After Effects Scripting Guide

Release 0.0.1

February 28, 2017

 Introduction

1 Overview 1

2 Changelog 7

3 Elements of basic JavaScript relevant to After Effects scripting 11

4 The After Effects Object Model 15

5 Global functions 19

6 Application object 23

7 Project object 37

8 System object 51

9 Item object 53

10 ItemCollection object 57

11 AVItem object 59

12 CompItem object 67

13 FolderItem object 77

14 FootageItem object 79

15 Layer object 83

16 LayerCollection object 93

17 AVLayer object 99

18 CameraLayer object 111

19 LightLayer object 113

20 ShapeLayer object 115

21 TextLayer object 117

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22 PropertyBase object 119

23 Property object 127

24 PropertyGroup object 151

25 MaskPropertyGroup object 157

26 RenderQueue object 161

27 RQItemCollection object 167

28 RenderQueueItem object 169

29 OMCollection object 177

30 OutputModule object 179

31 FileSource object 183

32 FootageSource object 185

33 PlaceholderSource object 191

34 SolidSource object 193

35 Collection object 195

36 ImportOptions object 197

37 KeyframeEase object 201

38 MarkerValue object 203

39 Settings object 207

40 Shape object 209

41 TextDocument object 215

42 Viewer object 229

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 CHAPTER 1

Overview

Introduction to scripting in After Effects

A script is a series of commands that tells an application to perform a series of operations. You can use scripts in most
Adobe applications to automate repetitive tasks, perform complex calculations, and even use some functionality not
directly exposed through the graphical user interface. For example, you can direct After Effects to reorder the layers
in a composition, find and replace source text in text layers, or send an e-mail message when rendering is complete.
Although both the After Effects expressions language and the After Effects ExtendScript scripting language are based
on JavaScript, the expressions features and scripting features of After Effects are separate and distinct. Expressions
cannot access information from scripts (such as variables and functions). Whereas a script tells an application to do
something, an expression says that a property is something. However, because the After Effects expression language
and ExtendScript are both based on JavaScript, familiarity with either one is very helpful in understanding the other.
The heart of a scriptable application is the object model. When you use Adobe After Effects, you create projects,
compositions, and render queue items along with all of the elements that they contain: footage, images, solids, lay-
ers, masks, effects, and properties. Each of these items, in scripting terms, is an object. This guide describes the
ExtendScript objects that have been defined for After Effects projects.
The After Effects object model is composed of a project, items, compositions, layers, and render queue items. Each
object has its own special attributes, and every object in an After Effects project has its own identity (although not all
are accessible to scripting). You should be familiar with the After Effects object model in order to create scripts.

Note: JavaScript objects normally referred to as “properties” are consistently called “attributes” in this guide, to avoid
confusion with After Effects’ own definition of a property (an animatable value of an effect, mask, or transform within
an individual layer).

Nearly all of what scripting can accomplish replicates what can be done by means of the After Effects graphical user
interface. A thorough knowledge of the application itself and its graphical user interface is essential to understanding
how to use scripting in After Effects.

The ExtendScript language

After Effects scripts use the Adobe ExtendScript language, which is an extended form of JavaScript used by several
Adobe applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. ExtendScript implements the JavaScript lan-
guage according to the ECMA-262 specification. The After Effects scripting engine supports the 3rd Edition of the
ECMA-262 Standard, including its notational and lexical conventions, types, objects, expres- sions, and statements.
ExtendScript also implements the E4X ECMA-357 specification, which defines access to data in XML format.

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ExtendScript defines a global debugging object, the dollar ($) object, and a reporting utility for ExtendScript elements,
the ExtendScript Reflection interface.
File and Folder Objects: Because pathname syntax is very different in different operating systems, Adobe Extend-
Script defines File and Folder objects to provide platform-independent access to the underlying file system.
ScriptUI User Interface Module: The ExtendScript ScriptUI module provides the ability to create and interact with
user interface elements. ScriptUI provides an object model for windows and UI control elements that you can use to
create a user interface for your scripts.
Tools and Utilities: In addition, ExtendScript provides tools and features such as a localization utility for providing
user-interface string values in different languages and global functions for displaying short messages in dialog boxes
(alert, confirm, and prompt).
External Communication: ExtendScript provides a Socket object that allows you to communicate with remote sys-
tems from your After Effects scripts.
Interapplication Communication: ExtendScript provide s a common scripting environment for all Adobe applica-
tions, and allows interapplication communication through scripts.

The ExtendScript Toolkit (ESTK)

After Effects includes a script editor and debugger, the ExtendScript Toolkit (ESTK), which provides a conve- nient
interface for creating and testing your own scripts.
To start the ESTK, choose File > Scripts > Open Script Editor.
If you choose to use another text editor to create, edit, and save scripts, be sure to choose an application that does
not automatically add header information when saving files and that saves with Unicode (UTF-8) encoding. In many
text editors, you can set preferences for saving with UTF-8 encoding. Some applications (such as Microsoft Word) by
default add header information to files that can cause “line 0” errors in scripts, causing them to fail.
For detailed information on the ExtendScript Toolkit, see the JavaScript Tools Guide.

The .jsx and .jsxbin file-name extensions

ExtendScript script files are distinguished by the .jsx file-name extension, a variation on the standard .js extension
used with JavaScript files. After Effects scripts must include the .jsx file extension in order to be properly recognized
by the application. Any UTF-8-encoded text file with the .jsx extension is recognized as an ExtendScript file.
You can use the ExtendScript Toolkit to export a binary version of an ExtendScript file, which has the extension
.jsxbin. Such a binary file may not be usable with all of the scripting integration features in After Effects.

Activating full scripting features

The default is for scripts to not be allowed to write files or send or receive communication over a network. To allow
scripts to write files and communicate over a network, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or After Effects
> Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select the Allow Scripts To Write Files And Access Network option.
Any After Effects script that contains an error preventing it from being completed generates an error message from the
application. This error message includes information about the nature of the error and the line of the script on which
it occurred. The ExtendScript Toolkit (ESTK) debugger can open automatically when the application encounters a
script error. This feature is disabled by default so that casual users do not encounter it. To activate this feature, choose
Preferences > General, and select Enable JavaScript Debugger.

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Loading and running scripts

Running scripts directly from the File > Scripts menu

When After Effects starts, it searches the Scripts folder for scripts to load. Loaded scripts are available from the File
> Scripts menu.
To run a loaded script, choose File > Scripts > [script name].
If you edit a script while After Effects is running, you must save your changes for the changes to be applied. If you
place a script in the Scripts folder while After Effects is running, you must restart After Effects for the script to appear
in the Scripts menu, though you can immediately run the new script using the Run Script File command.

Running scripts using File > Scripts > Run Script File

To run a script that has not been loaded, choose File > Scripts > Run Script File, locate and select a script, and click
Open.

Running scripts from the command line, a batch file, or an AppleScript script

If you are familiar with how to run a script from the command line in Windows or via AppleScript, you can send a
script directly to the open After Effects application, so that the application automatically runs the script.
To run a script from the command line, call afterfx.exe from the command line. Use the -r switch and the full path
of the script to run as arguments. This command does not open a new instance of the After Effects application; it runs
the script in the existing instance.
Example (for Windows):
afterfx -r c:\script_path\example_script.jsx

You can use this command-line technique—together with the software that comes with a customizable keyboard—to
bind the invocation of a script to a keyboard shortcut.
Following are examples of Windows command-line entries that will send an After Effects script to the appli- cation
without using the After Effects user interface to execute the script.
In the first example, you copy and paste your After Effects script directly on the command line and then run it. The
script text appears in quotation marks following the afterfx.exe -s command:
afterfx.exe -s "alert("You just sent an alert to After Effects")"

Alternatively, you can specify the location of the JSX file to be executed. For example:
afterfx.exe -r c:\myDocuments\Scripts\yourAEScriptHere.jsx afterfx.exe -r "c:\myDocuments\Scripts\Scr

How to include After Effects scripting in an AppleScript (Mac OS)

Following are three examples of AppleScript scripts that will send an existing JSX file containing an After Effects
script to the application without using the After Effects user interface to execute the script.
In the first example, you copy your After Effects script directly into the Script Editor and then run it. The script text
appears within quotation marks following the DoScript command, so internal quotes in the script must be escaped
using the backslash escape character, as follows

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tell application "Adobe After Effects CS6"

DoScript "alert(\"You just sent an alert to After Effects\")"
end tell

Alternatively, you could display a dialog box asking for the location of the JSX file to be executed, as follows:
set theFile to choose file
tell application "Adobe After Effects CS6"
DoScript theFile
end tell

Finally, this script is perhaps most useful when you are working directly on editing a JSX script and want to send it
to After Effects for testing or to run. To use it effectively you must enter the application that contains the open JSX
file (in this example it is TextEdit); if you do not know the proper name of the application, type in your best guess to
replace “TextEdit” and AppleScript prompts you to locate it.
Simply highlight the script text that you want to run, and then activate this AppleScript:
(*
This script sends the current selection to After Effects as a script.
*)

tell application "TextEdit"

set the_script to text of front document
end tell

tell application "Adobe After Effects CS6" activate

DoScript the_script
end tell

Running scripts automatically during application startup or shutdown

Within the Scripts folder are two folders called Startup and Shutdown. After Effects runs scripts in these folders
automatically, in alphabetical order, on starting and quitting, respectively.
In the Startup folder you can place scripts that you wish to execute at startup of the application. They are executed
after the application is initialized and all plug-ins are loaded.
Scripting shares a global environment, so any script executed at startup can define variables and functions that are
available to all scripts. In all cases, variables and functions, once defined by running a script that contains them,
persist in subsequent scripts during a given After Effects session. Once the application is quit, all such globally
defined variables and functions are cleared. Be sure to give variables in scripts unique names, so that a script does not
inadvertently reassign global variables intended to persist throughout a session.
Attributes can also be added to existing objects such as the Application object to extend the application for other
scripts.
The Shutdown folder scripts are executed as the application quits. This occurs after the project is closed but before
any other application shutdown occurs

Running scripts from the Window menu

Scripts in the ScriptUI Panels folder are available from the bottom of the Window menu. If a script has been written
to provide a user interface in a dockable panel, the script should be put in the ScriptUI folder. ScriptUI panels work
much the same as the default panels in the After Effects user interface.

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Instead of creating a Window object and adding controls to it, a ScriptUI Panels script uses the this object that
represents the panel. For example, the following code adds a button to a panel:
var myPanel = this;
myPanel.add("button", [10, 10, 100, 30], "Tool #1");

If your script creates its user interface in a function, you cannot use this as it will refer to the function itself, not the
panel. In this case, you should pass the this object as an argument to your function. For example:
function createUI(thisObj) {
var myPanel = thisObj;
myPanel.add("button", [10, 10, 100, 30], "Tool #1");
return myPanel;
}
var myToolsPanel = createUI(this);

You cannot use the File > Scripts > Run Script File menu command to run a script that refers to this. To make your
script work with either a Window object (accessible from the File > Scripts menu) or a native panel (accessible from
the Window menu), check whether this is a Panel object. For example:
function createUI(thisObj) {
var myPanel = (thisObj instanceof Panel) ? thisObj : new Window("palette", "My Tools",
[100, 100, 300, 300]);
myPanel.add("button", [10, 10, 100, 30], "Tool #1");
return myPanel;
}
var myToolsPanel = createUI(this);

Stopping a running script

A script can be stopped by pressing Esc or Cmd+period (in Mac OS) when the After Effects or the script’s user
interface has focus. However, a script that is busy processing a lot of data might not be very responsive.

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 CHAPTER 2

Changelog

What’s new and changed for scripting?

After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

• Scripting Access to Tools

– Added: Project.toolType
• Scripting Access to Composition Markers
– Added: CompItem.markerProperty
• Scripting Access to Queue in AME
– Added: RenderQueue.queueInAME()
• Scripting Access to Available GPU Acceleration Options
– Added: app.availableGPUAccelTypes

After Effects 13.8 (CC 2015.3)

• Enable GPU effect rendering via scripting

– Added: Project.gpuAccelType
• New Gaussian Blur effect added w/ matchname ADBE Gaussian Blur 2

After Effects 13.6 (CC 2015)

• Scripting access to text baselines

– Added: baselineLocs
• New scripting method to generate random numbers

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– Added: generateRandomNumber()
• Using the copyToComp() scripting method no longer causes After Effects to crash when the layer has a parent.
• The valueAtTime() scripting method now waits for time-intensive expressions, like sampleImage, to finish
evaluating before it returns the result.
• ScriptUI panels now display and resize correctly on high-DPI displays on Windows.
• After Effects no longer crashes when you click OK or Cancel buttons in a scriptUI dialog with tabbed panels.

After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

• Scripting improvements for text layers (read-only)

– Returns boolean value:

* Added: fauxBold
* Added: fauxItalic
* Added: allCaps
* Added: smallCaps
* Added: superscript
* Added: subscript
– Returns float:

* Added: verticalScale
* Added: horizontalScale
* Added: baselineShift
* Added: tsume
– Returns array of ([X,Y]) position coordinates (paragraph text layers only):

* Added: boxTextPos
* Added: sourcePointToComp()
* Added: compPointToSource()

After Effects 13.1 (CC 2014.1)

• Scripting improvements for text layers (read-only)

– returns string:

* Added: fontLocation
* Added: fontStyle
* Added: fontFamily
• “Use Legacy UI” toggle implemented

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After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

• Scripting access to render settings and output module settings

– Added: RenderQueueItem object getSetting, setSetting methods
– Added: RenderQueueItem object getSettings, setSettings methods
– Added: OutputModule object getSetting, setSetting methods
– Added: OutputModule object getSettings, setSettings methods
• CEP panels implemented

After Effects 12.0 (CC)

• Access to effect’s internal version string

– Added: Application effects object’s version attribute, see app.effects
• Ability to get and set preview mode
– Added: Viewer.fastPreview
• Access to layer sampling method (see samplingQuality)
• Changed preference and settings methods (see Settings object)
• ScriptUI is now based on the same controls as the main application.

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 CHAPTER 3

Elements of basic JavaScript relevant to After Effects scripting

JavaScript variables
Scripting shares a global environment, so any script executed at startup can define variables and functions that are
available to all scripts. In all cases, variables and functions, once defined by running a script that contains them,
persist in subsequent scripts during a given After Effects session. Once the application is quit, all such globally
defined variables and functions are cleared. Scripters should be careful about giving variables in scripts unique names,
so that a script does not inadvertently reassign global variables intended to persist throughout a session.

Keywords and Statement Syntax

Key- Description
word/Statement
break Standard JavaScript; exit the currently executing loop.
continue JavaScript; cease execution of the current loop iteration.
case Label used in a switch statement.
default Label used in a switch statement when a case label is not found.
do...while Standard JavaScript construct. Similar to the while loop, except loop condition evaluation
occurs at the end of the loop.
false Literal representing the Boolean false value.
for Standard JavaScript loop construct.
for...in Standard JavaScript construct. Provides a way to easily loop through the properties of an
object.
function Used to define a function.
if/if...else Standard JavaScript conditional constructs.
new Standard JavaScript constructor statement.
null Assigned to a variable, array element, or object property to indicate that it does not contain a
legalvalue.
return Standard JavaScript way of returning a value from a function or exiting a function.
switch Standard JavaScript way of evaluating a JavaScript expression and attempting to match the
expression’s value to a case label.
this Standard JavaScript method of indicating the current object.
true Literal representing the Boolean true value.
undefined Indicates that the variable, array element, or object property has not yet been assigned a value.
var Standard JavaScript syntax used to declare a local variable.
while Standard JavaScript construct. Similar to the do...whileloop, except loop condition evaluation
occurs at the beginning of the loop.
with Standard JavaScript construct used to specify an object to use in subsequent statements.

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JavaScript operators
The following tables list and describe all operators recognized by the After Effects scripting engine and show the
precedence and associativity for all operators.

Description of Operators

Operators Description
new Allocate object.
delete Deallocate object.
type of Returns data type.
void Returns undefined value.
. Structure member.
[] Array element.
() Function call.
++ Pre- or post-increment.
-- Pre- or post-decrement.
- Unary negation or subtraction.
~ Bitwise NOT.
! Logical NOT.
* Multiply.
/ Divide.
% Modulo division.
+ Add.
<< Bitwise left shift.
>> Bitwise right shift.
>>> Unsigned bitwise right shift.
< Less than.
<= Less than or equal.
> Greater than.
>= Greater than or equal.
== Equal.
!= Not equal.
& Bitwise AND.
^ Bitwise XOR.
| Bitwise OR.
&& Logical AND.
|| Logical OR.
?: Conditional (ternary).
= Assignment.
+= Assignment with add operation.
-= Assignment with subtract operation.
*= Assignment with multiply operation.
/= Assignment with divide operation.
%= Assignment with modulo division operation.
<<= Assignment with bitwise left shift operation.
>>= Assignment with bitwise right shift operation.
>>>= Assignment with unsigned bitwise right shift operation.
&= Assignment with bitwise AND operation.
^= Assignment with bitwise XOR operation.
Continued on next page

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Table 3.1 – continued from previous page

Operators Description
|= Assignment with bitwise OR operation.
, Multiple evaluation.

Operator Precedence

Operators (highest precedence to lowest) Associativity

[], (), . left to right
new, delete, - (unary negation), !, type of, void , ++, – right to left
*, /, % left to right
+, - (subtraction) left to right
<<, >>, >>> left to right
<, <=, >, >= left to right
= =, ! = left to right
& left to right
^ left to right
| left to right
&& left to right
|| left to right
?: right to left
==, /=, %=, <<=, >>=, >>>=, &=, ^=, |=, +=, -=, *= right to left
, left to right

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 CHAPTER 4

The After Effects Object Model

As you look through this reference section, which is organized alphabetically by object, you can refer to thefollowing
diagrams for an overview of where the various objects fall within the hierarchy, and their correspondence to the user
interface.

Hierarchy diagram of the main After Effects scripting objects

Note that the File, Folder, and Socket objects are defined by ExtendScript, and are documented in the JavaScript Tools
Guide. ExtendScript also defines the ScriptUI module, a set of window and user-interface controlobjects, which are
available to After Effects scripts. These are also documented in the JavaScript Tools Guide. The hierarchy of objects
in scripting corresponds to the hierarchy in the user interface.

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The application contains a Project panel, which displays a project. The project contains compositions, whichcontain
layers. The source for a layer can be a footage file, placeholder, or solid, also listed in the Project panel. Each
layer contains settings known as properties, and these can contain markers and keyframes. The renderqueue contains
render-queue items as well as render settings and output modules. All of these entities are represented by objects in
scripting.

Note: To avoid ambiguity, this manual uses the term “attribute” to refer to JavaScript object properties, and the term
“property” or “AE property” to refer to After Effects layer properties.

Object summary
The following table lists all objects alphabetically, with links to the documentation page for each.

Object Description
Global functions Globally available functions that allow you to display text for script debugging purposes, and help conve
Application object A single global object, available by its name (app), that provides access to objects and application settin
AVItem object Represents audio/visual files imported into After Effects.
AVLayer object Represents those layers that contain AVItem objects (composition layers, footage layers, solid layers, te
CameraLayer object Represents a camera layer within a composition.
Collection object Associates a set of objects or values as a logical group and provides access to them by index.
CompItem object Represents a composition, and allows you to manipulate it and get information about it.
FileSource object Describes footage that comes from a file.
FolderItem object Represents a folder in the Project panel.

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Table 4.1 – continued from previous page

Object Description
FootageItem object Represents a footage item imported into a project, which appears in the Project panel.
FootageSource object Describes the file source of some footage.
ImportOptions object Encapsulates options for importing files into After Effects.
Item object Represents an item in a project that appears in the Project panel.
ItemCollection object Collects items in a project.
KeyframeEase object Encapsulates keyframe ease values in an After Effects property.
Layer object A base class for layer classes.
LayerCollection object Collects layers in a project.
LightLayer object Represents a light layer within a composition.
MarkerValue object Encapsulates marker values in an After Effects property.
MaskPropertyGroup object Encapsulates mask attributes in a layer.
OMCollection object Collects output modules in a render queue.
OutputModule object Represents an output module for a render queue.
PlaceholderSource object Describes a placeholder for footage.
Project object Represents an After Effects project.
Property object Represents an After Effects property.
PropertyBase object A base class for After Effects property and property group classes.
PropertyGroup object Represents an After Effects property group.
RenderQueue object Represents the After Effects render queue.
RenderQueueItem object Represents a renderable item in a render queue.
RenderQueueItem object Collects render-queue items in a render queue.
RQItemCollection object Provides access to application settings and preferences.
Shape object Encapsulates the outline shape information for a mask.
ShapeLayer object Represents a shape layer within a composition.
SolidSource object Describes a solid color that is the source of some footage.
System object Provides access to the operating system from the application.
TextDocument object Encapsulates the text in a text layer.
TextLayer object Represents a text layer within a composition.
Viewer object Represents a Composition, Layer, or Footage panel.

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 CHAPTER 5

Global functions

These globally available functions that are specific to After Effects. Any JavaScript object or function can call these
functions, which allow you to display text in a small (3-line) area of the Info panel, to convert numeric time values to
and from string values, or to generate a random number.
Global function Description
clearOutput() Clears text from the Info panel.
currentFormatToTime() Converts string time value to a numeric time value.
generateRandomNumber() Generates a random number.
timeToCurrentFormat() Converts a numeric time value to a string time value.
write() Writes text to the Info panel, with no line break added.
writeLn() Writes text to the Info panel, adding a line break at the end.
isValid() When true, the specified object exists.
Additional global functions for standard user I/O (alert, confirm , and prompt) and static functions for file I/O,
are defined by ExtendScript; for detailed reference information, see the JavaScript Tools Guide (available from the
ExtendScript Toolkit’s Help menu).

clearOutput()
clearOutput()
Description
Clears the output in the Info panel.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

currentFormatToTime()
currentFormatToTime(formattedTime, fps[, isDuration])

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Description
Converts a formatted string for a frame time value to a number of seconds, given a specified frame rate. For example,
if the formatted frame time value is 0:00:12 (the exact string format is determined by a project setting), and the frame
rate is 24 fps, the time would be 0.5 seconds (12/24). If the frame rate is 30 fps, the time would be 0.4 seconds (12/30).
If the time is a duration, the frames are counted from 0. Otherwise, the frames are counted from the project’s starting
frame (see Project.displayStartFrame).
Parameters
The frame time value, a string specifying a number of frames in the project’s current time display
formattedTime
format.
fps The frames-per-second, a floating-point value.
isDuration Optional. When true, the time is a duration (measured from frame 0). When false (the default), the
time is measured from the project’s starting frame.
Returns
Floating-point value, the number of seconds.

generateRandomNumber()
generateRandomNumber()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.6 (CC 2015)

Description
Generates random numbers. This function is recommended instead of Math.random for generating random numbers
that will be applied as values in a project (e.g., when using setValue).
This method avoids a problem where Math.random would not return random values in After Effects CC 2015
(13.5.x) due to a concurrency issue with multiple CPU threads.
Returns
Floating-point, pseudo-random number in the range [0, 1].
Example
// change the position X of all layers with random number

var myComp = app.project.activeItem;

var x = 0;

for (var i = 1; i <= myComp.numLayers; i++) {

// If you use Math.random(), this does not work
// x = 400*(Math.random()) - 200;
// use new generateRandomNumber() instead

x = 400*(generateRandomNumber()) - 200;
currentPos = myComp.layer(i).property(“Position”).value;
myComp.layer(i).property(“Position”).setValue([currentPos[0]+x,currentPos[1]]);
}

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isValid()
isValid(obj)
Description
Determines if the specified After Effects object (e.g., composition, layer, mask, etc.) still exists. Some operations,
such as PropertyBase.moveTo(), might invalidate existing variable assignments to related objects. This function allows
you to test whether those assignments are still valid before attempting to access them.
Parameters
obj The After Effects object to check for validity.
Returns
Boolean.
Example
var layer = app.project.activeItem.layer(1); // assume layer has three masks
alert(isValid(layer)); // displays "true"
var mask1 = layer.mask(1);
var mask2 = layer.mask(2);
var mask3 = layer.mask(3);
mask3.moveTo(1); // move the third mask to the top of the mask stack
alert(isValid(mask1)); // displays "false"; mask2 and mask3 do as well

timeToCurrentFormat()
timeToCurrentFormat(time, fps[, isDuration])
Description
Converts a numeric time value (a number of seconds) to a frame time value; that is, a formatted string thatshows
which frame corresponds to that time, at the specified rate. For example, if the time is 0.5 seconds, andthe frame
rate is 24 fps, the frame would be 0:00:12 (when the project is set to display as timecode). If the framerate is 30
fps, the frame would be 0:00:15. The format of the timecode string is determined by a project setting. If the time is
a duration, the frames are counted from 0. Otherwise, the frames are counted from the project’s starting frame (see
Project displayStartFrame attribute).
Parameters
time The number of seconds, a floating-point value.
fps The frames-per-second, a floating-point value.
Optional. When true, the time is a duration (measured from frame 0). When false (the default), the
isDuration
time is measured from the project’s starting frame.
Returns
String in the project’s current time display format.

