Layers of an InDesign® document

Layers of an InDesign® document

static int layer::count()

How many layers does the active document have?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		Number of layers of the active document

Show the number of layers of the current document in a message.

int main ()
{
    showmessage ("%d", layrs::count ());
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CDocument.getLayers

static char* layer::front_name(char* s = 0)

Get the name of the active document layer.

In InDesign® (Desktop) this is the active layer of the current front document.

In InDesign® Server, the current front document is the last document opened and the active layer is the layer that was last defined in this document with layer::select. The call of layer::select may have been in a previous (also InDesign® Desktop) session. If layer::select has never been executed in the current front document, the empty string is returned.

If the document has only one layer, this layer is automatically used as the active layer. The call of layer::select is not necessary in this case.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	String or char*		s is returned for your convenience.
s	String or char*	0	Reserved memory for the layer name. 0 : [Since v4.3 R36166] The variable may be 0 or missing, then applies: The return value is read only, do NOT CHANGE. The result will be overridden on following calls to the function. See here to learn more about functions returning r/o char* values.

Show the name of the current layer in a message.

int main ()
{
    showmessage ("--%s--", layer::front_name ());
    return 0;
}

In the example, layer::front_name is used in a Python script that requires the name of the active layer (even if only in a showMwssage).

#!py

import comet

def main():
    comet.runCScript ("int main ()\
    {\
        	char lname [512];\
        	\
        	set_script_clipboard (\"myLayer\", layer::front_name (lname));\
        	return 0;\
        }")
    frontLayer = comet.getScriptClipboard ('myLayer')
    comet.showMessage (f'Current Layer is now {frontLayer}')
    return 0

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

comet.CDocument.getActiveLayer
comet.CLayer.getActive

static int layer::rename_all(char* prefix = 0)

Rename all layers according to their current order. The passed prefix is used as the basis for the new layer names. The topmost layer (the one that covers all the others) is given the largest number. In a document with L layers, this results in the following new names:

• Prefix L
• Prefix L-1
• :
• Prefix 3
• Prefix 2
• Prefix 1

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
prefix	String or char*	""	Name base. If the name is empty, the InDesign® default name 'Layer' is used.

Change all layer names according to their current order to MMM 5, MMM 4, ..., MMM 1.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename_all ("MMM");
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

comet.CLayer.setName

static int layer::sort()

Sort all layers of the current document in descending order by name. Sorting is case insensitive. Here is a before/after screenshot:

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode

Sort all document layers by name.

int main ()
{
    layer::sort ();
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

static int layer::index(char* n)

What is the position of a layer? Positions are counted starting at 0 from the bottom. Layers with a higher index cover frames of layers with a lower index. If a layer is not found, -1 is returned.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0-based index of layer or -1.
n	String or char*	-	Layer name

Show the index of 'Layer 1' in a message:

int main ()
{
    showmessage ("%d", layer::index ("Layer 1"));

    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CDocument.getLayers
comet.CLayer.getIndex

static char* layer::name(int nth, char* res)

Name of the nth layer. Positions are counted beginning at 0 from the bottommost layer. If there is no layer with the specified index, then the empty string will be returned.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	String or char*		Parameter res with the name (or "" in case of any errors) of the nth layer
nth	int	-	0-based index of the reqquested layer. -2 : Currently selected layer
res	String or char*	-	Reserved memory for the layer name

Show the name of the currently selected layer in a message.

int main ()
{
    char s[256];

    showmessage ("'%s'", layer::name (-2, s));
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CDocument.getLayers
comet.CLocument.getName

static int layer::select_i(int index)

Activate a layer specified by its index. If the layer is not found, the method has no effect.

InDesign® Server as a faceless application cannot select a layer. The layers name is set as a document preference in here.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based layer index.

Select the highest (topmost) layer of the current document.

int main ()
{
    layer::select_i (layer::count () - 1);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::select
comet.CDocument.setActiveLayer
comet.CLayer.setActive

static int layer::select(char* lname)

Activate a layer specified by name. If the layer is not found, the method has no effect.

