Adobe Photoshop Script to Select the first Art Layer

[J.C.C.1]

Hey!

I am fairly new to JS/photoshop scripting, so this is probably a super simple question.

I am just looking for help in creating the first part of a script that will select the layers based on position and also a way to select layers based on layer type. 

I will be running a script to select the first Art Layer in a file that has multiple layers. 

Thank you all for the help, I hope to be able to contribute as well soon!

[J.C.C.1]

I think I may have solved this myself.

Would this work?

[J.C.C.1]

var doc = app.activeDocument

var layerCount = app.activeDocument.layers.length

alert (layerCount)

var x = (layerCount-2)

app.activeDocument.activeLayer = app.activeDocument.layers[x]

if (app.activeDocument.activeLayer.typename === "ArtLayer")

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Can you post a screenshot of the layers panel structure, with the target layer clearly marked, thanks!

[J.C.C.1]

Hey! 
There are a few situations for how this layer structure will be, with very little consistency to start, and I am hoping to make this a Powershell operable code, which are all probably redflags for this...

Situation 1 

Just one layer with a layer mask

Situation two 

One layer with layer mask, one solid color layer on the bottom. The target layer will not always be name original either

Situation 3
One text layer, one image/artlayer, one solid color layer.

I have a script to select all text layers, so I may just use that script and switch the layer kind to art layers. 

var AM = new ActionManager

        if (app.documents.length) selectTextLrs ()

            function selectTextLrs() {

                var output = [],

                    from = AM.getDocProperty('hasBackgroundLayer') ? 0 : 1,

                    to = AM.getDocProperty('numberOfLayers')

                    if (to) AM.deselectLayers ()

                for (var i = from; i <= to; i++) {

                    if (AM.getLayerProperty('layerKind', i) == 1) AM.selectLayerByIndex (i,true)

                }

            }

            function ActionManager() {

                this.getDocProperty = function (property) {

                    property = s2t(property)

                    var ref = new ActionReference()

                    ref.putProperty(s2t("property"), property)

                    ref.putEnumerated(s2t("document"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"))

                    return getDescValue(executeActionGet(ref), property)

                }

                this.getLayerProperty = function (property, index) {

                    property = s2t(property)

                    var ref = new ActionReference()

                    ref.putProperty(s2t("property"), property)

                    ref.putIndex(s2t("layer"), index)

                    return getDescValue(executeActionGet(ref), property)

                }

                this.selectLayerByIndex = function (idx, addToSelection) {

                    var desc = new ActionDescriptor()

                    var ref = new ActionReference()

                    ref.putIndex(s2t("layer"), idx)

                    desc.putReference(s2t("null"), ref)

                    if (addToSelection) desc.putEnumerated(s2t("selectionModifier"), s2t("addToSelectionContinuous"), s2t("addToSelection"))

                    executeAction(s2t("select"), desc, DialogModes.NO);

                }

                this.deselectLayers = function () {

                    var desc = new ActionDescriptor()

                    var ref = new ActionReference()

                    ref.putEnumerated(s2t("layer"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"))

                    desc.putReference(s2t("null"), ref)

                    executeAction(s2t("selectNoLayers"), desc, DialogModes.NO)

                }

                function getDescValue(desc, property) {

                    switch (desc.getType(property)) {

                        case DescValueType.OBJECTTYPE:

                            return (desc.getObjectValue(property));

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.LISTTYPE:

                            return desc.getList(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.REFERENCETYPE:

                            return desc.getReference(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.BOOLEANTYPE:

                            return desc.getBoolean(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.STRINGTYPE:

                            return desc.getString(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.INTEGERTYPE:

                            return desc.getInteger(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.LARGEINTEGERTYPE:

                            return desc.getLargeInteger(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.DOUBLETYPE:

                            return desc.getDouble(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.ALIASTYPE:

                            return desc.getPath(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.CLASSTYPE:

                            return desc.getClass(property);

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.UNITDOUBLE:

                            return (desc.getUnitDoubleValue(property));

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.ENUMERATEDTYPE:

                            return (t2s(desc.getEnumerationValue(property)));

                            break;

                        case DescValueType.RAWTYPE:

                            var tempStr = desc.getData(property);

                            var rawData = new Array();

                            for (var tempi = 0; tempi < tempStr.length; tempi++) {

                                rawData[tempi] = tempStr.charCodeAt(tempi);

                            }

                            return rawData;

                            break;

                        default:

                            break;

                    };

                }

                function s2t(s) { return stringIDToTypeID(s) }

                function t2s(t) { return typeIDToStringID(t) }

            }

This is the thread I got this code from 
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/select-only-the-text-layers/td-p/1101...

