Get infos about all selected layers?

With your help, and some script found on the net, I wrote two functions to "save" the actual state of selected layer(s), and restore the saved state. As I am very far to be a JSX or AM expert, these scripts could certainly be optimized. At least, they work with Photoshop CS6.

Usage sample:

var arrSavedLayersIDs = saveSelectedLayersIds();
//... perform your actions
restoreSelectedLayersIds(arrSavedLayersIDs);

function saveSelectedLayersIds() {
	var cTID = charIDToTypeID; // shortcut
	var sTID = stringIDToTypeID; // shortcut
	
	var arrSavedLayersIDs = [];
	var thisLayerDesc;
	
	var ref = new ActionReference();
	ref.putProperty(sTID("property"), sTID("targetLayers"));
	ref.putEnumerated(cTID('Dcmn'), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt'));
	
	if (executeActionGet(ref).count > 0) {
		// ---------------------------------------------- several active layers
		var layersDesc = executeActionGet(ref).getList(sTID("targetLayers"));
		// -------------------------- selected layers loop
		var ref2;
		for (var i = 0; i < layersDesc.count; i++) {
			ref2 = new ActionReference();
			// if there's a background layer in the document, AM indices start with 1, without it from 0
			try {
				activeDocument.backgroundLayer;
				ref2.putIndex(cTID('Lyr '), layersDesc.getReference(i).getIndex());
			} catch (e) {
				ref2.putIndex(cTID('Lyr '), layersDesc.getReference(i).getIndex() + 1);
			}
			thisLayerDesc = executeActionGet(ref2);

			arrSavedLayersIDs.push(thisLayerDesc.getInteger(sTID("layerID")));
		}
	
	}else{
		// ---------------------------------------------- only one layer active
		ref = new ActionReference();
		ref.putEnumerated(cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt')); // reference is active layer
		thisLayerDesc = executeActionGet(ref);
		
		arrSavedLayersIDs.push(thisLayerDesc.getInteger(sTID("layerID")));
	}
	
	return arrSavedLayersIDs;
}

function restoreSelectedLayersIds(arrSavedLayersIDs) {
	if (Object.prototype.toString.call(arrSavedLayersIDs) === '[object Array]') {
		selectLayerByID(arrSavedLayersIDs[0], false);
		for (i = 1; i < arrSavedLayersIDs.length; i++) {
			selectLayerByID(arrSavedLayersIDs[i], true);
		}
		return '';
	}else{
		return "ERROR: arrSavedLayersIDs is not an array.";
	}
}

function selectLayerByID(idLayer, addToSelection) {
    var addToSelection = addToSelection || false;
    
    var desc1 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var ref1 = new ActionReference();
    ref1.putIdentifier(charIDToTypeID('Lyr '), idLayer);
    desc1.putReference(charIDToTypeID('null'), ref1);
    if (addToSelection) desc1.putEnumerated(stringIDToTypeID("selectionModifier"), stringIDToTypeID("selectionModifierType"), stringIDToTypeID("addToSelection"));
    
    try {
    	executeAction(charIDToTypeID('slct'), desc1, DialogModes.NO);
    	return true;
	} catch (e) {
		return false;
	}
}

Guys, you need to be very patient with me, because if I'm quite familiar with "pure" Javascript, I don't understand at all code like Kukurykus'one:

sTT = stringIDToTypeID;
(dsc = executeActionGet(ref)).getBoolean(sTT('background'))
dsc.getObjectValue(sTT('layerLocking')).getBoolean(sTT('protectPosition'))
!(typeIDToStringID(dsc.getEnumerationValue(sTT('layerSection'))).split('Content').length-1)

I mean, how can I include this code to my original script? How can I set the lyr object at the end of my script with this code? It's certainly a newbie question.

		lyr = {};
		lyr.index = tempIndex;
		lyr.id = desc.getInteger(stringIDToTypeID("layerID"));
		lyr.name = desc.getString(charIDToTypeID("Nm  "));
		///// lyr.isLayerSet = ???????
		///// lyr.isLocked = ???????
		///// lyr.isBackground = ???????
		lyrs.push(lyr);

Concerning the other posted scripts, they all seem to work with a passed layer reference... And I still don't know how to have a reference to a layer with my bloody original script 😞

I created the following script to help find layer based information when creating scripts that deal with layers:

/* https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/could-you-select-all-layers-sequentially/m-p/11741392 */

#target photoshop

/////////// ACTIVE LAYER INSPECTOR v1.4 ///////////
/// Displays some info about the current layer ///

