Hello readers, I’m happy to inform you that the “Adobe Photoshop HTML Panels Development” book is in good shape! I’ve kept writing, even if my life by the end of the year has got pretty intense.
These days, lot of paper work for the annual taxes, lunches and dinners with family and friends, besides my postproduction and coding jobs that will run at full speed until mid-January, when I’ll hopefully have some extra spare time to breathe and write at a more constant pace.
Anyway, I’d like to share with you the book’s Index as it is now; most of the content is already in place, even if stuff is not yet final. I’ve built several demo panels (about 17 of them, and counting), which code will be available alongside with the book. TODO sections have not been written yet; I’m currently finishing chapter 13 – the book is about 190 pages so far, with code excerpts and some images.
Book Index
- Introduction
Why I wrote this book
Audience and Assumptions
What this book is
What this book is not
What you need to get started
Version History
Feedback
Support
Errata
Piracy - Photoshop Extensibility
Overview
Plug-ins (PhotoshopSDK)
Scripting
Flash Panels
HTML Panels - The HTML Panel Stack
CEP: Common Extensibility Platform
CEF: Chromium Embedded Framework
HTML and CSS
Javascript
Extendscript
Layers communication - Setting up the environment
Code editors
Debug Flag
Installation folders
Download the Libraries
Storing projects - Building up “HelloWorld!”
Take1: Manifest.xml
Take2: ExtendScript
Take3: Debugging
Hello World wrap-up - CSInterface
JS interface
CEP Versions
evalScript()
getSystemPath() and including multiple JSX - Exchanging data between Panel and Host Application
Passing primitive values from JS to JSX
Passing Objects from JS to JSX
Passing Objects from JSX to JS
Demo Panel: Actions
Demo Panel: Data exchange - Events
No shortage of Events in town
Host Application Events – ExtendScript Events in Photoshop
Host Application Events – CEP Application Events
Custom ExtendScript Events
Custom CEP Events
CEP Panel’s Events
Demo Panel: Photoshop ExtendScript Events
Demo Panel: Photoshop CEP Events (LoseFocus)
Demo Panel: Photoshop Custom ExtendScript Events
Demo Panel: CEP Custom Events - Styling
Matching the Host Application UI look
Synch with Photoshop Theme changes
Flyout and Contextual menus
Icons, Size and Retina Displays
Demo Panel: Flyout and Contextual menus
Demo Panel: High-PPI display - Node.js
Two of a kind
Importing modules
Issues and Workarounds
Demo Panel: connecting to a REST service
Demo Panel: modularize JSX Events management - Store and retrieve data locally
Persistence
Using the Filesystem
Web Storage
Indexed DB
What should I use?
Demo Panel: Persistence
Demo Panel: Node fs and nconf modules
Demo Panel: Node.js presets module - Javascript Frameworks
What is the best JS framework for HTML Panels?
Newbies corner
Demo Panel: AngularJS - Communicate with the WWW (work in progress)
Connect with the internet
Download and open a file
Upload a file
Download and Upload with Node.js
Local Node.js servers
Web Sockets (TODO)
Generator integration (TODO)
Demo Panel: Flickr panel
Demo Panel: Upload panel (XMLHttpRequest)
Demo Panel: Master/Slave
Demo Panel: Web Sockets (TODO)
Demo Panel: Generator (TODO) - Miscellanea (TODO)
- Packaging and Deploying(TODO)
- Extensions Marketing (TODO)
- Appendices (TODO)
- Acknowledgements (TODO)
- Copyright (TODO)
Originally, I wanted to record a lengthy videotutorial, to be bundled with the book (as an optional purchase). I’m afraid it doesn’t fit in my time schedule now, so I’ll be publishing the book first, then produce the video series later in 2016 (which will be sold separately, at a discounted price for the ebook owners).
I take the chance to thank each and everyone among friends and developers (most of the time the two overlap) who’s been helping me so far – I wish all the best to you and your families, see you in 2016. Ciao!
Well, hopefully you’ll get through this festive season save and sound and the revenuers don’t prove troublesome so you’ll have your wits about you in the coming year to bring this undertaking to fruition.
Do you intend on touching on panels for other Adobe applications in the book at all?
Happy New Year!
Pfaffenbichler
Hi Pfaffenbichler, thanks for the new year wishes 🙂
In fact, the book is having Illustrator beta-readers, who tell me that (event related stuff aside) it works on that too.
Also, I’ll submit the draft to some InDesign people as well in the next weeks, hopefully. I’ve been suggested to change the title to “Adobe Creative Cloud Panels Development”, but being myself on Photoshop only, I’m a bit hesitant. I totally lack marketing unscrupulousness 🙂
All the best and thank you,
Davide
Thanks for the info, it will be great if (some/much of) the matter is transferable to other Adobe applications but I appreciate you hesitating to claim more in the title than you yourself have verified/tested.
