Table of Contents

Welcome
About NPS
Menus and Commands
- File Menu
- Edit Menu
- View Menu
- Format Menu
- Image Menu
- Color Menu
- Filter Menu
- Tools Menu
- Window Menu
- Help Menu
Features
Working with Images
- Drawing Tools
  - Pointer
  - Layer Move Tool
  - Rectangular Select
  - Hand Tool
  - Freeform Select
  - Zoom
  - Magic Wand
  - Gradient
  - Eyedropper
  - Bucket Fill
  - Pencil
  - Eraser
  - Airbrush
  - Warp
  - Line
  - Bezier Curve
  - Shape
  - Text
  - Clone Stamp
  - Basic Brush
  - Texture Brush
  - Custom Brush
  - Filter Tool
- Layers
- Color Cycling
- Transparency Modes
- Selection
Configuration
For Developers
Legal
- End User License Agreement

NPS Script Reference

NPS Image Editor has limited scripting support to help automate certain tasks. Scripts can be run in several ways:

Your user script library accessible via the Script menu
"Scriptable" extensions whose menus can be placed just about anywhere
A single command can be run via Script -> Run Action... (Alt+R)

Scripting is currently not complete (but this is a work in progress). Below you can find a reference for the current set of supported commands.

Syntax

The general syntax of a script line is:

command [param1] [param2] [...] set variable=<value>

Parameters and values that consist of strings with multiple words must be quoted. Quotes are optional for single-word strings.

command "hello world" command "hello" command hello set variable="multi word value" set variable="value" set variable=value set variable=multi word value

Lines beginning with # are comments and will not be interpreted. Blank lines will also be ignored.

Scope

Validates the scope of a script. Valid values are: selection, layer, document, and instance.

A scope of selection requires an active selection.

layer and document apply to the active layer and the entire document, respectively. Generally there are no differences here. If a selection is active at the time, it will be placed (and generate the usual undo step).

The default scope is instance which allows the script to run with virtually no restrictions (but note that all scripts are limited to the currently-running instance even if you use the script to launch a new instance).

If the conditions of the scope are not met – for example, if you have a scope of selection and no selection is active – the script aborts and the user is prompted to create a selection first.

Undo steps

Calling script commands will perform default behaviors associated with them. For example, placing a selection will cause a "selection placed" action to be added to the undo history.

If you are performing multiple actions in a row, they will create individual undo steps which can lead to a sub-optimal user experience. You can group actions with BeginStep and EndStep to create a single step for the full set of script commands.

BeginStep "Name of step" #Do whatever EndStep

Note that this is not always possible; if the action is already creating multi-undo steps like this, you can't nest them. An error will be displayed if this is not possible.

Be sure to call EndStep after calling BeginStep. If you fail to do this, the script interpreter will do its best to auto-close the step and will display a warning, but this should not be relied upon. For this reason it is also recommended to not open an undo step until after you have performed any conditional logic and only begin a step immediately before the action that will actually modify the image.

Calling other scripts

You can call one script from another using the ExecScript command.

#Calls a script in the same folder as the currently-executing one ExecScript "Script.npss" #Calls a script from an external location ExecScript "C:\Users\Me\Documents\My Scripts\External.npss"

Command reference

The following commands are available.

Commands have 0 or more parameters. Parameters are specified after the command with a space. For example: alert "Hello".

AddLayer

Adds a new empty layer to the image

Alert

Displays an alert message.

Parameter 1 (required): The message text. Enclose the message in quotes.

Parameter 2 (optional): The secondary message text. Enclose the message in quotes.

ApplyFilter

Applies the specified internal filter (same ones used for the Filter Tool)

ClearBezier

Clears the currently-active Bezier curve

ClearImage

Clears the contents of the active layer

ClearSelection

Deletes the active selection without placing it

CloseDocument

Closes the currently-open document

CloseLayerList

Hides the layer list

Copy

Copies the active selection to the clipboard

CopyActiveLayerToClipboard

Copies the image data of the active layer to the clipboard

CropFit

Crops or fits the image.

Parameter 1 (required): The crop/fit target. Valid values are: Selection, ActiveLayer, AllLayers, Canvas

Parameter 2 (required): The crop/fit source mode. Valid values are: SelectionBounds, Content, CanvasBoundsCropOnly, CanvasBoundsFit, AllLayerContent, AllLayerBounds

CropToContent

Crops the selection or image to its content

CropToSelection

Crops the image to the active selection

Cut

Cuts the active selection

Delete

Deletes the active object

Deselect

Removes the active selection. If the selection has moved, this restores the image to the point prior to the selection's placing.

