• method:
  1. File > Scripts Menu, to display scripts from scripts folder
  2. File > Scripts > Run Script File
  3. Window > Script with UI + Dockable inside ScriptUI folder
  4. during command line:
     1. afterfx -r script_file_path.jsx
     2. afterfx -s “javascript cmds”
  5. configure file script in Scripts Folder / Startup Folder (after UI open) + Shutdown Folder (before UI close), auto run all in order

• stop script by press Esc or Cmd+.

I mean: those from Window Menu > Script Window ones

• for UI + dockable script, the AE will refer the panel as “this” inside the script

  var myPanel = this;
  myPanel.add("button", [10,10,100,30], "Tool #1");

• if UI creation is inside a function, it will require passing this as reference in function parameter

  function createUI(parent){
    var curPanel = parent;
    curPanel.add("button", [10,10,100,30], "Tool #1");
    return curPanel;
  }
  var myPanel = createUI(this);

I mean: File menu > Scripts > Script Window ones

• note “this” won't refer to anything by default unlike those from Window menu, thus, to make the script compatible in either location (File menu or Window menu), you need to check whether AE treat it as a “dockable Panel” or a “simple tool window”;
• detection code as

  function createUI(parent){
    var curPanel = (parent instanceof Panel) ? parent : new Window("palette", "Title Here", [100,100,300,300]);
    curPanel.add("button", [10,10,100,30], "Tool #1");
    return curPanel;
  }
  var myPanel = createUI(this); // so this may be a Panel from Window menu or None from File menu.

to do

1. system
2. file
3. folder
4. socket
5. application
   1. settings
   2. project

Project

• renderQueue
  • renderQueueItem(s) > outputModule(s)
• item(s)
  • folderItem
  • compItem
    • layer(s) > properties
    • proxySource
  • footageItem
    • mainSource / proxySource

Source

• solidSource > color
• placeHolderSource
• fileSource > file

Project Info

• project detail

  projFilePath = app.project.file; //result: /d/Projects/AE_Test/test_v001.aep
  projFileName = File.decode(app.project.file.name); // test_v001.aep 
   
  projBitDepth = app.project.bitsPerChannel; // 8
   
  projItemTotal = app.project.numItems; // total items count in project panel, the whole hierarchy 

• project panel item

  // note: the app.project.item(index) use index from 1
  cur_item = app.project.item(1);
  alert(cur_item.selected); // query active status
  alert(cur_itemName.name); // name in panel
  alert(cur_itemName.comment); // name in panel
  alert(cur_itemName.id); // unique ref int in panel
  alert(cur_itemName.typeName); // "Footage", "Folder", "Composition"
  cur_item.remove(); // delete itself

• project panel creation

  var compFolder = app.project.items.addFolder("comps");

Layer Info

• get current layer

  var result='';
  if(app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers.length != 0) {
      result = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers[0].name;
  }
  alert(result);

Text Layer Info

var result='';
if(app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers.length != 0) {
    layerName = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers[0].name;
    textProp = app.project.activeItem.selectedLayers[0].property("Source Text");
    textDocument = textProp.value;
    result =textDocument.font; // get font name
    //textDocument.font = "Arial"; // set
    //textDocument.fontStyle = "Bold";
    //textDocument.fontSize = 36;
}
alert(result ); 
// ref: https://www.aenhancers.com/viewtopic.php?t=3084

• Layer property link expression

  myComp = app.project.activeItem;
  myLayers = myComp.selectedLayers;
  myLayers[0].property("Opacity").expression='thisComp.layer("Cap 2").transform.opacity';

• 2D_null layer's position set to 3D_null

  thisComp.layer("3D_null").toComp([0,0,0]);