Save Layout

[Robert Schleif]

It is not clear to me whether it is possible to save a layout script such that the full layout plus images can be regenerated just by running the script. I can see value in being able to save a layout's framework with and without images. Also, is there a reason that when saving a layout, the window that appears does not suggest a file name?

[jsachs]

Saving a settings file (e.g. via Layout Settings Menu/Save Settings As...) from a transformation saves only the settings and not the inputs, so when you reload settings you don't get the original inputs back. For transformations that have no auxiliary inputs (e.g. Bilateral Sharpen or Gaussian Blur), this is not an issue. The reason for not saving the inputs is that the inputs may in turn depend on other images and so on, so you would have to have all of their settings as well. This is exactly what a Script file does -- so to save a script, make the Layout transformation current and use Script/Save Script from the main menu. This will save the Layout transformation and as many other transformations as necessary to recreate the results of the Layout. If there is more than one result you want to save, use Script/Save Workspace instead. When you open the script you can either clear the workspace first or merge the script with the existing transformations.

[Robert Schleif]

It would be helpful if you could add the response that you gave above to "Help" in the Layout window.
For almost all the other transformations one can choose Save as, Save Back, or Save to Default, have a window appear with a suggested file name, and proceed, and with my preference settings, the image is saved, and and a window appears asking about saving the script. Thus, I save the image and script following the logical operation of saving a file. From what you have written above, it seems like the same behavior should be possible for a Layout. The saved script would be longer, but scripts are very small files. Running the Layout script when the input images that is calls for are not present seems to pose no problems because the image panels remain blank and can be filled with different images if desired. From my perspective, since a Layout transformation does not seem to be fundamentally different from other transformations, it would be nicer if saving its output image and/or its script could be just like that of any other transformation.
A somewhat larger question is whether the various script save operations listed under the Scripts menu item couldn't be included under the File menu item. It is true that already File has many items listed. Therefore, would it be possible to coalesce all the save possibilities under a File menu item called Save that would bring up an intermediate window with all the various save possibilities that are now under File and Scripts?

[jsachs]

I guess I missed the point of your first message or I am very confused.

When I click on a Layout transformation here and do a Save As.. I get a window asking for the pathname. For Layout, there is no default suggested pathname because there is no original file from which Layout is derived since a Layout may have no inputs or it may have more than one. Once you name the file, you have all the usual options of saving with or without a script, so it is like all the other transformations.

For the next release, I added a refinement to the way original pathnames are defined. If the top-level transformation has exactly one unique input, that input is used to determine the original pathname. So, for example, a Layout that referenced only one image (possibly with multiple copies), would propose a version of that image's filename when you do a Save As. If the top-level transformation has no inputs or combines multiple images, the original pathname is undefined and no filename is proposed and no metadata is saved.

[Robert Schleif]

I'm not surprised that you were confused, now I find that except for Layout's not providing a suggested file name, its behavior behavior in saving an image file and giving me the option of saving a script that produced it is as I would desire and expect. Sorry to have wasted your time. When saving from other transformations the window that provides a suggested file name generates one based on the input image, eg. as xyz.tif. Could Layout instead provide "*.tif" or "new file name.tif" rather than leave a blank?

[jsachs]

You don't need to enter the ".tif", so anything other than a blank name just takes an extra step to get rid of or select it of before you enter the new name. If your layout is composed from a single image, the latest release will propose a name derived from the included image.

[Robert Schleif]

OK, that sounds good.
If multiple images are used in a layout, I suppose a provisional name could be generated based on the name of the first image, e.g. LAY-xyz.tif.