Is there a way to EXPAND a group in Photoshop?

jack
August 12, 2020
147 views
2 votes
3 Answers

In the Layers panel, Photoshop has a dropdown option to ‘Collapse All Groups’. Is there a reverse option to expand one or all groups or a way to do it in Javascript?

Answers

Any hoops, to collapse all groups just use Scriptlistner code:

function collapse_all_groups()
{
  // =======================================================
  var idcollapseAllGroupsEvent = stringIDToTypeID( "collapseAllGroupsEvent" );
  var desc46 = new ActionDescriptor();
  executeAction( idcollapseAllGroupsEvent, desc46, DialogModes.NO );
}

And there doesn’t appear to be a "expandAllGroupsEvent"

However, I eventually found the answer here

function openAllLayerSets(parent)
{
    for (var setIndex = 0; setIndex < parent.layerSets.length; setIndex++) 
    {
        try
        {
          app.activeDocument.activeLayer = parent.layerSets[setIndex].layers[0];
        }
        catch(e)
        {
          alert(e + app.activeDocument.activeLayer);
        }
        openAllLayerSets(parent.layerSets[setIndex]);
    }
}

openAllLayerSets(app.activeDocument);

Here you go, answer is derived from

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/expand-collapse-a-group-via-javascript/td-p/7286289/page/2?page=1%3F

var groupname = app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name // name of active layer 
var idungroupLayersEvent = stringIDToTypeID( "ungroupLayersEvent" ); // ungroup layer event 

var desc14 = new ActionDescriptor();

var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );

var ref13 = new ActionReference();

var idLyr = charIDToTypeID( "Lyr " );
var idOrdn = charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" );
var idTrgt = charIDToTypeID( "Trgt" );
ref13.putEnumerated( idLyr, idOrdn, idTrgt );
desc14.putReference( idnull, ref13 );

executeAction( idungroupLayersEvent, desc14, DialogModes.NO );

var idMk = charIDToTypeID( "Mk  " ); // make action , note the space
var desc15 = new ActionDescriptor();
var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );

var ref14 = new ActionReference();

var idlayerSection = stringIDToTypeID( "layerSection" );
ref14.putClass( idlayerSection );
desc15.putReference( idnull, ref14 );
var idFrom = charIDToTypeID( "From" );

var ref15 = new ActionReference();

var idLyr = charIDToTypeID( "Lyr " ); // <-- note the space
var idOrdn = charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" );
var idTrgt = charIDToTypeID( "Trgt" );
ref15.putEnumerated( idLyr, idOrdn, idTrgt );
desc15.putReference( idFrom, ref15 );

executeAction( idMk, desc15, DialogModes.NO );
app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name = groupname // recall group name

this works in UXP JavaScript land in Ps 23.5.0
showing both getting the expanded state and switching/or toggling it; to expand all currently I’d simply walk the layers properties of group layers (layers where layer.kind === 'group') from the desired starting point (or photoshop.app.activeDocument.layers) as I don’t know if there are more options applicable to this approach

function toggleGroupLayer(_id=-1){
    const photoshop = require('photoshop');
    photoshop.action.batchPlay([

        { _obj: "multiGet", _target: {_ref: "layer", _id}, extendedReference: [[
           "layerSectionExpanded"
        ]] }
    ], {}).then(([{layerSectionExpanded}])=>{

    console.log(`before toggling:`,{_id, layerSectionExpanded});
    layerSectionExpanded = !layerSectionExpanded;
    return photoshop.core.executeAsModal(function _executeAsModal(context, descriptor){
        return photoshop.action.batchPlay([{
            _obj: "set",
            _target: [{ _ref: "property", _property: "layerSectionExpanded" }, { _ref: "layer", _id }],
            to: layerSectionExpanded
        }], {}).then(res=>{
            return descriptor;
        }).catch(console.error);
    },
    { commandName: 'toggle group layer expanded', descriptor: {layerSectionExpanded, _id} }
    );

    }).then(console.log).catch(console.error);

}

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