/* Name = Not unique */
/* itemIndex = Changes with layer addition/removal, Offset by -1 */
/* layer.id = Unique, Static */

try {
    var savedRuler = app.preferences.rulerUnits;
    app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;

    var doc = app.activeDocument;
    var docLayer = doc.activeLayer;
    var layerName = docLayer.name;
    var itemIndex = docLayer.itemIndex - 1;
    var layerID = docLayer.id;
    var typeName = docLayer.typename;
    var Kind = docLayer.kind;
    var bgLayer = docLayer.isBackgroundLayer;
    var Parent = docLayer.parent;

    /* https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/find-out-the-size-and-position-of-an-object-in-a-layer/td-p/12057799 */
    var bounds = activeDocument.activeLayer.bounds;

    alert('ACTIVE LAYER INSPECTOR - v1.4' + '\r' + 'Layer Name: ' + layerName + '\r' + 'Layer Item Index #: ' + itemIndex + '\r' + 'Layer ID #: ' + layerID + '\r' + 'Layer Type: ' + typeName + '\r' + 'Layer Kind: ' + Kind + '\r' + 'Parent: ' + Parent + '\r' + 'isBackgroundLayer: ' + bgLayer + '\n' + 'Layer Bounds -' + '\r' + 'X: ' + bounds[0] + ', Y: ' + bounds[1] + '\n' + 'Width: ' + (bounds[2] - bounds[0]) + ', Height: ' + (bounds[3] - bounds[1]));
    app.preferences.rulerUnits = savedRuler;
}
catch (e) {
}

I didn't know about the other scripts posted above, so I'm keen to give them a look and perhaps borrow interesting bits!

Thank you for your quick answers 🙂

@Kukurykus: maybe I didn't understand how to use your code in my script but Photoshop 6 tells me that sTT is not a function.

@c.pfaffenbichler: interesting but:

- Key 13 is "layerLocking: DescValueType.OBJECTTYPE
[ActionDescriptor]_layerLocking", even the layer is locked or not

- can't figure how to know if the layer is a LayerSet, or if its parent is a LayerSet.

As I really don't understand these deep codes, maybe another solution would be to have a reference to the current layer (at the end of the loop), so I could use:

lyr.isLayerSet = (layerRef.typename == 'LayerSet');
lyr.isLocked = layerRef.allLocked;

So, how could I have a layer reference from the initial code?

You can use this code to get more information about a selected Layer and use that to amend your Script. 

// based on code by michael l hale;
// 2012, use it at your own risk;
if (app.documents.length > 0) {
var ref = new ActionReference();
ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") ); 
var layerDesc = executeActionGet(ref);
checkDesc2 (layerDesc);
};
////// based on code by michael l hale //////
function checkDesc2 (theDesc) {
var c = theDesc.count;
var str = '';
for(var i=0;i<c;i++){ //enumerate descriptor's keys
	str = str + 'Key '+i+' = '+typeIDToStringID(theDesc.getKey(i))+': '+theDesc.getType(theDesc.getKey(i))+'\n'+getValues (theDesc, i)+'\n';
	};
alert("desc\n\n"+str);
};
////// check //////
function getValues (theDesc, theNumber) {
switch (theDesc.getType(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))) {
case DescValueType.ALIASTYPE:
return theDesc.getPath(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.BOOLEANTYPE:
return theDesc.getBoolean(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.CLASSTYPE:
return theDesc.getClass(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.DOUBLETYPE:
return theDesc.getDouble(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.ENUMERATEDTYPE:
return (typeIDToStringID(theDesc.getEnumerationValue(theDesc.getKey(theNumber)))+"_"+typeIDToStringID(theDesc.getEnumerationType(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))));
break;
case DescValueType.INTEGERTYPE:
return theDesc.getInteger(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.LISTTYPE:
return theDesc.getList(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.OBJECTTYPE:
return (theDesc.getObjectValue(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))+"_"+typeIDToStringID(theDesc.getObjectType(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))));
break;
case DescValueType.RAWTYPE:
return theDesc.getReference(theDesc.getData(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.REFERENCETYPE:
return theDesc.getReference(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.STRINGTYPE:
return theDesc.getString(theDesc.getKey(theNumber));
break;
case DescValueType.UNITDOUBLE:
return (theDesc.getUnitDoubleValue(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))+"_"+typeIDToStringID(theDesc.getUnitDoubleType(theDesc.getKey(theNumber))));
break;
default: 
break;
};
};