[FONT=Georgia]Bulk Bitmap Tracer
Download[/FONT]
Download[/FONT]
What is this?
I wasn't very satisfied with the functionality of the Mass Bitmap Tracer script covered in the Animation Team's tutorial here.
So, I created a new one with some QoL improvements for ease of use.
What this does is effectively the same as the original Mass Bitmap Tracer. You can select any bitmaps you want to trace in the library, run the script, and the bitmaps get traced and symbolized.
What's different:
[INDENT]- Bitmaps can be traced from the default library. They don't need to be placed in a folder first.
- Although they don't NEED to be placed in a folder, you may choose to create your folder structure for organizational purposes, place bitmaps into their appropriate folders, and run the script and the symbols will be placed into the correct folders.
- Symbols will be renamed with the file extension removed, and are not renamed after the folder path that the bitmap came from.[/INDENT]
"Installation"
To "install" this command script:
Navigate to your Flash/Animate commands folder at:
C:\Users\[YOURNAME]\AppData\Local\Adobe\[VERSION]\en_US\Configuration\Commands
and simply paste/download the file here.
For Macromedia Flash 8 Portable users, this folder won't exist. You'll have to create a dedicated folder for Flash commands wherever you want and place this file there. Running the command will be covered down below.
Sorry Mac users, I don't know where you would place the file.
Navigate to your Flash/Animate commands folder at:
C:\Users\[YOURNAME]\AppData\Local\Adobe\[VERSION]\en_US\Configuration\Commands
and simply paste/download the file here.
For Macromedia Flash 8 Portable users, this folder won't exist. You'll have to create a dedicated folder for Flash commands wherever you want and place this file there. Running the command will be covered down below.
Sorry Mac users, I don't know where you would place the file.
"How to Use"
To use this command, simply start setting up your animation file like you normally would.
Import your bitmaps (png/jpg/gif files) as usual into the library. I recommend that you set up folders for organizational purposes and place bitmaps into their appropriate folders before running the script.
EXAMPLE
Now, select what you want to trace. For bitmaps inside of folders, you need only select the top-level folder that you want to be traced.
Don't worry about any symbols, audio, or other graphic types being selected inside your libraries. This command will ignore them
Example 1: if I want all bitmaps in the folder "Character" (as well as all sub-folders) to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
Example 2: if I want only the bitmaps in the "Angles" folder to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
Example 3: if I want specific bitmaps within the folder to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
When you've selected the bitmaps you want traced, go up to the "Commands" tab and select "bulk_tracer" in the dropdown.
Macromedia Flash 8 Portable users: Go up to "Commands" and select "Run Command" and select the file "bulk_tracer.jsfl" from the folder you created earlier.
You will be prompted if you wish to continue.
Click "Ok" to trace your bitmaps.
If you accidentally selected a large file, or if some of your bitmaps are large as deemed by the script you will get a pop-up asking if you want to trace the bitmap.
Click "Ok" to trace it. Otherwise click "Cancel" to continue without tracing that bitmap.
(Clicking "Cancel" will not stop the script. It will only skip tracing the bitmap that you were prompted about.)
Once the script is finished you will be given a pop-up detailing how many bitmaps were selected and how many were traced.
In this case, the "A Big Bitmap.jpeg" was skipped, so one (1) bitmap was not traced of twenty-two (22) selected.
All bitmaps that were selected and traced will be placed into symbols and moved to the correct folder in your library like this:
Be aware that all bitmaps that were selected and traced will be deleted. Bitmaps that were not traced will remain
And you're done!
If you want to change the display name of the command to something a little easier to look at than "bulk_tracer" but don't want to rename the file, you can go to the commands folder from earlier and open the "names.xml" file with any text editor. I'm using Notepad++.
You will see something like this:
In the quotes next to "source" type the name of the command file without the file extension. In this case, "bulk_tracer"
In the quotes next to "target" type the name you wish to display. In this case "Trace Selected Bitmaps"
When you go to run the command now, you should see something more akin to this:
Import your bitmaps (png/jpg/gif files) as usual into the library. I recommend that you set up folders for organizational purposes and place bitmaps into their appropriate folders before running the script.
EXAMPLE
Now, select what you want to trace. For bitmaps inside of folders, you need only select the top-level folder that you want to be traced.
Don't worry about any symbols, audio, or other graphic types being selected inside your libraries. This command will ignore them
Example 1: if I want all bitmaps in the folder "Character" (as well as all sub-folders) to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
Example 2: if I want only the bitmaps in the "Angles" folder to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
Example 3: if I want specific bitmaps within the folder to be traced, I would select the folder like this.
When you've selected the bitmaps you want traced, go up to the "Commands" tab and select "bulk_tracer" in the dropdown.
Macromedia Flash 8 Portable users: Go up to "Commands" and select "Run Command" and select the file "bulk_tracer.jsfl" from the folder you created earlier.
You will be prompted if you wish to continue.
Click "Ok" to trace your bitmaps.
If you accidentally selected a large file, or if some of your bitmaps are large as deemed by the script you will get a pop-up asking if you want to trace the bitmap.
Click "Ok" to trace it. Otherwise click "Cancel" to continue without tracing that bitmap.
(Clicking "Cancel" will not stop the script. It will only skip tracing the bitmap that you were prompted about.)
Once the script is finished you will be given a pop-up detailing how many bitmaps were selected and how many were traced.
In this case, the "A Big Bitmap.jpeg" was skipped, so one (1) bitmap was not traced of twenty-two (22) selected.
All bitmaps that were selected and traced will be placed into symbols and moved to the correct folder in your library like this:
Be aware that all bitmaps that were selected and traced will be deleted. Bitmaps that were not traced will remain
And you're done!
If you want to change the display name of the command to something a little easier to look at than "bulk_tracer" but don't want to rename the file, you can go to the commands folder from earlier and open the "names.xml" file with any text editor. I'm using Notepad++.
You will see something like this:
In the quotes next to "source" type the name of the command file without the file extension. In this case, "bulk_tracer"
In the quotes next to "target" type the name you wish to display. In this case "Trace Selected Bitmaps"
When you go to run the command now, you should see something more akin to this:
I've provided a list of known bugs and improvements I may fix/add at a later date.
If there are any other improvements you think of or bugs you encounter, please post them here or let me know on the Discord server.
"Bugs/Improvements"
BUGS:
- When a symbol of a certain name already exists (ie: trying to trace the same bitmap twice) command will make a copy, but will prompt user to use a different name.
- Bitmaps without file extensions are left as "<NAME> copy", even after bitmap is deleted.
IMPROVEMENT IDEAS:
- Maybe a prompt for whether users want to delete bitmaps or not.
I hope this command helps.