The Lesson 11 Path Namer

Dear Beloved Readers of Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One,

Let me tell you how psyched I am you're reading my book. There's nothing that makes an author happier than knowing that his or her efforts are being appreciated rather than, say, ignored.

I want you to know that we've discovered two problems with the sample files included on the DVD. (My apologies, of course, but I'd be lying if I claimed to be surprised. Complex version 1.0 projects tend to exhibit occasional bugs.)

• One is the corrupt Ancient doorway.psd file in the Lesson 07 folder. You can't even open the damn thing, but you can replace it with a functioning file by right-clicking here and choosing Save or Download. (See Colleen's on-the-spot post for more info.)
• The second is the collection of six files in the Lesson 11 file. They open splendidly, as witnessed by the lovely example below. But for unknown reasons, none of the paths in the Paths palette have names.

For the solution, keep reading.

What I love about this problem is that we have an extra-special fun solution that shows off Photoshop's ability to process JavaScript:

Step 1: Download the file called PsCS4_CM_L11_fixer.zip by right-clicking this link here or the image below and choosing Save or Download or the equivalent.

Step 2: Unzip the file to produce a jsx doc, like the one below. It may have the same icon, but it's a JavaScript file.

Step 3: Move both the PsCS4_CM_L11_fixer.jsx file and the Lesson Files-PsCM 1on1 folder (that you copied from the DVD included with the book) to your computer's desktop. This is very important. Both script and folder must be copied to your hard drive and ready and waiting on the desktop.

Step 4: Double-click the PsCS4_CM_L11_fixer.jsx file. If things go according to my tests, the script will run, launch Photoshop, open each of the six troubled files, automatically name the paths as they are named in the book, and save the changes to a new folder called Lesson 11 Fixed.

Step 5: Carry on with your life with your usual vim and vigor.

My thanks goes to Jeff Tranberry, Adobe engineer and awesome all-around human being, for writing this script. Here's a man who knows how to help a guy who's trying to help you learn.

Oh, and let me know of your successes and difficulties.