Macro records but will not perform

[John Rostron]

I have been using Filter > Distort > Equations to modify text onto a sine curve. First I rasterize the text, then apply Filter > Distort > Equations with the following formulae:

x=x
y= y+(h*a/2)*(b*sin(360*x/w/c)+(1-b)*cos(360*x/w/c))

This filter works as intended as a one-off, and whilst recording the macro, but If I then export the macro, and try to apply the macro later nothing happens. The history panel shows that it has been applied, but the image is unchanged. This happens whether I load the macro as a single macro, or if I add it to a library and load it from there.

Text onto sine-cosine curve.afmacro

Anyone any ideas?

John

[GaryLearnTech]

Hi John

You don't say what values you're using for parameters A, B and C when you run this manually, but when I import your macro, I find A=0.257 and B=C=0.000 – see the screenshot below.

That means that your equation is trying to divide two of your inner bracket terms by C=0 which, mathematically speaking, is just wrong.  It should throw an error.  I'm not sure exactly how AP is managing this error, but the result is that it seems your your equation is being evaluated to "y=y".

The moment you change C to anything non-zero, and then re-apply your macro, the targeted layer is distorted.  So it seems the problem is perhaps in the recording of the macro, that it's somehow capturing A, but leaving B and C set to zero.  I've just done a quick test and it did seem to capture each of the three parameters, so I can't offer an explanation for your recording problem.

 

[John Rostron]

Thanks Gary. I had assumed when I set this up that the B and C parameters were one (not zero). These were, I thought,  the default values. I will try it out when I get back to my desktop.

 

John

[John Rostron]

I have re-created the macro from scratch, and after recording it, I checked the parameters, and both B and C were one. I then closed the test file and cleared the macro. I then reloaded a file, and imported the macro. Looking at Edit Parameters  showed that both B and C were zero! Both before and after, the A parameter had retained its value of approximately 0.25. Re-setting B and C to one and running the macro gave the correct result.

This looks like a bug to me. Could I ask the moderators if they would please transfer this thread to Bug Reports.

John

[John Rostron]

I have now posted this in the Bugs forum.