TypeScript starter project to create scripts for Adobe applications (Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects...), that includes connection to a MySQL database, password hashing and verification (bcrypt) and the use of the Active Record design pattern.

This starter kit is preconfigured to facilitate fast development.

All the code is compiled to ExtendScript.

Inspirations and reference

This starter project was created after I understood (at least in basic terms) how the very good extension porky was put together. I decided to create my own (smaller) to start my personal projects.

This kit is heavily influenced by the greate course PHP: Object-Oriented Programming with Databases taught by Kevin Skoglund. If you are learning about OOP, I highly recommend it even if PHP is not your primary focus.

Why is it better than a script in a single file?

This starter kit allows the development of a more powerfull tool. Instead of creating a single script, the user of this kit will be able to create a small application.

It includes

1. Node.js (Net) socket server to act as a bridge between the client socket
(like Adobe InDesign, Adobe Brigde...) and the database server (MySQL).
2. Easy password hashing and verification (bcrypt) through the same local
server.
3. An abstract class to be inherited by all the others that access
the database. It is an application of the __active record__ design pattern.
4. Two example subclasses are provided. One for a product and one for
an admin, both are subclasses of the database one (active record).
5. The code is heavly documented (JSDoc) and HTML generation is
preconfigured.
6. General and validation functions that can be easily reused in other
projects.
7. Polyfills already preconfigured.

Dependencies

It depends on Node.js, but what runs in it are the socket server and the npm tasks. The generated code will run on Adobe applications.

Having a MySQL database server is only necessary if you need communication with one. If your scripts do not access a database, you do not need it.

If you use a Database Management System (DBMS) different from MySQL, editing the server to facilitate communication with it will be easy.

Folder structure

Root
|- config       (database credentials, server and initialization)
|- dist         ((empty) for compiled code)
|- docs         ((empty) for generated HTML documentation)
|- resources    (.sql files)
|- src          (source code to be compiled)

Which file will be executed?

Using this starter kit, the index.jsx (<projectRoot>/dist/index.jsx) will be the file being executed from the Adobe application of your choice.

Because of the limitations of ExtendScript, if you need to debug, you need to debug from it as well.

Suggested VSCODE extensions

Task Explorer

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