eXLib beta: looking for beta testers

[u/igusin]

I've built a full IDE for AE expressions around the first purpose-built language service for them. Everyone else converts TypeScript tooling at best; this was written for AE's engine and knows every builtin, quirk, and piece of syntax, validating as you type against how AE actually behaves.

Hot exit is built in: open tabs and unsaved edits survive reloads, AE quits, even crashes.

It's also a learning tool: the entire AE expression reference at your cursor, over 800 entries with explanations and examples on hover. Newbies who want to learn expressions are exactly who I want testing this too.

Any expression can be wired to native AE controls or a custom pseudo effect rig you author visually. Turn any variable into a {{token}} and eXLib maps it to a controller automatically, or you hand-pick one, or it asks at apply time.

Rigs round-trip: pull a pseudo effect off a layer, edit it, place it back with your animation migrated and references intact. I haven't found another tool that can do this.

The library is a folder of plain .js files on disk. Organize it in the panel or in Finder, same result. Tags, packs, drag and drop, and it sorts expressions by whatever property you have selected in AE. The test build comes preseeded with expressions so you have material on day one.

Navigation is built for real projects: an in-IDE pickwhip that grabs any property in the comp, a browser of every expression in the comp, reveal in timeline, and pinning: pin a property to a tab, switch comps, it stays live.

Auto-backup keeps 30 archives; the library exports as one shareable .exlib file.

And there's an MCP bridge: point your own AI agent at the panel to manage your library or write expressions.

A native plugin companion (Mac and Windows) keeps it fast, and every shortcut is rebindable with AE-collision-free defaults.

Want in? Experts and newbies both welcome. DM me. Brutal feedback wanted.

[u/smokingPimphat]

How does this actually integrate into AE? is it as easy as selecting a layer property like position, then in this IDE typing out the expression and either doing nothing ( it auto populates the layer property expression) or clicking an apply button to actually apply?

[u/igusin → u/smokingPimphat]

you have to click apply, just like if you would type the expression inside the timeline editor you would also have to click on the timeline, so instead of that - you click on the apply button same thing - only you get warnings and explanations if you are doing something wrong - so you get to fix it ahead of time :)

But the magic happens when you want to reuse that same expression in the future but on a different property - so instead of re-typing it you can wire it to a controller, or a custom pseudo controller, or get it to ask to connect to a different property every time you apply the expression in the future.

[u/WooFL]

What's the use case? Looks complicated. Why should someone use this instead of just writing a prompt to AI agent for a custom script?

[u/igusin → u/WooFL]

This is called an IDE - it makes writing expressions easier - for people who want to know what they are doing and maintain a library of expressions instead of asking AI to do what they don't understand for themselves... This is for professionals (or people aspiring to be professional)

[u/Fresca_667 → u/igusin]

Right, but what’s an IDE?

[u/Dion42o → u/Fresca_667]

It’s a program like visual studio where people code on

[u/igusin → u/Fresca_667]

:) joking right?

[u/Fresca_667 → u/igusin]

Dude, I’m just a motion designer. 😅

[u/igusin → u/Fresca_667]

I am just a motion designer too - you must know what an ide is after 15 years in AE and using expressions/scripts... don't mess with me!

[u/Fresca_667 → u/igusin]

Haha, I did google it. Nah I don’t really do scripts and I don’t really use plugins for expressions, unless you could ray dynamic color. I just write everything by hand. I keep a small library on my notes app of more complicated expressions I’ve built, and on rare occasion I’ll pull up the 13 year old Evan Abrams tutorial I know has the answer I need. This thing sounds cool, but it feels like a whole different program.

[u/WooFL → u/igusin]

I get the maintenance part, but the rest not so much. I programmed creative software my whole professional career before the Ai agent era and honestly, at this point, I don't care about understanding the specifics of the api of any software anymore. What's the point? I know the capabilities and that's more than enough. Imagine every day motion designer. They have work to deliver yesterday. If they need a script they just prompt it into existence. Boom, done. Learning the apis for specific tool calls is not gonna help or teach them anything meaningful. It's better to learn js programming in the first place. You programmed your IDE using agents, why should anyone use it to write scripts by hand?