Hi Davide
If you decide to focus on photoshop only, I have the information from Adobe that it is very soon to be released the new Bridge version. And It would be wise for the universe of photoshop users to be able to have also bridge panels development upgrade.
The date you are planning to finish the book, may be on top of Bridge release or even after. I have some expectations on the new Bridge. With panels even better.
I’m queuing up in cyberspace for this!
WOW, tanta roba 😀
Looking forward to this! Best of luck with the remainder of the book: it looks like you have your work cut out for you. 😉
Hi,
This sounds great: I’m lining up as well. A few questions:
– will it have code examples (actual files)?
– what level of people is this intended for? I enjoyed being able to create panels with Configurator 4 with no development knowledge. Will this book take us by the hand to get started or do you need a strong developer’s background?
Hi Blaise,
thanks for your interest; the book has about 20 full Panels code, even if it’s not written as a Cookbook. Each chapter comes with 1 to 5 Example Panels demoing an elaboration of the concepts shown.
Audience: it assumes you start with no knowledge at all about CEP and HTML Panels, but at least something on PS scripting and Javascript. Then it builds up, chapter after chapter, getting to a pretty intermediate/advanced level especially in the last chapters. I’m going to disclose the Index and Intro in the next weeks so stay tuned.
Hi Davide!
The book is interesting to me, but I didn’t understand when and where it will be on sale? Paper or electronic version? Will be – whether it is clear to the beginning programmer?
Andy
Hi Andy, thanks for the interest in the book.
It’s going to be sold for sure as a PDF/MOBI/EPUB, so: digital. I’m not sure whether it’s possible to provide a paper version as well – I’ll look into that later, when the writing is done.
Where it will be on sale: I’m coding also its dedicated website, so keep checking here on the blog for the announce with all the details (when I’ll be ready).
When: I’ve estimated first quarter of this year (2016). I still have to write a chapter and a half, plus minutiae here and there, but I can’t work 8 hours per day on it so it might shift. Besides, since I’m totally crazy, I would like to offer as an optional, bundled purchase, a video course too (based on the book content) which I still have to start recording. You’ll be able to mock my english for a reasonable price.
Audience: HTML Panels are web applications. I’ve started the book assuming that the reader has no knowledge of HTML Panels at all, building the skills chapter by chapter. It starts from the very basics and ramps up to a quite intermediate/advanced level as the pages go by. It requires at least some knowledge of HTML, CSS and JS – the more, the better.
In this sense, it is also a book for HTML Panels beginners, but it can’t be a book for non-coders.
In other words, if you’re a beginner web-developer (HTML, CSS and JS) and a total HTML Panels newbie, it is for you too.
Conversely, if you’re a total HTML, CSS and JS newbie, it won’t teach you the HTML, CSS and JS stack (there are tons of resources out there and better teachers than me). Let me know if this helps, feel free to ask if you have any other inquiry.
Thanks!
That sounds absolutely perfect.
Hi David, you have been busy looks great.
Will you be touching upon our previous licensing aspect conversation any in the book?
http://www.davidebarranca.com/2015/07/partial-serial-number-verification-system-in-javascript/
Again looks great, congratulations David.
All the best,
LL
Hi LL, thanks for the kind words.
To tell the truth, I had already most of the sample code in place (which is a big head start) for a second, smaller book, dedicated to HTML Panels licensing systems. Problem is that these days, how can I put it, the security of JSXBIN isn’t as granted as it was few months ago, which is a big pain in the ass. I’ve very briefly touched licensing in the HTML Panels book, and put the second book is in stand-by. A link that might interest you is this.
Thank you,
-Davide
Hi Davide,
Oh that sounds awesome concerning the additional supplemental book and the bits on info that will be included in the current book. Sadly I have seen and am aware of the issues with things, however I was unaware of the the provided link reference, wonderful. Really looking forward to see what you have came up with, that’s great news. Best wishes with this entire endeavor, keep up the great work and thanks for all your efforts.
Thanks again,
LL
Hi Davide, I am highly interested in your book. I used to use Configurator and I loved it for its simplicity. However, as you know it’s no longer compatible with CC 2015 so I am happy to hear that your book starts from scratch (which is probably even more than I know).
Do you have a mailing list I can sign up to to be informed when the book launches?
I’m working to set up the website with newsletter, hopefully in the next days I’ll be able to announce it.
Thank you for the interest!
Let me know when I can give you money for this book. Cause I will click that “Add to Cart” button SO hard my mouse with creak.