Introduction to Creative Developer Tools (CRDT)

Creative Developer Tools (CRDT) is a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline and enhance the development process for script developers and plug-in developers within the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem.

Whether you’re working with ExtendScript, CEP (Common Extensibility Platform), UXP (Unified Extensibility Platform), or UXPScript, CRDT provides a range of features to simplify packaging, licensing, and distribution of your software.

Key Features:

  1. Easy packaging, downloading, installation, and licensing of ExtendScript scripts and CEP panels using PluginInstaller. UXP installer support is on the way.
  2. Licensing and activation features for your scripts, including unique account GUIDs for end-users.
  3. Source code protection and reverse engineering prevention.
  4. A growing set of helper functions, for example:
    – access to files beyond the UXP sandbox, including binary files.
    – ability to read environment variables from UXP
    – coding/decoding functions

Two Versions:

CRDT is available in two versions:

  1. CRDT_ES: Designed for ExtendScript and CEP development, with synchronous function calls.
  2. CRDT_UXP: Designed for UXP and UXPScript development, currently supporting Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop.

Pricing

CRDT is free to use, and all the essential functionality needed to monetize your software is included in the free version. However, some advanced features are available as paid options, such as:

  • Functions for advanced encryption (AES-256)
  • Unique machine GUIDs for each end-user computer
  • Persistent local storage that survives uninstallation and reinstallation
  • Access to usage and installation metrics
  • Source code access

Contact us at [email protected] for more information.

PluginInstaller

CRDT includes PluginInstaller, a powerful tool that handles the entire developer-to-user workflow, including packaging, downloading, installing, removing, updating, licensing, and activating your software.

PluginInstaller is an essential component of the CRDT ecosystem, making it easy to manage your software and provide a seamless experience for your end-users.

Getting Started

To start using CRDT, you’ll need to:

  1. Download the appropriate version of CRDT for your development environment (ExtendScript/CEP or UXP/UXPScript). Click either:
    CRDT_ES
    CRDT_UXP
  2. Register for a developer account using PluginInstaller.
  3. For UXP: launch the daemon by way of the PluginInstaller preferences window.
  4. Explore the sample code and documentation to familiarize yourself with the API and features.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting, CRDT provides a robust set of tools to help you create, distribute, and monetize your scripts and plug-ins for Adobe Creative Cloud applications.