I am assuming that I would switch the text sheetKind from 3 to 1 for Pixel?

[J.C.C.1]

So far this seems like it works, Stephen, but I am curious if you know a good way to get the length of the selected acitve layers afterwards/

I was trying this, but had no luck.

var doc = app.activeDocument

var activeSelectionLength = doc.activeDocument.activeLayer.length

alert(activeSelectionLength)

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

---

@J.C.C.1 wrote:

So far this seems like it works, Stephen, but I am curious if you know a good way to get the length of the selected acitve layers afterwards/

I was trying this, but had no luck.

var doc = app.activeDocument

var activeSelectionLength = doc.activeDocument.activeLayer.length

alert(activeSelectionLength)

---

There is no native method that I am aware of, perhaps there is some AM code... All of the ways that I know rely on "hacks", which is sometimes all that we have.

https://gist.github.com/hilukasz/03b17ee78414aadff995

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

This script groups the selected layers into a temporary layerSet in order to count them. This script does not include any selected layer groups in the count, it is not bulletproof in my tests with nested groups inside groups, so YMMV:

countSelectedLayers();

function countSelectedLayers() {
    // Ignores layer groups in the count
    var A = [];
    var desc11 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var ref9 = new ActionReference();
    ref9.putClass(stringIDToTypeID('layerSection'));
    desc11.putReference(charIDToTypeID('null'), ref9);
    var ref10 = new ActionReference();
    ref10.putEnumerated(charIDToTypeID('Lyr '), charIDToTypeID('Ordn'), charIDToTypeID('Trgt'));
    desc11.putReference(charIDToTypeID('From'), ref10);
    executeAction(charIDToTypeID('Mk  '), desc11, DialogModes.NO);

    var gL = activeDocument.activeLayer.layers;
    // Notification
    alert(gL.length);

    for (var i = 0; i < gL.length; i++) {
        A.push(gL[i]);
    }

    executeAction(charIDToTypeID('undo'), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
    return A;
}

[Stephen_A_Marsh · Accepted solution]

This script dupes the selected layers into a temporary doc in order to count them. This script does not include any selected layer groups in the count, it is not bulletproof in my tests with nested groups inside groups, so YMMV:

selectedLayersLength();

function selectedLayersLength() {

    // Dupe selected layers to temp doc
    var idMk = charIDToTypeID("Mk  ");
    var desc302 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID("null");
    var ref122 = new ActionReference();
    var idDcmn = charIDToTypeID("Dcmn");
    ref122.putClass(idDcmn);
    desc302.putReference(idnull, ref122);
    var idNm = charIDToTypeID("Nm  ");
    desc302.putString(idNm, "", "TempLayerCountDoc", "");
    var idUsng = charIDToTypeID("Usng");
    var ref123 = new ActionReference();
    var idLyr = charIDToTypeID("Lyr ");
    var idOrdn = charIDToTypeID("Ordn");
    var idTrgt = charIDToTypeID("Trgt");
    ref123.putEnumerated(idLyr, idOrdn, idTrgt);
    desc302.putReference(idUsng, ref123);
    var idVrsn = charIDToTypeID("Vrsn");
    desc302.putInteger(idVrsn, 5);
    executeAction(idMk, desc302, DialogModes.NO);

    // Get the layer count
    var layerCount = app.activeDocument.layers.length;

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

    // Count notification
    alert(layerCount);
}

[J.C.C.1]

Okay awesome! I think that will work, and I can always set an error message for files with layers nested more than a twice. I think between these two segements of code I have everything I need for this script! Thank you as always!

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

---

@J.C.C.1 wrote:

Okay awesome! I think that will work, and I can always set an error message for files with layers nested more than a twice. I think between these two segements of code I have everything I need for this script! Thank you as always!

---

Glad it works for you, I would like a more robust script, however, as long as you know the limitations. Looping into all the nested layer sets within layer sets isn't that easy for me.