I realized I haven’t written on this blog for a while, so I’m going to share something I made for a project WIP.
So I had to work in a huuuuuuuge comp, there was like a couple hundred layers in there, honestly this is not a good way to work in this program but you know sometimes you just have to.
{
function bigCompHelper(thisObj) {
function bigCompHelper_buildUI(thisObj) {
var mainPanel = (thisObj instanceof Panel) ? thisObj : new Window("palette", "Big Composition Helper", undefined, {resizable: true, closeButton: false});
res = "group{orientation:'column',\
groupOne: Group{orientation:'row',\
sendToTopButton: Button{text:'Send selected to top'},\
sendToBottomButton: Button{text:'Send selected to buttom'},\
},\
groupTwo: Panel{orientation:'row',\
applyExpressionButton: Button{text:'Apply expression to selected'},\
expressionText: EditText{text:'expression'},\
propertyText: EditText{text:'effect.property(\"\")()'},\
},\
groupThree: Panel{orientation:'row',\
applyEffectButton: Button{text:'Apply effect to selected'},\
effectText: EditText{text:'effect to be applied (or matchname)'},\
},\
groupFour: Panel{orientation:'row',\
tweakButton: Button{text:'Change Value'},\
propText: EditText{text:'effect.property(\"\")()'},\
valueText: EditText{text:'value to change to'},\
},\
groupFive: Panel{orientation:'row',\
removeEffectButton: Button{text:'Delete effect from selected'},\
effectText: EditText{text:'effect to be removed (or matchname)'},\
},\
groupSix: Panel{orientation:'row',\
selectLayerButton: Button{text:'Select Layers'},\
fromText: StaticText{text:'from'},\
fromIndexText: EditText{text:'index'},\
toText: StaticText{text:'to'},\
toIndexText: EditText{text:'index'},\
},\
}";
mainPanel.grp = mainPanel.add(res);
mainPanel.grp.groupOne.sendToTopButton.onClick = function() {
sendToTop();
}
mainPanel.grp.groupOne.sendToBottomButton.onClick = function() {
sendToBottom();
}
mainPanel.grp.groupTwo.applyExpressionButton.onClick = function() {
var expression = mainPanel.grp.groupTwo.expressionText.text;
var property = mainPanel.grp.groupTwo.propertyText.text;
applyExpression(expression, property);
}
mainPanel.grp.groupThree.applyEffectButton.onClick = function() {
var effect = mainPanel.grp.groupThree.effectText.text;
applyEffect(effect);
}
mainPanel.grp.groupFour.tweakButton.onClick = function() {
var propertyPath = mainPanel.grp.groupFour.propText.text;
var newValue = mainPanel.grp.groupFour.valueText.text;
tweak(propertyPath, newValue);
}
mainPanel.grp.groupFive.removeEffectButton.onClick = function() {
var effect = mainPanel.grp.groupFive.effectText.text;
removeEffect(effect);
}
mainPanel.grp.groupSix.selectLayerButton.onClick = function() {
var from = Number(mainPanel.grp.groupSix.fromIndexText.text);
var to = Number(mainPanel.grp.groupSix.toIndexText.text);
selectLayers(from, to);
}
mainPanel.layout.layout(true);
return mainPanel;
}
var myScriptPal = bigCompHelper_buildUI(thisObj);
if(myScriptPal != null && myScriptPal instanceof Window) {
myScriptPal.center();
myScriptPal.show();
}
}
bigCompHelper(this);
}
function sendToTop() {
app.beginUndoGroup("Move Layers to Bottom");
var currentLayers = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
for (var i=0; i < currentLayers.length; i++){
currentLayers[i].moveToBeginning();
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function sendToBottom() {
app.beginUndoGroup("Move Layers to Bottom");
var currentLayers = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
for (var i=0; i < currentLayers.length; i++){
currentLayers[i].moveToEnd();
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function applyExpression(exp, prop) {
app.beginUndoGroup("Mass Expression Application");
var bruh = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
var bruhStr = "app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers";
for (var i=0; i < bruh.length; i++){
var newPath = eval(bruhStr + "[" + i + "]." + prop);
newPath.expression = exp;
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function applyEffect(n) {
app.beginUndoGroup("Mass Effect Application");
var bruh = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
for (var i=0; i < bruh.length; i++){
bruh[i].effect.addProperty(n);
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function tweak(prop, val) {
app.beginUndoGroup("Mass Tweak");
var bruh = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
var bruhStr = "app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers";
for (var i=0; i < bruh.length; i++){
var newB = eval( bruhStr + "[" + i + "]." + prop);
if (newB.value instanceof Array) {
var val = val.split(",")
}
newB.setValue(val);
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function removeEffect(n) {
app.beginUndoGroup("Mass Effect Removal");
var bruh = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers;
for (var i=0; i < bruh.length; i++){
bruh[i].effect.property(n).remove();
}
app.endUndoGroup();
}
function selectLayers(from, to) {
for (i = from; i < (to+1); i++) {
app.project.activeItem.layer(i).selected = true;
}
}
on a side note, I did also look into HTML panels, but they’re slightly more sophisticated and not super necessary for this project.
someone mentioned that AE doesnt have a color wheel, I tried to make one with HTML panels and failed miserably because I’m not proficient enough in HTML/CSS and how digital colors work. I had thought that I know a lot more about digital color than most people, but turns out they’re still so fucking complicated.
Second attempt at making something useful, didn’t think most people would need this, and I was pretty sure other people have made the exact same plugin before. Very basic stuff, used a “”parser”” to throw when things that arent numbers are entered, hated that.
Lacrima 
Share us your project files or show us your peni(ry
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