Program Scripts

Users are able to create scripts in Python that can interact with the current Blue project. Some examples of ideas for scripts are:

• Scale selected SoundObjects start and end times by user given value

• Rename all SoundObjects on timeline by analyzing their contents

• Analyze SoundObjects on timeline and generate an analysis report

• Generate individual wave files for each soundObject or each layer

Because the user has complete access to the Blue object model as well as Blue application classes, the user has a great deal of freedom to make very customized scripts to aid in their work.

Managing and Using Scripts

Scripts are created and organized from the Script Library, available from the “Script->Manage Script Library” menu option. A dialog appears with a tree on the left and a script editor on the right. To create a script or script category, right click on a folder node on the tree and select the appropriate option. To edit the names of either of these, double-click the name on the tree. Clicking on a script node will populate the editor on the right. Here you can add a short description (used as the tool tip text for the script), the code for the script, and comments. You can also export scripts to files and import them from files using the popup menu that appears when right-clicking on the tree.

When creating scripts, one can use the test button or ctrl-T test shortcut to try out the script from the Script Library dialog. You can also select SoundObjects on the timeline and then open the library to write and test scripts using those selected SoundObjects.

After creating and managing scripts, the Script menu in the main program frame will be updated. Under the Script menu will be a Scripts menu that will be populated with the exact same order and structure as the items in the Script Library. Rolling over a menu item and stopping will show the description of that Script as a tool tip. Selecting a menu item will execute that Script.

Default Variables

The following variables are pre-defined by the time your script runs and are useful variables which you will most likely use. They are also shown as default text on any new script for reference.

• blueData
  reference to the current blue project’s BlueData class

• selectedSoundObjects
  array of soundObjects currently selected on the timeline

• userConfigDir
  location of the user’s .blue settings directory

• blueLibDir
  location of blue’s lib directory

• blueProjectDir
  directory of the current Blue project

ScriptingUtils

Included with Blue is a python file named ScriptingUtils.py that contains useful utility functions.

• alert(message)
  Shows message to user using dialog, much like JavaScript alert message

• info(message)
  Shows message to user but uses dialog with scrollable text area. Useful for showing large amounts of text or text with tabbed formatting.

• infoTabs(message, title)
  Like the info function, but messages are added as tabs to a central tabbed pane in an information Dialog. Each call to infoTabs will add a new tab with the title given and the contents of the tab will be a scrollable textarea with the message. Tabs can be removed by right clicking a tab and selecting remove from the popup menu.

• objectInfo(object)
  Lists methods and properties for an object. This is especially helpful when editing a script and either not knowing or having forgotten the properties of an object, you can show what they are using this function. Information will be shown in the same manner as the info function.

To use the ScriptingUtils, use an import statement like this at the top of your script:

from ScriptingUtils import *
  

Example Scripts

The following script scales the time of the selected soundObjects by multiplying the startTime and duration of each soundObject by a value given by the user.

from javax.swing import JOptionPane
from ScriptingUtils import *

retVal = JOptionPane.showInputDialog("Enter Time Factor for Stretch", 1.0)

try:
  val = float(retVal)
  for i in selectedSoundObjects:
    i.startTime *= val
    i.subjectiveDuration *= val
  alert("Scaled start time and duration of objects by value %f"%val)
except:
  alert("Value entered was not a floating point number")