├── README.md
└── GoodBoyLabels.js


/README.md:
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 1 | # Get-Layers-Label-Colors-using-CEP
 2 | <img width="558" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/66829812/187047432-0e4d8301-81bb-4741-9528-b3049d83ec2d.png">
 3 | 
 4 | _Note: This is for CEP panels. I am not using ExtendScript here.
 5 | If you want to use ExtendScript, you might want to check out this code by [stibinator](https://github.com/stibinator/AEScripts/blob/master/ScriptUI%20Panels/simplify%20duik%20icons.jsx#L283)._
 6 | 
 7 | _Now works on both macOS and windows._
 8 | 
 9 | ### Usage
10 | call the function:
11 | ```
12 | getLabelsInfo(); 
13 | ```
14 | 
15 | ### return
16 | returns an object with two arrays, "colors" and "names".
17 | Both arrays are sorted using the label ID.
18 | 
19 | Example:
20 | ```js
21 | {
22 | 	colors: (17) ["", "B53838", "E4D84c", "A9CBC7", "E5BCC9", "A9A9CA", "E7C19E", "B3C7B3", "677dE0", "4aA44c", "8E2c9A", "E8920D", "7F452a", "F46dD6", "3dA2A5", "A89677", "1E401E"]
23 | 	names: (17) ["", "Red", "Yellow", "Aqua", "Pink", "Lavender", "Peach", "Sea Foam", "Blue", "Green", "Purple", "Orange", "Brown", "Fuchsia", "Cyan", "Sandstone", "Dark Green"]
24 | }
25 | ```
26 | 
27 | 
28 | 
29 | # What and Why
30 | Label colors in Ae Preferences look like this:
31 | ```
32 | ["Label Preference Color Section 5"]
33 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 1" = FFB5"88"
34 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 10" = FF8E","9A
35 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 11" = FFE8920D
36 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 12" = FF7F"E*"
37 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 13" = FFF4"m"D6
38 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 14" = FF"="A2A5
39 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 15" = FFA896"w"
40 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 16" = FF1E"@"1E
41 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 2" = FFE4D8"L"
42 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 3" = FFA9CBC7
43 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 4" = FFE5BCC9
44 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 5" = FFA9A9CA
45 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 6" = FFE7C19E
46 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 7" = FFB3C7B3
47 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 8" = FF"g}"E0
48 | 	"Label Color ID 2 # 9" = FF"J"A4"L"
49 | ```
50 | 
51 | After a lot of google searches, I found a comment by RenderTom pointing out that the values are a weird mix of ASCII and hex. (The parts inside the quotation marks are ASCII). **This repository finds the preference file, reads it, finds that section, and converts each value into propper hex.**
52 | 
53 | 
54 | 
55 | The first element is empty because there is no label for the number 0, but that's okay since the `layer.label` [attribute](https://ae-scripting.docsforadobe.dev/layers/layer.html#layer-label) in ExtendScript returns an index that matches that convention.
56 | 
57 | ### requirements
58 | requires  [using nodejs as part of your project](https://www.davidebarranca.com/2015/12/html-panel-tips-19-cc2015-1-cep6-1-node-js-fixes/).
59 | 
60 | ### limitations
61 | - Will not work on After-Effects beta. If you want it to work, make sure the path to the preferences file says "After-Effects (Beta)" instad of "After-Effects".
62 | - Will only work in English After-Effects because the preferences file name is language based (can be fixed by getting the file with the suffix "general.txt")
63 | If you do, feel free to contirbute to this repo with solutions.
64 | 
65 | 
66 | # Support
67 | If this helped you [consider buying one of my tools](https://www.goodboy.ninja/) or sharing this elsewhere where people might need it.
68 | 
69 | Good Boy Ninja
70 | 
71 | 
72 | .
73 | .
74 | .
75 | 
76 | _related keywords that may have brought you here:
77 | Label Color ID 2,  .getPrefAsString(), RGB-HEX-ASCII , after effects getprefasstring label, Scripting: Retrieving Label Color from Preferences,Reading the label colors from preferences file, Get Label colors from Pref , ExtendScript, JavaScript, Labels_
78 | 
79 | 