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write()
write(text)
Description
Writes output to the Info panel, with no line break added.
Parameters
text The string to display. Truncated if too long for the Info panel.
Returns
Nothing.
Example
write("This text appears in Info panel ");
write("with more on same line.");

writeLn()
writeLn(text)
Description
Writes output to the Info panel and adds a line break at the end.
Parameters
text The string to display.
Returns
Nothing.
Example
writeln("This text appears on first line");
writeln("This text appears on second line");

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 CHAPTER 6

Application object

app
Description
Provides access to objects and application settings within the After Effects application. The single global object is
always available by its name, app.
Attributes of the Application object provide access to specific objects within After Effects. Methods of the Application
object can create a project, open an existing project, control Watch Folder mode, purge memory, and quit the After
Effects application. When the After Effects application quits, it closes the open project, prompting the user to save or
discard changes as necessary, and creates a project file as necessary.

Attributes

app.activeViewer

app.activeViewer
Description
The Viewer object for the currently focused or active-focused viewer (Composition, Layer, or Footage) panel. Returns
null if no viewers are open.
Type
Viewer object; read-only.

app.availableGPUAccelTypes

app.availableGPUAccelTypes

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

Description
The Viewer object for the currently focused or active-focused viewer (Composition, Layer, or Footage) panel.

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Use this in conjunction with app.project.gpuAccelType to set the value for Project Settings > Video Render-
ing and Effects > Use.
Type
Array of GpuAccelType enums, or null if no viewers are open; Read-only. One of:
• CUDA
• Metal
• OPENCL
• SOFTWARE
Example The following sample code checks the current computer’s available GPU acceleration types, and sets it to
Metal if available:
// app.availableGPUAccelTypes returns GPU acceleration types available on the current system.
// You can use this to check before setting the GPU acceleration type.
{
var newType = GpuAccelType.METAL;

// Before trying to set, check which GPU acceleration types are available on the current system.
var canSet = false;
var currentOptions = app.availableGPUAccelTypes;
for (op in currentOptions) {
if (currentOptions[op] == newType)
canSet = true;
}

if (canSet) {
// Set the GPU acceleration type.
app.project.gpuAccelType = newType
}
else {
alert("Metal is not available on this OS.");
}
}

app.buildName

app.buildName
Description
The name of the build of After Effects being run, used internally by Adobe for testing and troubleshooting.
Type
String; read-only.

app.buildNumber

app.buildNumber
Description

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The number of the build of After Effects being run, used internally by Adobe for testing and troubleshooting.
Type
Integer; read-only.

app.effects

app.effects
Description
The effects available in the application.
Type
Array, with each element containing the following properties; read-only:
String representing the localized display name of the effect as seen in the Effect menu.
displayName
category String representing the localized category label as seen in the Effect menu. This can be “” for
synthetic effects that aren’t normally shown to the user.
matchName String representing the internal unique name for the effect. This name does not change between
versions of After Effects. Use this value to apply the effect.
version Effect’s internal version string. This value might be different than the version number the plug-in
vendor decides to show in the effect’s about box.
Example
var effectName = app.effects[12].displayName;

app.exitAfterLaunchAndEval

app.exitAfterLaunchAndEval
Description
This attribute is used only when executing a script from a command line on Windows. When the application is
launched from the command line, the -r or -s command line flag causes the application to run a script (from a file or
from a string, respectively). If this attribute is set to true, After Effects will exit after the script is run; if it is false, the
application will remain open. This attribute only has an effect when After Effects is run from the Windows command
line. It has no effect in Mac OS.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

app.exitCode

app.exitCode
Description
A numeric status code used when executing a script externally (that is, from a command line or AppleScript).

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• In Windows, the value is returned on the command line when After Effects was launched on the command line
(using the afterfx or afterfx -m command), and a script was specified with the -r or -s option.
• in Mac OS, the value is returned as the AppleScript DoScript result for each script.
In both Mac OS and Windows, the value is set to 0 (EXIT_SUCCESS) at the beginning of each script evaluation. In
the event of an error while the script is running, the script can set this to a positive integer that indicates what error
occurred.
Type
Integer; read/write.
Example
app.exitCode = 2; // on quit, if value is 2, an error has occurred

app.isoLanguage

app.isoLanguage
Description
A string indicating the locale (language and regional designations) After Effects is running.

Note: $.locale returns the operating system language, not the language of the After Effects application.

Type
String; read-only. Some common values include:
• en_US for English (United States)
• de_DE for German (Germany)
• es_ES for Spanish (Spain)
• fr_FR for French (France)
• it_IT for Italian (Italy)
• ja_JP for Japanese (Japan)
• ko_KR for Korean (Korea)
Example
var lang = app.isoLanguage;
if (lang == "en_US") {
alert("After Effects is running in English.");
}
elseif (lang == "fr_FR") {
alert("After Effects is running in French.");
}
else {
alert("After Effects is running in English or French.");
}

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app.isRenderEngine

app.isRenderEngine
Description
True if After Effects is running as a render engine.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

app.isWatchFolder

app.isWatchFolder
Description
True if the Watch Folder dialog box is currently displayed and the application is currently watching a folder for
rendering.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

app.memoryInUse

app.memoryInUse
Description
The number of bytes of memory currently used by this application.
Type
Number; read-only.

app.onError

app.onError
Description
The name of a callback function that is called when an error occurs. By creating a function and assigning it to this
attribute, you can respond to errors systematically; for example, you can close and restart the application, noting the
error in a log file if it occurred during rendering. See RenderQueue.render(). The callback function is passed the error
string and a severity string. It should not return any value.
Type
A function name string, or null if no function is assigned; read/write.
Example

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function err(errString) {
alert(errString) ;
}
app.onError = err;

app.project

app.project
Description
The project that is currently loaded. See Project object.
Type
Project object; read-only.

app.saveProjectOnCrash

app.saveProjectOnCrash
Description
When true (the default), After Effects attempts to display a dialog box that allows you to save the current project if an
error causes the application to quit unexpectedly. Set to false to suppress this dialog box and quit without saving.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

app.settings

app.settings
Description
The currently loaded settings. See Settings object.
Type
Settings object; read-only.

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app.version

app.version

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 12.0 (CC)

Description
An alphanumeric string indicating which version of After Effects is running.
Type
String; read-only.
Example
var ver = app.version;
alert("This machine is running version" + ver + "of AfterEffects.");

Methods

app.activate()

app.activate()
Description
Opens the application main window if it is minimized or iconified, and brings it to the front of the desktop.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

app.beginSuppressDialogs()

app.beginSuppressDialogs()
Description
Begins suppression of script error dialog boxes in the user interface. Use app.endSuppressDialogs() to resume the
display of error dialogs.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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app.beginUndoGroup()

app.beginUndoGroup(undoString)
Description
Marks the beginning of an undo group, which allows a script to logically group all of its actions as a single undoable
action (for use with the Edit > Undo/Redo menu items). Use the app.endUndoGroup() method to mark the end of the
group.
beginUndoGroup() and endUndoGroup() pairs can be nested. Groups within groups become part of the larger
group, and will undo correctly. In this case, the names of inner groups are ignored.
Parameters
undoString The text that will appear for the Undo command in the Edit menu (that is, “Undo ”)
Returns
Nothing.

app.cancelTask()

app.cancelTask(taskID)
Description
Removes the specified task from the queue of tasks scheduled for delayed execution.
Parameters
taskID An integer that identifies the task, as returned by app.scheduleTask().
Returns
Nothing.

app.endSuppressDialogs()

app.endSuppressDialogs(alert)
Description
Ends the suppression of script error dialog boxes in the user interface. Error dialogs are displayed by default;call this
method only if app.beginSuppressDialogs() has previously been called.
Parameters
alert Boolean; when true, errors that have occurred following the call to beginSuppressDialogs() are
displayed in adialog box.
Returns
Nothing.

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app.endUndoGroup()

app.endUndoGroup()
Description
Marks the end of an undo group begun with the app.beginUndoGroup() method. You can use this method to place
an end to an undo group in the middle of a script, should you wish to use more than one undo group for a single
script. If you are using only a single undo group for a given script, you do not need to use this method; in its absence
at the end of a script, the system will close the undo group automatically. Calling this method without having set a
beginUndoGroup() method yields an error.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

app.endWatchFolder()

app.endWatchFolder()
Description
Ends Watch Folder mode.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.
See also
• app.watchFolder()
• app.parseSwatchFile()
• app.isWatchFolder

app.newProject()

app.newProject()
Description
Creates a new project in After Effects, replicating the File > New > New Project menu command. If the current project
has been edited, the user is prompted to save it. If the user cancels out of the Save dialog box, the new project is not
created and the method returns null. Use app.project.close(CloseOptions.DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES)
to close the current project before opening a new one. See project.close()
Parameters
None.

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Returns
A new Project object, or null if no new project is created.
Example
app.project.close(CloseOptions.DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES);
app.newProject();

app.open()

app.open()
app.open(file)

Description
Opens a project.
Parameters
file Op- An ExtendScript File object for the project file to open. If not supplied, the method prompts the
tional user to select a project file.
Returns
A new Project object for the specified project, or null if the user cancels the Open dialog box.
Example
var my_file = new File("../my_folder/my_test.aep");
if (my_file.exists) {
new_project = app.open(my_file); if (new_project) {
alert(new_project.file.name);
}
}

app.parseSwatchFile()

app.parseSwatchFile(file)
Description
Loads color swatch data from an Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) file.
Parameters
file The file specification, an ExtendScript File object.
Returns
The swatch data, in this format:

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data.majorVersion data.minorVersion The ASE version number.

data.values An array of Swatch Value.
SwatchValue.type One of “RGB”, “CMYK”, “LAB”, “Gray”
SwatchValue.r When type = "RGB", the color values in the range
SwatchValue.g SwatchValue.b [0.0..1.0]. 0, 0, 0 is Black.
SwatchValue.c When type = “CMYK”, the color values in the range
SwatchValue.m SwatchValue.y [0.0..1.0]. 0, 0, 0, 0 is White.
SwatchValue.k
SwatchValue.L SwatchValue.a When type = "LAB", the color values. L is in
SwatchValue.b SwatchValue.value the range [0.0..1.0]. a and b are in the range [-
128.0..+128.0] 0, 0, 0 is Black. When type =
"Gray", the value range is [0.0..1.0]. 0.0 is Black.

app.pauseWatchFolder()

app.pauseWatchFolder(pause)
Description
Pauses or resumes the search of the target watch folder for items to render.
Parameters
pause True to pause, false to resume.
Returns
Nothing.
See also
• app.isWatchFolder
• app.watchFolder()
• app.endWatchFolder()

app.purge()

app.purge(target)
Description
Purges unused data of the specified types from memory. Replicates the Purge options in the Edit menu.
Parameters

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target The type of elements to purge from memory; a Purge-

Target enumerated value, one of:
• PurgeTarget.ALL_CACHES: Purges all data
that After Effects has cached to physical memory.
• PurgeTarget.UNDO_CACHES: Purges all
data saved in the undo cache.
• PurgeTarget.SNAPSHOT_CACHES: Purges
all data cached as composition/layer snapshots.
• PurgeTarget.IMAGE_CACHES : Purges all
saved image data.

Returns
Nothing.

app.quit()

app.quit()
Description
Quits the After Effects application.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

app.scheduleTask()

app.scheduleTask(stringToExecute, delay, repeat)

Description
Schedules the specified JavaScript for delayed execution.
Parameters
A string containing JavaScript to be executed.
stringToExecute
delay A number of milliseconds to wait before executing the JavaScript. A floating-point value.
repeat When true, execute the script repeatedly, with the specified delay between each execution.
When false the script is executed only once.
Returns
Integer, a unique identifier for this task, which can be used to cancel it with app.cancelTask().

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app.setMemoryUsageLimits()

app.setMemoryUsageLimits(imageCachePercentage, maximumMemoryPercentage)
Description
Sets memory usage limits as in the Memory & Cache preferences area. For both values, if installed RAM is less than
a given amount (n gigabytes), the value is a percentage of the installed RAM, and is otherwise a percentage of n. The
value of n is: 2 GB for 32-bit Windows, 4 GB for 64-bit Windows, 3.5 GB for Mac OS.
Parameters
imageCachePercentage Floating-point value, the percentage of memory assigned to image cache.
maximumMemoryPercentage Floating-point value, the maximum usable percentage of memory.
Returns
Nothing.

app.setSavePreferencesOnQuit()

app.setSavePreferencesOnQuit(doSave)
Description
Set or clears the flag that determines whether preferences are saved when the application is closed.
Parameters
doSave When true, preferences saved on quit, when false they are not.
Returns
Nothing.

app.watchFolder()

app.watchFolder(folder_object_to_watch)
Description
Starts a Watch Folder (network rendering) process pointed at a specified folder.
Parameters
folder_object_to_watch The ExtendScript Folder object for the folder to watch.
Returns
Nothing.
Example
var theFolder = new Folder("c:/tool");
app.watchFolder(theFolder);

See also
• app.endWatchFolder()

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• app.parseSwatchFile()
• app.isWatchFolder

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Project object

app.project
Description
The project object represents an After Effects project. Attributes provide access to specific objects within the project,
such as imported files or footage and compositions, and also to project settings such as the timecode base. Methods
can import footage, create solids, compositions and folders, and save changes.

Attributes

Project.activeItem

app.project.activeItem
Description
The item that is currently active and is to be acted upon, or a null if no item is currently selected or if multiple items
are selected.
Type
Item object or null; read-only.

Project.bitsPerChannel

app.project.bitsPerChannel
Description
The color depth of the current project, either 8, 16, or 32 bits.
Type
Integer (8, 16, or 32 only); read/write.

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Project.displayStartFrame

app.project.displayStartFrame
Description
An alternate way of setting the Frame Count menu setting in the Project Settings dialog box to 0 or 1, and is equivalent
to using the FramesCountType.FC_START_0 or FramesCountType.FC_START_1 enumerated values for
the framesCountType.
Type
Integer (0 or 1); read/write.

Project.feetFramesFilmType

app.project.feetFramesFilmType
Description
The Use Feet + Frames menu setting in the Project Settings dialog box. Use this attribute instead of the old
timecodeFilmType attribute.
Type
A FeetFramesFilmType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• FeetFramesFilmType.MM16
• FeetFramesFilmType.MM35

Project.file

app.project.file
Description
The ExtendScript File object for the file containing the project that is currently open.
Type
File object or null if project has not been saved; read-only.

Project.footageTimecodeDisplayStartType

app.project.footageTimecodeDisplayStartType
Description
The Footage Start Time setting in the Project Settings dialog box, which is enabled when Timecode is selected as the
time display style.
Type
A FootageTimecodeDisplayStartType enumerated value; read/write. One of:

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• FootageTimecodeDisplayStartType.FTCS_START_0
• FootageTimecodeDisplayStartType.FTCS_USE_SOURCE_MEDIA

Project.framesCountType

app.project.framesCountType
Description
The Frame Count menu setting in the Project Settings dialog box.
Type
A FramesCountType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• FramesCountType.FC_START_1
• FramesCountType.FC_START_0
• FramesCountType.FC_TIMECODE_CONVERSION

Warning: Setting this attribute to FramesCountType.FC_TIMECODE_CONVERSION resets the

displayStartFrame attribute to 0.

Project.framesUseFeetFrames

app.project.framesUseFeetFrames
Description
The Use Feet + Frames setting in the Project Settings dialog box. True if using Feet + Frames; false if using Frames.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Project.gpuAccelType

app.project.gpuAccelType

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.8 (CC 2015.3)

Description
Get or set the current projects GPU Acceleration option. see app.availableGPUAccelTypes
Type
A GpuAccelType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• GpuAccelType.CUDA

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• GpuAccelType.Metal
• GpuAccelType.OPENCL
• GpuAccelType.SOFTWARE
Example
The following sample code checks to see if there are queued items in the render queue, and if so queues them in AME
but does not immediately start rendering:
// access via scripting to Project Settings -> Video Rendering and Effects -> Use

var currentGPUSettings = app.project.gpuAccelType; // returns the current value

var type_str = "";

// check the current value and alert the user

switch(currentGPUSettings) {
case GpuAccelType.CUDA: type_str = "CUDA"; break;
case GpuAccelType.METAL: type_str = "Metal"; break;
case GpuAccelType.OPENCL: type_str = "OpenCL"; break;
case GpuAccelType.SOFTWARE: type_str = "Software"; break;
default: type_str = "UNKNOWN"; break;
}

alert("Your current setting is " + type_str);

// set the value to Metal

app.project.gpuAccelType = GpuAccelType.METAL;

Project.items

app.project.items
Description
All of the items in the project.
Type
ItemCollection object; read-only.

Project.linearBlending

app.project.linearBlending
Description
True if linear blending should be used for this project; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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Project.numItems

app.project.numItems
Description
The total number of items contained in the project, including folders and all types of footage.
Type
Integer; read-only.
Example
n = app.project.numItems;
alert("There are " + n + "items in this project.")

Project.removeUnusedFootage()

app.project.removeUnusedFootage()
Description
Removes unused footage from the project. Same as the File > Remove Unused Footage command.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Integer; the total number of FootageItem objects removed.

Project.renderQueue

app.project.renderQueue
Description
The renderqueue of the project.
Type
RenderQueue object; read-only.

Project.rootFolder

app.project.rootFolder
Description
The root folder containing the contents of the project; this is a virtual folder that contains all items in the Project panel,
but not items contained inside other folders in the Project panel.
Type

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FolderItem object; read-only.

Project.selection

app.project.selection
Description
All items selected in the Project panel, in the sort order shown in the Project panel.
Type
Array of Item objects; read-only.

Project.timeDisplayType

app.project.timeDisplayType
Description
The time display style, corresponding to the Time Display Style section in the Project Settings dialog box.
Type
A TimeDisplayType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• TimeDisplayType.FRAMES
• TimeDisplayType.TIMECODE

Project.toolType

app.project.toolType

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

Description
Get and sets the active tool in the Tools panel.
Type
A ToolType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• ToolType.Tool_Arrow: Selection Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Rotate: Rotation Tool
• ToolType.Tool_CameraMaya: Unified Camera Tool
• ToolType.Tool_CameraOrbit: Orbit Camera Tool
• ToolType.Tool_CameraTrackXY: Track XY Camera Tool
• ToolType.Tool_CameraTrackZ: Track Z Camera Tool

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• ToolType.Tool_Paintbrush: Brush Tool

• ToolType.Tool_CloneStamp: Clone Stamp Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Eraser: Eraser Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Hand: Hand Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Magnify: Zoom Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PanBehind: Pan Behind (Anchor Point) Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Rect: Rectangle Tool
• ToolType.Tool_RoundedRect: Rounded Rectangle Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Oval: Ellipse Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Polygon: Polygon Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Star: Star Tool
• ToolType.Tool_TextH: Horizontal Type Tool
• ToolType.Tool_TextV: Vertical Type Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Pen: Pen Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Feather: Mask Feather Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PenPlus: Add Vertex Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PenMinus: Delete Vertex Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PenConvert: Convert Vertex Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Pin: Puppet Pin Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PinStarch: Puppet Starch Tool
• ToolType.Tool_PinDepth: Puppet Overlap Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Quickselect: Roto Brush Tool
• ToolType.Tool_Hairbrush: Refine Edge Tool
Examples
The following sample code checks the current tool, and if it is not the Unified Camera Tool, sets the current tool to
that:
// Check the current tool, then set it to Unified Camera Tool (UCT).
{
// Assume a composition is selected in the project.
var comp = app.project.activeItem;
if (comp instanceof CompItem) {
// Add a camera to the current comp. (Requirement for UCT.)
var cameraLayer = comp.layers.addCamera("Test Camera", [comp.width/2, comp.height/2]);
comp.openInViewer();

// If the currently selected tool is not one of the camera tools, set it to UCT.
if (( app.project.toolType != ToolType.Tool_CameraMaya) &&
( app.project.toolType != ToolType.Tool_CameraOrbit ) &&
( app.project.toolType != ToolType.Tool_CameraTrackXY) &&
( app.project.toolType != ToolType.Tool_CameraTrackZ))
app.project.toolType = ToolType.Tool_CameraMaya;

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}
}

The following sample code uses the new app.project.toolType attribute to create a 360° composition (environment
layer and camera) from a selected footage item or composition selected in the Project panel. This script a good
starting point for building VR compositions from equirectangular footage:
// Create a 360 VR comp from a footage item or comp selected in the Project panel.

var item = app.project.activeItem;

if (item != null && (item.typeName == "Footage" || item.typeName == "Composition")) {

// Create a comp with the footage.

var comp = app.project.items.addComp(item.name, item.width, item.height, item.pixelAspect, item.d
var layers = comp.layers;
var footageLayer = layers.add(item);

//Apply the CC Environment effect and create a camera.

var effect = footageLayer.Effects.addProperty("CC Environment");
var camera = layers.addCamera("360 Camera", [item.width/2, item.height/2]);
comp.openInViewer(); app.project.toolType = ToolType.Tool_CameraMaya;
}
else {
alert("Select a single footage item or composition in the Project panel.");
}

Project.transparencyGridThumbnails

app.project.transparencyGridThumbnails
Description
When true, thumbnail views use the transparency checkerboard pattern.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Project.xmpPacket

app.project.xmpPacket
Description
The project’s XMP metadata, stored as RDF (XML-based). For more information on XMP, see the JavaScript Tools
Guide.
Type
String; read/write.
Example
The following example code accesses the XMP metadata of the current project, and modifies the Label projectmetadata
field.

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var proj = app.project;

//load the XMPlibrary as an ExtendScript ExternalObject

if(ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined){
ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject('lib:AdobeXMPScript');
}
var mdata = new XMPMeta(app.project.xmpPacket); //get the project’s XMPmetadata
//update the Label project metadata’s value
var schemaNS = XMPMeta.getNamespaceURI("xmp");
var propName = "xmp:Label";
try{
mdata.setProperty(schemaNS, propName, "finalversion...no, really!");
}
catch(e){
alert(e);
}
app.project.xmpPacket = mdata.serialize();

Methods

Project.autoFixExpressions()

app.project.autoFixExpressions(oldText, newText)
Description
Automatically replaces text found in broken expressions in the project, if the new text causes the expression to evaluate
without errors.
Parameters
oldText The text to replace.
newText The new text.
Returns
Nothing.

project.close()

app.project.close(closeOptions)
Description
Closes the project with the option of saving changes automatically, prompting the user to save changes or closing
without saving changes.
Parameters

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closeOptions Action to be performed on close. A CloseOptions

enumerated value, one of:
• [CloseOptions.DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES:
Close without saving.
• [CloseOptions.PROMPT_TO_SAVE_CHANGES:Prompt
for whether to save changes before close.
• [CloseOptions.SAVE_CHANGES: Save au-
tomatically on close.

Returns
Boolean. True on success. False if the file has not been previously saved, the user is prompted, and the user cancels
the save.

Project.consolidateFootage()

app.project.consolidateFootage()
Description
Consolidates all footage in the project. Same as the File > Consolidate All Footage command.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Integer; the total number of footage items removed.

