• Adobe After Effects

  Change Text Layer’s Content Without Changing Layer Name

  Posted by Johnson Zhang on May 17, 2012 at 9:59 am

  Hi all,

  I am creating a graph template. I have the positions of my text labels for my y-axis on the graph automated, so I have my expressions linked to my text labels’ position using the layer’s name.

  However, since this is a template, I want to be able to change the text label’s content easily (ie just double clicking the text in the composition window and changing it there) whenever I need to without affecting the expressions.

  I have managed to make the text label and the layer name different, but somehow, sometimes when I need to change the content, it still gives me the expression error and thereafter disables the expression affected.

  I do know I can pre-comp each text layer, but I find it quite a hassle to need to go into each pre-comp to change the label.

  Is there a way of changing the text layer’s source text without changing the layer name?

  John Cuevas replied 14 years, 4 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  John Cuevas

  May 17, 2012 at 2:36 pm

  If I understand correctly, you could set up each label in a precomp and for the Source Text apply an expression to return the comps name:

  thisComp.name


  Then you wouldn’t have to open any precomps, you could just rename each precomp in your project window and it would update your labels.

  Johnny Cuevas, Editor
  Thinkck.com

  “I have not failed 700 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
  —THOMAS EDISON on inventing the light bulb.

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