InDesign® Server as a headless application cannot select a layer. The layers name is set as a document preference in this case and can then be queried (also in a later InDesign® session) with layer::front_name.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
lname	String or char*	-	Name of a layer

The example shows the use of the function in a Python script. The name of the layer is transferred to the short cScript using the variable layerName here.

comet.runCScript ('int main () { layer::select (layerName); return 0; }', items=[('Ebene 3', 'layerName')])

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::select_i
layer::front_name
comet.CDocument.setActiveLayer
comet.CLayer.setActive

static int layer::set_visible_i(int index, int vis)

Show or hide a layer specified by index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based index of layer. -2 : Currently selected layer
vis	int	-	Visibility to set 0 : hidden Otherwise : visible

Make the current layer invisible:

int main ()
{
    layer::set_visible_i (-2, 0);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::set_visible
comet.CLayer.setVisible

static int layer::set_visible(char* nam, int vis)

Show or hide a layer specified by name.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
nam	String or char*	-	Name of a layer
vis	int	-	Visibility to set 0 : Hide Otherwise : Show

Make 'Layer 1' invisible.

int main ()
{
    layer::set_visible ("Layer 1", 0);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::set_visible_i
comet.CLayer.setVisible

static int layer::remove_i(int index)

Delete a layer specified in your index. BDeleting a layer also deletes all frames on this layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode 1207 removeLayerErr : Error when removing the layer 1205 deleteLayerErr : The document now only has one layer. The given layer can therefore not be removed.
index	int	-	0-based index of layer to remove. The command removes the given layer and all its contents! -2 : Currently selected layer

Remove the current layer and all its contents.

int main ()
{
    layer::remove_i (-2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::remove
comet.CLayer.remove

static int layer::remove(char* nname)

Delete a layer specified by its name. Deleting a layer also deletes all frames on this layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode 1207 removeLayerErr : Error when removing the layer 1205 deleteLayerErr : The document now only has one layer. The given layer can therefore not be removed.
nname	String or char*	-	Name of the layer to remomve.

Delete the layer ‘Layer 1’ and all its contents.

int main ()
{
    layer::remove ("Layer 1");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::remove_i
comet.CFrame.remove

static int layer::merge(char* from, char* to)

Move the contents of the layer from to the layer to and remove layer from then. Both layers are defined by their names.

If the content of the layer from is to be preserved, please use the function layer::copy. If both layers are the same, the function only returns the error code 0 (Okay).

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	String or char*	-	Name of the layer whose objects are to be moved. After the content has been deleted, the layer itself is removed too.
to	String or char*	-	Name of the target layer

Copy the contents of Layer 2 to Layer 1 and then delete Layer 1.

int main ()
{
    layer::merge ("Layer 2", "Layer 1");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::merge_ni
layer::merge_ii
layer::merge_in

static int layer::merge_ni(char* from, int to)

Move the contents of the layer from to the layer to and remove layer from then. The first layer is given by its name, the second by an index.

If the content of the layer from is to be preserved, please use the function layer::copy_ni. If both layers are the same, the function only returns the error code 0 (Okay).

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	String oder char*	-	Name of the layer whose objects are to be moved. After the content has been deleted, the layer itself is removed too.
to	int	-	0-based index of target layer -2 : Currently selected layer

Copy the content of Layer 2 into the current layer and then delete Layer 2.

int main ()
{
    layer::merge_ni ("Layer 2", -2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::merge
layer::merge_ii
layer::merge_in

static int layer::merge_ii(int from, int to)

Move the contents of the layer from to the layer to and remove layer from then. Both layers are identified by indexes.

If the content of the layer from is to be preserved, please use the function layer::copy_ii. If both layers are the same, the function only returns the error code 0 (Okay).

