Creating Custom Commands with the History Panel


Custom commands are similar to batch scripts in that they automate tasks, so you don't have to do all the work. The difference, however, is that whereas batch processes are limited in what functions they can perform, a custom command can be made of nearly any action you can perform in Fireworks.

The simplest way to create a custom command is to use the History panel (Window, History). The History panel is a record of all the steps you have recently taken when working in a document. If you want to automate a sequence of those steps, you can use the History panel to create a custom command.

By default, the History panel shows up to 20 steps. You can increase or decrease this number in the General tab of the Preferences dialog (Edit, Preferences in Windows or Fireworks, Preferences on the Mac).

To create commands with the History panel, execute a series of modifications that are to be used in your command. Using the History panel Options menu, highlight the steps you want to use in the command, and then select Save As Command (see Figure 6.6). The Save Command dialog box appears. Enter a name for your new command. Press OK.

Figure 6.6. Use the Save As Command option to save your History panel options as a custom command.


Your very own command now has a home in the Commands menu. Use it again and again. If you find yourself becoming a commands junkie and need to get rid of a few outdated commands, you can rename or delete commands in the Manage Saved Commands dialog box (Commands, Manage Saved Commands).

In the case of digitizing the stamps, the custom command feature saved the day. In analyzing the complete set of steps that was required to scan a stamp, I found they looked something like this:

1.

Acquire the image into Fireworks with the File > Scan, Twain Acquire command.

2.

Add the digital watermark to the image with the text tool.

3.

Set the opacity of the watermark to 20% so it doesn't obstruct the view of the stamp.

4.

Crop the stamp for display on the site.

5.

Export the stamp.

6.

Export the stamp a second time as a thumbnail.

7.

Save the PNG file.

Fortunately, I was able to create a custom command that took care of the digital watermark and the cropping of the image, so I was able to combine three of the more time-consuming tasks into one automated task that took seconds to run.



Special Edition Using Macromedia Studio 8
Special Edition Using Macromedia Studio 8
ISBN: 0789733854
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 337

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