Project.importFile()

app.project.importFile(importOptions)
Description
Imports the file specified in the specified ImportOptions object, using the specified options. Same as the File > Import
File command. Creates and returns a new FootageItem object from the file, and adds it to the project’s items array.
Parameters
importOptions An ImportOptions object specifying the file to import and the options for the operation.
Returns
FootageItem object.
Example
app.project.importFile(new ImportOptions(File("sample.psd"))

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Project.importFileWithDialog()

app.project.importFileWithDialog()
Description
Shows an Import File dialog box. Same as the File > Import > File command.
Returns
Array of Item objects created during import; or null if the user cancels the dialog box.

Project.importPlaceholder()

app.project.importPlaceholder(name, width, height, frameRate, duration)

Description
Creates and returns a new PlaceholderItem and adds it to the project’s items array. Same as the File > Import >
Placeholder command.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the placeholder.
width The width of the placeholder in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
height The height of the placeholder in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
frameRate The frame rate of the placeholder, a floating-point value in the range [1.0..99.0].
duration The duration of the placeholder in seconds, a floating-point value in the range
[0.0..10800.0].
Returns
PlaceholderItem object.

Project.item()

app.project.item(index)
Description
Retrieves an item at a specified index position.
Parameters
index The index position of the item, an integer. The first item is at index 1.
Returns
Item object.

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Project.reduceProject()

app.project.reduceProject(array_of_items)
Description
Removes all items from the project except those specified. Same as the File > Reduce Project command.
Parameters
array_of_items An array containing the Item objects that are to be kept.
Returns
Integer; the total number of items removed.
Example
var theItems = new Array();
theItems[theItems.length] = app.project.item(1);
theItems[theItems.length] = app.project.item(3);
app.project.reduceProject(theItems);

Project.save()

app.project.save([file])
Description
Saves the project. The same as the File > Save or File > Save As command. If the project has never previously been
saved and no file is specified, prompts the user for a location and file name. Pass a File object to save a project to a
new file without prompting.
Parameters
file Optional. An ExtendScript File object for the file to save.
Returns
None.

Project.saveWithDialog()

app.project.saveWithDialog()
Description
Shows the Save dialog box. The user can name a file with a location and save the project, or click Cancel to exit the
dialog box.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Boolean; true if the project was saved.

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Project.showWindow()

app.project.showWindow(doShow)
Description
Shows or hides the Project panel.
Parameters
doShow When true, show the Project panel. When false, hide the Project panel.
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 8

System object

system
Description
The System object provides access to attributes found on the user’s system, such as the user name and the name and
version of the operating system. It is available through the system global variable.
Example
alert("Your OS is" + system.osName + "running version" + system.osVersion);
confirm("You are:" + system.userName + "running on" + system.machineName + ".");

Attributes

System.machineName

system.machineName
Description
The name of the computer on which After Effects is running.
Type
String; read-only.

System.osName

system.osName
Description
The name of the operating system on which After Effects is running.

Warning: As of Windows 7, this attribute returns a blank value. Use $.os instead.

Type

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String; read-only.

System.osVersion

system.osVersion
Description
The version of the current local operating system.
Type
String; read-only.

System.userName

system.userName
Description
The name of the user currently logged on to the system.
Type
String; read-only.

Methods

System.callSystem()

system.callSystem(cmdLineToExecute);
Description
Executes a system command, as if you had typed it on the operating system’s command line. Returns whatever the
system outputs in response to the command, if anything. In Windows, you can invoke commands using the /c switch
for the cmd.exe command, passing the command to run in escaped quotes (\"...\"). For example, the following
retrieves the current time and displays it to the user:
var timeStr = system.callSystem("cmd.exe /c \"time /t\"");
alert("Current time is" + timeStr);

Parameters
cmdLineToExecute A string containing the command and its parameters.
Returns
The output from the command.

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 CHAPTER 9

Item object

app.project.item(index)
app.project.items[index]

Description
The Item object represents an item that can appear in the Project panel. The first item is at index 1.
Item is the base class for AVItem object and for FolderItem object, which are in turn the base classes for
various other item types, so Item attributes and methods are available when working with all of these item
types.
Example
This example gets the second item from the project and checks that it is a folder. It then removes from thefolder any
top-level item that is not currently selected. It also checks to make sure that, for each item in thefolder, the parent is
properly set to the correct folder.
var myFolder = app.project.item(2);
if (myFolder.typeName != "Folder") {
alert("error: second item is not a folder");
}
else {
var numInFolder = myFolder.numItems;
//Always run loops backwards when deleting things:
for(i = numInFolder; i >= 1; i--) {
var curItem = myFolder.item(i);
if(curItem.parentFolder != myFolder) {
alert("error within AE: the parentFolder is not set correctly");
}
else {
if(!curItem.selected && curItem.typeName == "Footage")
{
//found an unselected solid.
curItem.remove();
}
}
}
}

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Attributes

Item.comment

app.project.item(index).comment
Description
A string that holds a comment, up to 15,999 bytes in length after any encoding conversion. The comment is for the
user’s purpose only; it has no effect on the item’s appearance or behavior.
Type
String; read/write.

Item.id

app.project.item(index).id
Description
A unique and persistent identification number used internally to identify an item between sessions. The value of the
ID remains the same when the project is saved to a file and later reloaded. However, when you import this project into
another project, new IDs are assigned to all items in the imported project. The ID is not displayed anywhere in the
user interface.
Type
Integer; read-only.

Item.label

app.project.item(index).label
Description
The label color for the item. Colors are represented by their number (0 for None, or 1 to 16 for one of the preset colors
in the Labels preferences). Custom label colors cannot be set programmatically.
Type
Integer (0 to 16); read/write.

Item.name

app.project.item(index).name
Description
The name of the item as displayed in the Project panel.
Type

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String; read/write.

Item.parentFolder

app.project.item(index).parentFolder
Description
The FolderItem object for the folder that contains this item. If this item is at the top level of the project, this is the
project’s root folder (app.project.rootFolder). You can use ItemCollection.addFolder() to add a new folder,
and set this value to put items in the new folder.
Type
FolderItem object; read/write.
Example
This script creates a new FolderItem in the Project panel and moves compositions into it.
//create a new FolderItem in project, with name "comps"
var compFolder = app.project.items.addFolder("comps");

//move all compositions into new folder by setting

//compItem’s parentFolder to "comps" folder
for(var i = 1; i <= app.project.numItems; i++){
if(app.project.item(i) instanceof CompItem)
app.project.item(i).parentFolder = compFolder;
}

Item.selected

app.project.item(index).selected
Description
When true, this item is selected. Multiple items can be selected at the same time. Set to true to select the item
programmatically, or to false to deselect it.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Item.typeName

app.project.item(index).typeName
Description
A user-readable name for the item type; for example, “Folder”, “Footage”, or “Composition”.
Type
String; read-only.

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Methods

Item.remove()

app.project.item(index).remove()
Description
Deletes this item from the project and from the Project panel. If the item is a FolderItem, all the items contained in the
folder are also removed from the project. No files or folders are removed from disk.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 10

ItemCollection object

app.project.items
Description
The ItemCollection object represents a collection of items. The ItemCollection belonging to a Project object contains
all the Item objects for items in the project. The ItemCollection belonging to a FolderItem object contains all the Item
objects for items in that folder.
ItemCollection is a subclass of Collection object. All methods and attributes of Collection, in addition to
those listed below, are available when working with ItemCollection.

Methods

ItemCollection.addComp()

app.project.items.addComp(name, width, height, pixelAspect, duration,

frameRate)
Description
Creates a new composition. Creates and returns a new CompItem object and adds it to this collection. If the Item-
Collection belongs to the project or the root folder, then the new item’s parentFolder is the root folder. If the
ItemCollection belongs to any other folder, the new item’s parentFolder is that FolderItem.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the composition.
width The width of the composition in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
height The height of the composition in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
pixelAspect The pixel aspect ratio of the composition, a floating-point value in the range
[0.01..100.0].
duration The duration of the composition in seconds, a floating-point value in the range
[0.0..10800.0].
frameRate The frame rate of the composition, a floating-point value in the range [1.0..99.0]
Returns
CompItem object.

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ItemCollection.addFolder()

app.project.items.addFolder(name)
Description
Creates a new folder. Creates and returns a new FolderItem object and adds it to this collection. If the ItemCollection
belongs to the project or the root folder, then the new folder’s parentFolder is the root folder. If the ItemCollection
belongs to any other folder, the new folder’s parentFolder is that FolderItem. To put items in the folder, set
the Item.parentFolder attribute
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the folder.
Returns
FolderItem object.
Example
This script creates a new FolderItem in the Project panel and moves compositions into it.
//create a new FolderItem in project, with name "comps"
var compFolder = app.project.items.addFolder("comps");
//move all compositions into new folder by setting
//comp Item’s parentFolder to "comps" folder
for(var i = 1; i <= app.project.numItems; i++) {
if(app.project.item(i) instanceof CompItem)
app.project.item(i).parentFolder = compFolder;
}

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 CHAPTER 11

AVItem object

app.project.item(index)
Description
The AVItem object provides access to attributes and methods of audio/visual files imported into After Effects.
AVItem is a subclass of Item. All methods and attributes of Item, in addition to those listed below, are
available when working with AVItem. See Item object
AVItem is the base class for both CompItem and FootageItem, so AVItem attributes and methods are also
available when working with CompItem and FootageItem objects. See CompItem object and FootageItem
object.

Attributes

AVItem.duration

app.project.item(index).duration
Description
Returns the duration, in seconds, of the item. Still footage items have a duration of 0.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the duration of the composition, and is read/write.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the duration of the mainSource object, and is read-only.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [0.0..10800.0]; read/write for a CompItem; otherwise, read-only.

AVItem.footageMissing

app.project.item(index).footageMissing
Description
When true, the AVItem is a placeholder, or represents footage with a source file that cannot be found. In this case, the
path of the missing source file is in the missingFootagePath attribute of the footage item’s source-file object.
See FootageItem.mainSource and FileSource.missingFootagePath.

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Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVItem.frameDuration

app.project.item(index).frameDuration
Description
Returns the length of a frame for this AVItem, in seconds. This is the reciprocal of frameRate. When set, the
reciprocal is automatically set as a new frameRate value. This attribute returns the reciprocal of the frameRate,
which may not be identical to a value you set, if that value is not evenly divisible into 1.0 (for example, 0.3). Due to
numerical limitations, (1 / (1 / 0.3)) is close to, but not exactly, 0.3. If the AVItem is a FootageItem, this value is linked
to the mainSource, and is read-only. To change it, set the conformFrameRate of the mainSource object.
This sets both the frameRate and frameDuration of the FootageItem.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [1/99.. 1.0]; read-only for a FootageItem, otherwise read/write.

AVItem.frameRate

app.project.item(index).frameRate
Description
The frame rate of the AVItem, in frames-per-second. This is the reciprocal of the frameDuration . When set, the
reciprocal is automatically set as a new frameDuration value.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the frameRate of the composition, and is read/write.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the frameRate of the mainSource object, and is read-only. To
change it, set the conformFrameRate of the mainSource object. This sets both the frameRate and
frameDuration of the FootageItem.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [1.0..99.0]; read-only for a FootageItem, otherwise read/write.

AVItem.hasAudio

app.project.item(index).hasAudio
Description
When true, the AVItem has an audio component.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the composition.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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AVItem.hasVideo

app.project.item(index).hasVideo
Description
When true, the AVItem has an video component.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the composition.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVItem.height

app.project.item(index).height
Description
The height of the item in pixels.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the composition, and is read/write.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object, and is read/write only if the mainSource
object is a SolidSource. Otherwise, it is read-only.
Type
Integer in the range [1...30000]; read/write, except as noted.

AVItem.name

app.project.item(index).name
Description
The name of the item, as shown in the Project panel.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object. If the mainSource object is a
FileSource, this value controls the display name in the Project panel, but does not affect the file name.
Type
String; read/write.

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AVItem.pixelAspect

app.project.item(index).pixelAspect
Description
The pixel aspect ratio (PAR) of the item.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the composition.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object.
The value you retrieve after setting may be slightly different from the value you supplied. The following table compares
the value as it appears in the UI with the more accurate value returned by this attribute.
PAR in the After Effects UI PAR returned by the pixelAspect attribute
0.91 0.90909090909091
1 1
1.5 1.5
1.09 1.09401709401709
1.21 1.21212121212121
1.33 1.33333333333333
1.46 1.45868945868946
2 2
Type
Floating-point value, in the range [0.01..100.0]; read/write.

AVItem.proxySource

app.project.item(index).proxySource
Description
The FootageSource being used as a proxy. The attribute is read-only; to change it, call any of the AVItem meth-
ods that change the proxy source: setProxy(), setProxyWithSequence(), setProxyWithSolid(), or
setProxyWithPlaceholder().
Type FootageSource object; read-only.

AVItem.time

app.project.item(index).time
Description
The current time of the item when it is being previewed directly from the Project panel. This value is a num-
ber of seconds. Use the global method timeToCurrentFormat() to convert it to a string value that expresses
the time in terms of frames. It is an error to set this value for a FootageItem whose mainSource is still
(item.mainSource.isStill is true).
Type
Floating-point value; read/write.

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AVItem.usedIn

app.project.item(index).usedIn
Description
All the compositions that use this AVItem. Note that upon retrieval, the array value is copied, so it is not automatically
updated. If you get this value, then add this item into another composition, you must retrieve the value again to get an
array that includes the new item.
Type
Array of CompItem objects; read-only.

AVItem.useProxy

app.project.item(index).useProxy
Description
When true, a proxy is used for the item. It is set to true by all the SetProxy methods, and to false by the
SetProxyToNone() method.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVItem.width

app.project.item(index).width
Description
The width of the item, in pixels.
• In a CompItem, the value is linked to the composition, and is read/write.
• In a FootageItem, the value is linked to the mainSource object, and is read/write only if the mainSource
object is a SolidSource. Otherwise, it is read-only.
Type
Integer in the range [1...30000]; read/write, except as noted.

Methods

AVItem.setProxy()

app.project.item(index).setProxy(file)
Description

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Sets a file as the proxy of this AVItem. Loads the specified file into a new FileSource object, sets this as thevalue of
the proxySource attribute, and sets useProxy to true. It does not preserve the interpretation parameters, instead
using the user preferences. If the file has an unlabeled alpha channel, and the user preference says to ask the user
what to do, the method estimates the alpha interpretation, rather than asking the user. This differs from setting a
FootageItem’s mainSource, but both actions are performed as in the user interface.
Parameters
file An ExtendScript File object for the file to be used as a proxy.
Returns
None.

AVItem.setProxyToNone()

app.project.item(index).setProxyToNone()
Description
Removes the proxy from this AVItem, sets the value of proxySource to null, and sets the value of useProxy to
false.
parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

AVItem.setProxyWithPlaceholder()

app.project.item(index).setProxyWithPlaceholder(name, width, height

,frameRate, duration)
Description
Creates a PlaceholderSource object with specified values, sets this as the value of the proxySource attribute, and
sets useProxy to true. It does not preserve the interpretation parameters, instead using the user preferences.

Note: There is no direct way to set a placeholder as a proxy in the user interface; this behavior occurs when a proxy
has been set and then moved or deleted.

parameters
name A string containing the name of the new object.
width, The pixel dimensions of the placeholder, an integer in the range [4..30000]. frameRate The
height frames-per-second, an integer in the range [1..99]. duration The total length in seconds, up to 3
hours. An integer in the range [0.0..10800.0].
Returns
Nothing.

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AVItem.setProxyWithSequence()

app.project.item(index).setProxyWithSequence(file,forceAlphabetical)
Description
Sets a sequence of files as the proxy of this AVItem, with the option of forcing alphabetical order. Loads thespecified
file sequence into a new FileSource object, sets this as the value of the prox yS ou rce attribute, and sets useProxy to
true. It does not preserve the interpretation parameters, instead using the user preferences. If anyfile has an unlabeled
alpha channel, and the user preference says to ask the user what to do, the methodestimates the alpha interpretation,
rather than asking the user.
parameters
file An ExtendScript File object for the first file in the sequence.
forceAlphabetical When true, use the “Force alphabetical order” option.
Returns
Nothing.

AVItem.setProxyWithSolid()

app.project.item(index).setProxyWithSolid(color, name, width, height,

pixelAspect)
Description
Creates a SolidSource object with specified values, sets this as the value of the proxySource attribute, and sets
useProxy to true. It does not preserve the interpretation parameters, instead using the user preferences.

Note: There is no way, using the user interface, to set a solid as a proxy; this feature is available only through
scripting.

parameters
color The color of the solid, an array of 3 floating-point values, [R, G, B], in the range [0.0..1.0]. name A
string containing the name of the new object.
width, The pixel dimensions of the placeholder, an integer in the range [1...30000]. pixelAspect The
height pixel aspect of the solid, a floating-point value in the range [0.01... 100.0].
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 12

CompItem object

app.project.item(index)
app.project.items[index]

Description
The CompItem object represents a composition, and allows you to manipulate and get information about it. Access
the objects by position index number in a project’s ite m collection.
CompItem is a subclass of AVItem object, which is a subclass of Item object. All methods and attributes
of AVItem and Item, in addition to those listed below, are available when working with CompItem.
Example
Given that the first item in the project is a CompItem, the following code displays two alerts. The first shows the
number of layers in the CompItem, and the second shows the name of the last layer in the CompItem.
var firstComp = app.project.item(1);
alert("number of layers is " + firstComp.numLayers);
alert("name of last layer is " + firstComp.layer(firstComp.numLayers).name) ;

Attributes

CompItem.activeCamera

app.project.item(index).activeCamera
Description
The active camera, which is the front-most camera layer that is enabled. The value is null if the composition contains
no enabled camera layers.
Type
CameraLayer object; read-only.

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CompItem.bgColor

app.project.item(index).bgColor
Description
The background color of the composition. The three array values specify the red, green, and blue components of the
color.
Type
An array containing three floating-point values, [R, G, B], in the range [0.0..1.0]; read/write.

CompItem.displayStartTime

app.project.item(index).displayStartTime
Description
The time set as the beginning of the composition, in seconds. This is the equivalent of the Start Timecode or Start
Frame setting in the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [0.0...86339.0] (1 second less than 25 hours); read/write.

CompItem.draft3d

app.project.item(index).draft3d
Description
When true, Draft 3D mode is enabled for the Composition panel. This corresponds to the value of the Draft 3D button
in the Composition panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

CompItem.dropFrame

app.project.item(index).dropFrame
Description
When true, indicates that the composition uses drop-frame timecode. When false, indicates non-drop-frame timecode.
This corresponds to the setting in the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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CompItem.frameBlending

app.project.item(index).frameBlending
Description
When true, frame blending is enabled for this Composition. Corresponds to the value of the Frame Blending button in
the Composition panel.
Type
Boolean; if true, frame blending is enabled; read/write.

CompItem.frameDuration

app.project.item(index).frameDuration
Description
The duration of a frame, in seconds. This is the inverse of the frameRate value (frames-per-second).
Type
Floating-point; read/write.

CompItem.hideShyLayers

app.project.item(index).hideShyLayers
Description
When true, only layers with shy set to false are shown in the Timeline panel. When false, all layers are visible,
including those whose shy value is true. Corresponds to the value of the Hide All Shy Layers button in the Composition
panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

CompItem.layers

app.project.item(index).layers
Description
A LayerCollection object that contains all the Layer objects for layers in this composition.
Type
LayerCollection object; read-only.

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CompItem.motionBlur

app.project.item(index).motionBlur
Description
When true, motion blur is enabled for the composition. Corresponds to the value of the Motion Blur button in the
Composition panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

CompItem.motionBlurAdaptiveSampleLimit

app.project.item(index).motionBlurAdaptiveSampleLimit
Description
The maximum number of motion blur samples of 2D layer motion. This corresponds to the Adaptive Sample Limit
setting in the Advanced tab of the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Integer (between 16 and 256); read/write.

CompItem.motionBlurSamplesPerFrame

app.project.item(index).motionBlurSamplesPerFrame
Description
The minimum number of motion blur samples per frame for Classic 3D layers, shape layers, and certain effects. This
corresponds to the Samples Per Frame setting in the Advanced tab of the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Integer (between 2 and 64); read/write.

CompItem.numLayers

app.project.item(index).numLayers
Description
The number of layers in the composition.
Type
Integer; read-only.

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CompItem.markerProperty

app.project.item(index).markerProperty

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

Description
A PropertyGroup object that contains all a composition’s markers. Composition marker scripting has the same func-
tionality as layer markers. See MarkerValue object
Type
PropertyGroup object or null; read-only.
Example
The following sample code creates a project and composition, then creates two composition markers with different
properties:
// comp.markerProperty allows you add markers to a comp.
// It has the same functionality as layer.property("Marker")
{
var currentProj = app.newProject();
var comp = currentProj.items.addComp("mycomp", 1920, 1080, 1.0, 5, 29.97);
var solidLayer = comp.layers.addSolid([1, 1, 1], "mylayer", 1920, 1080, 1.0);

var compMarker = new MarkerValue("This is a comp marker!");

compMarker.duration = 1; compMarker.url = "http://www.adobe.com/aftereffects";

var compMarker2 = new MarkerValue("Another comp marker!");

compMarker2.duration = 1;

comp.markerProperty.setValueAtTime(1, compMarker)
comp.markerProperty.setValueAtTime(3, compMarker2)
}

CompItem.openInViewer()

app.project.item(index).openInViewer()
Description
Opens the composition in a Composition panel, and moves the Composition panel to front and gives it focus.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Viewer object for the Composition panel, or null if the composition could not be opened.

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CompItem.preserveNestedFrameRate

app.project.item(index).preserveNestedFrameRate
Description
When true, the frame rate of nested compositions is preserved in the current composition. Corresponds to the value
of the “Preserve frame rate when nested or in render queue” option in the Advanced tab of the Composition Settings
dialog box.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

CompItem.preserveNestedResolution

app.project.item(index).preserveNestedResolution
Description
When true, the resolution of nested compositions is preserved in the current composition. Corresponds to the value of
the “Preserve Resolution When Nested” option in the Advanced tab of the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

CompItem.renderer

app.project.item(index).renderer
Description
The current rendering plug-in module to be used to render this composition, as set in the Advanced tab of the Compo-
sition Settings dialog box. Allowed values are the members of CompItem.renderers.
Type
String; read/write.

CompItem.renderers

app.project.item(index).renderers
Description
The available rendering plug-in modules. Member strings reflect installed modules, as seen in the Advanced tab of the
Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Array of strings; read-only.

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CompItem.resolutionFactor

app.project.item(index).resolutionFactor
Description
The x and y downsample resolution factors for rendering the composition. The two values in the array specify how
many pixels to skip when sampling; the first number controls horizontal sampling, the second controls vertical sam-
pling. Full resolution is [1, 1], half resolution is [2, 2], and quarter resolution is [4, 4]. The default is [1,
1].
Type
Array of two integers in the range [1..99]; read/write.

CompItem.selectedLayers

app.project.item(index).selectedLayers
Description
All of the selected layers in this composition. This is a 0-based array (the first object is at index 0).
Type
Array of Layer objects; read-only.

CompItem.selectedProperties

app.project.item(index).selectedProperties
Description
All of the selected properties (Property and PropertyGroup objects) in this composition. The first property is at index
position 0.
Type
Array of Property and PropertyGroup objects; read-only.

CompItem.shutterAngle

app.project.item(index).shutterAngle
Description
The shutter angle setting for the composition. This corresponds to the Shutter Angle setting in the Advanced tab of
the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Integer in the range [0...720]; read/write.

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CompItem.shutterPhase

app.project.item(index).shutterPhase
Description
The shutter phase setting for the composition. This corresponds to the Shutter Phase setting in the Advanced tab of
the Composition Settings dialog box.
Type
Integer in the range [-360...360]; read/write.

CompItem.workAreaDuration

app.project.item(index).workAreaDuration
Description
The duration of the work area in seconds. This is the difference of the start-point and end-point times of the Compo-
sition work area.
Type
Floating-point; read/write.