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose objects are to be moved. After the content has been deleted, the layer itself is removed too. -2 : Currently selected layer
to	int	-	0-based index of target layer -2 : Currently selected layer

Copy the content of the topmost layer to the current layer and then remove the old topmost layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::merge_ii (0, -2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::merge
layer::merge_ni
layer::merge_in

static int layer::merge_in(int from, char* to)

Move the contents of the layer from to the layer to and remove layer from then. The first layer is given by an index, the second by its name.

If the content of the layer from is to be preserved, please use the function layer::copy_in. If both layers are the same, the function only returns the error code 0 (Okay).

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose objects are to be moved. After the content has been deleted, the layer itself is removed too. -2 : Currently selected layer
to	String oder char*	-	Name of target layer

Copy the content of the current layer to Layer 1 and delete the current layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::merge_in (-2, "Layer 1");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::merge
layer::merge_ni
layer::merge_in

static int layer::copy(
  char* from,
  char* to,
  int exhaustive = 0,
  int reconstruct = 0,
  int completeProducts = 0)

Copy (duplicate) the content of the layer from to the layer to. Both layers are defined by their names. If both layers are the same, all frames of this layer are duplicated.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	String or char*	-	Name of the layer whose objects are to be duplicated.
to	String or char*	-	Name of the target layer
exhaustive	int	0	Due to a bug in InDesign® Server CS6 the Server may crash while executing this command. Set exhaustive to 1 to avoid this error - we use a bypass in this case. 0 : default behavior 1 : use the bypass
reconstruct	int	0	Recreate Comet groups, relink Comet notes and re-map repetition elements for the new frames? 0 : no 1 : yes Hidden Comet Notes are NOT duplicated!
completeProducts	int	0	In case there are frames beloning to a Comet Group and NOT laying on the layer from, shall I duplicate this too? 0 : no 1 : yes

Duplicate the contents of Layer 2 into Layer 1.

int main ()
{
    layer::copy ("Layer 2", "Layer 1");
    return 0;
}

Dupliziere die aktuelle Ebene. Alle Cometgruppen werden dabei wiederhergestellt.

int main ()
{
    char		frontname 	[4000];
    char		newname 	[4000];
    char		tmp 		[4000];
    int			index		= 0;

    // Get current front layer
    layer::front_name (frontname);
    index = layer::index (frontname);

    // Create a new layer name and create the layer
    layer::default_name (sprintf (tmp, "%s Kopie", frontname), newname);
    layer::add_i (newname, index+1);

    // Copy content
    layer::copy (frontname, newname, 1, 1);

    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter exhaustive since v3.3.1 R3996, 2. Jul 2013
Parameter reconstruct since v3.4 R7203, 12.12.2014
Parameter completeProducts since v4.0.4 R7412, 04.Feb 2015

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::copy_ni
layer::copy_ii
layer::copy_in

static int layer::copy_ni(
  char* from,
  int to,
  int exhaustive = 0,
  int reconstruct = 0,
  int completeProducts = 0)

Copy (duplicate) the content of the layer from to the layer to. The first layer is given by its name, the second by an index. If both layers are the same, all frames of this layer are duplicated.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	String oder char*	-	Name of the layer whose objects are to be duplicated.
to	int	-	0-based index of target layer -2 : Currently selected laye
exhaustive	int	0	Due to a bug in InDesign® Server CS6 the Server may crash while executing this command. Set exhaustive to 1 to avoid this error - we use a bypass in this case. 0 : default behavior 1 : use the bypass
reconstruct	int	0	Recreate Comet groups, relink Comet notes and re-map repetition elements for the new frames? 0 : no 1 : yes Hidden Comet Notes are NOT duplicated!
completeProducts	int	0	In case there are frames beloning to a Comet Group and NOT laying on the layer from, shall I duplicate this too? 0 : no 1 : yes

Duplicate the content of Layer 2 into the current layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::copy_ni ("Ebene 2", -2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter exhaustive since v3.3.1 R3996, 2. Jul 2013
Parameter reconstruct since v3.4 R7203, 12.12.2014
Parameter completeProducts since v4.0.4 R7412, 04.Feb 2015

