Make Composition window custom UI always visible

[jonah.c.l]

A custom UI over the Composition/Layer window can be hidden with Cmd+Shift+H (View->Show Layer Controls). I want to ensure that it is always visible, either even when that setting is false, or by setting it to true, maybe with a script. Is there any way to do either of those things?

[shachar carmi]

i don't see a way of changing that button state, or even reading it. not through the SDK, nor the javascript interface.

however... if there's a menu command for that, you can trigger it!

according to https://hyperbrew.co/blog/after-effects-command-ids/ , the command number to "show layer controls" is 2435. you can invoke it using AEGP_DoCommand(). you can also check the state of that menu entry using AEGP_CheckMarkMenuCommand().

it would be wise to check for the command number during global setup using javascript and app.findMenuCommandId("ShowLayerControls"), to ensure future compatibility in case the command id changes. (that happens from time to time...)

yay! perhaps it's possible after all!