Are there any downloadable pdf plugin/script writing tutorials? I want to learn but I need to be able to work offline.

Nothing really applicable to your readable tutorials

but there are the Jackson Bates tutorials

https://jacksonbates.wordpress.com/pyth ... ial-pages/

They are video but have reasonable documentation. I once dumped the text as pdf's Have a look see what you think.

There are also sample scripts https://gist.github.com/JacksonBates

Thanks rich. Don't know when I'll get started but hopefully soon.

I find the problem is, the examples like the Bates series, all very simple, gets you writing some one-liners. Then nothing that I have found at an intermediate level. Maybe someone has some links.
Many years ago as students we got FORTRAN, then when home computers became affordable, did a bit of BASIC, so I do have a grasp of fundamentals (but not enough)
The other problem I have, is, everything I require has already been done, no need to re-invent the wheel

IMHO, once you can write working registration code, the intermediate level is knowing your Python and the Gimp API, which is done through experimenting, and reading other people's code. Beware of tutorials because they will make you repeat things that you don't understand. For a reasonably in-depth but enjoyable understanding of Python, look up the talks by Ned Batchelder on YT.


You can re-invent a better wheel Another way it to look at an API and wonder how you can build a useful script around it.

And python is quite easy to learn, your clumsy beginner code will work, and you'll learn the better ways later(*).

(*) There is always a better way. Even after your 4th iteration, when you think you have found the best way, you find an even better way. I have scripts out there where the functionality has increased 4x while the total code size has remained roughly the same.

Having just started trying to write GIMP Python scripts, I find that the language is not dissimilar to many others. However, the greatest difficulty I have had is understanding those things that are peculiar to GIMP.
The precise descriptions in the Python-Fu Console I am certain will be easily understood by those who already know the answers!

david.

You have of course read this: http://www.gimp.org/docs/python/index.html

Read many times! But again written by someone who is already familiar and it is always the smallest details that give problems to the beginner.

david.

Very readable if you know Python. Of course if you try to learn Python and the Gimp API at the same time it is a bit harder, in particular because the Gimp API is not very Pythonesque, it is just a facade on the Scheme API which itself is pretty much another facade on the C API.

OTOH you have the Python console where you can try things easily. Don't be shy. The wonderful thing with programming is that experimentation is quick and free. The only language I learned from a teacher was Fortran. Since then I have used nearly 40 other programming languages, and most of them without even a book, just by reading existing code and trying things. If you want a book, try the smallest one. The basics of Python fit a 100-page book.

Something I realized earlier. Hopped straight in the Gimpython wagon for the main feed. But no matter how much I stretched the jaw, it was too much to swallow.
Now I'm going through the "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" course and feel inspired.
Which is important because then the information sticks in the memory.