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::copy
layer::copy_ii
layer::copy_in

static int layer::copy_ii(
  int from,
  int to,
  int exhaustive = 0,
  int reconstruct = 0,
  int completeProducts = 0)

Copy (duplicate) the content of the layer from to the layer to. Both layers are identified by indexes. If both layers are the same, all frames of this layer are duplicated.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose objects are to be duplicated. -2 : Currently selected layer
to	int	-	0-based index of target layer -2 : Currently selected layer
exhaustive	int	0	Due to a bug in InDesign® Server CS6 the Server may crash while executing this command. Set exhaustive to 1 to avoid this error - we use a bypass in this case. 0 : default behavior 1 : use the bypass
reconstruct	int	0	Recreate Comet groups, relink Comet notes and re-map repetition elements for the new frames? 0 : no 1 : yes Hidden Comet Notes are NOT duplicated!
completeProducts	int	0	In case there are frames beloning to a Comet Group and NOT laying on the layer from, shall I duplicate this too? 0 : no 1 : yes

Duplicate the content of the topmost layer to the current layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::copy_ii (layer::count () -1, -2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter exhaustive since v3.3.1 R3996, 2. Jul 2013
Parameter reconstruct since v3.4 R7203, 12.12.2014
Parameter completeProducts since v4.0.4 R7412, 04.Feb 2015

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::copy
layer::copy_ni
layer::copy_in

static int layer::copy_in(
  int from,
  char* to,
  int exhaustive = 0,
  int reconstruct = 0,
  int completeProducts = 0)

Copy (duplicate) the content of the layer from to the layer to. The first layer is given by an index, the second by its name. Both layers may be the same.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
from	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose objects are to be duplicated. -2 : Currently selected layer
to	String oder char*	-	Name of target layer
exhaustive	int	0	Due to a bug in InDesign® Server CS6 the Server may crash while executing this command. Set exhaustive to 1 to avoid this error - we use a bypass in this case. 0 : default behavior 1 : use the bypass
reconstruct	int	0	Recreate Comet groups, relink Comet notes and re-map repetition elements for the new frames? 0 : no 1 : yes Hidden Comet Notes are NOT duplicated!
completeProducts	int	0	In case there are frames beloning to a Comet Group and NOT laying on the layer from, shall I duplicate this too? 0 : no 1 : yes

Duplicate the content of the current layer into Layer 1.

int main ()
{
    layer::copy_in (-2, "Ebene 1");
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter exhaustive since v3.3.1 R3996, 2. Jul 2013
Parameter reconstruct since v3.4 R7203, 12.12.2014
Parameter completeProducts since v4.0.4 R7412, 04.Feb 2015

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::copy
layer::copy_ni
layer::copy_in

static int layer::move(char* mv, char* behind)

Moving a layer. The mv layer is moved behind (under) the behind layer. The frames of the mv layer can thus be hidden by the frames of the behind layer. Both layers are defined by their names.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
mv	char*	-	Name of the layer to be moved
behind	char*	-	Name of the layer behind which the layer mv is to be moved. "" or layer does not exist : mv becomes the new topmost layer

Move Layer 1 to the top.

int main ()
{
    layer::move ("Layer 1", "");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::move_ni
layer::move_ii
layer::move_in
comet.CLayer.set_index

static int layer::move_ni(char* mv, int behind)

Moving a layer. The mv layer is moved behind (under) the behind layer. The frames of the mv layer can thus be hidden by the frames of the behind layer. The first layer is defined by its name, the second by an index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
mv	String or char*	-	Name of the layer to be moved
behind	int	-	Index of the layer below which the layer mv should lie. -2 : Behind (under) current layer -1 or ≥ Number of layers : New topmost (foregrund) layer

Make Level 2 the new topmost layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::move_ni ("Ebene 2", -1);
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::move
layer::move_ii
layer::move_in
comet.CLayer.set_index

static int layer::move_ii(int mv, int behind)

