Photoshop: Record expand/collapse groups in actions

... I think this can be done using scripting. One day when I learn scripting life will be grand

By @Bruce! 

If only things were that simple!

It's a pet hate of mine that one feature is offered, such as "Collapse all groups", however the opposite and complimentary commands are not offered! There should be "Expand all groups" and "Collapse selected group" and "Expand selected group" for use with Actions and scripting, which can't be recorded via the GUI.

https://gist.github.com/MarshySwamp/a39e3e1efee41174b3b92ee68c40fcd8

// Collapse ALL layer groups/sets

app.runMenuItem(stringIDToTypeID('collapseAllGroupsEvent'));

// Expand ALL layer groups/sets

openAllLayerSets(app.activeDocument);

function openAllLayerSets(parent) {
    // https://forums.adobe.com/message/5764024#5764024
    for (var setIndex = 0; setIndex < parent.layerSets.length; setIndex++) {
        app.activeDocument.activeLayer = parent.layerSets[setIndex].layers[0];
        openAllLayerSets(parent.layerSets[setIndex]);
    }
}

// Expand active layer set

if (app.activeDocument.activeLayer.typename == 'LayerSet' && app.activeDocument.activeLayer.layers.length > 0) {
    app.activeDocument.activeLayer = app.activeDocument.activeLayer.layers[0];
}

To collapse only the active layer group would seem easy, but it's not, back in 2022 this is the best that I came up with, however, it still wasn't perfect. It's a hack, and there were unexpected consequences which required further hacks etc:

/*
Collapse Active Group.jsx
Modified by Stephen Marsh, 17th August 2022
https://gist.github.com/MarshySwamp/a39e3e1efee41174b3b92ee68c40fcd8
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/collapse-single-group-of-layers/m-p/13132297
Based on:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem/expand-collapse-a-group-via-javascript/m-p/7286298
By Vova_p, 16th February 2016
*** KNOWN LIMITATIONS & GOTCHAS ***
This script is a hack to overcome a shortcoming of the original implementation of layer groups/sets:
+ Layers clipped to the group will lose their clipping group property
+ Default layer names such as "Layer 6" may be auto-renamed by Photoshop to "Layer 10" etc.
*/

#target photoshop

if (app.documents.length > 0) {

    function main() {

        if (activeDocument.activeLayer.typename === "LayerSet") {

            // Set the original document
            var origDoc = app.activeDocument;

            // Doc name variable
            var origDocName = activeDocument.name;

            // Store the name of the group
            var groupname = activeDocument.activeLayer.name;

            // Copy the active layer properties to a layer style (opacity, fill, blend mode, blend-if etc)
            var idcopyEffects = stringIDToTypeID("copyEffects");
            executeAction(idcopyEffects, undefined, DialogModes.NO);

            // Toggle the active layer visibility
            toggleLayerVisibility(true);

            // Create the temp doc from active layer group
            newDocFromLayer("_tempDoc");

            // Set the "destination" group variable
            var destinationGroup = activeDocument.activeLayer.name;

            // Dupe the set into a temp group
            activeDocument.activeLayer.duplicate();

            // Set the duped "source" group variable
            var sourceGroup = activeDocument.layers[0].name;

            // Ungroup the group to select all the child elements
            unGroup();

            // Group the selected layers to collapse the group
            groupSelectedLayers();

            // Recall the original group name
            activeDocument.activeLayer.name = groupname;

            // Copy the layer mask with all properties from the temp group
            copyLayerMask();

            // Restore the layer style to the new collapsed group
            pasteEffects(true);

            // Select and remove the temp group
            activeDocument.activeLayer = activeDocument.layers[0];
            activeDocument.activeLayer.remove();

            // Dupe the group back to the original doc
            dupeLayer();

            // Close the temp doc
            activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);

            // Return to the original document
            app.activeDocument = origDoc;

            // Select the visible backward layer
            selectForwardORBackwardLayer(false, "backwardEnum");

            // Delete the original expanded group
            removeGroup();

            // Select the visible forward layer
            selectForwardORBackwardLayer(false, "forwardEnum");

            // Toggle the original active layer visibility
            toggleLayerVisibility(true);

        } else {
            alert("Only layer groups can be collapsed!");
        }

        /***** Functions *****/

        function dupeLayer() {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var list = new ActionList();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            var reference2 = new ActionReference();
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("null"), reference);
            reference2.putName(s2t("document"), origDocName);
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("to"), reference2);
            descriptor.putInteger(s2t("version"), 5);
            list.putInteger(0);
            descriptor.putList(s2t("ID"), list);
            executeAction(s2t("duplicate"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function toggleLayerVisibility(toggleOptionsPalette) {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var list = new ActionList();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            list.putReference(reference);
            descriptor.putList(s2t("null"), list);
            descriptor.putBoolean(s2t("toggleOptionsPalette"), toggleOptionsPalette);
            executeAction(s2t("show"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function newDocFromLayer(docName) {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            var reference2 = new ActionReference();
            reference.putClass(s2t("document"));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("null"), reference);
            descriptor.putString(s2t("name"), docName);
            reference2.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("using"), reference2);
            descriptor.putInteger(s2t("version"), 0);
            executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function unGroup() {
            function c2t(s) {
                return app.charIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var s2t = function (s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            };
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            descriptor.putReference(c2t("null"), reference);
            executeAction(s2t("ungroupLayersEvent"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function groupSelectedLayers() {
            function c2t(s) {
                return app.charIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var s2t = function (s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            };
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            var reference2 = new ActionReference();
            reference.putClass(s2t("layerSection"));
            descriptor.putReference(c2t("null"), reference);
            reference2.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("from"), reference2);
            executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function copyLayerMask() {
            // Copy layer mask - preserving feather, density
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            var reference2 = new ActionReference();
            descriptor.putClass(s2t("new"), s2t("channel"));
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("channel"), s2t("mask"));
            reference.putName(s2t("layer"), destinationGroup); // Destination group name
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("at"), reference);
            reference2.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("channel"), s2t("mask"));
            reference2.putName(s2t("layer"), sourceGroup); // Source group name
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("using"), reference2);
            executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function selectForwardORBackwardLayer(makeVisible, forwardORbackward) {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var list = new ActionList();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            // "forwardEnum" or "backwardEnum"
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t(forwardORbackward));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("null"), reference);
            // true or false
            descriptor.putBoolean(s2t("makeVisible"), makeVisible);
            list.putInteger(15);
            descriptor.putList(s2t("layerID"), list);
            executeAction(s2t("select"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function removeGroup() {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            var reference = new ActionReference();
            reference.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
            descriptor.putReference(s2t("null"), reference);
            executeAction(s2t("delete"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }

        function pasteEffects(allowPasteFXOnLayerSet) {
            function s2t(s) {
                return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
            }
            var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
            descriptor.putBoolean(s2t("allowPasteFXOnLayerSet"), allowPasteFXOnLayerSet);
            executeAction(s2t("pasteEffects"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
        }
    }
    app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("Collapse Active Group.jsx", "main()");

} else {
    alert('You must have a document open!');
}

ur a legend.  

I use Photoshop Actions extensively and for more than a decade I've been using similar work-arounds found right here in this thread. I'm tired of work-arounds, I hope for a real solution for this someday.

I think this can be done using scripting. One day when I learn scripting life will be grand.

Another user request to enable recording an action to include expanding and collapsing on a per group basis.

If you select layers and create group from selected layers in an action the group is always collapsed. There is then no way in the action to open the group and use alt + [ or alt + ] to move up and down the layers within the group e.g. to turn visibility off.