Renaming
Last updated
Last updated
Renames layers (Win+Mac: Shift+Return).
Rename Layer/s is a replacement for AE's renaming. Because Workflower uses spaces within the layer name to indent the layer, you would always have to hit Refresh Layout after using AE's renaming function to indent to layer. Rename Layer/s will automatically indent the layers after renaming. Additionally, Workflower uses various special characters around the layer name to display its icons. When using AE's renaming, these icons always get in the way of renaming. Rename Layer/s, on the other hand, strips away these characters.
If you have one layer selected and execute Rename Layer/s, a panel will come up and display the currently selected layer name in a textbox. You can close the panel again by either clicking on empty space on the panel itself or by hitting Escape.
If you have multiple layers selected, layers will be renamed on dependency. For more on this, see below.
Rename Layer/s has two renaming modes: Split Mode and Full Mode. You can switch between the modes by pressing Alt+Return (Win) or Option+Return (Mac). (By default, Split Mode is shown when the panel comes up. You can change this by going to the Naming Settings.)
If a layer name is composed of different levels - split by the divider that is defined in the Naming Settings - Split Mode will display only one of those levels. You can flip one name level backward by pressing Alt+Left (Win) or Opt+Left (Mac), and one name level forward by pressing Alt+Right (Win) or Opt+Right (Mac). That way, it is faster to select and rename one part of a layer name, as compared to having to select this part manually.
You can also create a new name level after the current name level by pressing Alt+Up (Win) or Opt+Up (Mac), or delete the current name level by pressing Alt+Down (Win) or Opt+Down (Mac).
On Mac, adding/removing name levels might not always work as expected. We hope to fix this issue in a future update.
When the renaming panel comes up, the default name level shown is always the last level.
Full Mode displays the full layer name.
If you want to rename layers on dependency, select the base layer first, then the dependent layers, and hit Rename Layer/s. All dependent layers will now inherit the base layer name and attached to it - after a divider - is its original name. This is useful when you have various layers that belong together and depend on each other (like a track matte, a fractal structure to a displacement map, or an asset belonging to the base layer) but it wouldn't be justified to create a unique group for them.
By default, all track mattes will be renamed on dependency to their matted layers according to their matte type (Alpha, Alpha Inv., Luma, Luma Inv.). A Matte Merge track matte layer will always be named Matte. You can deactivate the automatic naming of track mattes in the Naming Settings too.
Sometimes you want to change the name of a layer that has dependent layers. In order to not having to rename all layers individually, you can use the Re-Rename on Dependency function instead. Select the base layer and hit Rename Layer/s to open up the renaming panel and type in your new name. To apply the name to the base and dependent layers, press Ctrl+Alt+Return (Win) or Cmd+Option+Return (Mac).
This will re-rename all surrounding layers - upwards and downwards. It will not, however, rename layers once a layer without the base layer name has been reached. If you want to re-rename all layers in comp, use Re-Rename on Dependency (all Layers).
This function will re-rename all layers within the comp on dependency and it will not stop re-renaming once a layer is reached that doesn't share the base name. To execute it, press Ctrl+Return (Win) or Cmd+Return (Mac).
If you want to change one name throughout the entire comp, use this function. It will change the name even if it is just one part of the name. If you are in Split Mode, it will only consider the split name level. To execute it, press Shift+Return (Win) or Shift+Return (Mac).
Most functions of Workflower refresh the layout of the current comp too (see Refresh Layout). When renaming single layers, however, only the layout of comps with less than 50 layers will be refreshed by default. This is because renaming can get comparatively slow in bigger comps if Refresh Layout would have to be executed as well.
You can deactivate this behavior, too, if you don't like it, or choose to not refresh the layout even in smaller comps as well, by going to the Layout Settings and changing Refresh Layout when Expanding/Collapsing/Selecting/Renaming.
| Function | Shortcut (Win) | Shortcut (Mac) |
|---|---|---|
Re-Rename on Dependency (surrounding Layers) | Ctrl+Alt+Return | Cmd+Option+Return |
Re-Rename on Dependency (all Layers in Comp) | Ctrl+Return | Cmd+Return |
Rename all Instances of Name | Shift+Return | Shift+Return |
| Function | Shortcut (Win) | Shortcut (Mac) |
|---|---|---|
Switch Split <-> Full Mode | Alt+Return | Option+Return |
Flip one Name Level backward | Alt+Left | Option+Left |
Flip one Name Level forward | Alt+Right | Option+Right |
Add new Name Level | Alt+Up | Option+Up |
Delete current Name Level | Alt+Down | Option+Down |
Renames selected layers or project panel items by number (no default shortcut; Win+Mac: Shift-Click on the Renaming Button).
Sometimes you have a lot of assets and you want to number their names. That's what Rename Layers by Number is for.
First, rename a layer to the first name, select it and after that, select all following layers in order. Then execute Rename Layers by Number.
If the first layer name starts with a higher iteration than 1, Rename Layers by Number will start from that iteration on.
(Added in version 2.0.4)
In order to rename project panel items, make sure to have no layer in your current comp selected, then select your project panel items and execute Rename Layers by Number.
Important: This will only work when you execute the function from the menu (not via shortcut).
In contrast to renaming layers, a dialog will pop up to define the first item name. (This is because renaming the first item before executing the function might shift the item in the panel to a completely different position due to the sorting mechanism of the project panel, hence making it more difficult to select all items in order.) Then apply the new name and all items will be renamed accordingly.
(Added in version 2.0.4)
Go to Settings > Naming > When executing Rename Layers by Number: in order to additionally define:
The increment by which the renumbering should take place, e.g. an increment of 10 will number layers/items like this:
My Layer 10
My Layer 20
My Layer 30
etc.
A suffix that should be kept, e.g. if your first layer/item is called 'My Layer 1 New' and you enter the suffix ' New', the function will number the layers/items like this:
My Layer 1 New
My Layer 2 New
My Layer 3 New
etc.
To quickly access the additional renumbering options, on the Main Menu, right-click on the Rename Layers by Number button and click on Renaming Settings...