Moving a layer. The mv layer is moved behind (under) the behind layer. The frames of the mv layer can thus be hidden by the frames of the behind layer. Both layers are defined via an index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
mv	int	-	Index of the layer to be moved. -2 : Current layer
behind	int	-	Index of the layer behind (under) which the layer should lie. -2 : Behind (under) current layer -1 or ≥ Number of layers: New topmost layer

Make the current layer the topmost one.

int main ()
{
    layer::move_ii (-2, -1);
    return 0;

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::move
layer::move_ni
layer::move_in
comet.CLayer.set_index

static int layer::move_in(int mv, char* behind)

Moving a layer. The mv layer is moved behind (under) the behind layer. The frames of the mv layer can thus be hidden by the frames of the behind layer. The first layer is defined by an inded, the second by its name.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
mv	int	-	Index of the layer which is to be moved. -2 : Current layer
behind	String or char*	-	Name of the layer to move the layer behind. "" or layer does not exist : mv becomes new topmost layer

Make the current layer the new topmost layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::move_in (-2, "");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::move
layer::move_ii
layer::move_in
comet.CLayer.set_index

static int layer::rename(char* oldName, char* newName)

Change the name of a layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
oldName	String or char*	-	Name of the layer the name of which is to be changed
newName	String or char*	-	New layer name

Rename Layer 1 to E1.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename ("Layer 1", "E1");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::rename_i
comet.CLayer.setName

static int layer::rename_i(int index, char* newName)

Change the name of a layer given by an index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose name is to be changed. -2 : Currently selected layer
newName	String or char*	-	New layer name

Change the name of the topmost layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename_i (layer::count () - 1, "Topmost Layer");
    return 0;
}

Change the name of the lowest layer.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename_i (0, "Bottommost Layer");
    return 0;
}

Since

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::rename
comet.CLayer.setName

static int layer::rename_prefixed(
  char* oldName,
  char* prefix,
  int useGap = 1)

Change the name of a layer in accordance with a specified prefix. If the prefix is specified as 'Paul' for example, there is a layer with the name 'Paul 3', 'Paul 4' will be used as the new name.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
oldName	String or char*	-	Name of the layer whose name is to be changed
prefix	String or char*	-	Prefix of the new layer name "" : Use the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually
useGaps	int	1	Method for calculating the new name. The parameter is only evaluated if prefix is not empty. Assuming your document has the layer E1 and E3, you will get the following different results depending on useGaps: 0 : E4 1 : E2

Rename layer fff to Layer N. The value of N is automatically calculated from the existing layers of the document.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename_prefixed ("fff", "Ebene", 0);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter useGap since v5.0 R37080, 15. Aug 2025

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::rename_prefixed_i
comet.CLayer.setName

static int layer::rename_prefixed_i(
  int index,
  char* prefix,
  int useGap = 1)

Change the name of a layer in accordance with a specified prefix. If the prefix is specified as 'Paul' for example, there is a layer with the name 'Paul 3', 'Paul 4' will be used as the new name. The layer is defined via an index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based index of the layer whose name is to be changed. -2 : Currently selected layer
prefix	String or char*	-	Prefix of the new layer name 0 or "" : Use the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually.
useGaps	int	1	Method for calculating the new name. The parameter is only evaluated if prefix is not empty. Assuming your document has the layer E1 and E3, you will get the following different results depending on useGaps: 0 : E4 1 : E2

Rename the current layer to ‘Layer N’. The value of N is automatically calculated from the existing levels of the document.

int main ()
{
    layer::rename_prefixed_i (-2, "Ebene", 0);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter useGap seit v5.0 R37080, 15. Aug 2025

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::rename_prefixed
comet.CLayer.setName

static int layer::add(
  char* newName,
  char* behind,
  int doSelect = 0,
  char* outName = 0)

