Getting selected layers by script (object refs, not indices!)

Question

Hey guys - I'm working on a simple photoshop CC script that exports selected layers, but I'm having some problems with the selection code.

Googling around I found a helpful snippet that returns a list of layer index values for my selected layers - however the returned indices don't equate to the indices I get when simply using app.activeDocument.layers().

Can anyone suggest a method to get references to the layer objects that are selected? - or perhaps a function to convert the document indices from the function below to their respective layer objects?

Many thanks in advance!

function getSelectedLayersIdx(){

var selectedLayers = new Array;

var ref = new ActionReference();

ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID('Dcmn'), charIDToTypeID('Ordn'), charIDToTypeID('Trgt') );

var desc = executeActionGet(ref);

if( desc.hasKey( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ) ) ){

desc = desc.getList( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ));

var c = desc.count

var selectedLayers = new Array();

for(var i=0;i<c;i++){

selectedLayers.push( desc.getReference( i ).getIndex());

}

}else{

var ref = new ActionReference();

ref.putProperty( charIDToTypeID('Prpr') , charIDToTypeID( 'ItmI' ));

ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID('Lyr '), charIDToTypeID('Ordn'), charIDToTypeID('Trgt') );

selectedLayers.push( executeActionGet(ref).getInteger(charIDToTypeID( 'ItmI' )));

}

return selectedLayers;

}

var doc = app.activeDocument;

var layersIndx = getSelectedLayersIdx(doc);

alert("Selected layers indx: "+layersIndx);

for(i =0; i<layersIndx.length; i++){

index= layersIndx;

alert("Index: "+index+" Name: "+doc.layers[index].name);

}

c.pfaffenbichler · Accepted Answer

This uses the other file’s name ("aaa" in this case), using an index for that, too, may be preferable to avoid problems (in case more than one open file has the same name for example), but maybe it helps.

// thanks to mike hale and paul mr;

// 2013, use it at your own risk;

#target photoshop

if (app.documents.length > 0) {

var myDocument = app.activeDocument;

myDocument.suspendHistory("operation", "main(myDocument)");

};

////////////////////////////////////

function main () {

var theLayers = getSelectedLayersIdx();

// do stuff;

// reselect layers;

for (var p = 0; p < theLayers.length; p++) {

duplicateLayer (theLayers
, "aaa");

};

};

// by mike hale, via paul riggott;

// http://forums.adobe.com/message/1944754#1944754

function selectLayerByIndex(index,add){

add = undefined ? add = false:add

var ref = new ActionReference();

    ref.putIndex(charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), index);

    var desc = new ActionDescriptor();

    desc.putReference(charIDToTypeID("null"), ref );

       if(add) desc.putEnumerated( stringIDToTypeID( "selectionModifier" ), stringIDToTypeID( "selectionModifierType" ), stringIDToTypeID( "addToSelection" ) );

      desc.putBoolean( charIDToTypeID( "MkVs" ), false );

   try{

    executeAction(charIDToTypeID("slct"), desc, DialogModes.NO );

}catch(e){

alert(e.message);

}

};

////// by paul mr;

function getSelectedLayersIdx(){

      var selectedLayers = new Array;

      var ref = new ActionReference();

      ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );

      var desc = executeActionGet(ref);

      if( desc.hasKey( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ) ) ){

         desc = desc.getList( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ));

          var c = desc.count

          var selectedLayers = new Array();

          for(var i=0;i<c;i++){

            try{

               activeDocument.backgroundLayer;

               selectedLayers.push( desc.getReference( i ).getIndex() );

            }catch(e){

               selectedLayers.push( desc.getReference( i ).getIndex()+1 );

            }

          }

       }else{

         var ref = new ActionReference();

         ref.putProperty( charIDToTypeID("Prpr") , charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" ));

         ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );

         try{

            activeDocument.backgroundLayer;

            selectedLayers.push( executeActionGet(ref).getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" ))-1);

         }catch(e){

            selectedLayers.push( executeActionGet(ref).getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" )));

         }

      }

      return selectedLayers;

};

function duplicateLayer (theIndex, theDoc) {

// =======================================================

var idDplc = charIDToTypeID( "Dplc" );

    var desc7 = new ActionDescriptor();

    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );

        var ref3 = new ActionReference();

    ref3.putIndex(charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), theIndex);

    desc7.putReference( idnull, ref3 );

    var idT = charIDToTypeID( "T   " );

        var ref4 = new ActionReference();

        var idDcmn = charIDToTypeID( "Dcmn" );

        ref4.putName( idDcmn, theDoc );

    desc7.putReference( idT, ref4 );

    var idVrsn = charIDToTypeID( "Vrsn" );

    desc7.putInteger( idVrsn, 5 );

executeAction( idDplc, desc7, DialogModes.NO );

};

c.pfaffenbichler · Answer

This would for example select each one of the originally selected Layers in turn.

One could use that as a starting point for some DOM operation but maybe one could instead stick with Action Manager code.

// thanks to mike hale and paul mr;

// 2013, use it at your own risk;

#target photoshop

if (app.documents.length > 0) {

var myDocument = app.activeDocument;

myDocument.suspendHistory("operation", "main(myDocument)");

};

////////////////////////////////////

function main () {

var theLayers = getSelectedLayersIdx();

// do stuff;

// reselect layers;

for (var p = 0; p < theLayers.length; p++) {

selectLayerByIndex(theLayers
, false);

alert(app.activeDocument.activeLayer);

};

};

// by mike hale, via paul riggott;

// http://forums.adobe.com/message/1944754#1944754

function selectLayerByIndex(index,add){

add = undefined ? add = false:add

var ref = new ActionReference();

    ref.putIndex(charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), index);

    var desc = new ActionDescriptor();

    desc.putReference(charIDToTypeID("null"), ref );

       if(add) desc.putEnumerated( stringIDToTypeID( "selectionModifier" ), stringIDToTypeID( "selectionModifierType" ), stringIDToTypeID( "addToSelection" ) );

      desc.putBoolean( charIDToTypeID( "MkVs" ), false );

   try{

    executeAction(charIDToTypeID("slct"), desc, DialogModes.NO );

}catch(e){

alert(e.message);

}

};

////// by paul mr;

function getSelectedLayersIdx(){

      var selectedLayers = new Array;

      var ref = new ActionReference();

      ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Dcmn"), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );

      var desc = executeActionGet(ref);

      if( desc.hasKey( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ) ) ){

         desc = desc.getList( stringIDToTypeID( 'targetLayers' ));

          var c = desc.count

          var selectedLayers = new Array();

          for(var i=0;i<c;i++){

            try{

               activeDocument.backgroundLayer;

               selectedLayers.push( desc.getReference( i ).getIndex() );

            }catch(e){

               selectedLayers.push( desc.getReference( i ).getIndex()+1 );

            }

          }

       }else{

         var ref = new ActionReference();

         ref.putProperty( charIDToTypeID("Prpr") , charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" ));

         ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );

         try{

            activeDocument.backgroundLayer;

            selectedLayers.push( executeActionGet(ref).getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" ))-1);

         }catch(e){

            selectedLayers.push( executeActionGet(ref).getInteger(charIDToTypeID( "ItmI" )));

         }

      }

      return selectedLayers;

};

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