In the past, we have used and recommended Adobe's ExtendScript Debugger software for tracking down any problems with commands sent to Photoshop during High-Res Production. However, this program is 32-bit only so it won't run on OSX 10.15 (Catalina) or newer and Adobe no longer is making it available through Creative Cloud. Adobe now recommends using Microsoft's Visual Studio Code for this task.

This article covers how to download and set up and use this software for debugging scripts sent to Photoshop.

About Visual Studio Code

See this page for more about this free product.

Installing the Application

Installing on Mac

1. Download Visual Studio Code for macOS.
2. Double-click on the downloaded .zip archive to expand the contents.
3. Drag Visual Studio Code.app to the Applications folder.
4. Add VS Code to your Dock by right-clicking on the icon to bring up the context menu and choosing Options, Keep in Dock.

Installing on Windows

1. Download the Visual Studio Code installer for Windows.
2. Once it is downloaded, run the installer (VSCodeUserSetup-{version}.exe). This will only take a minute.
3. By default, VS Code is installed under C:\users\{username}\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code.

Setup for Scripting

The default color theme is a black background. You can choose another color theme in the Preferences -> Color theme. (I like "Light+).

Next, you need to add the ExtendScript Extension. To do this, choose Preferences -> Extensions.

In the window that opens, type in "Extendscript" into the search box. Then click the install button next to "ExtendScript Debugger".

Running the Debugger

To invoke to use of the debugger from within ProSelect, in the High-Res Production window check the box next to one item only then click the Make High-Res Images button while holding down the SHIFT key. After a few seconds, a dialog will appear asking you if you wish to open and use the debugger. (Note: While it mentions Abobe ExtendScript debugger, it will open the VS code instead).

You should see VS Code open with the script file as shown below. 

If the bottom bar says "Select the Target Application" (see above) then click this text and select the version of Photoshop you are using. If you have more that one copy of Photoshop installed, make sure that you select the one that is currently running. After selecting it, the version of Photoshop will show in the bottom bar of the window.

Next, click the Debug button on the left-hand side of the window to open the left-hand pane. Click the Run button then select "ExtendScript Debug" from the drop-down window. The script will start to run and you may see Photoshop doing things in the background.

If any errors occur, the debugger will stop on the line with the first error and display the error message under the Debug Console tab at the bottom of the window.

This error is usually a good clue to the reason that the script stopped.

Contact ProStudio Software Support if you need further assistance with this.