@Mariusz

Hmmm. That’s quite odd. Templater shouldn’t have any mechanisms to remove the Templater Settings Effect from the main Project file during the reversioning process. The only thing I can think of that might cause this sort of thing would be if there was some sort of error in AE that caused the file not to be saved properly once Templater was added to the layers in question.

One thing we might try would be to clear the After Effects Preferences just to make sure that there’s not some sort of setting there that’s causing an issue.

If that doesn’t change what you’re seeing, we’ll probably need to take a look at the templater.log and templater.err files to see if we can find any information there that might help to narrow things down. We’ll also likely need to get some information about the version of Templater and AE we’re running, as well as the license key.

Given that this information could contain potentially sensitive details, you might want to email us directly at support@dataclay.com rather than posting here.

Let us know how it goes and we’ll see where we need to go from there.

Thanks,

Jeff

@Tom10

We did some testing this morning, and it appears that the AEDebugShowPreviousCrashWarning key has been removed from AE 25.0.1 and AE 25.1.0. One of our engineers reported that it was still present in 25.0.0, but it seems like Adobe is removing this as a debug option moving forward.

This would explain why the forum posts that were previously linked in this thread seem to have been deleted from Adobe’s site.

It’s possible that you might be able to add the debug string:

AE.DebugShowPreviousCrashWarning true true

back to the Debug Database.txt file manually, but even if it works (which is unclear at the moment), I doubt that it will be a stable solution in the long run.

At this point, I think the only option to get this option restored would be to contact Adobe directly and see if they’d be willing to consider adding the feature in a later update.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know at the moment, but if we get any updates or have any other input on this, we’ll definitely update this thread.

Thanks,

Jeff

@Tom10

Great question. I did some digging, and the reason that we don’t currently surface that option in the UI version of Templater is mainly related to the way that Templater operates when generating versioned replicates.

Due to some quirks in the way that After Effects interacts with project files, it’s necessary for Templater to save the project when performing a replication. However, it appears that this shouldn’t be mandatory when Templater is creating an output via the standard render modules.

I’ll go ahead and put in a Feature Request to see if this is something that we can add as an option to a future version of Templater, but for right now, an Event Script is probably going to be our best solution for controlling whether Templater saves a file in UI mode once reversioning is complete.

If you have any other questions, let us know, and we’ll be more than happy to help out.

Thanks,

Jeff

@joevac

Since Spot Check is considered a standard Templater Bot action on par with Replication or Rendering, there’s not really a way to keep it from changing the render-status to “done” when it runs. However, there may be some techniques that we could use to get around the issue that you’re describing.

The easiest would probably be to add another value to each Job that indicates whether a Job is a Spot Check or a standard output. Once that was in place, you could modify the Zap to match both the render-status and the new value before running. That should have the effect of filtering out any Jobs that are run solely as a Spot Check.

Hopefully that helps get things moving in the right direction. We might be able to make some additional suggestions on how to resolve the problem if this isn’t a feasible solution, but to do so, we’d need to get some more information about how everything is set up.

Let us know how it goes, and we’ll see where we need to go from there.

Thanks,

Jeff

@pbretz

Hmmm. That’s quite odd. The only thing I can think of that might be interfering with the asset swap in the way that you’ve described is if an Event Script is present that’s overriding Templater’s standard reversioning logic before it can be performed.

If that’s not the case, it might be beneficial to try manually replacing the asset in the AE Project panel by right-clicking on it and using the Replace Footage> File option. If that still doesn’t swap the file, there might be an issue with After Effects or this specific Project file that we’ll need to address.

Another option that might get things moving in the right direction would be to look at the templater.log and, more importantly, the templater.err files to see if there are any messages there that might give us a better idea of what’s happening when Templater attempts to reversion the layer in question.

If there is a failure reported in either of those files, we could be looking at a situation where another logic problem is causing Templater to stop the reversioning process before it can process the mp3 layer in question.

If you’d like to share those files here, we can certainly take a look. However, if the logs contain sensitive information, you can also get in touch with us at support@dataclay.com, and we’ll be more than happy to continue troubleshooting the issue through that channel.