CompItem.workAreaStart

app.project.item(index).workAreaStart
Description
The time when the Composition work area begins, in seconds.
Type
Floating-point; read/write.

Methods

CompItem.duplicate()

app.project.item(index).duplicate()
Description
Creates and returns a duplicate of this composition, which contains the same layers as the original.
Parameters
None.
Returns

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CompItem object.

CompItem.layer()

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
app.project.item(index).layer(otherLayer, relIndex)
app.project.item(index).layer(name)

Description
Returns a Layer object, which can be specified by name, an index position in this layer, or an index position relative
to another layer.
Parameters
index The index number of the desired layer in this composition. An integer in the range [1...numLayers],
where numLayers is the number of layers in the composition.
or:
A Layer object in this composition. The relIndex value is added to the index value of thislayer to
otherLayer
findthe positionof the desired layer.
relIndexThe postion of the desired layer, relative to otherLayer. An integer in the range [1 -
otherLayer.index...numLayers - otherLayer.index], where numLayers is the
number of layers in the composition. This value is added to the otherLayer value to derive the
absolute index of the layer to return.
—or—
name The string containing the name of the desired layer.
Returns
Layer object.

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 CHAPTER 13

FolderItem object

app.project.FolderItem
Description
The FolderItem object corresponds to a folder in your Project panel. It can contain various types of items (footage,
compositions, solids) as well as other folders.
Example
Given that the second item in the project is a FolderItem, the following code puts up an alert for each top-level item in
the folder, showing that item’s name.
var secondItem = app.project.item(2);
if(!(secondItem instanceof FolderItem)) {
alert("problem: second item is not a folder");
} else {
for (i = 1; i < = secondItem.numItems; i++) {
alert("item number " + i + " within the folder is named " + secondItem.item(i).name);
}
}

Attributes

FolderItem.items

app.project.item(index).items
Description
An ItemCollection object containing Item object that represent the top-level contents of this folder. Unlike the Item-
Collection in the Project object, this collection contains only the top-level items in the folder. Top-level within the
folder is not the same as top-level within the project. Only those items that are top-level in the root folder are also
top-level in the Project.
Type
ItemCollection object; read only.

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FolderItem.numItems

app.project.item(index).numItems
Description
The number of items contained in the items collection (folderItem.items.length). If the folder contains
another folder, only the FolderItem for that folder is counted, not any subitems contained in it.
Type
Integer; read only.

Methods

FolderItem.item()

app.project.item(index).item
Description
Returns the top-level item in this folder at the specified index position. Note that “top-level” here means toplevel
within the folder, not necessarily within the project.
Parameters
index An integer, the position index of the item to retrieve. The first item is at index 1.
Returns Item object.

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 CHAPTER 14

FootageItem object

app.project.item(index) app.project.items[index]
Description
The FootageItem object represents a footage item imported into a project, which appears in the Project panel. These
are accessed by position index number in a project’s item collection.
FootageItem is a subclass of AVItem object, which is a subclass of Item object. All methods and attributes
of AVItem and Item, in addition to those listed below, are available when working with FootageItem.

FootageItem.file
app.project.item(index).file
Description
The ExtendScript File object for the footage’s source file. If the FootageItem’s mainSource is a FileSource, this is
the same as FootageItem.mainSource.file. Otherwise it is null.
Type
File object; read only.

FootageItem.mainSource
app.project.item(index).mainSource
Description
The footage source, an object that contains all of the settings related to that footage item, including those that are
normally accessed through the Interpret Footage dialog box. The attribute is read-only. To change its value, call one
of the FootageItem “replace” methods. See the FootageSource object, and its three types:
• SolidSource object
• FileSource object
• PlaceholderSource object

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If this is a FileSource object, and the footageMissing value is true, the path to the missing footage file is in the
FileSource.missingFootagePath attribute.
Type
FootageSource object; read-only.

FootageItem.openInViewer()
app.project.item(index).openInViewer()
Description
Opens the footage in a Footage panel, and moves the Footage panel to front and gives it focus.

Note: Missing and placeholder footage can be opened using this method, but cannot manually (via doubleclicking
it).

Parameters
None.
Returns
Viewer object for the Footage panel, or null if the footage could not be opened.

FootageItem.replace()
app.project.item(index).replace(file)
Description
Changes the source of this FootageItem to the specified file. In addition to loading the file, the method creates a
new FileSource object for the file and sets mainSource to that object. In the new source object, it sets the name,
width, height, frameDuration, and duration attributes (see AVItem object) based on the contents of the
file. The method preserves interpretation parameters from the previous mainSource object. If the specified file has
an unlabeled alpha channel, the method estimates the alpha interpretation.
Parameters
file An ExtendScript File object for the file to be used as the footage main source.

FootageItem.replaceWithPlaceholder()
app.project.item(index).replaceWithPlaceholder(name, width, height, frameRate,
duration)
Description

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Changes the source of this FootageItem to the specified placeholder. Creates a new PlaceholderSource object, sets its
values from the parameters, and sets mainSource to that object.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the placeholder.
width The width of the placeholder in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
height The height of the placeholder in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
frameRate The frame rate of the placeholder, a floating-point value in the range [1.0..99.0]
duration The duration of the placeholder in seconds, a floating-point value in the range
[0.0..10800.0].

FootageItem.replaceWithSequence()
app.project.item(index).replaceWithSequence(file, forceAlphabetical)
Description
Changes the source of this FootageItem to the specified image sequence. In addition to loading the file, the method
creates a new FileSource object for the file and sets mainSource to that object. In the new source object, it sets the
name, width, height, frameDuration, and duration attributes (see AVItem object) based on the contents of
the file. The method preserves interpretation parameters from the previous mainSource object. If the specified file
has an unlabeled alpha channel, the method estimates the alpha interpretation.
Parameters
file An ExtendScript File object for the first file in the sequence to be used as the footage
main source.
forceAlphabetical When true, use the “Force alphabetical order” option.

FootageItem.replaceWithSolid()
app.project.item(index).replaceWithSolid(color, name, width, height,
pixelAspect)
Description
Changes the source of this FootageItem to the specified solid. Creates a new SolidSource object, sets its values from
the parameters, and sets mainSource to that object.
Parameters
pixelAspect The pixel aspect ratio of the solid, a floating-point value in the range [0.01..100.0].
height The height of the solid in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
width The width of the solid in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
name A string containing the name of the solid.
color The color of the solid, an array of three floating-point values, [R, G, B], in the range
[0.0..1.0].

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 CHAPTER 15

Layer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The Layer object provides access to layers within compositions. It can be accessed from an item’s layer collection
either by index number or by a name string.
Layer is the base class for CameraLayer object, LightLayer object, and AVLayer object, so Layer at-
tributes and methods are available when working with all layer types. Layers contain AE properties, in
addition to their JavaScript attributes and methods. For examples of how to access properties in layers,
see PropertyBase object.
Example
If the first item in the project is a CompItem, this example disables the first layer in that composition and renames it.
This might, for example, turn an icon off in the composition.
var firstLayer = app.project.item(1).layer(1);
firstLayer.enabled = false;
firstLayer.name = "DisabledLayer";

Attributes

Layer.active

app.project.item(index).layer(index).active
Description
When true, the layer’s video is active at the current time. For this to be true, the layer must be enabled, no other layer
may be soloing unless this layer is soloed too, and the time must be between the inPoint and outPoint values
of this layer. This value is never true in an audio layer; there is a separate audioActive attribute in the AVLayer
object.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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Layer.comment

app.project.item(index).layer(index).comment
Description
A descriptive comment for the layer.
Type
String; read/write.

Layer.containingComp

app.project.item(index).layer(index).containingComp
Description
The composition that contains this layer.
Type
CompItem object; read-only.

Layer.enabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).enabled
Description
When true, the layer is enabled; otherwise false. This corresponds to the video switch state of the layer in the Timeline
panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Layer.hasVideo

app.project.item(index).layer(index).hasVideo
Description
When true, the layer has a video switch (the eyeball icon) in the Timeline panel; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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Layer.index

app.project.item(index).layer(index).index
Description
The index position of the layer.
Type
Integer in the range [1..numLayers]; read-only.

Layer.inPoint

app.project.item(index).layer(index).inPoint
Description
The “in” point of the layer, expressed in composition time (seconds).
Type
Floating-point value in the range [-10800.0..10800.0] (minus or plus three hours); read/write.

Layer.isNameSet

app.project.item(index).layer(index).isNameSet
Description
True if the value of the name attribute has been set explicitly, rather than automatically from the source.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Layer.locked

app.project.item(index).layer(index).locked
Description
When true, the layer is locked; otherwise false. This corresponds to the lock toggle in the Layer panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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Layer.name

app.project.item(index).layer(index).name
Description
The name of the layer. By default, this is the same as the Source name (which cannot be changed in the Layer panel),
but you can set it to be different.
Type
String; read/write.

Layer.nullLayer

app.project.item(index).layer(index).nullLayer
Description
When true, the layer was created as a null object; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Layer.outPoint

app.project.item(index).layer(index).outPoint
Description
The “out” point of the layer, expressed in composition time (seconds).
Type
Floating-point value in the range [-10800.0..10800.0] (minus or plus three hours); read/write.

Layer.parent

app.project.item(index).layer(index).parent
Description
The parent of this layer; can be null. Offset values are calculated to counterbalance any transforms above this layer in
the hierarchy, so that when you set the parent there is no apparent jump in the layer’s transform. For example, if the
new parent has a rotation of 30 degrees, the child layer is assigned a rotation of -30 degrees. To set the parent without
changing the child layer’s transform values, use the setParentWithJump method.
Type
Layer object or null; read/write.

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Layer.samplingQuality

app.project.item(index).layer(index).samplingQuality

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 12.0 (CC)

Description
Set/get layer sampling method (bicubic or bilinear)
Type
A LayerSamplingQuality enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• LayerSamplingQuality.BICUBIC
• LayerSamplingQuality.BILINEAR

Layer.selectedProperties

app.project.item(index).layer(index).selectedProperties
Description
An array containing all of the currently selected Property and PropertyGroup objects in the layer.
Type
Array of PropertyBase objects; read-only.

Layer.shy

app.project.item(index).layer(index).shy
Description
When true, the layer is “shy”, meaning that it is hidden in the Layer panel if the composition’s “Hide all shy layers”
option is toggled on.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Layer.solo

app.project.item(index).layer(index).solo
Description
When true, the layer is soloed, otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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Layer.startTime

app.project.item(index).layer(index).startTime
Description
The start time of the layer, expressed in composition time (seconds).
Type
Floating-point value in the range [-10800.0..10800.0] (minus or plus three hours); read/write.

Layer.stretch

app.project.item(index).layer(index).stretch
Description
The layer’s time stretch, expressed as a percentage. A value of 100 means no stretch. Values between 0 and 1 are set
to 1, and values between -1 and 0 (not including 0) are set to -1.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [-9900.0..9900.0]; read/write.

Layer.time

app.project.item(index).layer(index).time
Description
The current time of the layer, expressed in composition time (seconds).
Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

Methods

Layer.activeAtTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).activeAtTime(time)
Description
Returns true if this layer will be active at the specified time. To return true, the layer must be enabled, no other layer
may be soloing unless this layer is soloed too, and the time must be between the i n Poi nt and out Poi nt values of this
layer.
Parameters
time The time in seconds, a floating-point value.
Returns

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Boolean.

Layer.applyPreset()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).applyPreset(presetName);
Description
Applies the specified collection of animation settings (an animation preset) to the layer. Predefined animation preset
files are installed in the Presets folder, and users can create new animation presets through the user interface.
Parameters
presetName An ExtendScript File object for the file containing the animation preset.
Returns
Nothing.

Layer.copyToComp()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).copyToComp(intoComp)
Description
Copies the layer into the specified composition. The original layer remains unchanged. Creates a new Layer object
with the same values as this one, and prepends the new object to the LayerCollection object in the target CompItem.
Retrieve the copy using into Comp.layer(1). Copying in a layer changes the index positions of previously existing
layers in the target composition. This is the same as copying and pasting a layer through the user interface.

Note: As After Effects 13.6, this method no longer causes After Effects to crash when the layer has a parent.

Tip: The scripting guide says this method copies the layer to the top of the comp. It actually copies
it to above the first selected layer, or to to the top, if nothing is selected. To retrieve the copy you
have to check CompItem.selectedLayers for the layer with the topmost index, and use comp.layer(
topmost_index_of_selected_layers - 1 ) to retrieve the layer.

Parameters
intoComp The target composition, and CompItem object.
Returns
Nothing.

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Layer.duplicate()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).duplicate()
Description
Duplicates the layer. Creates a new Layer object in which all values are the same as in this one. This has the same
effect as selecting a layer in the user interface and choosing Edit > Duplicate, except the selection in the user interface
does not change when you call this method.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Layer object.

Layer.moveAfter()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).moveAfter(layer)
Description
Moves this layer to a position immediately after (below) the specified layer.
Parameters
layer The target layer, a layer object in the same composition.
Returns
Nothing.

Layer.moveBefore()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).moveBefore(layer)
Description
Moves this layer to a position immediately before (above) the specified layer.
Parameters
layer The target layer, a layer object in the same composition.
Returns
Nothing.

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Layer.moveToBeginning()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).moveToBeginning()
Description
Moves this layer to the topmost position of the layer stack (the first layer).
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

Layer.moveToEnd()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).moveToEnd()
Description
Moves this layer to the bottom position of the layer stack (the last layer).
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

Layer.remove()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).remove()
Description
Deletes the specified layer from the composition.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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Layer.setParentWithJump()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).setParentWithJump([newParent])
Description
Sets the parent of this layer to the specified layer, without changing the transform values of the child layer. There
may be an apparent jump in the rotation, translation, or scale of the child layer, as this layer’s transform values are
combined with those of its ancestors. If you do not want the child layer to jump, set the parent attribute directly. In
this case, an offset is calculated and set in the child layer’s transform fields, to prevent the jump from occurring.
Parameters
newParent Optional, a layer object in the same composition. If not specified, it sets the parent to None.
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 16

LayerCollection object

app.project.item(index).layers
Description
The LayerCollection object represents a set of layers. The LayerCollection belonging to a CompItem object contains
all the layer objects for layers in the composition. The methods of the collection object allow you to manipulate the
layer list.
LayerCollection is a subclass of Collection object. All methods and attributes of Collection, in addition
to those listed below, are available when working with LayerCollection.
Example
Given that the first item in the project is a CompItem and the second item is an AVItem, this example shows the number
of layers in the CompItem’s layer collection, adds a new layer based on an AVItem in the project, then displays the
new number of layers.
var firstComp = app.project.item(1);
var layerCollection = firstComp.layers;
alert("number of layers before is" + layerCollection.length);
var anAVItem = app.project.item(2);
layerCollection.add(anAVItem);
alert("number of layers after is"+layerCollection.length);

Methods

LayerCollection.add()

app.project.item(index).layers.add(item[, duration])
Description
Creates a new AVLayer object containing the specified item, and adds it to this collection. The new layer honors the
“Create Layers at Composition Start Time” preference. This method generates an exception if the item cannot be
added as a layer to this CompItem.
Parameters

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item The AVItem object for the item to be added.

Optional, the length of a still layer in seconds, a floating-point value. Used only if the item contains a
duration
piece of still footage. Has no effect on movies, sequences or audio. If supplied, sets the du r at i on
value of the new layer. Otherwise, the duration value is set according to user preferences. By default,
this is the same as the duration of the containing CompItem. To set another preferred value, choose Edit
> Preferences > Import (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Import (Mac OS), and specify
options under Still Footage.
Returns
AVLayer object;

LayerCollection.addBoxText()

app.project.item(index).layers.addBoxText([sourceText])
Description
Creates a new paragraph (box) text layer and adds the new TextLayer object to this collection. To create a point text
layer, use the LayerCollection.addText() method.
Parameters
sourceTextOptional; a string containing the source text of the new layer, or a TextDocument object containing
the source text of the new layer.
Returns
TextLayer object.

LayerCollection.addCamera()

app.project.item(index).layers.addCamera(name, centerPoint)
Description
Creates a new camera layer and adds the CameraLayer object to this collection. The new layer honors the “Create
Layers at Composition Start Time” preference.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the new layer.
The center of the new camera, a floating-point array [x, y]. This is used to set the initial x and y
centerPoint
values of the new camera’s Point of Interest property. The z value is set to 0.
Returns
CameraLayer object.

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LayerCollection.addLight()

app.project.item(index).layers.addLight(name, centerPoint)
Description
Creates a new light layer and adds the LightLayer object to this collection. The new layer honors the “Create Layers
at Composition Start Time” preference.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the new layer.
centerPoint The center of the new light, a floating-point array [x, y].
Returns
LightLayer object.

LayerCollection.addNull()

app.project.item(index).layers.addNull([duration])
Description
Creates a new null layer and adds the AVLayer object to this collection. This is the same as choosing Layer > New >
Null Object.
Parameters
Optional, the length of a still layer in seconds, a floating-point value. If supplied, sets the duration
duration
value of the new layer. Otherwise, the duration value is set according to user preferences. By
default, this is the same as the duration of the containing CompItem. To set another preferred value,
choose Edit > Preferences > Import (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Import (Mac OS), and
specify options under Still Footage.
Returns
AVLayer object.

LayerCollection.addShape()

app.project.item(index).layers.addShape()
Description
Creates a new ShapeLayer object for a new, empty Shape layer. Use the ShapeLayer object to add properties, such
as shape, fill, stroke, and path filters. This is the same as using a shape tool in “Tool Creates Shape” mode. Tools
automatically add a vector group that includes Fill and Stroke as specified in the tool options.
Parameters
None.
Returns
ShapeLayer object.

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LayerCollection.addSolid()

app.project.item(index).layers.addSolid(color, name, width, height,

pixelAspect[, duration])
Description
Creates a new SolidSource object, with values set as specified; sets the new SolidSource as the mainSource value
of a new FootageItem object, and adds the FootageItem to the project. Creates a new AVLayer object, sets the new
Footage Item as its source, and adds the layer to this collection.
Parameters
color The color of the solid, an array of three floating-point values, [R, G, B], intherange
[0.0..1.0].
name A string containing the name of the solid.
width The width of the solid in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
height The height of the solid in pixels, an integer in the range [4..30000].
The pixel aspect ratio of the solid, a floating-point value in the range [0.01..100.0].
pixelAspect
duration Optional, the length of a still layer in seconds, a floating-point value. If supplied, sets the duration
value of the new layer. Otherwise, the duration value is set according to user preferences. By
default, this is the same as the duration of the containing CompItem. To set another preferred value,
choose Edit > Preferences > Import (Windows) or After Effects > Preferences > Import (MacOS),
and specify options under Still Footage.
Returns
AVLayer object.

LayerCollection.addText()

app.project.item(index).layers.addText([sourceText])
Description
Creates a new point text layer and adds the new TextLayer object to this collection. To create a paragraph (box) text
layer, use LayerCollection.addBoxText().
Parameters
sourceTextOptional; a string containing the source text of the new layer, or a TextDocument object containing
the source text of the new layer.
Returns
TextLayer object.

LayerCollection.byName()

app.project.item(index).layers.byName(name)
Description
Returns the first (topmost) layer found in this collection with the specified name, or null if no layer with the given
name is found.

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Parameters
name A string containing the name.
Returns
Layer object or null.

LayerCollection.precompose()

app.project.item(index).layers.precompose(layerIndicies, name[,
moveAllAttributes])
Description
Creates a new CompItem object and moves the specified layers into its layer collection. It removes the individual
layers from this collection, and adds the new CompItem to this collection.
Parameters
layerIndicesThe position indexes of the layers to be collected. An array of integers.
name The name of the new CompItem object.
Optional. When true (the default), retains all attributes in the new composition. This is the same
moveAllAttributes
as selecting the “Move all attributes into the new composition” option in the Pre-compose dialog
box. You can only set this to false if there is just one index in the layerIndices array. This
is the same as selecting the “Leave all attributes in” option in the Pre-compose dialog box.
Returns
CompItem object.

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 CHAPTER 17

AVLayer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The AVLayer object provides an interface to those layers that contain AVItem objects (composition layers, footage
layers, solid layers, text layers, and sound layers).
AVLayer is a subclass of Layer object. All methods and attributes of Layer, in addition to those listed
below, are available when working with AVLayer.
AVLayer is a base class for TextLayer object, so AVLayer attributes and methods are available when
working with TextLayer objects.
AE Properties
Different types of layers have different AE properties. AVLayer has the following properties and property groups:
• Marker
• Time Remap
• Motion Trackers
• Masks
• Effects
• Transform
– Anchor Point
– Position
– Scale
– Orientation
– X Rotation
– Y Rotation
– Rotation
– Opacity
• Layer Styles
• Geometry Options // Ray-traced 3D
• Material Options

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– Casts Shadows
– Light Transmission
– Accepts Shadows
– Accepts Lights
– Appears in Reflections // Ray-traced 3D
– Ambient
– Diffuse
– Specular Intensity
– Specular Shininess
– Metal
– Reflection Intensity // Ray-traced 3D
– Reflection Sharpness // Ray-traced 3D
– Reflection Rolloff // Ray-traced 3D
– Transparency // Ray-traced 3D
– Transparency Rolloff // Ray-traced 3D
– Index of Refraction // Ray-traced 3D
• Audio
– AudioLevels
Example
If the first item in the project is a CompItem, and the first layer of that CompItem is an AVLayer, the following sets
the layer quality, startTime, and inPoint.
var firstLayer = app.project.item(1).layer(1);
firstLayer.quality = LayerQuality.BEST;
firstLayer.startTime = 1;
firstLayer.inPoint = 2;

Attributes

AVLayer.adjustmentLayer

app.project.item(index).layer(index).adjustmentLayer
Description
True if the layer is an adjustment layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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AVLayer.audioActive

app.project.item(index).layer(index).audioActive
Description
True if the layer’s audio is active at the current time. For this value to be true, audioEnabled must be true, no
other layer with audio may be soloing unless this layer is soloed too, and the time must be between the inPoint and
outPoint of this layer.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.audioEnabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).audioEnabled
Description
When true, the layer’s audio is enabled. This value corresponds to the audio toggle switch in the Timeline panel.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.autoOrient

app.project.item(index).layer(index).autoOrient
Description
The type of automatic orientation to perform for the layer.
Type
An AutoOrientType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• AutoOrientType.ALONG_PATH Layer faces in the direction of the motion path.
• AutoOrientType.CAMERA_OR_POINT_OF_INTEREST Layer always faces the active camera or points
at its point of interest.
• AutoOrientType.CHARACTERS_TOWARD_CAMERA Each character in a per-character 3D text layer auto-
matically faces the active camera.
• AutoOrientType.NO_AUTO_ORIENT Layer rotates freely, independent of any motion path, point of inter-
est, or other layers.

