Great script - seems to be working very nicely for us. One feature I'd love to see (or workaround) is a way for the script to combine the pre-comp function (!) with the replace layer (#). In essence duplicate, rename and replace a preComp in the main template and populate it with the variable info inside.
I think a few people have mentioned this - it'd be the icing on the cake to a great workflow!
I actually have this feature working in what will be the next release. Unfortunately (well fortunately for me) I got a new job in August as I was writing the new release and I havent had the time necessary to complete it. I am going to try to release it soon, there are other features in it people have been asking for, changing the length of the comp based on replaced layers.
So keep your ear out, your post is the kick in the butt I needed to finally finish this thing and get it out there.
CompsFromSpreadSheet is only importing one line from my tab delimited text file....however that one line/one comp has all of the parts and pieces in it, so in that sense it was succesful. Other .ase and .txt files have worked before in the past. Can't seem to find a common denominator, any suggestions?
One problem I see off the bat is the use of the column name "date", that is a reserved word to insert todays date (if you have a text layer in your comp named ^date it will get filled in with todays date)
try changing the column name and subsequent target layer in your comp to something other than date. Let me know if it helps.
Oddly enough it still pulled the correct date from my spreadsheet. I made the change and I'm still having the same issue - creates one comp and ignores the rest...I'm going to rebuild my document and see if that helps. Let me know if you think it could be something else.
We need to know if it’s possible to automate the entire process, here’s an example:
Imagine that we have a folder “hot” where we will leave all the txt that contain the variability. With After Effects open, can the script make a call to the folder, read that there is a new txt and perform the manual process that would normally be carried out?
The goal is to have a project prepared to have each day X videos are generated, but the most automatic possible. Does the possibility exist?
Thanks very much. Too bad we can’t rate (rank) this script. It’s a big effort.
Currrently there is no way to automate the process as you are asking...I have over the years created custom code for people to do this, but there are so many different ways people want this type of automation I havent been able to come up with a generic enough solution to please the masses (maybe the next next version
Thank you so much for the script, it's a life-saver, also, thank you so much for keeping it up-to-date and being so active in the comments section here.
Is there any way to carry over bolded words within a text blockfrom the spreadsheet to AE?
Thank so much for your script ....That help me a lot from 20,000 word for subtitles!!! Now I use your script for 7 days trial. What I need to know is How many computer I can use for one license ? Cause for next month I have to move to my new computer and continue my subtitle again......:))
Thank so much for your script ....That help me a lot from 20,000 word for subtitles!!! Now I use your script for 7 days trial. What I need to know is How many computer I can use for one license ? Cause for next month I have to move to my new computer and continue my subtitle again......:))
Hi Cheer,
The license is for 1 computer, but I do not think it is a problem to move the license to a different computer. Please open a support ticket to get help transferring your license.
Is there any code or procedure (like using <br> to make line breaks) applicable to bolding certain portions of the replaced text?
hi Andrejs,
Unfortunately this is not possible through scripting. Adobe does not have the best text controls through scripting, any changes to formatting changes the entire text element, so if the script told after effects to make the text bold, the entire text layer would become bold, there is no way to dial in specific characters to be formatted different from the rest.
You are not the first to ask so if this functionality ever becomes available through scripting it is definitely a feature I would add
I've noticed that it's not possible to use the #LayerReplace feature and have the resulting #layer also use !nested precomps and ^replace data within that row of comp elements. In other words whatever layer you wind up with through the "#' layer replace feature cannot also have dynamic spreadsheet elements within that replaced comp. I have thought of ways this could reduce my template size and enable alternative logic when setting up the spreadsheet.
I think this is a great feature request worthy of consideration.
Alternatively i've noticed it IS possible to use multiple !precomps nested within !precomps and still do a text replace or layer replace with the # and ^ functions. I love this script! Thanks for creating such a wildly USEFUL product! Great work.
I can't seem to find a function to determine a layer's visibility? I have four layers that must be either on or off thus creating 16 different comps with all possible combinations of these layers.
I thought of maybe writing to the layers' opacity channels but feels like a very roundabout way of doing it...
there is nothing in compsFromSpreadsheet to drive a layers visibility.
