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Indexing Layers

To manage text with AE Sheets, layers must be "indexed". This assigns a unique ID to the layer so the extension can track it across versions.

Adding Layers​

  1. Select the text layers in your timeline.
  2. Click "Add Layer" in the Layers Panel.
  3. The layers are added to the list and assigned an index (e.g., #1, #2).

Manual Indexing​

You can also manually index layers without opening the extension:

  1. Rename your layer in After Effects to prefix it with a caret and number (e.g., ^1 My Text Layer).
  2. In AE Sheets, click "Get Layers" to import these manually indexed layers.
  3. Tip: You can assign the same index (e.g., ^1) to multiple layers. When you update the translation for Index 1, all layers with that index will update simultaneously.

Indexing Compositions​

You can also index composition layers (pre-comps) in your timeline, not just text layers. This allows AE Sheets to swap out an entire nested composition per version - for example, replacing outro_en-GB with outro_fr-FR.

How to index a comp layer​

  1. Select the composition layer in your timeline.
  2. Click "Add Layer" - AE Sheets detects it is a composition and registers it as a comp-type item.

Alternatively, you can manually prefix the layer name (e.g., ^2 outro_en-GB) and click "Get Layers".

In the version table​

Instead of a text field, comp-type rows show a composition selector dropdown. Use this to choose which composition should be used for that version.

Auto-population from presets​

If your compositions follow a naming convention with a language/region suffix (e.g. outro_en-GB), AE Sheets will automatically suggest the matching target composition when you apply a preset - for example, applying the fr-FR preset will pre-fill outro_fr-FR if it exists in the project.

Warnings​

  • Mixed-type index: Assigning the same index number (e.g. ^1) to both a text layer and a comp layer is not supported. AE Sheets will show a warning if this is detected.
  • Indexed layers inside a swapped comp: If the source composition contains its own indexed layers, a row warning will appear - those inner indexed layers will not be duplicated when the source comp is replaced.