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/GoodBoyLabels.js:
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  1 | // main function
  2 | function getLabelsInfo() {
  3 | 
  4 |     const result = {
  5 |         names: Array(17).fill("#000000"),
  6 |         colors: Array(17).fill("Black"),
  7 |     };
  8 | 
  9 |     // requires nodejs to read the preference file
 10 |     const fs = cep_node.require('fs');
 11 |     const path = cep_node.require('path');
 12 |     const cs = new CSInterface();
 13 | 
 14 |     // check if macOS or windows
 15 |     const osName = cs.getOSInformation().toLowerCase();
 16 |     const isMacOS = osName.indexOf('windows') > -1 ? false : true;
 17 | 
 18 |     let version = cs.getHostEnvironment().appVersion;
 19 |     version = version.split(".")[0] + "." + version.split(".")[1];
 20 |     let userDataFolder = cs.getSystemPath(SystemPath.USER_DATA);
 21 |     let prefsFolder = isMacOS ? path.join(path.dirname(userDataFolder), "Preferences", "Adobe", "After Effects", version) : path.join(userDataFolder, "Adobe", "After Effects", version);
 22 |     let prefsFile = path.join(prefsFolder, `Adobe After Effects ${version} Prefs-indep-general.txt`);
 23 | 
 24 |     if (!fs.existsSync(prefsFolder) || !fs.existsSync(prefsFile)) {
 25 |         console.warn("Failed to get label colors? Returning fallback result.");
 26 |         return result;
 27 |     }
 28 | 
 29 |     // read the file using nodejs and find the right sections for both label colors and label names
 30 |     let prefsTxt = fs.readFileSync(prefsFile, "utf8");
 31 |     let hexSection = prefsTxt.substring(prefsTxt.indexOf(`"Label Color ID 2 # 1"`), prefsTxt.length);
 32 |     hexSection = hexSection.substring(0, hexSection.indexOf('[') - 1);
 33 |     let namesSection = prefsTxt.substring(prefsTxt.indexOf(`"Label Preference Text Section 7"`), prefsTxt.length);
 34 |     namesSection = namesSection.substring(namesSection.indexOf('['), namesSection.indexOf(']') + 1);
 35 | 
 36 | 
 37 |     // the names section and the hex section are really similar but have small differences. Let's parst them both together and make up for the variations as we go.
 38 |     let raw = Array(17).fill().map(i => ({}));
 39 |     [hexSection, namesSection].forEach(section => {
 40 |         // break to lines
 41 |         let isHexSection = section === hexSection;
 42 |         let linesSeperator = isHexSection ? '"Label Color ID ' : '"Label Text ID ';
 43 |         let lines = section.split(linesSeperator);
 44 |         let key = isHexSection ? "value" : "name";
 45 | 
 46 |         // read from each line
 47 |         lines.forEach(line => {
 48 |             let hashIndex = line.indexOf('#');
 49 |             let id = Number(line.substring(hashIndex + 1, line.indexOf('"', hashIndex + 1)));
 50 |             let value = line.substring(line.indexOf("= ") + 2, line.length).trim();
 51 | 
 52 |             // for names, we also want to yeet the quotes
 53 |             if (!isHexSection) {
 54 |                 value = value.replace(/['"]+/g, '');
 55 |             }
 56 | 
 57 |             raw[id][key] = value; // register value or name in the raw array
 58 |         });
 59 |     });
 60 | 
 61 |     // fix them colors
 62 |     for (let i = 0; i < raw.length; i++) {
 63 |         let crntInfoSet = raw[i];
 64 |         let id = i;
 65 |         let rawName = crntInfoSet["name"];
 66 |         let rawColor = crntInfoSet["value"];
 67 | 
 68 |         // raw color is weird. It's half HEX and half ASCII.
 69 |         // the part that's ASCII is inside quotation marks.
 70 |         // Let's convert it to hex
 71 | 
 72 |         const splits = rawColor.split('"');
 73 |         const filteredIndexes = splits.map((s, i) => {
 74 |             if (i % 2 !== 0) return i;
 75 |         }).filter(i => i);
 76 |         splits.forEach((s, i) => {
 77 |             if (filteredIndexes.includes(i)) {
 78 |                 splits[i] = ascii2hex(splits[i]);
 79 |             }
 80 |         });
 81 |         const hexColor = splits.join('').substring(2);
 82 | 
 83 |         result.names[id] = rawName;
 84 |         result.colors[id] = hexColor;
 85 | 
 86 |     }
 87 |     return result;
 88 | 
 89 | };
 90 | 
 91 | 
 92 | // util function to convert ascii to hex
 93 | function ascii2hex(str) {
 94 |     var arr = [];
 95 | 
 96 |     for (var i = 0, l = str.length; i < l; i++) {
 97 |         var hex = Number(str.charCodeAt(i)).toString(16);
 98 |         arr.push(hex);
 99 |     }
100 |     return arr.join('');
101 | }
102 | 


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