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AVLayer.blendingMode

app.project.item(index).layer(index).blendingMode
Description
The blending mode of the layer.
Type
A BlendingMode enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• BlendingMode.ADD
• BlendingMode.ALPHA_ADD
• BlendingMode.CLASSIC_COLOR_BURN
• BlendingMode.CLASSIC_COLOR_DODGE
• BlendingMode.CLASSIC_DIFFERENCE
• BlendingMode.COLOR
• BlendingMode.COLOR_BURN
• BlendingMode.COLOR_DODGE
• BlendingMode.DANCING_DISSOLVE
• BlendingMode.DARKEN
• BlendingMode.DARKER_COLOR
• BlendingMode.DIFFERENCE
• BlendingMode.DISSOLVE
• BlendingMode.EXCLUSION
• BlendingMode.HARD_LIGHT
• BlendingMode.HARD_MIX
• BlendingMode.HUE
• BlendingMode.LIGHTEN
• BlendingMode.LIGHTER_COLOR
• BlendingMode.LINEAR_BURN
• BlendingMode.LINEAR_DODGE
• BlendingMode.LINEAR_LIGHT
• BlendingMode.LUMINESCENT_PREMUL
• BlendingMode.LUMINOSITY
• BlendingMode.MULTIPLY
• BlendingMode.NORMAL
• BlendingMode.OVERLAY
• BlendingMode.PIN_LIGHT
• BlendingMode.SATURATION
• BlendingMode.SCREEN

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• BlendingMode.SILHOUETE_ALPHA
• BlendingMode.SILHOUETTE_LUMA
• BlendingMode.SOFT_LIGHT
• BlendingMode.STENCIL_ALPHA
• BlendingMode.STENCIL_LUMA
• BlendingMode.VIVID_LIGHT

AVLayer.canSetCollapseTransformation

app.project.item(index).layer(index).canSetCollapseTransformation
Description
True if it is legal to change the value of the collapseTransformation attribute on this layer.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.canSetTimeRemapEnabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).canSetTimeRemapEnabled
Description
True if it is legal to change the value of the timeRemapEnabled attribute on this layer.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.collapseTransformation

app.project.item(index).layer(index).collapseTransformation
Description
True if collapse transformation is on for this layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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AVLayer.effectsActive

app.project.item(index).layer(index).effectsActive
Description
True if the layer’s effects are active, as indicated by the <f> icon next to it in the user interface.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.environmentLayer

app.project.item(index).layer(index).environmentLayer
Description
True if this is an environment layer in a Ray-traced 3D composition. Setting this attribute to true automaticallymakes
the layer 3D (threeDLayer becomes true).
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.frameBlending

app.project.item(index).layer(index).frameBlending
Description
True if frame blending is enabled for the layer.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.frameBlendingType

app.project.item(index).layer(index).frameBlendingType
Description
The type of frame blending to perform when frame blending is enabled for the layer.
Type
A FrameBlendingType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• FrameBlendingType.FRAME_MIX
• FrameBlendingType.NO_FRAME_BLEND
• FrameBlendingType.PIXEL_MOTION

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AVLayer.guideLayer

app.project.item(index).layer(index).guideLayer
Description
True if the layer is a guide layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.hasAudio

app.project.item(index).layer(index).hasAudio
Description
True if the layer contains an audio component, regardless of whether it is audio-enabled or soloed.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.hasTrackMatte

app.project.item(index).layer(index).hasTrackMatte
Description
True if the layer in front of this layer is being used as a track matte on this layer. When true, this layer’s
trackMatteType value controls how the matte is applied.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.height

app.project.item(index).layer(index).height
Description
The height of the layer in pixels.
Type
Floating-point; read-only.

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AVLayer.isNameFromSource

app.project.item(index).layer(index).isNameFromSource
Description
True if the layer has no expressly set name, but contains a named source. In this case, layer.name has the same
value as layer.source.name. False if the layer has an expressly set name, or if the layer does not have a source.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.isTrackMatte

app.project.item(index)layer(index).isTrackMatte
Description
True if this layer is being used as a track matte for the layer behind it.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

AVLayer.motionBlur

app.project.item(index).layer(index).motionBlur
Description
True if motion blur is enabled for the layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.preserveTransparency

app.project.item(index).layer(index).preserveTransparency
Description
True if preserve transparency is enabled for the layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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AVLayer.quality

app.project.item(index).layer(index).quality
Description
The quality with which this layer is displayed.
Type
A LayerQuality enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• LayerQuality.BEST
• LayerQuality.DRAFT
• LayerQuality.WIREFRAME

AVLayer.source

app.project.item(index).layer(index).source
Description
The source AVItem for this layer. The value is null in a Text layer. Use AVLayer.replaceSource() to change
the value.
Type
AVItem object; read-only.

AVLayer.threeDLayer

app.project.item(index).layer(index).threeDLayer
Description
True if this is a 3D layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.threeDPerChar

app.project.item(index).layer(index).threeDPerChar
Description
True if this layer has the Enable Per-character 3D switch set, allowing its characters to be animated off the plane of
the text layer. Applies only to text layers.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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AVLayer.timeRemapEnabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).timeRemapEnabled
Description
True if time remapping is enabled for this layer.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

AVLayer.trackMatteType

app.project.item(index).layer(index).trackMatteType
Description
If this layer has a track matte, specifies the way the track matte is applied.
Type
A TrackMatteType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• TrackMatteType.ALPHA
• TrackMatteType.ALPHA_INVERTED
• TrackMatteType.LUMA
• TrackMatteType.LUMA_INVERTED
• TrackMatteType.NO_TRACK_MATTE

AVLayer.width

app.project.item(index).layer(index).width
Description
The width of the layer in pixels.
Type
Floating-point; read-only.

Methods

AVLayer.audioActiveAtTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).audioActiveAtTime(time)
Description

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Returns true if this layer’s audio will be active at the specified time. For this method to return true, audioEnabled
must be true, no other layer with audio may be soloing unless this layer is soloed too, and the time must be between
the inPoint and outPoint of this layer.
Parameters
time The time, in seconds. A floating-point value.
Returns
Boolean.

AVLayer.calculateTransformFromPoints()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).calculateTransformFromPoints(pointTopLeft,
pointTopRight, pointBottomRight)
Description
Calculates a transformation from a set of points in this layer.
Parameters
pointTopLeft The top left point coordinates in the form of an array, [x , y, z] .
pointTopRight The top right point coordinates in the form of an array, [ x, y, z ] .
pointBottomRight The bottom right point coordinates in the form of an array, [ x, y, z ] .
Returns
An Object with the transformation properties set.
Example
var newLayer = comp.layers.add(newFootage);
newLayer.threeDLayer = true;
newLayer.blendingMode = BlendingMode.ALPHA_ADD;
var transform = newLayer.calculateTransformFromPoints(tl, tr, bl);
for(var sel in transform) {
newLayer.transform[sel].setValue(transform[sel]);
}

AVLayer.openInViewer()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).openInViewer()
Description
Opens the layer in a Layer panel, and moves the Layer panel to front and gives it focus.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Viewer object for the Layer panel, or null if the layer could not be opened (e.g., for text or shape layers, which cannot
be opened in the Layer panel).

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AVLayer.replaceSource()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).replaceSource(newSource, fixExpressions)
Description
Replaces the source for this layer.
Parameters
newSource The new source AVItem object.
True to adjust expressions for the new source, false otherwise. Note that this feature can be
fixExpressions
resource-intensive; if replacing a large amount of footage, do this only at the end of the operation.
See also Project.autoFixExpressions().
Returns
Nothing.

Warning: If this method is performed on a null layer, the layers isNull attribute is not changed from true.
This causes the layer not to be visible in comp viewer and renders.

AVLayer.sourceRectAtTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).sourceRectAtTime(timeT, extents)
Description
Retrieves the rectangle bounds of the layer at the specified time index, corrected for text or shape layer content. Use,
for example, to write text that is properly aligned to the baseline.
Parameters
timeT The time index, in seconds. A floating-point value.
extents True to include the extents, false otherwise. Extents apply to shape layers, increasing the size of
the layer bounds as necessary.
Returns
A JavaScript object with four attributes, [top, left, width, height].

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CameraLayer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The CameraLayer object represents a camera layer within a composition. Create it using LayerCollec-
tion.addCamera(). It can be accessed in an item’s layer collection either by index number or by a name string.
CameraLayer is a subclass of Layer object. All methods and attributes of Layer are available when
working with CameraLayer.
AE Properties
CameraLayer defines no additional attributes, but has different AE properties than other layer types. It has the follow-
ing properties and property groups:
• Marker
• Transform
– PointofInterest
– Position
– Scale
– Orientation
– XRotation
– YRotation
– Rotation
– Opacity
• CameraOptions
– Zoom
– DepthofField
– FocusDistance
– BlurLevel

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 CHAPTER 19

LightLayer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The LightLayer object represents a light layer within a composition. Create it using the LayerCollection.addLight()
method. It can be accessed in an item’s layer collection either by index number or by a name string.
LightLayer is a subclass of Layer object. All methods and attributes of Layer are available when working
with Light-Layer.
AE Properties
LightLayer defines no additional attributes, but has different AE properties than other layer types. It has thefollowing
properties and property groups:
• Marker
• Transform
– PointofInterest
– Position
– Scale
– Orientation
– XRotation
– YRotation
– Rotation
– Opacity
• LightOptions
– Intensity
– Color
– ConeAngle
– ConeFeather
– CastsShadows
– ShadowDarkness
– ShadowDiffusion

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Attributes

LightLayer.lightType

app.project.item(index).layer(index).lightType
Description
For a light layer, its light type. Trying to set this attribute for a non-light layer produces an error.
Type
A LightType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• LightType.PARALLEL
• LightType.SPOT
• LightType.POINT
• LightType.AMBIENT

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ShapeLayer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The ShapeLayer object represents a shape layer within a composition. Create it using LayerCollection.addShape(). It
can be accessed in an item’s layer collection either by index number or by a name string.
ShapeLayer is a subclass of AVLayer, which is a subclass of Layer. All methods and attributes of AVLayer
and Layer are available when working with ShapeLayer.

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 CHAPTER 21

TextLayer object

app.project.item(index).layer(index)
Description
The TextLayer object represents a text layer within a composition. Create it using the LayerCollection object’s addText
method. It can be accessed in an item’s layer collection either by index number or by a name string.
TextLayer is a subclass of AVLayer, which is a subclass of Layer. All methods and attributes of AVLayer
and Layer are available when working with TextLayer.
AE Properties
TextLayer defines no additional attributes, but has the following AE properties and property groups, in addition to
those inherited from AVLayer:
• Text
• SourceText
• PathOptions
• Path
• ReversePath
• PerpendicularToPath
• ForceAlignment
• FirstMargin
• LastMargin
• MoreOptions
• AnchorPointGrouping
• GroupingAlignment
• Fill&Stroke
• InterCharacterBlending
• Animators
Unused Properties and Attributes
The TimeRemapandMotionTrackers properties, inherited from AVLayer, are not applicable to text layers, and
their related AVLayer attributes are not used:
• canSetTimeRemapEnabled

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• timeRemapEnabled
• trackMatteType
• isTrackMatte
• hasTrackMatte

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 CHAPTER 22

PropertyBase object

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec
Description
Properties are accessed by name through layers, using various kinds of expression syntax, as controlled by application
preferences. For example, the following are all ways of access properties in the Effects group:
var effect1 = app.project.item(1).layer(1).effect("AddGrain")("Viewing Mode");
var effect1again = app.project.item(1).layer(1).effect.addGrain.viewingMode;
var effect1againtoo = app.project.item(1).layer(1)("Effects").addGrain.viewingMode;
var effect1againtoo2 = app.project.item(1).layer(1)("Effects")("Add Grain")("Viewing Mode");

See also PropertyGroup.property().

PropertyBase is the base class for both Property and PropertyGroup, so PropertyBase attributes and meth-
ods are available when working with properties and property groups.
Reference invalidation
When something occurs that changes an object sufficiently for the reference to become invalid, script references to
that object can generate errors. In simple cases this is straightforward. For example, if you delete anobject, a reference
to the deleted object generates the warning “Object is Invalid”:
var layer1 = app.project.item(1).layer(1);
layer1.remove();
alert(layer1.name); // invalid reference to deleted object

Similarly, if you reference an AE property in a deleted object, the warning occurs:

var layer1 = app.project.item(1).layer(1);
var layer1position = layer1.transform.position;
layer1.remove();
alert(layer1position.value); // invalid reference to property inselected object

A less straightforward case is when a property is removed from a property group. In this case, After Effectsgenerates
the “Object is Invalid” error when you subsequently reference that item or other items in the group,because their index
positions have changed. For example:
var effect1 = app.project.item(1).layer(1).effect(1);
var effect2 = app.project.item(1).layer(1).effect(2);
var effect2param = app.project.item(1).layer(1).effect(2).blendWithOriginal;
effect1.remove();
alert(effect2.name); // invalid reference because group index positions have changed

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attributes

PropertyBase.active

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.active
Description
When true, this property is active. For a layer, this corresponds to the setting of the eyeball icon and if the current
time is between the layer’s in and out points. For an effect and all properties, it is the same as the e n abl e d attribute,
except that it’s read-only.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

PropertyBase.canSetEnabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.canSetEnabled
Description
When true, you can set the enabled attribute value. Generally, this is true if the user interface displays an eyeball
icon for this property; it is true for all layers.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

PropertyBase.elided

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.elided
Description
When true, this property is a group used to organize other properties. The property is not displayed in the user interface
and its child properties are not indented in the Timeline panel.For example, for a text layer with two animators and no
properties twirled down, you might see:
• Text
• PathOptions
• MoreOptions
• Animator1
• Animator2
In this example, “Animator 1” and “Animator 2” are contained in a PropertyBase called “Text Animators.” This parent
group is not displayed in the user interface, and so the two child properties are not indented in the Timeline panel.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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PropertyBase.enabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.enabled
Description
When true, this property is enabled. It corresponds to the setting of the eyeball icon, if there is one; otherwise, the
default is true.
Type
Boolean; read/write if canSetEnabled is true, read-only if canSetEnabled is false.

PropertyBase.isEffect

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isEffect
Description
When true, this property is an effect PropertyGroup.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

PropertyBase.isMask

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isMask
Description
When true, this property is a mask PropertyGroup.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

PropertyBase.isModified

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isModified
Description
When true, this property has been changed since its creation.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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PropertyBase.matchName

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.matchName
Description
A special name for the property used to build unique naming paths. The match name is not displayed, but you can refer
to it in scripts. Every property has a unique match-name identifier. Match names are stable from version to version
regardless of the display name (the name attribute value) or any changes to the application. Unlike the display name,
it is not localized. An indexed group may not have a name value, but always has a matchName value. (An indexed
group has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP; see PropertyBase.propertyType.)
Type
String; read-only.

PropertyBase.name

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.name
Description
The display name of the property. (Compare PropertyBase.matchName.) It is an error to set the name
value if the property is not a child of an indexed group (that is, a property group that has the type
PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP; see PropertyBase.propertyType).
Type
String; read/write for a child of an indexed group; otherwise read-only.

PropertyBase.parentProperty

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.parentProperty
Description
The property group that is the immediate parent of this property, or null if this PropertyBase is a layer.
Type
PropertyGroup object or null; read-only.

PropertyBase.propertyDepth

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyDepth
Description
The number of levels of parent groups between this property and the containing layer. The value 0 for a layer.
Type
Integer; read-only.

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PropertyBase.propertyIndex

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyIndex
Description
The position index of this property within its parent group, if it is a child of an indexed group (a property group that
has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP; see PropertyBase.propertyType).
Type
Integer; read-only.

PropertyBase.propertyType

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyType
Description
The type of this property.
Type
A PropertyType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• PropertyType.PROPERTY: A single property such as position or zoom.
• PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP: A property group whose members have an editable name and an index.
Effects and masks are indexed groups. For example, the masks property of a layer refers to a variable number
of individual masks by index number.
• PropertyType.NAMED_GROUP: A property group in which the member names are not editable. Layers are
named groups.

PropertyBase.selected

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.selected
Description
When true, this property is selected. Set to true to select the property, or to false to deselect it. Sampling this attribute
repeatedly for a large number of properties can slow down system performance. To read the full set of selected
properties of a composition or layer, use either CompItem.selectedProperties or Layer.selectedProperties.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Methods

PropertyBase.duplicate()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.duplicate()
Description

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If this property is a child of an indexed group, creates and returns a new PropertyBase object with the same attribute
values as this one. If this property is not a child of an indexed group, the method generates an exception and displays
an error. An indexed group has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP; see PropertyBase.propertyType.
Parameters
None.
Returns
PropertyBase object.

PropertyBase.moveTo()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.moveTo(newIndex)
Description
Moves this property to a new position in its parent property group. This method is valid only for children of indexed
groups; if it is not, or if the index value is not valid, the method generates an exception and displays an error. (An
indexed group has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP; see PropertyBase.propertyType.)

Warning: Using this method invalidates existing references to other children in the same indexed group. For
example, if you have three effects on a layer, each effect assigned to a different variable, moving one of the
effectsinvalidates the references for all of these variables. You will need to reassign them.

Parameters
newIndex The new index position at which to place this property in its group. An integer.
Returns
Nothing.

PropertyBase.propertyGroup()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyGroup([countUp])
Description
Gets the PropertyGroup object for an ancestor group of this property at a specified level of the parent-child hierarchy.
Parameters
countUpOptional. The number of levels to ascend within the parent-child hierarchy. An integer in the range
[1..propertyDepth]. Default is 1, which gets the immediate parent.
Returns
PropertyGroup object, or null if the count reaches the containing layer.

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PropertyBase.remove()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.remove()
Description
Removes this property from its parent group. If this is a property group, it removes the child properties as well.
This method is valid only for children of indexed groups; if it is not, or if the index value is not valid, the method
generates an exception and displays an error. (An indexed group has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP;
see PropertyBase.propertyType.) This method can be called on a text animation property (that is, any animator that
has been set to a text layer).
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 23

Property object

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec
Description
The Property object contains value, keyframe, and expression information about a particular AE property of a layer.
An AE property is an value, often animatable, of an effect, mask, or transform within an individual layer. For examples
of how to access properties, see PropertyBase object and PropertyGroup.property().
Property is a subclass of PropertyBase. All methods and attributes of PropertyBase, in addition to those
listed below, are available when working with Property.

Note: JavaScript objects commonly referred to as “properties” are called “attributes” in this guide, to avoid confusion
with the After Effects definition of property.

Examples
• Get and set the value of opacity:
var myProperty = myLayer.opacity;
// opacity has propertyValueType of OneD, and is stored as a float
myProperty.setValue(50);//set opacity to 50%
// Variable my Opacity is a float value
var myOpacity = myProperty.value;

• Get and set the value of a position:

var myProperty = myLayer.position;
// position has propertyValueType of ThreeD_SPATIAL, and is stored as an array of 3 floats
myProperty.setValue([10.0, 30.0, 0.0]);
// Variable my Position is an array of 3 floats
var myPosition = myProperty.value;

• Change the value of a mask shape to be open instead of closed:

var myMask = mylayer.mask(1);
var myProperty = myMask.maskPath;
myShape = myProperty.value;
myShape.closed = false;
myProperty.setValue(myShape);

• Get the value of a color at a particular time. A color is stored as an array of four floats, [r, g, b,
opacity]. This sets the value of the red component of a light’s color at time 4 to be half of that at time
2:

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var myProperty = myLight.color;

var colorValue = myProperty.valueAtTime(2, true);
colorValue[0] = 0.5 * colorValue[0];
myProperty.setValueAtTime(4, colorValue);

• Check that a scale calculated by an expression at time 3.5 is the expected value of [10,50]:
var myProperty = myLayer.scale;
//false value of preExpression means evaluate the expression
var scaleValue = myProperty.valueAtTime(3.5, false);

if(scaleValue[0] == 10 && scaleValue[1] == 50) {

alert("hurray");
}
else{
alert("oops");
}

• Keyframe a rotation from 0 to 90 and back again. The animation is 10 seconds, and the middle keyframe is at
the 5 second mark. Rotation properties are stored as a OneD value:
myProperty = myLayer.rotation;
myProperty.setValueAtTime(0, 0);
myProperty.setValueAtTime(5, 90);
myProperty.setValueAtTime(10, 0);

• Change the key frame values for the first three keyframes of some sourcetext:
myProperty = myTextLayer.sourceText;
if(myProperty.numKeys<3){
alert("error, I thought there were 3 keyframes");
}
else{
myProperty.setValueAtKey(1, newTextDocument("keynumber1"));
myProperty.setValueAtKey(2, newTextDocument("keynumber2"));
myProperty.setValueAtKey(3, newTextDocument("keynumber3"));
}

• Set values using the convenience syntax for position, scale, color, or source text:
//These two are equivalent. The second fills in a default of 0.
myLayer.position.setValue([20, 30, 0]);
myLayer.position.setValue([20, 30]);
//These two are equivalent. The second fills in a defaultof 100.
myLayer.scale.setValue([50, 50, 100]);
myLayer.scale.setValue([50, 50]);
//These two are equivalent. The second fills in a defaultof 1.0
myLight.color.setValue([.8, .3, .1, 1.0]);
myLight.color.setValue([.8, .3, .1]);
//These two are equivalent. The second creates a TextDocument
myTextLayer.sourceText.setValue(newTextDocument("foo"));
myTextLayer.sourceText.setValue("foo");

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Attributes

Property.canSetExpression

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.canSetExpression
Description
When true, the named property is of a type whose expression can be set by a script. See also Property expression
attribute.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.canVaryOverTime

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.canVaryOverTime
Description
When true, the named property can vary over time—that is, keyframe values or expressions can be written to this
property.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.dimensionsSeparated

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.dimensionsSeparated
Description
When true, the property’s dimensions are represented as separate properties. For example, if the layer’s position is
represented as X Position and Y Position properties in the Timeline panel, the Position property has this attribute set
to true.

Note: This attribute applies only when the isSeparationLeader attribute is true.

Type
Boolean; read/write.

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Property.expression

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.expression
Description
The expression for the named property. Writeable only when canSetExpression for the named property is true. When
you specify a value for this attribute, the string is evaluated.
• If the string contains a valid expression, expressionEnabled becomes true.
• If the string does not contain a valid expression, an error is generated, and expressionEnabled becomes false.
• If you set the attribute to the empty string, expressionEnabled becomes false, but no error is generated.
Type
String; read/write if canSetExpression for the named property is true.

Property.expressionEnabled

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.expressionEnabled
Description
When true, the named property uses its associated expression to generate a value. When false, the keyframe informa-
tion or static value of the property is used. This attribute can be set to true only if canSetExpression for the named
property is true and expression contains a valid expression string.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Property.expressionError

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.expressionError
Description
Contains the error, if any, generated by evaluation of the string most recently set in expression. If no expression string
has been specified, or if the last expression string evaluated without error, contains the empty string ("").
Type
String; read-only.

Property.hasMax

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.hasMax
Description
When true, there is a maximum permitted value for the named property; otherwise false.
Type

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Boolean; read-only.

Property.hasMin

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.hasMin
Description
When true, there is a minimum permitted value for the named property; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.isSeparationFollower

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isSeparationFollower
Description
When true, the property represents one of the separated dimensions for a multidimensional property. For example, the
X Position property has this attribute set to true.

Note: The original, consolidated, multidimensional property is the “separation leader” and the new, separated, single-
dimensional properties are its “separation followers”.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.isSeparationLeader

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isSeparationLeader
Description
When true, the property is multidimensional and can be separated. For example, the Position property has this attribute
set to true.

Note: The original, consolidated, multidimensional property is the “separation leader” and the new, separated, single-
dimensional properties are its “separation followers”.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

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Property.isSpatial

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isSpatial
Description
When true, the named property defines a spatial value. Examples are position and effect point controls.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.isTimeVarying

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isTimeVarying
Description
When true, the named property is time varying—that is, it has keyframes or an enabled expression. When this attribute
is true, the attribute canVaryOverTime must also be true.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Property.maxValue

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.maxValue
Description
The maximum permitted value of the named property. If the hasMax attribute is false, an exception occurs, and an
error is generated.
Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

Property.minValue

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.minValue
Description
The minimum permitted value of the named property. If the hasMin attribute is false, an exception occurs, and an
error is generated.
Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

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Property.numKeys

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.numKeys
Description
The number of keyframes in the named property. If the value is 0, the property is not being keyframed.
Type
Integer; read-only.

Property.propertyIndex

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyIndex
Description
The position index of the named property. The first property is at index position 1.
Type
Integer; read-only.