Let us know how it goes and we’ll see where we need to go from there.

Thanks,

Jeff

@joevac

Dataclay QUE should absolutely update the render-status to “done” even if you’re rendering with Templater Pro. As far as the other question is concerned, there are quite a few benefits to using QUE to interface with Templater, even if you’re not using Templater Bot.

The first benefit is that QUE is highly flexible and efficient when it comes to the storage of data since it’s not limited to a spreadsheet’s rigid format. This allows a lot more flexibility in changing between projects on the fly while still using the same Campaign and Project data.

QUE also provides much more information on each Job’s status than we’re able to provide using the Google Sheets API. If you take a look in the QUE interface at the “View Job Logs” option all the way on the right, you should be able to see that data.

Finally, QUE has a number of easy-to-use API hooks that can give users the flexibility to set up intricate systems to deposit data from a number of different sources directly into their QUE campaigns. Check out this link for more information on that feature.

Hopefully, that all makes sense, but if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thanks,

Jeff

@joevac

I’m glad to hear that you were able to get the issue with the data resolved. As far as your question about deleting Jobs is concerned, you are correct that this feature is turned off in the Trial version of QUE. However, it should definitely be an option that’s enabled in the full version of the service.

Hopefully, that helps, but if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here or via email at support@dataclay.com.

Thanks!

Jeff

The Dataclay team has just released Templater version 3.5.0, which adds some amazing new functionality, improvements, and bug fixes. Thanks for your patience, and Happy Rendering!

WHAT’S NEW IN TEMPLATER 3.5.0

Templater 3.5 contains the exciting new Dynamic Essential Properties feature as well as significant enhancements to the Dynamic Subtitles utility introduced in the 3.4 release. It also includes UI updates and several bug fixes.

• New Feature: Dynamic Essential Properties

  Templater now supports using data to change and control values of properties promoted to the Essential Graphics panel in After Effects. While you can dynamically update the values of essential properties on nested pre-comp layers (layers within a composition), it is not possible to change values within the primary composition itself, as indicated by the following image:

  

  Using After Effects’ built-in tools, you can build a primary composition with a manually configured set of essential properties. You can then nest an instance of that primary comp into a new timeline and have Templater adjust parameter values within the “Essential Properties” group for that “pre-comp” layer.

  The nested comp starts with the essential properties at the default values set in the primary comp. But because the nested comp is now a layer, you can change the “instanced” values in one of two ways:

  • From within the “Essential Properties” group on the layer

  • By selecting the pre-comp layer, going to Window > Properties, and finding the Essential Properties

  The values in that pane can be adjusted using a data source.

  This feature also allows Templater to support Motion Graphics (.mogrt) templates. Users often purchase these templates because of their high design quality. The templates are designed to be customized, and producers can now do so quickly, easily, and iteratively using Templater.

• Dynamic Subtitles Improvements

  Work from a Floating or Docked Palette

  You can now launch Dynamic Subtitles and choose whether to dock the palette or keep it a floating palette. Previously, only the floating palette was available.

  Edit Subtitle Content for SRT Rig

  You can now open and edit an SRT file from within the Dynamic Subtitles utility. Templater opens the file for the current comp using your system’s default application for the SRT file extension. Changes to the SRT file are saved and appear as soon as you reload the comp in Templater.

  Edit Subtitle Timings for an SRT Stack

  You can now edit the timings of individual subtitles by adjusting specific layers within an SRT Stack. This allows editors to fine-tune when subtitles appear, and how long they stay on-screen, in each iteration of a video. The feature is especially helpful when adjustments are needed for subtitles in different languages.

  Sync Changes from an SRT Stack to an SRT File

  When you make changes to subtitle content, timings, or both, you can now sync those changes back to the appropriate SRT file from within the Dynamic Subtitles utility. Sync is available from the SRT Stack pane, even if content changes were made on the SRT Rig and no SRT Stack was created. The sync operation is one-way.

  Export Changes from an SRT Stack to an SRT File

  The new Export feature in Dynamic Subtitles lets you export a copy of the SRT file for the current job to a local directory. This is useful when the original file is accessed via URL and you need a local copy. If you have made changes to subtitle content, timings, or both, these changes are automatically synced to the SRT file before it is exported. There is no need to sync and then export as two separate steps. Export is available from the SRT Stack pane, even if content changes were made on the SRT Rig and no SRT Stack was created.

