AppleSript - MiniCad files to TIFF files

[coltwest]

I'm looking for any help with creating an AppleScript to batch convert a directory of MiniCad files to the TIFF format. Around 15000 files will be converted. I am unaware of any third-party applications that can handle this task, therefore, I believe the converting must be done within MiniCad. Thank you!

[Guest]

Unfortunately Colt the only way to do this is to export one file at a time from 8.5.x to TIFF format.

The only way to convert minicad files is by exporting as an image from VectorWorks. Therefore, you can only convert one at a time.

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Brian O

Diehl Graphsoft, Inc.

Technical Support

[Guest]

Since VectorWorks runs on both Macintosh and Windows, it tends to favor its built-in scripting language (VectorScript) over the platform-specific AppleScript. It does, however, support the 'DoScript' AppleScript command. You can use 'DoScript' from an AppleScript script to tell VectorWorks to execute a chunk of VectorScript code.

The preceding bit of information may be helpful in automating some tasks, but it doesn't solve your VectorWorks->TIFF translation problem because the Export Image File... command brings up a dialog (two, in fact) which isn't directly scriptable in either VectorScript or AppleScript. There are some ways around this, however. One possibility is to use the 'DoScript' command to execute some VectorScript that invokes the DoMenuTextByName() command to choose the Export Image File... menu item. If you have QuicKeys from CE Software, it should be pretty easy to come up with a macro that sets the items in the resulting dialog appropriately, and you should be able to trigger this macro from your AppleScript. There are also some products that let you 'script' apps that don't support AppleScript, such as PreFab Player:

http://www.prefab.com/player.html

I used PreFab Player to automate some processes at a past job, and it worked reasonably well. The solution you come up with probably won't be bomb-proof; it might require some tweaking if you upgrade or otherwise change your system. But I'm sure it's a lot easier to do that than to translate 15000 files one at a time by hand!

This whole problem would be a lot easier if VectorScript included commands for exporting files. I'll add that as an item to the wish list.

Caleb Strockbine

caleb@diehlgraphsoft.com