Req: Better Actions and History Handling

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photoken
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Re: Req: Better Actions and History Handling

Beitrag von photoken »

cathodeRay hat geschrieben: Di 07 Feb 2017 11:35 The other thing is the History: I'm not to keen on side-car files - as others have noted it means a lot of file clutter, a lot of losing track of what's what eg when renaming/deleting etc - just the sort of unwieldyness I want to avoid. However, I would like just one thing: the ability to turn whatever is currently in the Undo list into an action, from which I could then cherry pick the bits I want to keep (ideally in a text editor - just go in and delte what is not wanted etc, if not through the Actions panel).
I think you were wise to combine Actions and History handling in this new discussion because it is most efficient to combine the two in a new History panel.

I agree that side-car files are too unwieldy, and I share your frustration with trying to figger out "How the hell did I do that ?" after getting a nice result after mucho trial-and-error. :)

Replacing the Undo List with a History panel like the one I'm asking for would fulfill all your (and Bruce's, and my) needs, as well as addressing the concerns mentioned by Burkhard.

Also, by keeping the Actions as binary files the performance of running an action would remain lightning fast since there would be no overhead of parsing a text/XML file.
Ken
Yes, I think it can be eeeeeasily done....
Just take everything out on Highway 61.
bruce1951
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Re: Req: Better Actions and History Handling

Beitrag von bruce1951 »

As I pointed out above I lost a post! A long post with how I want/need a 'feature' that will allow me to have some form of a record of what I did to get what I did!

All I ask for is not to loose sight of the trees because of a forest of ideas.

I have one simple request to the developers. - I think everyone here on this thread is looking for a 'simple' way of recording an editing session. Whether is be called an Action, Undo list or History list is irrelevant. Simply offer us an option, preferably in Preferences, that we can turn on or off. Those who don't want/need the feature need not worry. Those who do want/need the feature simply check the box. I will be 'happy' with what is possible for the developers to come up with. (We can grizzle later about it!!!). My one caveat is that it must be able to record ALL steps taken. (I don't expect Adjustment numbers etc such as Levels or Curves settings. But then again!!!).

Until we all agree on what the end result should be we, more importantly the developers, wont know how to get there. (A bit like starting out on a road trip and arguing about which road to take before knowing what the end destination is).

Bruce
cathodeRay
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Re: Req: Better Actions and History Handling

Beitrag von cathodeRay »

Another way of looking at the Undo panel is that it already is a script/action, only a temporary and fixed linear one. Nonetheless, I can run up and down it, just as if it was a restricted action. If I can attempt to firm up on what the request is for, might it be that we can save (Undo list > Action) the undo list? We can then at least do with that Action what we can already do with Actions, albeit in the clunky way that Actions are implemented.

Following up on the request for 'true' scripting, I agree with Herbert123's point that it's about extensibility for those who want it. I also think the points about it (a) taking some, maybe a lot, of weight off the Hubers and (b) avoiding niche bloat in PL itself are very valid. It's good to have a lean core... Nor, ahem, should we forget that PL's documentation, which we all so dearly love and greatly enjoy, isn't always quite as full as it might be. A bigger core but without clear documentation on how to use it risks adding to unwieldyness.

I do appreciate that adding 'true' scripting may not be as simple as opening up a trapdoor into PLs inner workings - I believe the correct term might be something like 'exposing an API' - or maybe that while it is easy enough to talk about 'exposing an API', it is quite another and much more complicated matter to implement it. Another fundamental question is what language? VB(A) (too Windows-centric?)? Python? PhotoLineScript (PLS?) ie PL's own scripting language, a bit like CorelScript in the old PhotoPaint days?

I think the other important thing about adding scripting, should it happen, is that no one is forced to use it. It would be there for those who want it, and those who don't want/need it could simply ignore it. So I suppose, from a utilitarian (and it is worth the hassle of implementing it?) viewpoint, it might be worthwhile getting an idea of how many people would actually use it.

Not, of course, that I would ever want to shoot my own requests in the foot...

cR