Create a new document layer behind a given layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or Error Code
newName	String oder char*	-	Name of the new layer. If a layer already exists with the specified name no new layer is created and the position of the existing layer remains unchanged. 0 or "" : Use the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually.
behind	String oder char*	-	Name of the layer behind which the new layer should be located. If this layer is not found, the new layer will be created as the new topmost layer.
doSelect	int	0	Should the layer be activated immediately? 0 : no 1 : yes Ignored by Illustrator.
outName	String oder char*	0	Allocated memory for the name of the newly created layer. 0 : Ignore return value

To run the script, you need a test document with at least 3 layers, one of which must be named "Layer 6". The document should also contain four frames whose UIDs you still need to enter in the calls to the mv function.

int mv (int uid, char* l, char * bkname, int bkindex)
{
    ItemRef		fr		= item::alloc ();
    int 		result 	= 0;
    String 		lname	= string::alloc ();
    String 		lname2	= string::alloc ();

    item::define (fr, 0, uid);

    if (strlen (bkname))	result = layer::add (l, bkname, 0, lname);
    else 					result = layer::add_i (l, bkindex, 0, lname);

    printf ("# Frame %d : (%s)\n", uid, lname);

    if (result == 0)
    {
        result = frame::move_to_layer (fr, lname, 0, 0);
        if (result != 0)
        {
            printf ("# Layoutrule 'Move to layer' : Ignoring error %d (%s)\n", result, serror (result));
        }
        else
        {
            printf ("LAYER of %d : (%s)\n", uid, frame::get_layer (fr, lname2));
        }
    }

    printf ("\n");
    string::release (lname);
    string::release (lname2);
    item::release (fr);
    return 1;
}

int main ()
{
    mv (262, "", 	"Layer 6", 0);
    mv (305, "YY",	"Layer 6", 0);

    mv (464, "", 	0, 2);
    mv (466, "ZZ", 	0, 2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter outName seit v4.2 R33470, 15. Sep 2024

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::add_i
comet.CDocument.addLayer

static int layer::add_i(
  char* newName,
  int index,
  int doSelect = 0,
  char* outName = 0)

Create a new document layer behind a layer given by its index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or Error Code
newName	String oder char*	-	Name of the new layer. If a layer already exists with the specified name no new layer is created and the position of the existing layer remains unchanged. 0 or "" : Use the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually.
behind	int	-	0-based index, behind which the new layer should lie. If this layer is not found, the new layer will be created as the new topmost layer. -2 : Aktuelle Ebene
doSelect	int	0	Should the layer be activated immediately? 0 : no 1 : yes Ignored by Illustrator.
outName	String or char*	0	Allocated memory for the name of the newly created layer. 0 : Ignore return value

To run the script, you need a test document with at least 3 layers, one of which must be named "Layer 6". The document should also contain four frames whose UIDs you still need to enter in the calls to the mv function.

int mv (int uid, char* l, char * bkname, int bkindex)
{
    ItemRef		fr		= item::alloc ();
    int 		result 	= 0;
    String 		lname	= string::alloc ();
    String 		lname2	= string::alloc ();

    item::define (fr, 0, uid);

    if (strlen (bkname))	result = layer::add (l, bkname, 0, lname);
    else 					result = layer::add_i (l, bkindex, 0, lname);

    printf ("# Frame %d : (%s)\n", uid, lname);

    if (result == 0)
    {
        result = frame::move_to_layer (fr, lname, 0, 0);
        if (result != 0)
        {
            printf ("# Layoutrule 'Move to layer' : Ignoring error %d (%s)\n", result, serror (result));
        }
        else
        {
            printf ("LAYER of %d : (%s)\n", uid, frame::get_layer (fr, lname2));
        }
    }

    printf ("\n");
    string::release (lname);
    string::release (lname2);
    item::release (fr);
    return 1;
}

int main ()
{
    mv (262, "", 	"Layer 6", 0);
    mv (305, "YY",	"Layer 6", 0);

    mv (464, "", 	0, 2);
    mv (466, "ZZ", 	0, 2);
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter outName sinc e v4.2 R33470, 15. Sep 2024

