Upgrading to API 2 reduces exposed layer properties

Photoshop UXP Plugin API
1

Hoping to get some clarification as to why this happens.

With apiVersion set to 1 you get a deprecated warning, but you also get a a full list of all layers when calling app.activeDocument.layers. Each layer object has an array of children objects. This structure makes it easy to build a full snapshot of the entire layer structure of a file without having to use BatchPlay.

With API2, only the top-level layers are listed and as far as I can see there is no access to children info.

This seems odd to me that upgrading the API results in less usability. Is there a reason for this?

2

Each group should have .layers property with its childs.

3

Ah you’re correct. Thanks. I need to use BatchPlay to get layers anyway since recursing these objects is too slow.

4

Yes it is… since there is no caching and it asks PS so many times…

Make sure to check multiGet first. https://twitter.com/J_Bereza/status/1555977684479627265

Also, you can always make a new Layer() instance based on IDs.

5

@Jarda or anyone:

I tried to use the Twitter thread code linked above to create a list of all layers in the document. Here’s the code I’m using:

const docRef = {
    _ref: "document",
    _id: this.id,
};

const allLayers = await batchPlay([{
    _obj: "multiGet", 
    _target: docRef,        
    extendedReference: [
        [
            "name", 
            "layerID",
        ], 
        {
            _obj: "layer", 
            index: this.backgroundLayer ? 0 : 1, 
            count: -1,
        },
    ],
},], {"modalBehavior": "execute",})
.then(result => {return result[0].list}, error => {console.log(error)})

console.log(allLayers)

I get an error that says: Error: NAPI API failure: Number expected

and the line referenced as causing the error is:

.then(result => {return result[0].list}, error => {console.log(error)})

I get all kinds of syntax errors when I try to include the line:

public get allLayers():{name: string, layerID: number}[]{

So that’s why I tried coming up with some alternate code, but I’m obviously not getting it right.

Any thoughts?

6

multiGet is documented here: https://developer.adobe.com/photoshop/uxp/2022/ps_reference/media/batchplay/#multi-get

1 Like
7

Thanks for that reminder @Jarda.

Working code below. If anyone has any suggestions for simplifying or improving, please post.

const batchPlay = require("photoshop").action.batchPlay;

const hasBackgroundLayer = await batchPlay([
    { _obj: "get", _target: [ { _property: "hasBackgroundLayer" }, { _ref: "document", _enum: "ordinal", _value: "targetEnum" } ], _options: { dialogOptions: "dontDisplay" } }
],{}).then(result => {return result[0].hasBackgroundLayer}, error => {console.log(error)});

const layerProperties = await batchPlay([
    { _obj: "multiGet",
     _target: { _ref: [{_ref: "document", _enum: "ordinal"}]},
     extendedReference: [["name", "layerID"], {_obj: "layer", index: hasBackgroundLayer ? 0 : 1, count:-1}],
     options: {failOnMissingProperty:false, failOnMissingElement: false}
  }], {});

console.log(layerProperties[0].list)
8

I think it should be ok like this for active document.

const batchPlay = require("photoshop").action.batchPlay;

const hasBackgroundLayer = await batchPlay([
	{
		_obj: "get",
		_target: [
			{_property: "hasBackgroundLayer"},
			{_ref: "document", _enum: "ordinal", _value: "targetEnum"}
		],
	}
], {});

const layerProperties = await batchPlay([
	{
		_obj: "multiGet",
		_target: {_ref: "document", _enum: "ordinal"},
		extendedReference: [["name", "layerID"], {_obj: "layer", index: hasBackgroundLayer ? 0 : 1, count: -1}]
	}], {});

console.log(layerProperties[0].list)

Anyway, I would personally prefer to edit the document prototype or extend the Document class. So you can use this. keyword as shown in my tweet. https://developer.adobe.com/photoshop/uxp/2022/ps_reference/media/prototype/