Property.propertyValueType

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.propertyValueType
Description
The type of value stored in the named property. The PropertyValueType enumeration has one value for each type
of data that can be stored in or retrieved from a property. Each type of data is stored and retrieved in a different kind
of structure. All property objects store data according to one of these categories. For example, a 3D spatial property
(such as a layer’s position) is stored as an array of three floating point values. When setting a value for position, pass
in such an array, as follows: mylayer.property("position").setValue([10, 20, 0]);
In contrast, a shape property (such as a layer’s mask shape) is stored as a Shape object. When setting a value for a
shape, pass a Shape object, as follows:
var myShape = newShape();
myShape.vertices = [[0,0], [0,100], [100,100], [100,0]];
var myMask = mylayer.property("ADBE Mask Parade").property(1);
myMask.property("ADBE Mask Shape").setValue(myShape);

Type
A PropertyValueType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• PropertyValueType.NO_VALUE: Stores no data.
• PropertyValueType.ThreeD_SPATIAL: Array of three floating-point positional values. For example,
an Anchor Point value might be [10.0, 20.2, 0.0]
• PropertyValueType.ThreeD: Array of three floating-point quantitative values. For example, a Scale
value might be [100.0, 20.2, 0.0]
• PropertyValueType.TwoD_SPATIAL: Array of 2 floating-point positional values. For example, an An-
chor Point value might be [5.1, 10.0]

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• PropertyValueType.TwoD: Array of 2 floating-point quantitative values. For example, a Scale value

might be [5.1, 100.0]
• PropertyValueType.OneD: A floating-point value.
• PropertyValueType.COLOR:Array of 4 floating-point values in the range [0.0..1.0]. For example,
[0.8, 0.3, 0.1, 1.0]
• PropertyValueType.CUSTOM_VALUE : Custom property value, such as the Histogram property for the
Levels effect.
• PropertyValueType.MARKER: MarkerValue object
• PropertyValueType.LAYER_INDEX: Integer; a value of 0 means no layer.
• PropertyValueType.MASK_INDEX: Integer; a value of 0 means no mask.
• PropertyValueType.SHAPE: Shape object
• PropertyValueType.TEXT_DOCUMENT: TextDocument object

Property.selectedKeys

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.selectedKeys
Description
The indices of all the selected keyframes in the named property. If no keyframes are selected, or if the property has no
keyframes, returns an empty array.
Type
Array of integers; read-only.

Property.separationDimension

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.separationDimension
Description
For a separated follower, the dimension number it represents in the multidimensional leader. The first dimension starts
at 0. For example, the Y Position property has a separationDimension value of 1; X Position has a value of 0.
Type
Integer; read-only.

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Property.separationLeader

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.separationLeader
Description
The original multidimensional property for this separated follower. For example, if the current property is Y Position,
this attribute’s value points to the Position property.

Note: The original, consolidated, multidimensional property is the “separation leader” and the new, separated, single-
dimensional properties are its “separation followers”.

Type
Property object; read-only.

Property.unitsText

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.unitsText
Description
The text description of the units in which the value is expressed.
Type
String; read-only.

Property.value

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.value
Description
The value of the named property at the current time.
• If expressionEnabled is true, returns the evaluated expression value.
• If there are keyframes, returns the keyframed value at the current time.
• Otherwise, returns the static value.
The type of value returned depends on the property value type. See examples for Property object.
Type
A value appropriate for the type of the property (see Property.propertyValueType); read-only.

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Methods

Property.addKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.addKey(time)
Description
Adds a new keyframe or marker to the named property at the specified time and returns the index of the new keyframe.
Parameters
time The time, in seconds, at which to add the keyframe. A floating-point value. The beginning of the
composition is 0.
Returns
Integer; the index of the new keyframe or marker.

Property.getSeparationFollower()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.getSeparationFollower(dim)
Description
For a separated, multidimensional property, retrieves a specific follower property. For example, you can use this
method on the Position property to access the separated X Position and Y Position properties

Note: This attribute applies only when the isSeparationLeader attribute is true.

Parameters
dim The dimension number (starting at 0).
Returns
Property object, or an error if the property is not multidimensional or does not have the specified dimension.

Property.isInterpolationTypeValid()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.isInterpolationTypeValid(type)
Description
Returns true if the named property can be interpolated using the specified keyframe interpolation type.
Parameters
Type
A KeyframeInterpolationType enumerated value; one of:
• KeyframeInterpolationType.LINEAR
• KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER
• KeyframeInterpolationType.HOLD

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Returns
Boolean.

Property.keyInInterpolationType()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyInInterpolationType(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the ‘in’ interpolation type for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
A KeyframeInterpolationType enumerated value; one of:
• KeyframeInterpolationType.LINEAR
• KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER
• KeyframeInterpolationType.HOLD

Property.keyInSpatialTangent()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyInSpatialTangent(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the incoming spatial tangent for the specified keyframe, if the named property is spatial (that is, the value type
is TwoD_SPATIALorThreeD_SPATIAL).
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Array of floating-point values:
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.TwoD_SPATIAL, the array contains 2 floating-point
values.
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.ThreeD_SPATIAL, the array contains 3 floating-point
values.
• If the property value type is neither of these types, an exception is generated.

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Property.keyInTemporalEase()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyInTemporalEase(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the incoming temporal ease for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Array of KeyframeEase objects:
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.TwoD, the array contains 2 objects.
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.ThreeD, the array contains 3 objects.
• For any other value type, the array contains 1 object.

Property.keyOutInterpolationType()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyOutInterpolationType(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the outgoing interpolation type for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
A KeyframeInterpolationType enumerated value; one of:
• KeyframeInterpolationType.LINEAR
• KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER
• KeyframeInterpolationType.HOLD

Property.keyOutSpatialTangent()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyOutSpatialTangent(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the outgoing spatial tangent for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Array of floating-point values:

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• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.TwoD_SPATIAL, the array contains 2 floating-point

values.
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.ThreeD_SPATIAL, the array contains 3 floating-point
values.
• If the property value type is neither of these types, an exception is generated.

Property.keyOutTemporalEase()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyOutTemporalEase(keyIndex)
Description
Returns the outgoing temporal ease for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Array of KeyframeEase objects:
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.TwoD, the array contains 2 objects.
• If the property value type is PropertyValueType.ThreeD, the array contains 3 objects.
• For any other value type, the array contains 1 object.

Property.keyRoving()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyRoving(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe is roving. The first and last keyframe in a property cannot rove; if you try to set
roving for one of these, the operation is ignored, and keyRoving() continues to return false. If the property value type
is neither TwoD_SPATIAL nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

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Property.keySelected()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keySelected(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe is selected.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

Property.keySpatialAutoBezier()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keySpatialAutoBezier(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe has spatial auto-Bezier interpolation. (This type of interpolation affects this
keyframe only if keySpatialContinuous(keyIndex) is also true.) If the property value type is neither
TwoD_SPATIAL nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

Property.keySpatialContinuous()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keySpatialContinuous(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe has spatial continuity. If the property value type is neither TwoD_SPATIAL
nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

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Property.keyTemporalAutoBezier()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyTemporalAutoBezier(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe has temporal auto-Bezier interpolation. Temporal auto-Bezier interpolation
affects this keyframe only if the keyframe interpolation type is KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER for
both keyInInterpolationType(keyIndex) and keyOutInterpolationType(keyIndex).
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

Property.keyTemporalContinuous()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyTemporalContinuous(keyIndex)
Description
Returns true if the specified keyframe has temporal continuity. Temporal continuity affects this
keyframe only if keyframe interpolation type is KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER for both
keyInInterpolationType(keyIndex) and keyOutInterpolationType(keyIndex).
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Boolean.

Property.keyTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyTime(keyIndex)
app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyTime(markerComment)
Description
Finds the specified keyframe or marker and returns the time at which it occurs. If no keyframe or marker can be found
that matches the argument, this method generates an exception, and an error is displayed.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the
addKey or nearestKeyIndex.
markerCommentThe comment string attached to a marker (see MarkerValue.comment attribute).
Returns
Floating-point value.

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Property.keyValue()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyValue(keyIndex)
app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.keyValue(markerComment)

Description
Finds the specified keyframe or marker and returns its current value. If no keyframe or marker can be found that
matches the argument, this method generates an exception, and an error is displayed.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the
addKey or nearestKeyIndex.
markerCommentThe comment string attached to a marker (see MarkerValue.comment attribute).
Returns
Floating-point value for keyframes, MarkerValue object for markers.

Property.nearestKeyIndex()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.nearestKeyIndex(time)
Description
Returns the index of the keyframe nearest to the specified time.
Parameters
time The time in seconds; a floating-point value. The beginning of the composition is 0.
Returns
Integer.

Property.removeKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.removeKey(keyIndex)
Description
Removes the specified keyframe from the named property. If no keyframe with the specified index exists, generates
an exception and displays an error. When a keyframe is removed, the remaining index numbers change. To remove
more than one keyframe, you must start with the highest index number and work down to the lowest to ensure that the
remaining indices reference the same keyframe after each removal.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
Returns
Nothing.

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Property.setInterpolationTypeAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setInterpolationTypeAtKey(keyIndex,
inType[, outType])
Description
Sets the in and out interpolation types for the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range
[1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or near-
estKeyIndex.
inType The incoming interpolation type. A
KeyframeInterpolationType enumerated
value; one of:
• KeyframeInterpolationType.LINEAR
• KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER
• KeyframeInterpolationType.HOLD

outType (Optional) The outgoing interpolation type. If not

supplied, the ‘out’ type is set to the inType
value. A KeyframeInterpolationType enumer-
ated value; one of:
• KeyframeInterpolationType.LINEAR
• KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER
• KeyframeInterpolationType.HOLD

Returns
Nothing.

Property.setRovingAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setRovingAtKey(keyIndex,
newVal)
Description
Turns roving on or off for the specified keyframe. The first and last keyframe in a property cannot rove; if you try
to set roving for one of these, the operation is ignored, and keyRoving() continues to return false. If the property
value type is neither TwoD_SPATIAL nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newVal True to turn roving on, false to turn roving off.
Returns
Nothing.

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Property.setSelectedAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setSelectedAtKey(keyIndex,
onOff)
Description
Selects or deselects the specified keyframe.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
onOff True to select the keyframe, false to deselect it.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setSpatialAutoBezierAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setSpatialAutoBezierAtKey(keyIndex,
newVal)
Description
Turns spatial auto-Bezier interpolation on or off for the specified keyframe. If the property value type is neither
TwoD_SPATIAL nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newVal True to turn spatial auto-Bezier on, false to turn it off.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setSpatialContinuousAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setSpatialContinuousAtKey(keyIndex,
newVal)
Description
Turns spatial continuity on or off for the specified keyframe. If the property value type is neither TwoD_SPATIAL
nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newVal True to turn spatial auto-Bezier on, false to turn it off.
Returns
Nothing.

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Property.setSpatialTangentsAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setSpatialTangentsAtKey(keyIndex,
inTangent[, outTangent])
Description
Sets the incoming and outgoing tangent vectors for the specified keyframe. If the property value type is neither
TwoD_SPATIAL nor ThreeD_SPATIAL, an exception is generated.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range
[1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or near-
estKeyIndex() method.
inTangent The incoming tangent vector. An array of 2 or 3 floating-
point values.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.TwoD_SPATIAL,
the array contains 2 values.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.ThreeD_SPATIAL,
the array contains 3 values.

outTangent (Optional) The outgoing tangent vector. If not supplied,

the out tangent is set to the inTangent value. An
array of 2 or 3 floating-point values.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.TwoD_SPATIAL,
the array contains 2 values.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.ThreeD_SPATIAL,
the array contains 3 values.

Returns
Nothing.

Property.setTemporalAutoBezierAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setTemporalAutoBezierAtKey(keyIndex,
newVal)
Description
Turns temporal auto-Bezier interpolation on or off for the specified keyframe. When this is turned on, it affects this
keyframe only if keySpatialContinuous(keyIndex) is also true.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newVal True to turn temporal auto-Bezier on, false to turn it off.
Returns
Nothing.

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Property.setTemporalContinuousAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setTemporalContinuousAtKey(keyIndex,
newVal)
Description
Turns temporal continuity on or off for the specified keyframe. When temporal continuity is turned on, it affects
this keyframe only if the keyframe interpolation type is KeyframeInterpolationType.BEZIER for both
keyInInterpolationType(keyIndex) and keyOutInterpolationType(keyIndex).
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newVal True to turn temporal continuity on, false to turn it off.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setTemporalEaseAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setTemporalEaseAtKey(keyIndex,
inTemporalEase[, outTemporalEase])
Description
Sets the incoming and outgoing temporal ease for the specified keyframe. See KeyframeEase object.
Parameters

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keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range

[1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or near-
estKeyIndex.
inTemporalEase The incoming temporal ease. An array of 1, 2, or 3
KeyframeEase objects.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.TwoD, the array
contains 2 objects.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.ThreeD, the ar-
ray contains 3 objects.
• For all other value types, the array contains 1 ob-
ject.

outTemporalEase (Optional) The outgoing temporal ease. If not supplied,

the outgoing ease is set to the inTemporalEase
value. An array of 1, 2, or 3 KeyframeEase objects.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.TwoD, the array
contains 2 objects.
• If the property value type is
PropertyValueType.ThreeD, the ar-
ray contains 3 objects.
• For all other value types, the array contains 1 ob-
ject.

Returns
Nothing.

Property.setValue()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setValue(newValue)
Description
Sets the static value of a property that has no keyframes. If the named property has keyframes, this method generates
an exception and displays an error. To set the value of a property with keyframes, use Property.setValueAtTime() or
Property.setValueAtKey().
Parameters
newValue A value appropriate for the type of property being set; see Property.propertyValueType.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setValueAtKey()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setValueAtKey(keyIndex,
newValue)

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Description
Finds the specified keyframe and sets its value. If the named property has no keyframes, or no keyframe with the
specified index, this method generates an exception and displays an error.
Parameters
keyIndex The index for the keyframe. An integer in the range [1..numKeys], as returned by the addKey or
nearestKeyIndex.
newValue A value appropriate for the type of property being set; see Property.propertyValueType.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setValueAtTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setValueAtTime(time,
newValue)
Description
Sets the value of a keyframe at the specified time. Creates a new keyframe for the named property, if one does not
currently exist for the specified time, and sets its value.
Parameters
time The time in seconds, a floating-point value. The beginning of the composition is 0.
newValue A value appropriate for the type of property being set; see Property.propertyValueType.
Returns
Nothing.

Property.setValuesAtTimes()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.setValuesAtTimes(times,
newValues)
Description
Sets values for a set of keyframes at specified of times. Creates a new keyframe for the named property, if one does
not currently exist for a specified time, and sets its value. Times and values are expressed as arrays; the arrays must be
of the same length.
Parameters
times An array of times, in seconds. Each time is a floating-point value. The beginning of the
composition is 0.
newValues A array of values appropriate for the type of property being set; see Property.propertyValueType.
Returns
Nothing.

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Property.valueAtTime()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertySpec.valueAtTime(time,
preExpression)
Description
The value of the named property as evaluated at the specified time. Note that the type of value returned is not made
explicit; it will be of a different type, depending on the property evaluated.

Note: As After Effects 13.6, this method now waits for time-intensive expressions, like sampleImage, to finish
evaluating before it returns the result.

Parameters
time The time in seconds; a floating-point value. The beginning of the composition is 0.
If the property has an expression and this is true, return the value for the specified time without
preExpression
applying the expression to it. When false, return the result of evaluating the expression for the
specified time. Ignored if the property does not have an associated expression.
Returns
A value appropriate for the type of the property (see “Property propertyValueType attribute” on page 138).

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 CHAPTER 24

PropertyGroup object

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec
Description
The PropertyGroup object represents a group of properties. It can contain Property objects and other PropertyGroup
objects. Property groups can be nested to provide a parent-child hierarchy, with a Layer object at the top (root) down to
a single Property object, such as the mask feather of the third mask. To traverse the group hierarchy, use PropertyBase
methods and attributes; see PropertyBase.propertyGroup(). For examples of how to access properties and property
groups, see PropertyBase object.
PropertyGroup is a subclass of PropertyBase. All methods and attributes of PropertyBase, in addition to
those listed below, are available when working with PropertyGroup.
PropertyGroup is a base class for MaskPropertyGroup. PropertyGroup attributes and methods are avail-
able when working with mask groups.

Attributes

PropertyGroup.numProperties

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec.numProperties
Description
The number of indexed properties in this group. For layers, this method returns a value of 3, corresponding to the
mask, effect, and motion tracker groups, which are the indexed groups within the layer. However, layers also have
many other properties available only by name; see PropertyGroup.property().
Type
Integer; read-only.

Methods

PropertyGroup.addProperty()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec.addProperty(name)

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Description
Creates and returns a PropertyBase object with the specified name, and adds it to this group. In general, you can
only add properties to an indexed group (a property group that has the type PropertyType.INDEXED_GROUP;
see PropertyBase.propertyType) The only exception is a text animator property, which can be added to a named group
(a property group that has the type PropertyType.NAMED_GROUP) . If this method cannot create a property with
the specified name, it generates an exception. To check that you can add a particular property to this group, call
canAddProperty before calling this method. (See PropertyGroup.canAddProperty().)
Parameters
name The display name or match name of the property to add.
(See PropertyBase.matchName). The following names
are supported:
• Any match name for a property that can be added
through the user interface. For example, “ADBE
Mask Atom”, “ADBE Paint Atom”, “ADBE Text
Position”, “ADBE Text Anchor Point”.
• When adding to an ADBE Mask Parade: “ADBE
Mask Atom”, “Mask”.
• When adding to an ADBE Effect Parade, any
effect by match name, such as “ADBE Bulge”,
“ADBE Glo2”, “APC Vegas”.
• Any effect by display name, such as “Bulge”,
“Glow”, “Vegas”.
• For text animators, “ADBE Text Animator”.
• For selectors, Range Selector has the name
“ADBE Text Selector”, Wiggly Selector has the
name “ADBE Text Wiggly Selector”, and Expres-
sion Selector has the name “ADBE Text Express-
ible Selector”.

Returns
PropertyBase object.

PropertyGroup.canAddProperty()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec.canAddProperty(name)
Description
Returns true if a property with the given name can be added to this property group. For example, you can only add
mask to a mask group. The only legal input arguments are “mask” or “ADBE Mask Atom”.
maskGroup.canAddProperty("mask"); // returns true
maskGroup.canAddProperty("ADBE Mask Atom"); // returns true
maskGroup.canAddProperty("blend"); // returns false

Parameters
name The display name or match name of the property to be checked. (See PropertyGroup.addProperty().
Returns
Boolean.

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PropertyGroup.property()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec.property(index)
app.project.item(index).layer(index).propertyGroupSpec.property(name)

Description
Finds and returns a child property of this group, as specified by either its index or name. A name specification can use
the same syntax that is available with expressions. The following are all allowed and are equivalent:
mylayer.position
mylayer("position")
mylayer.property("position")
mylayer(1)
mylayer.property(1)

Some properties of a layer, such as position and zoom, can be accessed only by name. When using the name to
find a property that is multiple levels down, you must make more than one call to this method. For example, the
following call searches two levels down, and returns the first mask in the mask group: myLayer.property("ADBE
Masks").property(1)
Parameters
index The index for the child property, in this is an indexed
group. An integer in the range [1..numProperties].
name The name of the child property. This can be:
• Any match name
• Any name in expression “parenthesis style” syn-
tax, meaning the display name or the compact En-
glish name
• Any name in expression “intercap style” syntax
For supported property names, see the table below.
Returns
PropertyBase object or null if no child property with the specified string name is found.
Properties accessible by name

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From any Layer

• “ADBE Mask Parade”, or “Masks”
• “ADBE Effect Parade”, or “Effects”
• “ADBE MTrackers”, or “Motion Trackers”

From an AVLayer
• “Anchor Point” or “anchorPoint”
• “Position” or “position”
• “Scale” or “scale”
• “Rotation” or “rotation”
• “Z Rotation” or “zRotation” or “Rotation Z” or
“rotationZ”
• “Opacity” or “opacity”
• “Marker” or “marker”

From an AVLayer with a non-still source

• “Time Remap” or “timeRemapEnabled”

From an AVLayer with an audio component

• “Audio Levels” or “audioLevels”

From a camera layer

• “Zoom” or “zoom”
• “Depth of Field” or “depthOfField”
• “Focus Distance” or “focusDistance”
• “Aperture” or “aperture”
• “Blur Level” or “blurLevel”

From a light layer

• “Intensity” or “intensity”
• “Color” or “color”
• “Cone Angle” or “coneAngle”
• “Cone Feather” or “coneFeather”
• “Shadow Darkness” or “shadowDarkness”
• “Shadow Diffusion” or “shadowDiffusion”
• “Casts Shadows” or “castsShadows”

From a 3D layer
• “Accepts Shadows” or “acceptsShadows”
• “Accepts Lights” or “acceptsLights”
• “Ambient” or “ambient”
• “Diffuse” or “diffuse”
• “Specular” or “specular” (these are for the Spec-
ular Intensity property)
• “Shininess” or “shininess” (these are for the Spec-
ular Shininess property)
• “Casts Shadows” or “castsShadows”
• “Light Transmission” or “lightTransmission”
• “Metal” or “metal”

From a camera, light or 3D layer

• “X Rotation” or “xRotation” or “Rotation X” or
“rotationX”
• “Y Rotation” or “yRotation” or “Rotation Y” or
“rotationY”
• “Orientation” or “orientation”

From a text layer

• “Source Text” or “source Text” or “Text” or “text”
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• “ADBE Mask Atom”

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Examples
1. If a layer named “myLayer” has a Box Blur effect, you can retrieve the effect in any of the following ways:
myLayer.property("Effects").property("Box Blur");
myLayer.property("Effects").property("boxBlur");
myLayer.property("Effects").property("ADBE Box Blur");

2. If a layer named “myLayer” has a mask named “Mask 1” you can retrieve it as follows:
myLayer.property("Masks").property("Mask1");

3. To get a Bulge Center value from a Bulge effect, you can use either of the following:
myLayer.property("Effects").property("Bulge").property("Bulge Center");
myLayer.property("Effects").property("Bulge").property("bulgeCenter");

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 CHAPTER 25

MaskPropertyGroup object

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask
Description
The MaskPropertyGroup object encapsulates mask attributes in a layer.
MaskPropertyGroup is a subclass of PropertyGroup object. All methods and attributes of PropertyBase
object and PropertyGroup, in addition to those listed below, are available when working with MaskProp-
ertyGroup.

Attributes

MaskPropertyGroup.color

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).color
Description
The color used to draw the mask outline as it appears in the user interface (Composition panel, Layer panel, and
Timeline panel).
Type
Array of three floating-point values, [R, G, B], in the range [0.0..1.0]; read/write.

MaskPropertyGroup.inverted

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).inverted
Description
When true, the mask is inverted; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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MaskPropertyGroup.locked

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).locked
Description
When true, the mask is locked and cannot be edited in the user interface; otherwise, false.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

MaskPropertyGroup.maskFeatherFalloff

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).maskFeatherFalloff
Description
The feather falloff mode for the mask. Equivalent to the Layer > Mask > Feather Falloff setting.
Type
A MaskFeatherFalloff enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• MaskFeatherFalloff.FFO_LINEAR
• MaskFeatherFalloff.FFO_SMOOTH

MaskPropertyGroup.maskMode

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).maskMode
Description
The masking mode for this mask.
Type
A MaskMode enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• MaskMode.NONE
• MaskMode.ADD
• MaskMode.SUBTRACT
• MaskMode.INTERSECT
• MaskMode.LIGHTEN
• MaskMode.DARKEN
• MaskMode.DIFFERENCE

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MaskPropertyGroup.maskMotionBlur

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).maskMotionBlur
Description
How motion blur is applied to this mask.
Type
A MakMotionBlur enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• MaskMotionBlur.SAME_AS_LAYER
• MaskMotionBlur.ON
• MaskMotionBlur.OFF

MaskPropertyGroup.rotoBezier

app.project.item(index).layer(index).mask(index).rotoBezier
Description
When true, the mask is a RotoBezier shape; otherwise, false.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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 CHAPTER 26

RenderQueue object

app.project.renderQueue
Description
The RenderQueue object represents the render automation process, the data and functionality that is available through
the Render Queue panel of a particular After Effects project. Attributes provide access to items in the render queue and
their render status. Methods can start, pause, and stop the rendering process. The RenderQueueItem object provides
access to the specific settings for an item to be rendered.

Attributes

RenderQueue.canQueueInAME

app.project.renderQueue.canQueueInAME

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

Description
indicates whether or not there are queued render items in the After Effects render queue. Only queued items can be
added to the AME queue.
RenderQueue.queueInAME()
Type
Boolean; read-only.

RenderQueue.items

app.project.renderQueue.items
Description
A collection of all items in the render queue. See RenderQueueItem object.
Type

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RQItemCollection object; read-only.

