
This version includes Adobe SwitchBoard 1.1.35.
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For more information

Retrieved from "http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/PatchPanel"