Getting Started with Templater's Command Line Interface

Templater ships with command line interface (CLI) control only in the Bot edition. Dataclay's code repository on GitHub contains tools that you will need to use Templater's CLI.

Requirements for running the Templater CLI

System Requirements

As of Templater version 2.1.8 users should invoke the Templater CLI via the templater.ps1 file on Windows and templater.sh file on macOS.

Windows Environments
Windows PowerShell. Users should have privileges to run PowerShell scripts from the PowerShell prompt.
macOS Environments
Python—version 2.6 or later. All versions of macOS prior to 12.3 Monterey already come bundled with Python. Enter python --version at a new terminal prompt to verify installation—if you see a version number, Python is installed and ready.

NOTE Apple deprecated the bundled installation of Python 2.7 in macOS 12.3 and newer, so you will need to download and install Python on your own.

NOTE Prior to Templater 2.1.8, the launcher script was written as a Microsoft Batch script for Windows and an AppleScript file for OSX/macOS. These launcher scripts will continue to work with newer versions of Templater, but they are no longer supported. It is recommended to use the newest launcher scripts for an improved command line interface experience.

Project Requirements

To version an After Effects project with Templater's command line interface, you should first have the following required resources within your project's working directory:

An Adobe After Effects project file that is already rigged for Templater. The project file should open within After Effects without displaying any error dialogs related to missing dependencies such as fonts, footage sources, etc.

WARNING If the Templater panel appears when a project file opens in After Effects, you may get unexpected results when using that project with the command line interface. Ensure the project file referenced in the templater-options.json file was saved with the Templater panel closed. To prepare an After Effects project for versioning through the command line interface, close the Templater panel in the project's workspace before saving the project.
A templater-options.json file that specifies Templater's configuration and options in JSON format.
The CLI launcher script—either templater.ps1 for Windows Powershell or templater.sh for the macOS Terminal.

Once you have the required resources correctly set up within a single directory, you can begin to use Templater's CLI and successfully troubleshoot problems you encounter with it.

Example folder structures on Windows and macOS for versioning with Templater's CLI

On Windows	On macOS
C:\Templates\Weather Forecast FiveDay.aep templater-options.json templater.ps1	~/Templates/Weather Forecast FiveDay.aep templater-options.json templater.sh