Dockable GUI issues – load dropdownlist from array

[Walter Soyka]

Here’s a start:

var masterComp;
for (var i = 1; i <= app.project.numItems; i ++) {
if ((app.project.item(i) instanceof CompItem) && (app.project.item(i).name === 'master')) {
masterComp = app.project.item(i);
break;
}
}
var myList = new Array();

// UI Code
{
function myScript(thisObj) {
function myScript_buildUI(thisObj){
var myPanel = (thisObj instanceof Panel) ? thisObj : new Window("palette", "My window name", undefined,{resizeable:true});

for(var i=1; i <= masterComp.numLayers; i++){
myList[myList.length] = masterComp.layer(i).name;
}

res =
"group { \
orientation:'row',\
groupOne: Group { \
orientation:'column',\
masterButton: Button{text:'Master'},\
layerButton1: Button{text:'First Name'},\
layerButton2: Button{text:'Last Name'},\
layerButton3: Button{text:'Gender'},\
layerButton4: Button{text:'Phonenumber'},\
layerButton5: Button{text:'Email'},\
layerButton6: Button{text:'Work'},\
layerButton7: Button{text:'Streetname'},\
layerButton8: Button{text:'Housenumber'},\
layerButton9: Button{text:'City'},\
layerButton10: Button{text:'Subs'},\
}, \
}";
//

myPanel.grp = myPanel.add(res);
myPanel.grp.groupOne.add("dropdownlist", undefined, myList);

myPanel.layout.layout(true);

// return window
return myPanel;
}
var myScriptPal = myScript_buildUI(thisObj);
if((myScriptPal != null)&&(myScriptPal instanceof Window)){
myScriptPal.center();
myScriptPal.show();
}

}
myScript(this);
}

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Jeroen Rommelaars]

Wow, walter,….it was that easy, huh! Thanks so much!
I actually tried your method before, but I think i got the myPanel.grp.groupOne wrong and triend only groupOne instead. duh,…

Anyways, this works so now i can continue the tinkering! Great!

What im trying to achieve in the long run is the following:
I work with a company who creates automated personalised video. We alter after effects files and send them to our custom render farm to render out millions of videos automatically. The preparation of those after effects files for automated use however can take a bit of time…not much, but still 1-3 days. Im trying to semi-automate the process with a plugin. I now have a gui panel that can link layers to master layers with the push of a button. The next step was to populate a dropdownlist with the actual layers in my master comp (where the personalised variables are present) and link them through a dropdown….and from there on it needs to get more and more automated/fluid.

But, as said, this works – so i can continue breaking my mind on extendscript 😉

[Clif Mitchell]

Hey Jeroen

Sorry I don’t have more time to put in this, but I’ve got it close. The correct number of items are showing up in the drop down (Plus one placeholder item, which could be removed after populating). Just haven’t troubleshot why the names aren’t showing up.


{
function myScript(thisObj) {
function myScript_buildUI(thisObj){
var myPanel = (thisObj instanceof Panel) ? thisObj : new Window("palette", "My window name", undefined,{resizeable:true});

res = "group{orientation:'row',\
groupOne: Group {orientation:'column',\
masterButton: Button{text:'Master'},\
layerButton1: Button{text:'First Name'},\
layerButton2: Button{text:'Last Name'},\
layerButton3: Button{text:'Gender'},\
layerButton4: Button{text:'Phonenumber'},\
layerButton5: Button{text:'Email'},\
layerButton6: Button{text:'Work'},\
layerButton7: Button{text:'Streetname'},\
layerButton8: Button{text:'Housenumber'},\
layerButton9: Button{text:'City'},\
layerButton10: Button{text:'Subs'},\
DDL: DropDownList {properties:{items:[' ']}},\
},\
}";

myPanel.grp = myPanel.add(res);

var masterComp;
for (var i = 1; i <= app.project.numItems; i ++) {
if ((app.project.item(i) instanceof CompItem) && (app.project.item(i).name === 'master')) {
masterComp = app.project.item(i);
break;
}
}
var myList = new Array();

for(var i=1; i <= masterComp.numLayers; i++){
myList[myList.length] = masterComp.layer(i).name; // Leaving this in for your future use.
var newitem = myPanel.grp.groupOne.DDL.add('Item', undefined, masterComp.layer(i).name );
}

myPanel.layout.layout(true);

// return window
return myPanel;
}

var myScriptPal = myScript_buildUI(thisObj);
if((myScriptPal != null)&&(myScriptPal instanceof Window)){
myScriptPal.center();
myScriptPal.show();
}

}
myScript(this);
}


[Jeroen Rommelaars]

Thanks Cliff, thats also a great approach for only using the resource string.
Both methodes work great! I have all the info I needed to continue and ive been adding some code since. Im finally beginning the feel like this project is getting somewhere ????

Damn you weird ass Extendscript 😛