[JS][CS5] switching between CS5 apps

Question

Hi
My script starts out in InDesign, but I need to trigger Photoshop at one point in the script.  Is there a way to do this other than do script to make AS launch PS and pass back to JS for me to carry on using JS in PS?
If not, I am trying this:
app.doScript(File("~/Desktop/triggerPS.applescript"), ScriptLanguage.APPLESCRIPT_LANGUAGE);
which seems to work ok, but my AS script:
     tell application "Adobe Photoshop CS5"
     set myFile to ("Macintosh HD:Users:atlasdemo:Desktop:photoshop.jsx")
     do script alias myFile language javascript
     end tell
wont even compile, saying:
Expected end of line, etc. but found “script”.
Can anyone let me know what I am doing wrong, or is there a better way?
Cheers
Roy

Answer 1

Here is my version of the script -- tried to make it as simple as possible (make sure to read comments):
#target indesign
var myDoc = app.activeDocument;
var myFolder = Folder.selectDialog ("Select the Output Folder for the resized images");
SetDisplayDialogs("NO");
OpenFiles();
SetDisplayDialogs("ALL");
UpdateAllOutdatedLinks();
alert("Done");
function OpenFiles(){
     for (var i = myDoc.links.length-1; i >= 0; i--) { // process links collection backwards since it's changing!
          var myLink = myDoc.links[i];
          if (myLink.linkType == "Photoshop"){
               var myImage = myLink.parent;
                       var myHorScale = Math.abs(myImage.absoluteHorizontalScale);
                    var myVerScale = Math.abs(myImage.absoluteVerticalScale);
               if (myImage.space == "CMYK") {
                    var myImagePath = myLink.filePath;
                         var myNewPath = File(myFolder + "/" + myLink.name);
                         if (myHorScale != 100 || myVerScale != 100) { // resize only images with scaling not set to 100%
                              CreateBridgeTalkMessage(myImagePath, myNewPath, myHorScale, myVerScale, 300);
                              SetLink100percent(myLink, myNewPath);
function CreateBridgeTalkMessage(myImagePath, myNewPath, myHorScale, myVerScale, myResolution) {
     var bt = new BridgeTalk();
     bt.target = "photoshop";
     var myScript = ResizeInPS.toString() + "\r";
     myScript += "ResizeInPS(\"" + myImagePath + "\", \"" + myNewPath + "\", \"" +  myHorScale + "\", \"" + myVerScale + "\", \"" + myResolution + "\");";
     bt.body = myScript;
     // if something doesn't work, uncomment the following two lines -- the PS script will be written into console, copy it and dubbug it as a stand alone script in PS
//~      $.write(myScript);
//~      exit();
     // the following two lines are very important -- they force ID to wait until PS finishes resizing, saving and closing the image (this may take hours)
     bt.onResult = function(resObj) {}
     bt.send(100);
function ResizeInPS(myImagePath, myNewPath, myHorScale, myVerScale, myResolution) {
     var myPsDoc = app.open(new File(myImagePath));
     var docName = myPsDoc.name;
     try {
          if (myHorScale == "undefined") {
               var myHorScale = undefined;
          else {
               var myHorScale = eval(new UnitValue(myHorScale, "%"));
          if (myVerScale == "undefined") {
               var myVerScale = undefined;
          else {
               var myVerScale = eval(new UnitValue(myVerScale, "%"));
     myPsDoc.resizeImage(myHorScale, myVerScale, eval(myResolution), ResampleMethod.BICUBIC);
     myPsDoc.saveAs(new File(myNewPath), undefined, true);
     myPsDoc.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
     catch (err) {
          try {
               app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
          catch (err) {}
function SetLink100percent(myLink, myNewPath) { // relink to new file and set exactly to 100%
     var newFile = new File (myNewPath);
     if (myNewPath != undefined && newFile.exists) {
          var originalLinkFile = new File(myLink.filePath);
          myLink.relink(newFile);
          try { // for versions prior to 6.0.4
               var myLink = myLink.update();
          catch(err) {}
          var myImage = myLink.parent;
          // set to exactly 100% if the image is not flipped
          if (myImage.absoluteHorizontalScale > 0 && myImage.absoluteVerticalScale > 0) {
               myImage.absoluteHorizontalScale = 100;
               myImage.absoluteVerticalScale = 100;
function SetDisplayDialogs(Mode) { // turn on-off DialogModes in PS -- don't want to see the open file dialog while the script is running
     var bt = new BridgeTalk;
     bt.target = "photoshop";
     var myScript = "app.displayDialogs = DialogModes." + Mode + ";";
     bt.body = myScript;
     bt.send();
function UpdateAllOutdatedLinks() {
     for (var myCounter = myDoc.links.length-1; myCounter >= 0; myCounter--) {
          var myLink = myDoc.links[myCounter];
          if (myLink.status == LinkStatus.linkOutOfDate) {
               myLink.update();
Notice that I write ResizeInPS as an ordinary function and convert it to string:
var myScript = ResizeInPS.toString() + "\r";
It's much more convenient than this myScript += "blah-blah-blah...\n"; stuff (btw, this tip was given by Harbs and Bob Stucky, thanks them for it).
The script was written on CS3 for Windows -- can't test it on CS5 so far.
There is an important setting for the script to work correctly: Preferences > File Handling > Preserve Image Dimensions When Relinking should be OFF in CS5. But Relink Preserves Dimensions should be ON in CS3
On an un-related matter(ish), why in some cases are file paths shown as "xxx/xxxx/xxxx.xxx", and others as "xxxx:xxxx:xxxx.xxx"
When I asked for a folder to be selected, the ":" was used as the delimiter, but the file path is shown with the delimiter "/"
What are the roles around this?
"xxxx:xxxx:xxxx.xxx" is Mac OS 9 path name
"xxx/xxxx/xxxx.xxx" can be either Mac OS X  or URI path name
You can read about it in the File System Access chapter of JavaScript Tools Guide.
Hope this helps.
Kasyan