But I think you could use expressions to do this: put a text layer above the layer whose visibility you want to control, make the text layer a target of the spreadsheet and turn the visibility of the text layer off so you dont actually see it in your comp, it's just a data layer.
Have in expression in your visibility layers opacity to look at the source text above it, if the source text says "on" opacity is 100, if it says "off" opacity is zero (your spreadsheet will fill in the value in the text layer which will cause the layer in question to either be visible or not.
I think that would work and be fairly easy to setup, I'll put it on the compsFromSpreadsheet wishlist, but it won't make it in the next release as it is almost done (been saying that for a while)
I've noticed that it's not possible to use the #LayerReplace feature and have the resulting #layer also use !nested precomps and ^replace data within that row of comp elements. In other words whatever layer you wind up with through the "#' layer replace feature cannot also have dynamic spreadsheet elements within that replaced comp. I have thought of ways this could reduce my template size and enable alternative logic when setting up the spreadsheet.
I think this is a great feature request worthy of consideration.
Alternatively i've noticed it IS possible to use multiple !precomps nested within !precomps and still do a text replace or layer replace with the # and ^ functions. I love this script! Thanks for creating such a wildly USEFUL product! Great work.
It is in the next release which is soooooooo close to being done.
Thanks for this awesome tool! I've run into a problem that I don't see that anyone else has. I only use one template (which I've named TemplateA) and whenever I run the script it only makes one comp, then fails with this error: "line: 2 duplicate TemplateA"
I only have one comp named TemplateA in my project. Each row of the spreadsheet has "TemplateA" as its first cell. Am I using it correctly?
Edit
I just figured it out! I had created hidden, locked text layers to capture the redundant cells I didn't need in my graphic (at one point I thought each column needed a matching layer in After Effects). I had them shyed so I forgot all about them. Unlocking these hidden, locked layers fixed the problem. Thanks!
I actually have this feature working in what will be the next release. Unfortunately (well fortunately for me) I got a new job in August as I was writing the new release and I havent had the time necessary to complete it. I am going to try to release it soon, there are other features in it people have been asking for, changing the length of the comp based on replaced layers.
So keep your ear out, your post is the kick in the butt I needed to finally finish this thing and get it out there.
One problem I see off the bat is the use of the column name "date", that is a reserved word to insert todays date (if you have a text layer in your comp named ^date it will get filled in with todays date)
try changing the column name and subsequent target layer in your comp to something other than date. Let me know if it helps.
Currrently there is no way to automate the process as you are asking...I have over the years created custom code for people to do this, but there are so many different ways people want this type of automation I havent been able to come up with a generic enough solution to please the masses (maybe the next next version
As far as I know there is not access to this type of formatting through scripting (sorry)
Thank so much for your script ....That help me a lot from 20,000 word for subtitles!!!
Now I use your script for 7 days trial.
What I need to know is How many computer I can use for one license ?
Cause for next month I have to move to my new computer and continue my subtitle again......:))
The license is for 1 computer, but I do not think it is a problem to move the license to a different computer. Please open a support ticket to get help transferring your license.
Unfortunately this is not possible through scripting. Adobe does not have the best text controls through scripting, any changes to formatting changes the entire text element, so if the script told after effects to make the text bold, the entire text layer would become bold, there is no way to dial in specific characters to be formatted different from the rest.
You are not the first to ask so if this functionality ever becomes available through scripting it is definitely a feature I would add
there is nothing in compsFromSpreadsheet to drive a layers visibility.
But I think you could use expressions to do this: put a text layer above the layer whose visibility you want to control, make the text layer a target of the spreadsheet and turn the visibility of the text layer off so you dont actually see it in your comp, it's just a data layer.
Have in expression in your visibility layers opacity to look at the source text above it, if the source text says "on" opacity is 100, if it says "off" opacity is zero (your spreadsheet will fill in the value in the text layer which will cause the layer in question to either be visible or not.
I think that would work and be fairly easy to setup, I'll put it on the compsFromSpreadsheet wishlist, but it won't make it in the next release as it is almost done (been saying that for a while)
Here's a brief list of changes