Actions and Effects

[CEHARRIS3]

I am currently enrolled in an on-line scrap-book course with Jessica Sprague. Yesterday she introduced the subject of "actions". I must confess that after working with PSE for a year, I never came across this subject!!!
I have a really basic question: What is the difference between "Actions" and "Effects"? They both seem to represent a running a sequence of instructions causing a desired end (e.g., creating a B & W image, a water-color effect, a pencil drawing). In other computerized applications (particularly on Internet Relay Chat) we called such prepared instuctions "scripts" or "macros".

Question 1 Are actions and effects, in effect macros?

Queston 2 Can we prepare our own scripts, save them and run them?


Question 3 How do "actions" differ from "effects"?

Question 4 Where can I find out more about this subject?


I apologize if this thread seems similar to the preceeding thread, but obviously my query is much more fundamental and basic than the preceeding issue.:o

[SharLamb]

I don't know about effects, but yes, "actions" are the same as macros. The inability to create actions in PSE is my only (at this point) reason for being tempted to upgrade to full PS. We can install and run many actions that have been created in PS, but, alas, we cannot make our own. This was one of the very first questions I asked when I started using PSE last November, and I'm still frustrated about the answer.
Shar

[Barbara Brundage]

Effects are (behind the scenes, so to speak) just preloaded actions that come with PSE.