expression for length of text layer

[Dan Ebberts]

sourceRectAtTime() works with both expressions and scripts. It returns an object that includes the width and height of the text’s bounding box. You would use it like this:

rect = thisComp.layer(“text”).sourceRectAtTime(time,false);
w = rect.width;
h = rect.height;

Note that these results don’t include any scaling applied to the layer, so you may have to account for that separately.

Dan

[Martin Jean-sébastien]

Wow thank you! Much more easier than before!

[Martin Jean-sébastien]

Can you tell me since which version of after effects we can use this expression?
Thanks!

[Dan Ebberts]

That was implemented in AE CC 2014.2 (I think).

Dan

[Patrick Grossien]

this is weird. I’m using CC2015 and sourceRectAtTime doesn’t update properly for me.

My text is set up so that it appears over time via an animated slider:

n=thisComp.layer("john.doe@me.com").effect("Tipp Counter")("Slider");
showtext=text.sourceText.substr(0,n);

now I want to attach a blinking cursor to the appearing text at the end.

L = thisComp.layer("john.doe@me.com");
r = L.sourceRectAtTime(time,false);
fromComp(L.toComp([r.left+r.width,r.top+r.height]))

The value is not being updated over time and the value itself is nowhere near it should be.
I also checked what happens with the width of sourceRectAtTime and it doesn’t update either when used solo.

Any insight as to what I’m doing wrong? Or is there a bug I’m missing.

Thanks!

[Patrick Grossien]

this is weird. I’m using CC2015 and sourceRectAtTime doesn’t update properly for me.

My text is set up so that it appears over time via an animated slider:

n=thisComp.layer("john.doe@me.com").effect("Tipp Counter")("Slider");
showtext=text.sourceText.substr(0,n);

now I want to attach a blinking cursor to the appearing text at the end.

L = thisComp.layer("john.doe@me.com");
r = L.sourceRectAtTime(time,false);
fromComp(L.toComp([r.left+r.width,r.top+r.height]))


The value is not being updated over time and the value itself is nowhere near it should be.
I also checked what happens with the width of sourceRectAtTime and it doesn’t update either when used solo.

Any insight as to what I’m doing wrong? Or is there a bug I’m missing.

Thanks!

[Rombout Versluijs]

I used this code have dynamic textfield which show my comments in a marker. Is there a method how i can set a maxwidth to that textfield so it uses line breaks automatically?

[Alex Barnet]

Hi everyone. The sourceRectAtTime works great, but how would I calibrate the expression so that the text box can be moved around?

[David Cabestany]

Patrick, use this expression instead:

L = text.sourceText.length;
sp=thisComp.layer("xp").effect("Speed")("Slider");
st=thisComp.layer("xp").effect("Start At")("Slider");
PT = time - thisLayer.inPoint;
T = PT*sp-st*sp;
F = Math.round(PT % 1);

if(F == 1 | (T0) )

{Fl = "|"} // cambia la letra/simbolo dentro de las comillas
else{Fl ="";}

substr(0,T) + Fl