Hidden AE CEP task runner

Run extendscript task in After Effects at regular interval. The extension is invisible and start automatically at AE launch.

How to start?

Replace globally "com.demo.hiddentaskrunner" by your extension ID and "Hidden Task Runner" by your extension name.

How to run task?

In index.js, replace apiVarName value with your API variable. Use createTask(apiMethodName, args, interval, cb) function to launch a task.

For example, if you want to execute the method myMethod of an object called myApi every 5 seconds and pass to this method a message argument:

var apiVarName = "myApi";
initScript("/src/extendscript/hostscript.jsx", function() {
    createTask("myMethod", { message: "Hello" }, 5 * 1000, function(result) {
        console.log(result);
    });
});

Please note that in this example, myApi is initalized with initScript() which run hostscript.jsx before creating the task. This is optional if you want to call a method of another running script.

How to build your ZXP?

Install NPM dependencies with npm install, and edit file build.config.json. Command npm run build will package and sign your extension with a certificate generated with certificate parameters. Use package.include to define which files to package. You can use glob patterns.

If you keep -install parameter in your build command, the extension will be installed automatically.

How to debug?

• In Chrome, go to chrome://inspect
• Check "Discover network targets" and click on "Configure"
• Add localhost:9080, or another port if you have edited port in .debug and click on "Done"
• Click on "Inspect" below "Hidden Task Runner"