Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
13. Automating the Way You Work
What You'll Do
Examine the Actions Panel
Build a New Action
Record an Action
Control the Playback of a Command
Add a Stop to an Action
Insert a Non-Recordable Command into an Action
Add a Command to an Action
Delete a Command from an Action
Work with Batch File Processing
Open and Use Scripts
Create and Edit Data Variables
Create and Format a Data Graph
Add Graph Designs to Graphs
Clean Up Unneeded Elements
Introduction
Actions are similar to recording information on a tape; they record Illustrator commands
and, like a tape recorder, can be played back at any time. Actions can be applied to any
number of images. You can modify existing actions, and save them into a user-defined set.
It's even possible to save them and send them to another Illustrator user. This chapter is
dedicated to all the Illustrator users who are tired of doing something over and over again.
If you have ever considered using actions as a part of your design workflow, then you're in
for a wonderful journey of discovery.
A script is a series of commands that instructs Illustrator to perform a set of specified ac-
tions. These actions can be simple, affecting only a single object, or more complex, affect-
ing many objects. Scripts are useful for repetitive tasks and can be used as a creative tool to
streamline tasks that are time consuming and boring. You can use one of Illustrator's built-
in scripts, such as ExportDocsAsFlash or ImageTracing, or create one of your own.