DragCancel

Cancels a file drag operation

Emit

Evaluates the specified value (see: Setting values)

ExplainTool

Outputs a description of the specified tool

FlattenImage

Flattens the image

FitToCanvas

Fits the active layer to the canvas

InvertSelection

Inverts the selection

LoadSwatches

Loads the specified swatch palette

MergeVisible

Merges visible layers

MoveSelection

Moves the selection to the specified location

Parameter 1 (required): The selection move type. Valid values are: Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Center, CenterHorizontal, CenterVertical, OriginCanvas, OriginLayer, OriginViewport

NewDocument

Creates a new document. Prompts to save the existing one if open.

Parameter 1 (optional): The document template. If not specified, the default template is used. Valid templates are: default - the default template
prompt - prompt the user for new document parameters
clipboard - use the clipboard size
<path to file> uses the specified .npst or .ini file
x,y,color – directly specifies the width, height, and background color of the new document

NewInstance

Launches a new NPS Image Editor window. Note that the current script will continue executing in the window it was started from.

OpenDocument

Opens the specified file.

Parameter 1 (required): The path to the file to open

OpenDocumentMRU

Opens the specified Most Recently Used file

Parameter 1 (required): The path to the file to open

OpenLayerList

Shows the layer list

Paste

Pastes from the clipboard

PasteAsNewImage

Pastes from the clipboard into a new document in the current window

PlaceBezier

Places the active Bezier curve

PlaceSelection

Places the selection

PromptAction

Prompts to run a single script action

PurgeUndo

Clears all undo steps up to this point

RasterizeText

Converts a text

RefineSelection

Refines the selection, only possible when it has not moved and did not come from an external source

Parameter 1 (required): The selection refine type. Valid values are: FillWidth, FillHeight, Expand, Shrink

Redo

Redoes the last-undone action

SelectAll

Selects all pixels in the active layer

SelectAllContent

Selects all content, excluding empty regions, in the active layer

SelectionToLayer

Converts the selection to a new layer

Select

Creates a selection.

This command takes 4 parameters for each of the dimensions (X, Y, Width, Height). Parameters can be specified as absolute pixel values or relative percentage values.

SelectCopy

Creates a selection without removing it from the active layer. Parameters are the same as the Select command.

SetTool

Sets the drawing tool

Sleep

Waits for the specified number of milliseconds before continuing.

Undo

Undoes the last action

UI script commands

These are interactive UI actions designed to be launched from custom menus or buttons.

UiActiveLayerProperties

UiClipFromScreenshot

UiClipFromScreenshotPaste

UiFileNew

UiFileOpen

UiFileOpenURL

UiFormatFont

UiHelpContents

UiImageCanvasSize

UiUmageOffset

UiImageResize

UiImageRotateCustom

UiImageSkew

UiPasteFromMonitor

UiPromptText

UiPaletteEditProperties

UiRenameActiveLayer

UiShowConfigFialogSingle

UiShowReleaseNotes

UiToggleFullscreen

Setting values

The set command sets a value (and performs appropriate logic in response to it). Variables are not case-sensitive.

set forecolor=red

The following values can be set:

ActiveLayer

Sets the active layer given its index (the background layer is 0).

AirbrushShape

Sets the Airbrush tool's shape. Valid values are: SquareNoise, RoundNoise, SquareSmooth, RoundSmooth

BackColor

Sets the background or fill color. Color expression is resolved by the Color Resolution Engine.

BrushShape

Sets the Brush tool's shape. Valid values are: FilledSquare, FilledCircle, HollowSquare, HollowCircle, StraightCross, DiagonalCross, CaligraphyNE, CaligraphyNW, HorizontalLine, VerticalLine

BucketFillTransparencyAware

Sets the Bucket Fill tool's "transparency aware" setting. Valid values are true and false.

ColorCompositingMode

Sets the color compositing mode. Valid values are: Blend, Overwrite

ColorCyclingMode

Sets the color cycling mode. Valid values are: Pick, GradOnce, GradLinear, GradWave, GradVertical, Rand, Rainbow

EyedropperScope

Sets the Eyedropper tool's scope. Valid values are: ActiveLayer, AllLayers, Screen

ForeColor

Sets the foreground color. Color expression is resolved by the Color Resolution Engine.

LineWidth

Sets the line width for drawing.

SelectionCompositingMode

Sets the selection compositing mode. Valid values are: Blend, Overwrite

TransparencyEditingMode

Sets the transparency editing mode. Valid values are: Opaque, Keyed, Alpha

ZoomLevel

Sets the zoom level as a percentage. The percent sign is optional; 120% is the same as 120.