From 3f88c72a43a53275aaa87104fc9b1356cffbafe5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: tylerjenningsw <tylerjennings2@outlook.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2026 22:18:28 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Expressions: a layer is a callable property group

In After Effects a layer is a property group: thisLayer("transform"),
thisComp.layer("Other")("effects")("Blur"), thisLayer(1). In
EffectCraft's expression runtime a Layer was a plain object, so those
failed with "TypeError: not a callable function", including the
references the pick whip writes with Compact English off
(thisComp.layer("Other")("effects")("ec.noise.fractal")(...)).

A Layer is now callable like a property group (built as __mkGroup
builds groups), looking up its own properties by match name, name or
index, and keeps its methods, name and index. The places that took a
layer for a plain object (the result reading as the layer's index,
thisComp.layer(layer, offset), a Layer Control's value handed through
the property proxy) accept it.

Test: layers_are_callable_property_groups (fails before).
---
 crates/expr/src/prelude.js | 21 ++++++++++++++++-----
 crates/expr/src/tests.rs   | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/crates/expr/src/prelude.js b/crates/expr/src/prelude.js
index 6611d36aa..7fd746bf1 100644
--- a/crates/expr/src/prelude.js
+++ b/crates/expr/src/prelude.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function __finish(r) {
 
 function __result(r) {
   r = __v(r);
-  if (r !== null && typeof r === 'object' && r.__isLayer) return r.index;
+  if (r !== null && r !== undefined && r.__isLayer) return r.index;
   if (r !== null && typeof r === 'object' && r.__isTextStyle) return r.__out();
   // `[temp, temp]` where temp is a property (pick-whip 1D → 2D): read the values here, while
   // host requests can still be answered and the script re-run.
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ Comp.prototype = {
     return __err('Composition "' + this.name + '" has no active camera');
   },
   layer: function (a, rel) {
-    if (a !== null && typeof a === 'object' && a.__isLayer) return this.layer(a.index + (rel || 0));
+    if (a !== null && a !== undefined && a.__isLayer) return this.layer(a.index + (rel || 0));
     var id = __h(__LAYER, this.__c, a);
     if (id === null) __err(typeof a === 'string' ? 'Layer named "' + a + '" does not exist' : 'Layer index ' + a + ' out of range');
     return new Layer(this.__c, id);
@@ -542,7 +542,17 @@ var thisProject = {
 
 // Layer -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-function Layer(c, l) { this.__c = c; this.__l = l; this.__i = null; }
+// A layer is a property group too, as in After Effects: `thisLayer("transform")`, another layer's
+// `("effects")("Slider Control")`, `thisLayer(1)` (what the pick whip writes with Compact English
+// off). Callable like a group (`__mkGroup`), with the Layer methods.
+function Layer(c, l) {
+  var f = function (k) { return f.__group(k); };
+  delete f.name;
+  delete f.length;
+  Object.setPrototypeOf(f, Layer.prototype);
+  f.__c = c; f.__l = l; f.__i = null;
+  return f;
+}
 
 function __m3(m, p) {
   var x = p[0] || 0, y = p[1] || 0;
@@ -846,8 +856,9 @@ var __propHandler = {
     var v = t.value;
     if (v === null || v === undefined) return undefined;
     var x = v[k];
-    // Property groups are callable proxies: hand them over as they are, not bound like methods (#809).
-    if (x?.__isGroup) return x;
+    // Property groups and layers are callable: hand them over as they are, not bound like methods
+    // (#809).
+    if (x?.__isGroup || x?.__isLayer) return x;
     return typeof x === 'function' ? x.bind(v) : x;
   },
 };
diff --git a/crates/expr/src/tests.rs b/crates/expr/src/tests.rs
index 7d2790255..2634c22ac 100644
--- a/crates/expr/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/expr/src/tests.rs
@@ -1370,4 +1370,21 @@ fn time_to_frames_preserves_coercion_and_small_durations() {
     }
 }
 
+/// A layer is a property group too, as in After Effects: `thisLayer("transform")`, another
+/// layer's `("effects")("Slider Control")` or `(1)`, as the pick whip writes them with Compact
+/// English off (they failed: "not a callable function"). It is still a layer.
+#[test]
+fn layers_are_callable_property_groups() {
+    let f = fx();
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisLayer(\"transform\")(\"opacity\")", 0.0), 100.0);
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisComp.layer(\"A\")(\"effects\")(\"ec.control.slider\")(\"slider\")", 0.0), 42.0);
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisComp.layer(\"A\")(\"effects\")(\"Slider Control\")(1)", 0.0), 42.0);
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisComp.layer(1)(\"effects\")(1)(1)", 0.0), 42.0);
+    // Its own name, index and methods, and a layer as the result still reads as its index.
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisLayer.name == \"A\" ? thisComp.layer(\"B\").index : 0", 0.0), 2.0);
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisComp.layer(\"B\")", 0.0), 2.0);
+    assert_close!(f.num("thisComp.layer(thisComp.layer(\"B\"), -1).index", 0.0), 1.0);
+    assert!(f.err("thisLayer(\"nope\")").contains("no property"), "{}", f.err("thisLayer(\"nope\")"));
+}
+
 mod property_group;