Text box for more than one text layer?

[Tomas Bumbulevičius]

Hey Sean, below is execution in a template, which allows controlling text boxes, based on chars per line.

https://youtu.be/G-iy15R9H7s

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[Sean Kimber]

Thanks, Tomas! This isn’t quite what I’m looking for, though. I’m looking to create one big box around several text layers that works dynamically. This looks like it creates boxes around each individual line.

Thank you, though!

[Tomas Bumbulevičius]

Sean, thanks for your response, if thats the case – now I have a better understanding whats needed here!

There questions here are:
1. Where(in layers stack) new text layers added?
2. What is the overall structure of comp setup?
3. How many new texts might be added, and in what cases they can be removed, thus, to be subtracted from equation?

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[Sean Kimber]

HI Tomas,

Thanks! Regarding your questions…

1. I plan on adding all text layers above the shape layer. I think this is the best way to work with the indexes. I’ll make the user duplicate a text layer (and, using the index, have that duplicate move a certain number of pixels, which have yet to be determined, on the Y position value).

2. Not entirely sure what you mean here, but I plan on creating a template where the each text layer is stacked on top of another text layer. Then there will be a matte which allows the text to “come out” of the area where the previous text layer is. Once a text layer is duplicated, it would go at the bottom of the comp order, both in index number (but still above the shape layer), and in position.

3. I want to give the user the freedom to choose the number of text lines that they need. I suspect, though, that they won’t need to add or subtract more than one or two lines. I anticipate having the base template have 4 lines.

Hope this answers your questions!

Thanks!
Sean

[Tomas Bumbulevičius]

Hey Sean,

Thanks for your answers! Its great to explore and break down whats needed, in order to provide possible approaches:)

1. What IF, going from the bottom to the top of layers stack:
~ SHAPE layer – last.
~ MAIN text layer – non editable by the user – index-1 from shape.
~ USER-TEXT-LAYERS all other text layers, existing or ‘to be duplicated later’ – above of those two ^^.

Now, I assume that each text layer duplicated by the user, will stand as a separate line. Is this correct?

Then, in order to not necessarily deal with ‘re-positioning’ the texts.. What if you add all those texts from ‘USER-TEXT-LAYERS’ by expression, into text source of MAIN layer? Meaning, it would scan for layers, and then as much of them are found – add them into next line inside ‘MAIN’? And thus, SHAPE would readjust, and design stay in terms of lines spacing, as set in MAIN!

2. About comp setup – I mean are there any additional design items/layers in the comp apart from setup layers described in 1st point in this message.

Now you probably wonder – ok Tomas, but whats about user UX using such approach? They will duplicate a text layer, and what to do with it then? Well, I would suggest using those text layers as guide-layers only, which will give a glance of texts used, but will work as references only. SO, the duplicated layers will stand as references only.

This suggestion is valid ONLY if single-style design text is OK. If custom/per line style customisation is needed, this approach is not OK ☺

3. ++

Based on above, we can shift this discussion one way or another !

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