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

layer::add
comet.CDocument.addLayer

static int layer::add_prefixed(
  char* prefix,
  char* behind,
  int doSelect = 0,
  char* outName = 0,
  int useGap = 1)

Create a new named/prefxied document layer behind a given layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or Error Code
prefix	String oder char*	-	Name/prefix of the new layer. "" : Use the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually.
behind	String oder char*	-	Name of the layer behind which the new layer should be located. If this layer is not found, the new layer will be created as the lowest layer.
doSelect	int	0	Should the layer be activated immediately? 0 : no 1 : yes
outName	String oder char*	0	Allocated memory for the name of the newly created layer. 0 : Ignore returned value
useGaps	int	1	Method for calculating the new name. The parameter is only evaluated if prefix is not empty. Assuming your document has the layer E1 and E3, you will get the following different results depending on useGaps: 0 : E4 1 : E2

Since

Parameter outName since v4.2 R33470, 15. Sep 2024
Parameter useGap seit v5.0 R37080, 15. Aug 2025

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::add
layer::add_i
layer::add_prefixed_i
comet.CDocument.addLayer

static int layer::add_prefixed_i(
  char* prefix,
  int behind,
  int doSelect = 0,
  char* outName = 0,
  int useGap = 1)

Create a new named/prefxied document layer given by its index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or Error Code
prefix	String oder char*	-	Name/prefix of the new layer. If a layer already exists with the specified prefix a new layer with the next counting number is created. (If, for example, the prefix Lala is specified and the layers Lala, Lala 1 and Lala 30 exist, the layer Lala 31 will be created.) 0 or "" : If no name is specified, a new default name is determined.
behind	int	-	0-based index behind which the new layer should be located. If this layer is not found, the new layer is created as the lowest layer.
doSelect	int	0	Should the layer be activated immediately? 0 : no 1 : yes
outName	String oder char*	0	Allocated memory for the name of the newly created layer. 0 : Ignore returned value
useGaps	int	1	Method for calculating the new name. The parameter is only evaluated if prefix is not empty. Assuming your document has the layer E1 and E3, you will get the following different results depending on useGaps: 0 : E4 1 : E2

Since

Parameter outName since v4.2 R33470, 15. Sep 2024
Parameter useGap since v5.0 R37080, 15. Aug 2025

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

layer::add
layer::add_i
layer::add_prefixed
comet.CDocument.addLayer

static char* layer::default_name(
  char* prefix,
  char* newName,
  int useGaps = 1)

Determine the next valid default name that can be used for a new layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	Parameter newName. If newName == 0, a static char* with the result is returned.
prefix	String oder char*	-	Prefix for the new name "" : newName is given the name that would also be used when creating a layer manually
newName	String oder char*	0	Reserved memory for the returned new layer name 0 : [since v5.0 R37080] The variable may be 0 or missing, then applies: The return value is read only, do NOT CHANGE. The result will be overridden on following calls to the function. See here to learn more about functions returning r/o char* values.
useGaps	int	1	Method for calculating the new name. The parameter is only evaluated if prefix is not empty. Assuming your document has the layer E1 and E3, you will get the following different results depending on useGaps: 0 : E4 1 : E2

Show me the next free layer name.

int main ()
{
    showmessage ("%s", layer::default_name ("Ebene", 0, 0));
    return 0;
}

Since

Parameter useGaps since v5.0 R37080
Parameter useGap seit v5.0 R37080, 15. Aug 2025

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

See Also

comet.CDocument.getDefaultLayerName

static int layer::get_visible_i(int index)

Is the given layer visible or not?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		1 : visible 0 : hidden
index	int	-	0-based layer index. 0 is the bottommost layer. -2 : Current layer ≥ layer::count : Topmost layer

Is the current layer visible?

int main ()
{
    showmessage ("%d", layer::get_visible_i (-2));
    return 0;
}

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.getVisible

static int layer::get_visible(char* name)

Is the given layer visible or not?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		1 : visible 0 : hidden
name	String or char*	-	Name of the layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.getVisible

static int layer::get_lock_i(int index)

