[Dan Ebberts]

If you just need your expression to look at markers on the precomp layer instead of keyframes on your control layer, you should be able to just change this line:

s = thisComp.layer("CONTROL_politicalParties").effect("START ANI")("Slider");

to this:

s = marker;

[Dan Ebberts]

If it’s a small number of words you could do it like this:

txt = text.sourceText;
txt.length > 0 && (txt == "Sat" || txt == "Sun") ? 100 : 0;

[Dan Ebberts]

<div>Maybe something like this for position:</div>

fade = effect("Fade Time")("Slider");
hold = effect("Hold Time")("Slider");
upperLeft = [50,50];
lowerRight = [thisComp.width-50,thisComp.height-50];
period = fade + hold;
seed = Math.floor((time - inPoint)/period);
seedRandom(seed,true);
random(upperLeft,lowerRight);

and something like this for opacity:

fade = effect("Fade Time")("Slider");
hold = effect("Hold Time")("Slider");
period = fade + hold;
t = (time - inPoint)%period;
linear(t,0,fade,0,100

Adjust upperLeft and lowerRight in the position expression to define the rectangular random area.

[Dan Ebberts]

A lot of the old expressions got mangled when they updated this site. The straight quotes got converted to curly quotes and the minus signs got converted to some other character. This should work better:

L1 = thisComp.layer("Layer 1");
L2 = thisComp.layer("Layer 2");
p1 = L1.toWorld(L1.anchorPoint);
p2 = L2.toWorld(L2.anchorPoint);
delta = p2 - p1;
radiansToDegrees(Math.atan2(delta[1],delta[0]));

[Dan Ebberts]

I think that was an attempt to keep the text in the range defined by the original base line and the maximum upward y amount, but I think I got it wrong–it should have been like this:

freq = 1;
seedRandom(textIndex,true);
[0,50] + wiggle(freq,50)-value;

[Dan Ebberts]

Ah yes, that would happen if you go above 100%. This should fix it:

charsPerSec = 7;
randPct = 75;
seedRandom(index,true);
prevDelay = 0;
avgDelay = 1/charsPerSec;
minDelay = avgDelay*Math.max(.1,1-randPct/100);
maxDelay = avgDelay*(1+randPct/100);
for (i = 1; i <= textIndex; i++){
  prevDelay += random(minDelay,maxDelay);
}
(time - inPoint) > prevDelay  ? 0 : 100

[Dan Ebberts]

If you’re using the Typewriter animation preset, you could add an expression selector, delete the range selector and add this expression to the expression selector’s amount property (adjust overall speed with charsPerSec and randomness with randPct):

charsPerSec = 7;
randPct = 75;
seedRandom(index,true);
prevDelay = 0;
avgDelay = 1/charsPerSec;
minDelay = avgDelay*(1-randPct/100);
maxDelay = avgDelay*(1+randPct/100);
for (i = 1; i <= textIndex; i++){
  prevDelay += random(minDelay,maxDelay);
}
(time - inPoint) > prevDelay  ? 0 : 100

[Dan Ebberts]

You’d have to come up with a custom script to read and process the xml or csv. Probably not too tough if you have scripting experience, but would take some time if it’s your first script.

[Dan Ebberts]

Try this:

//LOOKING AT: Star 2
target = thisComp.layer("Star 2");
p1 = fromWorld(thisLayer.toWorld(transform.anchorPoint));
p2 = fromWorld(target.toWorld(target.anchorPoint));
look=lookAt(p1,p2);
[look[0],look[1]+180,look[2]]

[Dan Ebberts]

Unfortunately, once you apply an expression to sourceText, all characters get the same style as the first character. So I don’t think there’s a way to do what you want with a single text layer.