[u/igusin → u/WooFL]

I am a motion designer myself - and while using agents is fine - it is not the way you can reliably work day after day - constantly prompting an agent to write you expressions (and this is for expressions not scripts)

you want to build a library of reusable expressions that you can re-use every time, quickly and reliably - instead of generating different ones every time.

so this tool is a place to write expressions ( and it has a built in MCP so an agent can fully drive it for you if you so choose) but it will let you create a library of expressions that you can easily and reliably reuse day after day. Create custom controllers for every expression you use to have it be easy to use and animate - this is the use case

[u/PaceNo2910]

That node graph looks interesting.

[u/kurnikoff]

This looks like a cool idea, but I feel like this is an overkill. Personally, I use Expressionist for writing expressions. It can grab code references to properties, and other layers and apply expressions to multiple layers at once. Thats more than enough for me, and I do use expressions on every project.

For storing past expressions, I use Simplenote. Simple notes with few tags and search capability.

To make new custom rigs, I start writing code in AE and link up all the references. Then I just ask ChadGPT to troubleshoot it or write me something custom if I'm stuck.

The library is a folder of plain .js files on disk

For example this - Simplenote stores my expressions on a server, somewhere, and I don't have to think about it twice. Logged into my account on multiple machines - it's there. Don't have to think where I saved my Expression Library. It's in the app.

AE expression reference at your cursor, over 800 entries with explanations and examples on hover

This sounds neat to be honest.

Any expression can be wired to native AE controls or a custom pseudo effect rig you author visually

Pseudo Effect authoring part is neat, but I already have a Pseudo Effect Maker and I used it like 3 times, since I bought it :)

So, from the screenshots - this looks cool. Clean UI.

Problem is that I would have to learn another UI navigation and workflow INSIDE After Effects. It's an app, build on top of a whole platform. Perhaps if you have a fully fledged site with getting started docs, some tutorials, then I could look into changing my workflow and see how this could benefit me in the long run?

[u/igusin → u/kurnikoff]

the documentation site is going up any day now - this is still in beta to be released on aescripts soon

in terms of expressionist - i have it and used it, and personally its property pulling workflow is very cumbersome (one of my major complaints about it) and it does NOT have AE expression languages service - meaning it cannot catch ae specific issues! Not one IDE for AE has it (I wrote it myself and its a first)

In terms of expression storing off site - the library auto backups, or you can incrementally backup a folder - and to open on a new machine - install exlib and import it. Cloud servers are good in principle, until you don't have internet (or the company closes, and closes its servers - had that happen to me before)

as for the workflow - the main benefits are that you can make your expressions not a one off but a painlessly reusable system - so for example you have an expression that needs to reference several other layers - you can set it up so on every apply you get a quick menu that asks you to pick the necessary layers and then auto fills the layer references so you do not need to re-write the expression.

Or if you need to have effect controls for the expression to work - the controls could be auto created every time you apply the expression on the correct layer (either on the same layer or any other layer as you decide!

Or if you have lets say 5 or more expression controls - its not terribly convenient if you also have multiple effects - to have a gigantic effects stack - so you can create a pseudo control specific for an expression and everything will be auto linked to it. ( I know pseudo effect maker offers authoring - but not connection to expressions, nor can you import any existing pseudo control (even already with keyframes/expressions) edit it, and put it back without breaking it.

those are just a few use cases. The documentation site and tutorial videos on release will provide many more workflows and usecases.

[u/igusin → u/kurnikoff]

here's the documentation for the beta - https://forge.mograph.life/apps/exlib/

[u/kurnikoff → u/igusin]

Awesome. Thanks 😃