Working with AE Preference settings

[dbDavideBoscolo]

Hi everybody,

I have a checkbox defined as this:

var passThrough = groupTwo.add ("checkbox", undefined, "passThrough");

And I'm trying to store the checkbox value in the AE Preference setting file, using this code here:

passThrough.onClick = function(){
          app.settings.saveSetting("EVLCopy", "passThrough", passThrough.value);
        }

It doesn't work.

The getSetting method doesn't work neither (over a setting that already exists in the file):

passThrough.onClick = function(){
          var testing = app.settings.getSetting("AE_OpenGL","Downsample Factor");
          alert(testing);
        }

What the heck am I doing wrong?

[Tomas Sinkunas · Accepted solution]

Two things you are doing wrong here:

1. You are saving and getting settings from 2 different Section Names: EVLCopy and AE_OpenGL. It's a common practice to use Section Name as your Script Name. This way all your settings reside in same place, and everyone is happy.

app.settings.saveSetting(sectionName, keyName, value)
app.settings.getSetting(sectionName, keyName)

2. Optional - you need to save settings to disk to see the changes in the prefs.txt file;

app.preferences.saveToDisk();

Read more about settings here: Settings object — After Effects Scripting Guide 0.0.1 documentation

And here's a working demo:

(function(thisObj) {
    var scriptName = 'Some Script';
    var keyName = 'My Checkbox Value';
    var win = new Window('palette', scriptName, undefined);
    var checkbox = win.add('checkbox', undefined, 'Checkbox');
    var btnSaveSettings = win.add('button', undefined, 'Save Settings');
    btnSaveSettings.onClick = function () {
        var value = checkbox.value.toString();
        saveSettings(keyName, value);
        saveToDisk();
        alert('Settings saved:\nSection Name: ' + scriptName + '\nkeyName: ' + keyName + '\nValue: ' + value);
    };
    var btnLoadSettings = win.add('button', undefined, 'Load Settings');
    btnLoadSettings.onClick = function () {
        if (!haveSetting(keyName)) {
            throw 'Ups, dont have any settings for "' + keyName + '"';
        }
        var stringValue = getSetting(keyName);
        var value = (stringValue === 'true') ? true : false;
        checkbox.value = value;
        alert('Settings Loaded:\nSection Name: ' + scriptName + '\nkeyName: ' + keyName + '\nValue: ' + value);
    };
    win.show();
    function getSetting(keyName) {
        return app.settings.getSetting(scriptName, keyName);
    }
    function haveSetting(keyName) {
        return app.settings.haveSetting(scriptName, keyName);
    }
    function saveSettings(keyName, value) {
        app.settings.saveSetting(scriptName, keyName, value.toString());
    }
    function saveToDisk() {
        app.preferences.saveToDisk();
    }
})();

[dbDavideBoscolo]

Hi Tomas,

a huge thank you for your reply!

Your demo works like a charm and it made my life easier. Now everything works fine.

Thanks! You are the boss!

This line here:

app.settings.saveSetting("EVLCopy", "passThrough", passThrough.value);  

didn't do anything because I didn't know I had to save the settings to disk.

It now saves the settings under ["Settings_EVLCopy"] and not under ["EVLCopy"] as I thought.

These lines here:

var testing = app.settings.getSetting("AE_OpenGL","Downsample Factor");  
          alert(testing);  

I was expecting to return an alert with the value 4 but it doesn't work. I think because it searches for ["Settings_AE_OpenGL"], which doesn't exists.

but these lines here work fine now:

var testing = app.settings.getSetting("EVLCopy","passThrough");  
          alert(testing);  

So... all good for me!!

[Tomas Sinkunas]

Well, to get that value, you'd need to check app.preferences object.

(function() {
    var sectionName = 'AE_OpenGL';
    var keyName = 'Enabled2';
    var prefType = PREFType.PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC;
    /*
        There are few PrefTypes. Pick one:
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_COMPOSITION
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_OUTPUT
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_INDEPENDENT_RENDER
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC_PAINT
        PREF_Type_MACHINE_SPECIFIC_TEXT
    */
    if (!app.preferences.havePref(sectionName, keyName, prefType)) {
        throw 'Cannot get "' + keyName + '" in section "' + sectionName + '" in ' + prefType;
    }
    var prefsValue = app.preferences.getPrefAsString(sectionName, keyName, prefType);
    alert('Value for "' + keyName + '" is ' + prefsValue);
    /*
        app.preferences has exposes these methods:
        deletePref
        getPrefAsBool
        getPrefAsFloat
        getPrefAsLong
        getPrefAsString
        havePref
        reload
        savePrefAsBool
        savePrefAsFloat
        savePrefAsLong
        savePrefAsString
        saveToDisk
    */
})();

[dbDavideBoscolo]

Wonderful thanks again!

[gmetrixcc]

Is there documentation on

app.preferences

object?