Scripting for Bounding box around text or AI file

[Dan Ebberts]

I’m not what all you’re looking for, but whatever you want to do is probably do-able. This just expands on what you have a little to maybe give you some ideas. I think I’d position the rectangle with an expression, so I’ve included how to do that. Anyway, I hope it’s helpful.

function addShapeOnTop(){
	var comp = app.project.activeItem;
	if (comp == null || ! (comp instanceof CompItem)){
		alert("No comp active.");
		return;
	}
	if (comp.selectedLayers.length == 0){
		alert("No layer selected.");
		return;
	}
	var margin = 10;
	var textLayer = comp.selectedLayers[0];
	var shapeLayer = comp.layers.addShape();
	shapeLayer.name = "Shape on top";
	var shapeLayerContents = shapeLayer.property("ADBE Root Vectors Group");
	var rectangleGroup = shapeLayerContents.addProperty("ADBE Vector Group");
	rectangleGroup.name = "Rectangle 1";
	var rectangleContents = rectangleGroup.property("ADBE Vectors Group");
	var pathGroup = rectangleContents.addProperty("ADBE Vector Shape - Rect");
	var sourceRect = textLayer.sourceRectAtTime(0,false);
	 pathGroup.property("ADBE Vector Rect Size").setValue([sourceRect.width + margin*2,sourceRect.height + margin*2]);
	var pathStroke = rectangleContents.addProperty("ADBE Vector Graphic - Stroke");
	var pathFill = rectangleContents.addProperty("ADBE Vector Graphic - Fill");
	var expr = 'L = thisComp.layer("' + textLayer.name + '");\r' +
			'r = L.sourceRectAtTime(time,false);\r' +
			'L.toComp([r.left+r.width/2,r.top+r.height/2])';
	shapeLayer.property("Position").expression = expr;
	shapeLayer.moveAfter(textLayer);
}
addShapeOnTop();

[Stanley Castello]

It’s possible, wow! thank you again. My idea is to reveal text by animating the shape layer from left to right. When the shape is in full, the text is hiding, the revealed by the shape and then the shape is gone leaving only the text or item.