Trying to access XY of verrtices

[Markus Stone]

…and if I try it like this, I get ‘[…] is not a function’ whether or not I define anything in points()

thisComp.layer("Test").content("Shape 1").content("Path 1").content("path").points();

Apologies for the newbie posts, but I can’t find a guide to expression errors and what they might mean in english.

So it’s not a function. Cool. So what does that mean I might have done wrong?

Thanks,
Markus

[Dan Ebberts]

Try it this way:

L = thisComp.layer(“Test”);
p = L.content(“Shape 1”).content(“Path 1”).path.points();
L.toComp(p[0])

Dan

[Markus Stone]

Oh My God, it works!

Thank you Dan (legend!)

I’ve commented my understanding of the code below. What I don’t get is why;

a) Addressing the points must be done by first breaking everything up into variables. I mean, you could make a variable for “Path 1” too if you really wanted. How does substituting variables help us here?

b) toComp? Is that because the shape layer dimensions are *not necessarily the same size as the composition size? Would this be unnecessary of it was a mask on a footage layer if it was the same size as the composition itself?

Cheers and thanks!
Markus

My Understanding of the code

L = thisComp.layer(“Test”);
//define variable L as this comp “Test”

p = L.content(“Shape 1”).content(“Path 1”).path.points();
//define variable p as the ‘points’ parameter of the L (Test) Layer

L.toComp(p[0])
// Take ‘Test’ layer (variable ‘L’), transform point from layer space to composition space, *then specify which point you want the X,Y of [0].

[Dan Ebberts]

a) You don’t have to use intermediate variables, it just makes the code simpler (in my opinion) and more compact.

b) the path vertices are specified in layer “Test”‘s layer space. toComp() converts them to comp space.

p is an array of vertices, p[0] is the first vertex.

Dan

[Markus Stone]

So, to enhance my understanding, (if you’re happy to teach a noob like me ☺) would you be happy to show me how it would look *without intermediate variables?

I have a problem with my syntax that I need to resolve, and I kinda thought the above would work.

Cheers & thanks

Markus

[Dan Ebberts]

I guess that would be like this:

thisComp.layer(“Test”).toComp(thisComp.layer(“Test”).content(“Shape 1”).content(“Path 1”).path.points()[0])

Dan

[Markus Stone]

How would it look if you weren’t to use intermediate variables?

I’m just trying to figure out where I went wrong with my attempt. I think I have the syntax wrong, but everything I tried crashed and burned.

Cheers
M

[Markus Stone]

Sorry, Ignore my last, just saw your reply.

Muchas Gracias 🙂