  New Text Layer Options When Creating an SRT Rig

  Dynamic Subtitles now supports both Point Text and Box Text options for the dynamic text layer in an SRT Rig. The default setting is box text.

  Create an Anchor Position for Subtitle Text in SRT Rig

  Anchor Position is based on the x-height of your selected font and is the point from which your text scales. If you select box text, it is also the point from which your text wraps. You can choose from Top, Middle, or Bottom, giving you greater control over how your subtitles appear.

  New Box Text Settings When Creating an SRT Rig

  For SRT Rigs that format the text layer as box text, additional new settings enable editors to:

  • Set a Base Threshold: Controls how far down in the video the box text can appear. Editors can move the box on individual layers in an SRT Stack, but never below the base threshold.*

  • Set a Wrap Margin Threshold: Controls text wrapping within box text to ensure the desired margins are maintained.*

  • Remove new line characters: Sets a preference for handling hard returns in the SRT file. When selected, hard returns in the source file are removed so that new lines are controlled by text wrapping only. This is a global preference.*

  These settings flow through to the SRT Stack if one is created. They cannot be edited after the rig is created unless the editor detaches the layer and uses AE tools to do so manually.

  Settings Available in AE Essential Graphics Panel

  The user experience for editing Dynamic Subtitles has been greatly enhanced. Now, when an SRT Rig is created, all of the associated settings are automatically promoted to the AE Essential Graphics panel. This makes it dramatically easier for editors to adjust settings and immediately see the effects of their changes on the current job.

  Support for HTML bold and italic tags in SRT Files

  Editors can now apply faux bold, faux italics, or both to individual subtitles by editing SRT files to include HTML markup. The markup (for example, <b>Date</b>or <i>Timestamp</i>) can be seen in the subtitle layer markers. You can only apply HTML markup to the entire subtitle; in other words, you cannot apply bold to part of a subtitle and italics to another part.

  HTML markup is applied at the SRT Rig layer and carries through when an SRT Stack is created. The markup is also saved when you use the new sync or export features.

• User Interface (UI) Updates

  In Adobe After Effects 2025, the ScriptUI was updated to enhance accessibility. All Templater dialogs have been updated to correspond to these changes.

FIXES in Templater 3.5.0

• The following issues have been fixed in this release:

  • Google Sheets documents sometimes failed to retrieve on Windows machines.

  • Spreadsheet cell values that contain operands are now interpreted as strings.

  • Templater now correctly handles null values in a dynamic footage layer as “faulty”.

@fledermoys

Thanks for getting in touch with us. While Templater doesn’t have a specific option that controls whether a project is saved after each reversioning task, it should be possible to achieve what you’re describing through the use of Templater Bot’s Event Scripts feature.

To achieve this, we’d need a relatively simple script that gets the name of the open project file, closes that file without saving it, and then re-opens the project. I did some experimenting, and I believe that this script should work for that:

var projectPath = app.project.file.fsName;
app.project.close(CloseOptions.DO_NOT_SAVE_CHANGES);
app.open(File(projectPath));

We’d want to register the script on the “After creating output” event, which, in theory, should run the script each time an output is produced but before Templater moves on to the next set of data.

One quick note: since AE is going to be re-initialized each time the data is reversioned, we’ll need to make sure that we’re setting all of the options that Templater needs to run in the data. This includes values for target, output, module, and render-settings.

Hopefully, that all makes sense, but if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here or through the support@dataclay.com email address.

Thanks,

Jeff

@eric_dean

Great question! Escaping the quotation marks should be as easy as putting a backslash before the quotes in the text block of our JSON file. So, for example, if we wanted something like this:

Lorem ipsum "dolor" sit amet

we’d write it like this:

Lorem ipsum \"dolor\" sit amet

The backslashes should be read as an “escape” to keep the quotation marks in the text from interfering with the formatting of the JSON data file.

Hopefully, that should be all we need, but if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

Thanks,

Jeff