Is the given layer locked or not?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		1 : locked 0 : unlocked
index	int	-	0-based layer index. 0 is the bottommost layer. -2 : Current layer ≥ layer::count : Topmost layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.getLocked

static int layer::get_lock(char* name)

Is the given layer locked or not?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		1 : locked 0 : unlocked
name	String or char*	-	name of the layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.getLocked

static int layer::lock_i(int index)

Lock a index given layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based layer index. 0 is the bottommost layer. -2 : Current layer ≥ layer::count : Topmost layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.setLocked

static int layer::lock(char* name)

Lock a layer by name

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
name	String or char*	-	name of the layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.setLocked

static int layer::unlock_i(int index)

Unlock a layer by index.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
index	int	-	0-based layer index. 0 is the bottommost layer. -2 : Current layer ≥ layer::count : Topmost layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.setLocked

static int layer::unlock(char* name)

Lock a named layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
name	String oder char*	-	name of the layer

Since

Version 1.4 R310, 8. Feb. 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CLayer.setLocked

static char* layer::get_name(ItemRef frameRef)

Find out the layer name of a given document frame.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	char*		Name of layer The return value is read only, do NOT CHANGE. The result will be overridden on following calls to the function. See here to learn more about functions returning r/o char* values.
frameRef	ItemRef	-	vValid document frame

Show the layer of the script frame.

int main ()
{
    showmessage (layer::get_name (gFrame));
    return 0;
}

Since

Version 1.4 R339, 3. Mai 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CFrame.getNane

static int layer::get_index(ItemRef frameRef)

Find out the layer index of a given document frame. The top most layer has the index 0. In the layers panel this is the last entry.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0-based level index of the given frame. 0 is the bottommost level.
frameRef	ItemRef	-	valid doc frame

Show the layer index of the script frame

showmessage ("%d", layer::get_index (gFrame));		

Since

Version 1.4 R339, 3. Mai 2007

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CFrame.getNane

static int layer::get_printable(char* lname)

Is a given layer printable?

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		1 : layer is printable 0 : error or not printable
lname	String or char*	-	Name of the layer

int main ()
{
    char	*	lname	= "Ebene 2";
    int			state	= layer::get_printable (lname);
    wlog ("", "%s : %d\n", lname, state);
    layer::set_printable (lname, !state);
    wlog ("", "%s : %d\n", lname, layer::get_printable (lname));
    return 0;
}

Since

Version 3.1 R2178, 22. Okt. 2010

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CFrame.getPrintable

static int layer::set_printable(char* lnamem, int state = 1)

Set the printability of a layer.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
lname	String or char*	-	Name of the layer
state	int	1	printability 0 : Layer is not printable 1 : Layer is printable

int main ()
{
    char	*	lname	= "Ebene 2";
    int			state	= layer::get_printable (lname);
    wlog ("", "%s : %d\n", lname, state);
    layer::set_printable (lname, !state);
    wlog ("", "%s : %d\n", lname, layer::get_printable (lname));
    return 0;
}

Since

Version 3.1 R2178, 22. Okt. 2010

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf, Illustrator

See Also

comet.CFrame.setPrintable

static int layer::get_ui_color()

Get the name of the color of a layer of the front document. The color names are the fixed Stock colors integrated in InDesign as displayed in the 'Layer options' dialog. Custom colors are returned in the format "RGB r g b" with r, g, b ∈ [0-255].

Custom colors are not supported by comet_pdf!

The function has been implemented for internal use only. There are currently no set function yet.

Name	Type	Default	Description
Return	int		0 or ErrorCode
lname	String or char*	-	Name of the layer

Since

v4.1.6 R25778, 23. Sep 2019

Available

priint:comet InDesign® Plug-Ins, comet_pdf

Since

Plugin Version 1.0.8

Version

23.09.2025, 17:17 Uhr

Author

Paul Seidel

Alphabetic index HTML hierarchy of classes or Java