javascriptphotoshopphotoshop-script

How to access artboard element in a Photoshop script?

I need to replace text elements in a photoshop template via a script. When it's a regular file, everything works fine. But if it's a project where artboards are used, I have no way to select the active layer I want to change. The layer names are fixed and I just want to refer to them by name, but no matter how much I search I can't find a way.

This is how I access the layers in a normal file:

#target photoshop;

var fileRef = new File("I:/ps15.psd");

if (fileRef.exists) {

    app.open(fileRef); //open file

    activeDocument.activeLayer = activeDocument.artLayers.getByName("layer_1"); //find the layer with the name I want

    activeDocument.activeLayer.textItem.contents = "Hi!"; //text replacement

    app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.SAVECHANGES); //close file

} else { alert("File not found"); }

I've found functions that determine if a layer is an artboard, but I've never been able to figure out how to select the active layer in them.

Solution

  • Artboards are really a type of layer groups, which is a type of layer. So you have you called them by name from their parent group and the child.

    var srcDoc = app.activeDocument;

// Get layer called "Layer 2"
srcDoc.activeLayer = srcDoc.artLayers.getByName("Layer 2"); 

// Get layer called "my layer 2" in group called "myGroup"
srcDoc.activeLayer = srcDoc.layerSets.getByName("myGroup").artLayers.getByName("my layer 2");

// Get layer called "Layer 1" in artboard "Artboard 1"
srcDoc.activeLayer = srcDoc.layerSets.getByName("Artboard 1").artLayers.getByName("Layer 1");

    Alternatively, get it's layer ID and then make that the active layer.