RenderQueue.numItems

app.project.renderQueue.numItems
Description
The total number of items in the render queue.
Type
Integer; read-only.

RenderQueue.rendering

app.project.renderQueue.rendering
Description
When true, the rendering process is in progress or paused. When false, it is stopped.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Methods

RenderQueue.item()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index)
Description
Gets a specified item from the ite ms collection.
Parameters
index The position index of the item. An integer in the range [0..numItems].
Returns
RenderQueueItem object.

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RenderQueue.pauseRendering()

app.project.renderQueue.pauseRendering(pause)
Description
Pauses the current rendering process, or continues a paused rendering process. This is the same as clicking Pause in
the Render Queue panel during a render. You can call this method from an RenderQueueItem.onStatusChanged or
app.onError callback.
Parameters
pause True to pause a current render process, false to continue a paused render.
Returns
Nothing.

RenderQueue.render()

app.project.renderQueue.render()
Description
Starts the rendering process. This is the same as clicking Render in the Render Queue panel. The method does not re-
turn until the render process is complete. To pause or stop the rendering process, call RenderQueue.pauseRendering()
or RenderQueue.stopRendering() from an onError or onStatusChanged callback.
• To respond to errors during the rendering process, define a callback function in app.onError.
• To respond to changes in the status of a particular item while the render is progressing, define a callback function
in RenderQueueItem.onStatusChanged in the associated RenderQueueItem object.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

RenderQueue.showWindow()

app.project.renderQueue.showWindow(doShow)
Description
Shows or hides the Render Queue panel.
Parameters
doShow When true, show the Render Queue panel. When false, hide it.
Returns
Nothing.

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RenderQueue.stopRendering()

app.project.renderQueue.stopRendering()
Description
Stops the rendering process. This is the same as clicking Stop in the Render Queue panel during a render. You can
call this method from an RenderQueueItem.onStatusChanged or app.onError callback.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

RenderQueue.queueInAME()

app.project.renderQueue.queueInAME(render_immediately_in_AME)

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 14.0 (CC 2017)

Description
Calls the Queue In AME command. This method requires passing a boolean value, telling AME whether to only queue
the render items (false) or if AME should also start processing its queue (true).

Note: This requires Adobe Media Encoder CC 2017 (11.0) or later.

Note: When AME receives the queued items, it applies the most recently used encoding preset. If
render_immediately_in_AME is set to true, you will not have an opportunity to change the encoding settings.

Parameters
Telling AME whether to only queue the render items (false) or if AME should
render_immediately_in_AME
also start processing its queue (true).
Returns
Nothing.
Example
The following sample code checks to see if there are queued items in the render queue, and if so queues them in AME
but does not immediately start rendering:
// Scripting support for Queue in AME.
// Requires Adobe Media Encoder 11.0.
{
if (app.project.renderQueue.canQueueInAME == true)
{
// Send queued items to AME, but do not start rendering.
app.project.renderQueue.queueInAME(false);
}

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else {
alert("There are no queued item in the Render Queue.");
}
}

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 CHAPTER 27

RQItemCollection object

app.project.renderQueue.items
Description
The RQItemCollection contains all of the render-queue items in a project, as shown in the Render Queue panel of
the project. The collection provides access to the RenderQueueItem objects, and allows you to create them from
compositions. The first RenderQueueItem object in the collection is at index position 1.
RQItemCollection is a subclass of Collection object. All methods and attributes of Collection are available
when working with RQItemCollection.

Methods

RQItemCollection.add()

app.project.renderQueue.items.add(comp)
Description
Adds a composition to the Render Queue, creating a RenderQueueItem.
Parameters
comp The CompItem object for the composition to be added.
Returns
RenderQueueItem object.

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 CHAPTER 28

RenderQueueItem object

app.project.renderQueue.item(index)
Description
The RenderQueueItem object represents an individual item in the render queue. It provides access to the specific
settings for an item to be rendered. Create the object by adding a composition to the Render Queue with the RQItem-
Collection object; see RQItemCollection.add().

Attributes

RenderQueueItem.comp

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).comp
Description
The composition that will be rendered by this render-queue item. To change the composition, you must delete this
render-queue item and create a new one.
Type
CompItem object; read-only.

RenderQueueItem.elapsedSeconds

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).elapsedSeconds
Description
The number of seconds spent rendering this item.
Type
Integer, or null if item has not been rendered; read-only.

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RenderQueueItem.logType

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).logType
Description
A log type for this item, indicating which events should be logged while this item is being rendered.
Type
A LogType enumerated value; (read/write). One of:
• LogType.ERRORS_ONLY
• LogType.ERRORS_AND_SETTINGS
• LogType.ERRORS_AND_PER_FRAME_INFO

RenderQueueItem.numOutputModules

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).numOutputModules
Description
The total number of Output Modules assigned to this item.
Type
Integer; read-only.

RenderQueueItem.onStatusChanged

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).onStatusChanged
Description
The name of a callback function that is called whenever the value of the RenderQueueItem.status attribute changes.
You cannot make changes to render queue items or to the application while rendering is in progress or paused; you
can, however, use this callback to pause or stop the rendering process. See RenderQueue.pauseRendering() and
RenderQueue.stopRendering(). See also app.onError.
Type
A function name string, or null if no function is assigned.
Example
function myStatusChanged() {
alert(app.project.renderQueue.item(1).status)
}

app.project.renderQueue.item(1).onStatusChanged = myStatusChanged();
app.project.renderQueue.item(1).render = false; // changes status and shows dialog

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RenderQueueItem.outputModules

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModules
Description
The collection of Output Modules for the item.
Type
OMCollection object; read-only.

RenderQueueItem.render

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).render
Description
When true, the item will be rendered when the render queue is started. When set to true, the RenderQueueItem.status
is set to RQItemStatus.QUEUED. When set to false, status is set to RQItemStatus.UNQUEUED.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

RenderQueueItem.skipFrames

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).skipFrames
Description
The number of frames to skip when rendering this item. Use this to do rendering tests that are faster than a full render.
A value of 0 skip no frames, and results in regular rendering of all frames. A value of 1 skips every other frame. This
is equivalent to “rendering on twos.” Higher values skip a larger number of frames. The total length of time remains
unchanged. For example, if skip has a value of 1, a sequence output would have half the number of frames and in
movie output, each frame would be double the duration.
Type
Integer in the range [0..99]. Read/write.

RenderQueueItem.startTime

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).startTime
Description
The day and time that this item started rendering.
Type
Date object, or null if the item has not started rendering; read-only.

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RenderQueueItem.status

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).status
Description
The current render status of the item.
Type
An RQItemStatus enumerated value; read-only. One of:
• RQItemStatus.WILL_CONTINUE: Rendering process has been paused.
• RQItemStatus.NEEDS_OUTPUT: Item lacks a valid output path.
• RQItemStatus.UNQUEUED: Item is listed in the Render Queue panel but composition is not ready to render.
• RQItemStatus.QUEUED: Composition is ready to render.
• RQItemStatus.RENDERING: Composition is rendering
• RQItemStatus.USER_STOPPED: Rendering process was stopped by user or script.
• RQItemStatus.ERR_STOPPED: Rendering process was stopped due to an error.
• RQItemStatus.DONE: Rendering process for the item is complete.

RenderQueueItem.templates

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).templates
Description
The names of all Render Settings templates available for the item. See also RenderQueueItem.saveAsTemplate().
Type
Array of strings; read-only.

RenderQueueItem.timeSpanDuration

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).timeSpanDuration
Description
The duration in seconds of the composition to be rendered. The duration is determined by subtracting the start time
from the end time. Setting this value is the same as setting a custom end time in the Render Settings dialog box.
Type
Floating-point value; read/write.

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RenderQueueItem.timeSpanStart

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).timeSpanStart
Description
The time in the composition, in seconds, at which rendering will begin. Setting this value is the same as setting a
custom start time in the Render Settings dialog box.
Type
Floating-point value; read/write.

Methods

RenderQueueItem.applyTemplate()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).applyTemplate(templateName)
Description
Applies a Render Settings template to the item. See also RenderQueueItem.saveAsTemplate() and Ren-
derQueueItem.templates.
Parameters
templateName A string containing the name of the template to apply.
Returns
Nothing.

RenderQueueItem.duplicate()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).duplicate()
Description
Creates a duplicate of this item and adds it this render queue.

Note: Duplicating an item whose status is “Done” sets the new item’s status to “Queued”.

Parameters
None.
Returns
RenderQueueItem object.

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RenderQueueItem.getSetting()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).getSetting()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

RenderQueueItem.getSettings()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).getSettings()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

RenderQueueItem.outputModule()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index)
Description
Gets an output module with the specified index position.
Parameters
index The position index of the output module. An integer in the range [1..numOutputModules].
Returns
OutputModule object.

RenderQueueItem.remove()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).remove()
Description
Removes this item from the render queue.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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RenderQueueItem.saveAsTemplate()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).saveAsTemplate(name)
Description
Saves the item’s current render settings as a new template with the specified name.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the new template.
Returns
Nothing.

RenderQueueItem.setSetting()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).setSetting()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

RenderQueueItem.setSettings()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).setSettings()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

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 CHAPTER 29

OMCollection object

app.project.renderQueue.items.outputModules
Description
The OMCollection contains all of the output modules in a render queue. The collection provides access to the Output-
Module objects, but does not provide any additional functionality. The first OutputModule object in the collection is
at index position 1.
OMCollection is a subclass of Collection object. All methods and attributes of Collection are available
when working with OMCollection.

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 CHAPTER 30

OutputModule object

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index)
Description
An OutputModule object of a RenderQueueItem generates a single file or sequence via a render operation, and contains
attributes and methods relating to the file to be rendered.

Attributes

OutputModule.file

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).file
Description
The ExtendScript File object for the file this output module is set to render.
Type
ExtendScript File object; read/write.

OutputModule.includeSourceXMP

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).includeSourceXMP
Description
When true, writes all source footage XMP metadata to the output file. Corresponds to the Include Source XMP
Metadata option in the Output Module Settings dialog box.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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OutputModule.name

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).name
Description
The name of the output module, as shown in the user interface.
Type
String; read-only.

OutputModule.postRenderAction

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).postRenderAction
Description
An action to be performed when the render operation is completed.
Type
A PostRenderAction enumerated value (read/write); one of:
• PostRenderAction.NONE
• PostRenderAction.IMPORT
• PostRenderAction.IMPORT_AND_REPLACE_USAGE
• PostRenderAction.SET_PROXY

OutputModule.templates

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).templates
Description
The names of all output-module templates available in the local installation of After Effects.
Type
Array of strings; read-only.

Methods

OutputModule.applyTemplate()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).applyTemplate(templateName)
Description
Applies the specified existing output-module template.
Parameters

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templateName A string containing the name of the template to be applied.

Returns
Nothing.

OutputModule.getSetting()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).getSetting()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

OutputModule.getSettings()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).getSettings()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

OutputModule.remove()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).remove()
Description
Removes this OutputModule object from the collection.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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OutputModule.saveAsTemplate()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).saveAsTemplate(name)
Description
Saves this output module as a template and adds it to the te mpl ate s array.
Parameters
name A string containing the name of the new template.
Returns
Nothing.

OutputModule.setSetting()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).setSetting()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

OutputModule.setSettings()

app.project.renderQueue.item(index).outputModule(index).setSettings()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.0 (CC 2014)

Description
See https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/new-changed-after-effects-cc-2014/?segment=dva

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 CHAPTER 31

FileSource object

app.project.item(index).mainSource
app.project.item(index).proxySource

Description
The FileSource object describes footage that comes from a file.
FileSource is a subclass of FootageSource object. All methods and attributes of FootageSource, in addi-
tion to those listed below, are available when working with FileSource.

Attributes

FileSource.file

app.project.item(index).mainSource.file
app.project.item(index).proxySource.file

Description
The ExtendScript File object for the file that defines this asset. To change the value:
• If this FileSource is a proxySource of an AVItem, call setProxy() or setProxyWithSequence().
• If this FileSource is a mainSource of a FootageItem, call replace() or replaceWithSequence().
Type
File object; read-only.

FileSource.missingFootagePath

app.project.item(index).mainSource.file.missingFootagePath
app.project.item(index).proxySource.file.missingFootagePath

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Description
The path and filename of footage that is missing from this asset. See also AVItem.footageMissing.
Type
String; read-only.

Methods

FileSource.reload()

app.project.item(index).mainSource.file.mainSource.reload()
Description
Reloads the asset from the file. This method can be called only on a mainSource, not a proxySource.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 32

FootageSource object

app.project.item(index).mainSource
app.project.item(index).proxySource

Description
The FootageSource object holds information describing the source of some footage. It is used as the mainSource
of a FootageItem object, or the proxySource of a CompItem object or FootageItem.
FootageSource is the base class for SolidSource object, so FootageSource attributes and methods are
available when working with SolidSource objects.

Attributes

FootageSource.alphaMode

app.project.item(index).mainSource.alphaMode
app.project.item(index).proxySource.alphaMode

Description
The.alphaMode of footageSource defines how the alpha information in the footage is to be interpreted. If hasAlpha
is false, this attribute has no relevant meaning.
Type
An Alpha Mode enumerated value; (read/write). One of:
• AlphaMode.IGNORE
• AlphaMode.STRAIGHT
• AlphaMode.PREMULTIPLIED

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FootageSource.conformFrameRate

app.project.item(index).mainSource.conformFrameRate
app.project.item(index).proxySource.conformFrameRate

Description
A frame rate to use instead of the nativeFrameRate value. If set to 0, the nativeFrameRate is used instead.
It is an error to set this value if FootageSource.isStill is true. It is an error to set this value to 0 if removePull-
down is not set to PulldownPhase.OFF. If this is 0 when you set removePulldown to a value other than
PulldownPhase.OFF, then this is automatically set to the value of nativeFrameRate.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [0.0..99.0]; read/write.

FootageSource.displayFrameRate

app.project.item(index).mainSource.displayFrameRate
app.project.item(index).proxySource.displayFrameRate

Description
The effective frame rate as displayed and rendered in compositions by After Effects. If removePull-
down is PulldownPhase.OFF, then this is the same as the conformFrameRate (if non-zero) or the
nativeFrameRate (if conformFrameRate is 0). If removePulldown is not PulldownPhase.OFF, this
is conformFrameRate * 0.8, the effective frame rate after removing 1 of every 5 frames.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [0.0..99.0]; read-only.

FootageSource.fieldSeparationType

app.project.item(index).mainSource.fieldSeparationType
app.project.item(index).proxySource.fieldSeparationType

Description
How the fields are to be separated in non-still footage. It is an error to set this attribute if isStill is true. It is an
error to set this value to FieldSeparationType.OFF if removePulldown is not PulldownPhase.OFF.
Type
A FieldSeparationType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• FieldSeparationType.OFF
• FieldSeparationType.UPPER_FIELD_FIRST
• FieldSeparationType.LOWER_FIELD_FIRST

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FootageSource.hasAlpha

app.project.item(index).mainSource.hasAlpha
app.project.item(index).proxySource.hasAlpha

Description
When true, the footage has an alpha component. In this case, the attributes alphaMode, invertAlpha, and
premulColor have valid values. When false, those attributes have no relevant meaning for the footage.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

FootageSource.highQualityFieldSeparation

app.project.item(index).mainSource.highQualityFieldSeparation
app.project.item(index).proxySource.highQualityFieldSeparation

Description
When true, After Effects uses special algorithms to determine how to perform high-quality field separation. It is an
error to set this attribute if isStill is true, or if fieldSeparationType is FieldSeparationType.OFF.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

FootageSource.invertAlpha

app.project.item(index).mainSource.invertAlpha
app.project.item(index).proxySource.invertAlpha

Description
When true, an alpha channel in a footage clip or proxy should be inverted. This attribute is valid only if an alpha is
present. If hasAlpha is false, or if alphaMode is AlphaMode.IGNORE, this attribute is ignored.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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FootageSource.isStill

app.project.item(index).mainSource.isStill
app.project.item(index).proxySource.isStill

Description
When true the footage is still; when false, it has a time-based component. Examples of still footage are JPEG files,
solids, and placeholders with duration of 0. Examples of non-still footage are movie files, sound files, sequences, and
placeholders of non-zero duration.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

FootageSource.loop

app.project.item(index).mainSource.loop
app.project.item(index).proxySource.loop

Description
The number of times that the footage is to be played consecutively when used in a composition. It is an error to set
this attribute if isStill is true.
Type
Integer in the range [1..9999]; default is 1; read/write.

FootageSource.nativeFrameRate

app.project.item(index).mainSource.nativeFrameRate
app.project.item(index).proxySource.nativeFrameRate

Description
The native frame rate of the footage.
Type
Floating-point; read/write.

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FootageSource.premulColor

app.project.item(index).mainSource.premulColor
app.project.item(index).proxySource.premulColor

Description
The color to be premultiplied. This attribute is valid only if the alphaMode is alphaMode.PREMULTIPLIED.
Type
Array of three floating-point values [R, G, B], in the range [0.0..1.0]; read/write.

FootageSource.removePulldown

app.project.item(index).mainSource.removePulldown
app.project.item(index).proxySource.removePulldown

Description
How the pulldowns are to be removed when field separation is used. It is an error to set this attribute if isStill
is true. It is an error to attempt to set this to a value other than PulldownPhase.OFF in the case where
fieldSeparationType is FieldSeparationType.OFF.
Type
A PulldownPhase enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.OFF
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WSSWW
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.SSWWW
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.SWWWS
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WWWSS
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WWSSW
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WSSWW_24P_ADVANCE
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.SSWWW_24P_ADVANCE
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.SWWWS_24P_ADVANCE
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WWWSS_24P_ADVANCE
• PulldownPhase.RemovePulldown.WWSSW_24P_ADVANCE

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Methods

FootageSource.guessAlphaMode()

app.project.item(index).mainSource.guessAlphaMode()
app.project.item(index).proxySource.guessAlphaMode()

Description
Sets alphaMode, premulColor, and invertAlpha to the best estimates for this footage source. If hasAlpha
is false, no change is made.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

FootageSource.guessPulldown()

app.project.item(index).mainSource.guessPulldown(method)
app.project.item(index).proxySource.guessPulldown(method)

Description
Sets fieldSeparationType and removePulldown to the best estimates for this footage source. If isStill is
true, no change is made.
Parameters
method The method to use for estimation. A
PulldownMethod enumerated value, one of:
• PulldownMethod.PULLDOWN_3_2
• PulldownMethod.ADVANCE_24P

Returns
Nothing.

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 CHAPTER 33

PlaceholderSource object

app.project.item(index).mainSource
app.project.item(index).proxySource

Description
The PlaceholderSource object describes the footage source of a placeholder.
PlaceholderSource is a subclass of FootageSource object. All methods and attributes of FootageSource
are available when working with PlaceholderSource. PlaceholderSource does not define any additional
methods or attributes.

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 CHAPTER 34

SolidSource object

app.project.item(index).mainSource
app.project.item(index).proxySource

Description
The SolidSource object represents a solid-color footage source.
SolidSource is a subclass of FootageSource. All methods and attributes of FootageSource, in addition to
those listed below, are available when working with SolidSource.

Attributes

SolidSource.color

solidSource.color
Description
The color of the solid, expressed as red, green, and blue values.
Type
Array of three floating-point values, [R, G, B], in the range [0.0..1.0]; read/write.

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 CHAPTER 35

Collection object

Like an array, a collection associates a set of objects or values as a logical group and provides access to them by index.
However, most collection objects are read-only. You do not assign objects to them yourself—their contents update
automatically as objects are created or deleted.

Note: The index numbering of a collection starts with 1, not 0.

Objects

• ItemCollection object All of the items (imported files, folders, solids, and so on) found in the Project panel.
• LayerCollection object All of the layers in a composition.
• OMCollection object All of the Output Module items in the project.
• RQItemCollection object All of the render-queue items in the project.

Attributes

length The number of objects in the collection.

Methods

[] Retrieves an object in the collection by its index number. The first object is at index 1.

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 CHAPTER 36

ImportOptions object

new ImportOptions();
new ImportOptions(file);

Description
The ImportOptions object encapsulates the options used to import a file with the Project.importFile() methods. The
constructor takes an optional parameter, an ExtendScript File object for the file. If it is not supplied, you must explicitly
set the value of the file attribute before using the object with the importFile method. For example:
new ImportOptions().file = new File("myfile.psd");

Attributes

ImportOptions.file

importOptions.file
Description
The file to be imported. If a file is set in the constructor, you can access it through this attribute.
Type
ExtendScript File object; read/write.

ImportOptions.forceAlphabetical

importOptions.forceAlphabetical
Description
When true, has the same effect as setting the “Force alphabetical order” option in the File > Import > File dialog box.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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ImportOptions.importAs

importOptions.importAs
Description
The type of object for which the imported file is to be the source. Before setting, use canImportAs to check that a
given file can be imported as the source of the given object type.
Type
An ImportAsType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• ImportAsType.COMP_CROPPED_LAYERS
• ImportAsType.FOOTAGE
• ImportAsType.COMP
• ImportAsType.PROJECT

ImportOptions.sequence

importOptions.sequence
Description
When true, a sequence is imported; otherwise, an individual file is imported.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Methods

ImportOptions.canImportAs()

importOptions.canImportAs(type)
Description
Reports whether the file can be imported as the source of a particular object type. If this method returns true, you can
set the given type as the value of the importAs attribute.
Parameters
type The type of file that can be imported. An
ImportAsType enumerated value; one of:
• ImportAsType.COMP
• ImportAsType.FOOTAGE
• ImportAsType.COMP_CROPPED_LAYERS
• ImportAsType.PROJECT

Returns
Boolean.

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Example
var io = new ImportOptions(File("c:\\myFile.psd"));
if io.canImportAs(ImportAsType.COMP) {
io.importAs = ImportAsType.COMP;
}

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 CHAPTER 37

KeyframeEase object

myKey = new KeyframeEase(speed, influence);

Description
The KeyframeEase object encapsulates the keyframe ease settings of a layer?s AE property. Keyframe ease is de-
termined by the speed and influence values that you set using the property?s setTemporalEaseAtKey method. The
constructor creates a KeyframeEase object. Both parameters are required.
• speed: A floating-point value. Sets the speed attribute.
• influence: A floating-pointvalue in the range [0.1..100.0]. Sets the influence attribute.
Example
This example assumes that the Position, a spatial property, has more than two keyframes.
var easeIn = new KeyframeEase(0.5, 50);
var easeOut = new KeyframeEase(0.75, 85);
var myPositionProperty = app.project.item(1).layer(1).property("Position");
myPositionProperty.setTemporalEaseAtKey(2, [easeIn], [easeOut]);

This example sets the Scale, a temporal property with either two or three dimensions. For 2D and 3D properties you
must set an easeIn and easeOut value for each dimension:
var easeIn = new KeyframeEase(0.5, 50);
var easeOut = new KeyframeEase(0.75, 85);
var myScaleProperty = app.project.item(1).layer(1).property("Scale")
myScaleProperty.setTemporalEaseAtKey(2, [easeIn, easeIn, easeIn], [easeOut, easeOut, easeOut]);

Attributes

KeyframeEase.influence

myKey.influence
Description
The influence value of the keyframe, as shown in the Keyframe Velocity dialog box.
Type
Floating-point value in the range [0.1..100.0]; read/write.

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KeyframeEase.speed

myKey.speed
Description
The speed value of the keyframe. The units depend on the type of keyframe, and are displayed in the Keyframe
Velocity dialog box.
Type
Floating-point value; read/write.

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 CHAPTER 38

MarkerValue object

new MarkerValue(comment, chapter, url, frameTarget, cuePointName, params)

Description
The MarkerValue object represents a layer, or composition, marker, which associates a comment, and option-
ally a chapter reference point, Web-page link, or Flash Video cue point with a particular point in a layer. Cre-
ate it with the constructor; all arguments except comment are optional. All arguments are strings that set
in the corresponding attributes of the returned MarkerValueo bject, except params. This is an array contain-
ing key-value pairs, which can then be accessed with the getParameters() and setParameters() methods. A
script can set any number of parameter pairs; the order does not reflect the order displayed in the applica-
tion. To associate a marker with a layer, set the MarkerValue object in the Marker AE property of the layer:
layerObject.property("Marker").setValueAtTime(time, markerValueObject); For infor-
mation on the usage of markers see “Using markers” in After Effects Help.
Examples
• To set a marker that says “Fade Up” at the 2 second mark:
var myMarker = new MarkerValue("FadeUp");
myLayer.property("Marker").setValueAtTime(2, myMarker);

• To get comment values from a particular marker:

var commentOfFirstMarker = app.project.item(1).layer(1).property("Marker").keyValue(1).comment;
var commentOfMarkerAtTime4 = app.project.item(1).layer(1).property("Marker").valueAtTime(4.0, tr
var markerProperty = app.project.item(1).layer(1).property("Marker");
var markerValueAtTimeClosestToTime4 = markerProperty.keyValue(markerProperty.nearestKeyIndex(4.0
var commentOfMarkerClosestToTime4 = markerValueAtTimeClosestToTime4.comment;

Attributes

MarkerValue.chapter

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).chapter
Description
A text chapter link for this marker. Chapter links initiate a jump to a chapter in a QuickTime movie or in other formats
that support chapter marks.
Type

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String; read/write.

MarkerValue.comment

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).comment
Description
A text comment for this marker. This comment appears in the Timeline panel next to the layer marker.
Type
String; read/write.

MarkerValue.cuePointName

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).cuePointName
Description
The Flash Video cue point name, as shown in the Marker dialog box.
Type
String; read/write.

MarkerValue.duration

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).duration
Description
The marker’s duration, in seconds. The duration appears in the Timeline panel as a short bar extending from the marker
location.
Type
Floating point; read/write.

MarkerValue.eventCuePoint

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).eventCuePoint
Description
When true, the FlashVideo cue point is for an event; otherwise, it is for navigation.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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MarkerValue.frameTarget

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).frameTarget
Description
A text frame target for this marker. Together with the URL value, this targets a specific frame within a Web page.
Type
String; read/write.

MarkerValue.url

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).url
Description
A URL for this marker. This URL is an automatic link to a Web page.
Type
String; read/write.

Methods

MarkerValue.getParameters()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).getParameters()
Description
Returns the key-value pairs for Flash Video cue-point parameters, for a cue point associated with this marker value.
Parameters
None.
Returns
An object with an attribute matching each parameter name, containing that parameter’s value.

MarkerValue.setParameters()

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("Marker").keyValue(index).setParameters(keyVa
Description
Associates a set of key-value pairs for Flash Video cue-point parameters, for a cue point associated with this marker
value. A cue point can have any number of parameters, but you can add only three through the user interface; use this
method to add more than three parameters.
Parameters

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An object containing the key-value pairs as attributes and values. The object’s toString()
keyValuePairs
method is called to assign the string value of each attribute to the named key.
Returns
Nothing.
Example
var mv = new MarkerValue("MyMarker");
var parms = new Object;
parms.timeToBlink = 1;
parms.assignMe = "A string"
mv.setParameters(parms);
myLayer.property("Marker").setValueAtTime(2, mv);

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 CHAPTER 39

Settings object

app.settings
Description
The Settings object provides an easy way to manage settings for scripts. The settings are saved in the After Effects
preferences file and are persistent between application sessions. Settings are identified by section and key within the
file, and each key name is associated with a value. In the preferences file, section names are enclosed in brackets and
quotation marks, and key names are listing in quotation marks below the sectionname. All values are strings. You can
create new settings with this object, as well as accessing existing settings.
Note for Version 12/CC and newer versions of AE: Preferences and settings methods now take a third argument to
specify the target preferences file if Section/Key is not in “Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs.txt”. If the
third argument is not passed, default value (PREFType.PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC) is used and After Ef-
fects tries to save/get from the “Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs.txt” preferences file. The third argument
is enum PREFType value.
You can now pass the preference type with a script with new PREFType enum:
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-indep-general.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_RENDER: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-indep-
render.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_OUTPUT: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-indep-
output.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_COMPOSITION: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-
indep-composition.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC_TEXT: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-text.txt
• PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC_PAINT: Adobe After Effects $versionNumber.x Prefs-paint.txt

Methods

Settings.getSetting()

app.settings.getSetting(sectionName, keyName)
Description

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Retrieves a scripting preferences item value from the preferences file.

Parameters
sectionName A string containing the name of a settings section
keyName A string containing the key name of the setting item.
Returns
String.
Example
If you have saved a setting named with the key name “Aligned Clone” in the “Eraser - Paint Settings” section,you can
retrieve the value with this script:
var n = app.settings.getSetting("Eraser-PaintSettings", "AlignedClone");
alert("The setting is" + n);

Settings.haveSetting()

app.settings.haveSetting(sectionName, keyName)
Description
Returns true if the specified scripting preferences item exists and has a value.
Parameters
sectionName A string containing the name of a settings section
keyName A string containing the key name of the setting item.
Returns
Boolean.

Settings.saveSetting()

app.settings.saveSetting(sectionName, keyName, value)

Description
Saves a default value for a scripting preferences item.
Parameters
sectionName A string containing the name of a settings section
keyName A string containing the key name of the setting item.
value A string containing the new value.
Returns
Nothing.

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Shape object

app.project.item(index).layer(index).property(index).property("maskShape").value
Description
The Shape object encapsulates information describing a shape in a shape layer, or the outline shape of a Mask. It is
the value of the “Mask Path” AE properties, and of the “Path” AE property of a shape layer. Use the constructor,
newShape(), to create a new, empty Shape object, then set the attributes individually to define the shape.
A shape has a set of anchor points, or vertices, and a pair of direction handles, or tangent vectors, for each anchor
point. A tangent vector (in a non-RotoBezier mask) determines the direction of the line that is drawn to or from an
anchor point. There is one incoming tangent vector and one outgoing tangent vector associated with each vertex in the
shape.
A tangent value is a pair of x,y coordinates specified relative to the associated vertex. For example, a tangent of [-1,-1]
is located above and to the left of the vertex and has a 45 degree slope, regardless of the actual location of the vertex.
The longer a handle is, the greater its influence; for example, an incoming shape segment stays closer to the vector
for an inTangent of [-2,-2] than it does for an inTangent of [-1,-1], even though both of these come toward the
vertex from the same direction.
If a shape is not closed, the inTangent for the first vertex and the outTangent for the final vertex are ignored.
If the shape is closed, these two vectors specify the direction handles of the final connecting segment out of the final
vertex and back into the first vertex.
RotoBezier masks calculate their tangents automatically. (See MaskPropertyGroup.rotoBezier) If a shape is used in a
RotoBezier mask, the tangent values are ignored. This means that, for RotoBezier masks, you can construct a shape by
setting only the vertices attribute and setting both inTangents and outTangents to null. When you access
the new shape, its tangent values are filled with the automatically calculated tangent values.
For closed mask shapes, variable-width mask feather points can exist anywhere along the mask path. Feather points
are part of the Mask Path property. Reference a specific feather point by the number of the mask path segment (portion
of the path between adjacent vertices) where it appears.

Note: The feather points on a mask are listed in an array in the order that they were created.

Examples
• Create a square mask. A square is a closed shape with 4 vertices. The inTangents and outTangents for
connected straight-line segments are 0, the default, and do not need to be explicitly set.
var myShape = newShape();
myShape.vertices = [[0,0], [0,100], [100,100], [100,0]];
myShape.closed = true;

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• Create a “U” shaped mask. A “U” is an open shape with the same 4 vertices used in the square:
var myShape = newShape();
myShape.vertices = [[0,0], [0,100], [100,100], [100,0]];
myShape.closed = false;

• Create an oval. An oval is a closed shape with 4 vertices and with i nTange nt and out Tange nt values:
var myShape = new Shape();
myShape.vertices = [[300,50], [200,150],[300,250],[400,150]];
myShape.inTangents = [[55.23,0],[0,-55.23],[-55.23,0],[0,55.23]];
myShape.outTangents = [[-55.23,0],[0,55.23],[55.23,0],[0,-55.23]];
myShape.closed = true;

• Create a square mask with two feather points. A large square mask with two feather points, one closer to the
left end the second mask segment (off the bottom edge) with a radius of 30 pixels and the other one centered the
third mask segment (off the right edge) with a larger radius of 100 pixels.
var myShape = new Shape();
myShape.vertices = [[100,100], [100,400], [400,400], [400,100]]; // segments drawn counter clock
myShape.closed = true;
myShape.featherSegLocs = [ 1 ,2 ]; // segments are numbered starting at 0, so second segment is
myShape.featherRelSegLocs = [0.15, 0.5]; // 0.15 is closer to the lower-left corner of the squar
myShape.featherRadii = [30, 100]; // second feather point (onright-sidesegment) has a larger rad

Attributes

Shape.closed

shapeObject.value.closed
Description
When true, the first and last vertices are connected to form a closed curve. When false, the closing segment is not
drawn.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Shape.featherInterps

shapeObject.value.featherInterps
Description
An array containing each feather point’s radius interpolation type (0 for non-Hold feather points, 1 for Hold feather
points).

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created.

Type

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Array of integers (0 or 1); read/write.

Shape.featherRadii

shapeObject.value.featherRadii
Description
An array containing each feather point’s radius (feather amount); inner feather points have negative values.

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created.

Type
Array of floating-point values; read/write.

Shape.featherRelCornerAngles

shapeObject.value.featherRelCornerAngles
Description
An array containing each feather point’s relative angle percentage between the two normals on either side of a curved
outer feather boundary at a corner on a mask path. The angle value is 0% for feather points not at corners.

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created.

Type
Array of floating-point percentage values (0 to 100); read/write.

Shape.featherRelSegLocs

shapeObject.value.featherRelSegLocs
Description
An array containing each feather point’s relative position, from 0 to 1, on its mask path segment (section of the mask
path between vertices, numbered starting at 0).

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created. To move a feather point to a different
mask path segment, first change the featherSegLocs attribute value, then this attribute.

Type
Array of floating-point values (0 to 1); read/write.

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Shape.featherSegLocs

shapeObject.value.featherSegLocs
Description
An array containing each feather point’s mask path segment number (section of the mask path between vertices,
numbered starting at 0).

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created. Move a feather point to a different
segment by changing both its segment number (this attribute) and, optionally, its featherRelSegLocs attribute value.

Type
Array of integers; read/write.
Example
// Assuming a rectangle closed mask (segments numbered 0-3) has 3 mask feather points,
// move all 3 feather points to the first mask segment.

// Get the Shape object for the mask, assumed here to be the first mask on the layer.
var my_maskShape = layer.mask(1).property("ADBE Mask Shape").value;

// Check where mask feather points are located.

// Note: They are stored in the order that they are added.
var where_are_myMaskFeatherPoints = my_maskShape.featherSegLocs;

// Move all 3 feather points to the first mask segment (numbered 0).
my_maskShape.featherSegLocs = [0, 0, 0];

// Update the mask path.

layer.mask(1).property("ADBE Mask Shape").setValue(my_maskShape);

Shape.featherTensions

shapeObject.value.featherTensions
Description
An array containing each feather point’s tension amount, from 0 (0% tension) to 1 (100% tension).

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created.

Type
Array of floating-point values (0 to 1); read/write.

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Shape.featherTypes

shapeObject.value.featherTypes
Description
An array containing each feather point’s direction, either 0 (outer feather point) or 1 (inner feather point).

Note: You cannot change the direction of a feather point after it has been created.

Note: Values are stored in the array in the order that feather points are created.

Type
Array of integers (0 or 1); read/write.

Shape.inTangents

shapeObject.value.inTangents
Description
The incoming tangent vectors, or direction handles, associated with the vertices of the shape. Specify each vector as
an array of two floating-point values, and collect the vectors into an array the same length as the vertices array.
Each tangent value defaults to [0,0]. When the mask shape is not RotoBezier, this results in a straight line segment.
If the shape is in a RotoBezier mask, all tangent values are ignored and the tangents are automatically calculated.
Type
Array of floating-point pair arrays; read/write.

Shape.outTangents

shapeObject.value.outTangents
Description
The outgoing tangent vectors, or direction handles, associated with the vertices of the shape. Specify each vector as
an array of two floating-point values, and collect the vectors into an array the same length as the vertices array.
Each tangent value defaults to [0,0]. When the mask shape is not RotoBezier, this results in a straight line segment.
If the shape is in a RotoBezier mask, all tangent values are ignored and the tangents are automatically calculated.
Type
Array of floating-point pair arrays; read/write.

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Shape.vertices

shapeObject.value.vertices
Description
The anchor points of the shape. Specify each point as an array of two floating-point values, and collect the point pairs
into an array for the complete set of points. For example:
myShape.vertices = [[0,0], [0,1], [1,1], [1,0]];

Type
Array of floating-point pair arrays; read/write.

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TextDocument object

new TextDocument(docText)
app.project.item(index).layer(index).property("SourceText").value

Description
The TextDocument object stores a value for a TextLayer’s Source Text property. Create it with the constructor, passing
the string to be encapsulated.
Examples
This sets a value of some source text and displays an alert showing the new value:
var myTextDocument = newTextDocument("HappyCake");
myTextLayer.property("SourceText").setValue(myTextDocument);
alert(myTextLayer.property("SourceText").value);

This sets keyframe values for text that show different words over time:
var textProp = myTextLayer.property("Source Text");
textProp.setValueAtTime(0, newTextDocument("Happy"));
textProp.setValueAtTime(.33, newTextDocument("cake"));
textProp.setValueAtTime(.66, newTextDocument("is"));
textProp.setValueAtTime(1, newTextDocument("yummy!"));

This sets various character and paragraph settings for some text:
var textProp = myTextLayer.property("Source Text");
var textDocument = textProp.value;
myString = "Happy holidays!";
textDocument.resetCharStyle();
textDocument.fontSize = 60;
textDocument.fillColor = [1, 0, 0];
textDocument.strokeColor = [0, 1, 0];
textDocument.strokeWidth = 2;
textDocument.font = "Times New Roman PSMT";
textDocument.strokeOverFill = true;
textDocument.applyStroke = true;
textDocument.applyFill = true;
textDocument.text = myString;
textDocument.justification = ParagraphJustification.CENTER_JUSTIFY;
textDocument.tracking = 50;
textProp.setValue(textDocument);

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Attributes

TextDocument.allCaps

textDocument.allCaps

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has allcaps enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.applyFill

textDocument.applyFill
Description
When true, the text layer shows a fill. Access the fillColor attribute for the actual color. When false, only a stroke
is shown.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

TextDocument.applyStroke

textDocument.applyStroke
Description
When true, the text layer shows a stroke. Access the strokeColor attribute for the actual color and strokeWidth
for its thickness. When false, only a fill is shown.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

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TextDocument.baselineLocs

textDocument.baselineLocs

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.6 (CC 2015)

Description
The baseline (x,y) locations for a text layer. Line wraps in a paragraph text box are treated as multiple lines.

Note: If a line has no characters, the x and y values for start and end will be the maximum float value
(3.402823466e+38F).

Type
Array of floating-point values in the form of: line0.start_x, line0.start_y, line0.end_x,
line0.end_y, line1.start_x, line1.start_y, line1.end_x, line1.end_y ...
lineN-1.start_x, lineN-1.start_y, lineN-1.end_x, lineN-1.end_y

TextDocument.baselineShift

textDocument.baselineShift

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
This text layer’s baseline shift in pixels.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

TextDocument.boxText

textDocument.boxText
Description
True if a text layer is a layer of paragraph (bounded) text; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

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TextDocument.boxTextPos

textDocument.boxTextPos

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
The layer coordinates from a paragraph (box) text layer’s anchor point as a [width, height] array of pixel dimensions.

Warning: This attribute only works on paragraph text layers. This value only reflects the first character in the text
layer at the current time.

Type
Array of ([X,Y]) position coordinates; read-only.
Example
For a paragraph text layer:
// Returns [x,y] position from layer anchor point in layer coordinates.
// e.g. approximately [0, -25] with default character panel settings.
var boxTextLayerPos = myTextLayer.sourceText.value.boxTextPos;

TextDocument.boxTextSize

textDocument.boxTextSize
Description
The size of a paragraph (box) text layer as a [width, height] array of pixel dimensions.
Type
Array of two integers (minimum value of 1); read/write.

TextDocument.fauxBold

textDocument.fauxBold

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has faux bold enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type

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Boolean; read-only.
Example
For a text layer with fauxBold enabled:: var isFauxBold = myTextLayer.sourceText.value.fauxBold; // returns true

TextDocument.fauxItalic

textDocument.fauxItalic

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has faux italic enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.fillColor

textDocument.fillColor
Description
The text layer’s fill color, as an array of [r, g, b] floating-point values. For example, in an 8-bpc project, a red
value of 255 would be 1.0, and in a 32-bpc project, an overbright blue value can be something like 3.2.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Array [r, g, b] of floating-point values; read/write.

TextDocument.font

textDocument.font
Description
The text layer’s font specified by its PostScript name.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

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Type
String; read/write.

TextDocument.fontFamily

textDocument.fontFamily

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.1 (CC 2014.1)

Description
String with with the name of the font family.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
String; read-only.

TextDocument.fontLocation

textDocument.fontLocation

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.1 (CC 2014.1)

Description
Path of font file, providing its location on disk.

Warning: Not guaranteed to be returned for all font types; return value may be empty string for some kinds of
fonts.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
String; read-only.

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TextDocument.fontSize

textDocument.fontSize
Description
The text layer’s font size in pixels.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Floating-point value (0.1 to 1296, inclusive); read/write.

TextDocument.fontStyle

textDocument.fontStyle

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.1 (CC 2014.1)

Description
String with style information, e.g., “bold”, “italic”

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
String; read-only.

TextDocument.horizontalScale

textDocument.horizontalScale

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
This text layer’s horizontal scale in pixels.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Floating-point value; read-only.
Example

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For a text layer with horizontalScale set to 50%:: var valOfHScale = myText-
Layer.sourceText.value.horizontalScale; // returns 0.5

TextDocument.justification

textDocument.justification
Description
The paragraph justification for the text layer.
Type
A ParagraphJustification enumerated value; read-only. One of:
• ParagraphJustification.LEFT_JUSTIFY
• ParagraphJustification.RIGHT_JUSTIFY
• ParagraphJustification.CENTER_JUSTIFY
• ParagraphJustification.FULL_JUSTIFY_LASTLINE_LEFT
• ParagraphJustification.FULL_JUSTIFY_LASTLINE_RIGHT
• ParagraphJustification.FULL_JUSTIFY_LASTLINE_CENTER
• ParagraphJustification.FULL_JUSTIFY_LASTLINE_FULL

TextDocument.pointText

textDocument.pointText
Description
True if a text layer is a layer of point (unbounded) text; otherwise false.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.smallCaps

textDocument.smallCaps

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has small caps enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

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Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.strokeColor

textDocument.strokeColor
Description
The text layer’s stroke color, as an array of [r, g, b] floating-point values. For example, in an 8-bpc project, a red value
of 255 would be 1.0, and in a 32-bpc project, an overbright blue value can be something like 3.2.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Array [r, g, b] of floating-point values; read/write.

TextDocument.strokeOverFill

textDocument.strokeOverFill
Description
Indicates the rendering order for the fill and stroke of a text layer. When true, the stroke appears over the fill.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Boolean; read/write.

TextDocument.strokeWidth

textDocument.strokeWidth
Description
The text layer’s stroke thickness in pixels.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Floating-point value (0 to 1000, inclusive); read/write.

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TextDocument.subscript

textDocument.subscript

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has subscript enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.superscript

textDocument.superscript

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
True if a text layer has superscript enabled; otherwise false.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Boolean; read-only.

TextDocument.text

textDocument.text
Description
The text value for the text layer’s Source Text property.
Type
String; read/write.

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TextDocument.tracking

textDocument.tracking
Description
The text layer’s spacing between characters.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time. If you change this value,
it resets all characters in the text layer to the specified setting.

Type
Floating-point value; read/write.

TextDocument.tsume

textDocument.tsume

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
This text layer’s tsume value.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

TextDocument.verticalScale

textDocument.verticalScale

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
This text layer’s vertical scale in pixels.

Warning: This value only reflects the first character in the text layer at the current time.

Type
Floating-point value; read-only.

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Methods

TextDocument.compPointToSource()

textDocument.compPointToSource()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
Converts composition coordinates, such as sourcePointToComp, to layer coordinates.

Warning: This method only works on paragraph text layers. This value only reflects the first character in the text
layer at the current time.

Parameters
sourcePointToComp A position array of composition coordinates in ([X, Y]) format.
Returns
Array of ([X,Y]) position coordinates; read-only.

TextDocument.resetCharStyle()

textDocument.resetCharStyle()
Description
Restores the default text character characteristics in the Character panel.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

TextDocument.resetParagraphStyle()

textDocument.resetParagraphStyle()
Description
Restores the default text paragraph characteristics in the Paragraph panel.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Nothing.

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TextDocument.sourcePointToComp()

textDocument.sourcePointToComp()

Note: This functionality was added in After Effects 13.2 (CC 2014.2)

Description
Converts layer coordinates, such as boxTextPos, to composition coordinates.

Warning: This method only works on paragraph text layers. This value only reflects the first character in the text
layer at the current time.

Parameters
boxTextPos A position array of layer coordinates in ([X, Y]) format.
Returns
Array of ([X,Y]) position coordinates; read-only.
Example
For a paragraph text layer:
// Converts position in layer coordinates to comp coordinates.
var boxTextCompPos = myTextLayer.sourcePointToComp(boxTextLayerPos);

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Viewer object

app.activeViewer
Description
The Viewer object represents a Composition, Layer, or Footage panel.
Example
This maximizes the active viewer panel, and displays its type if it contains a composition:
var activeViewer = app.activeViewer;
activeViewer.maximized = true;
if (activeViewer.type == ViewerType.VIEWER_COMPOSITION)
alert("Compositionpanelisactive.");

Attributes

Viewer.active

viewer.active
Description
When true, indicates if the viewer panel is focused, and thereby frontmost.
Type
Boolean; read-only.

Viewer.fastPreview

viewer.fastPreview
Description
The state of the Fast Previews menuThis is a read/write attribute using an enumerated value:

Warning: If you try to get or set the attribute’s value in the Layer or Footage panel, you’ll get an error message.

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Note: The Draft preview mode is only available in ray-traced 3D compositions. If you try to use it in a Classic 3D
composition, you’ll get an error: “Cannot set Draft fast preview mode in a Classic 3D composition.”

Type
A FastPreviewType enumerated value; read/write. One of:
• FastPreviewType.FP_OFF: Off (Final Quality)
• FastPreviewType.FP_ADAPTIVE_RESOLUTION: Adaptive Resolution
• FastPreviewType.FP_DRAFT: Draft
• FastPreviewType.FP_FAST_DRAFT: Fast Draft
• FastPreviewType.FP_WIREFRAME: Wireframe
Example
app.activeViewer.views[0].options.fastPreview == FastPreviewType.FP_ADAPTIVE_RESOLUTION
app.activeViewer.views[0].options.fastPreview == FastPreviewType.FP_DRAFT
app.activeViewer.views[0].options.fastPreview == FastPreviewType.FP_FAST_DRAFT
app.activeViewer.views[0].options.fastPreview == FastPreviewType.FP_OFF
app.activeViewer.views[0].options.fastPreview == FastPreviewType.FP_WIREFRAME

Viewer.maximized

viewer.maximized
Description
When true, indicates if the viewer panel is at its maximized size.
Type
Boolean; read/write.

Viewer.type

viewer.type
Description
The content in the viewer panel.
Type
A ViewerType enumerated value; read-only. One of:
• ViewerType.VIEWER_COMPOSITION
• ViewerType.VIEWER_LAYER
• ViewerType.VIEWER_FOOTAGE

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Methods

Viewer.setActive()

viewer.setActive()
Description
Moves the viewer panel to the front and places focus on it, making it active. Calling this method will set the viewer’s
active attribute to true.
Parameters
None.
Returns
Boolean indicating if the viewer panel was made active.

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