One thing that might disappoint you is that point (4) in your ideal framework cannot be achieved as is.
After modifying the text layer's text, the user will have to click an "update" button somewhere in your script's UI, and the script will have to track back everything that the script has already created in the comp, and add the necessary extra stuff. In practice, it's feasable, but a bit cumbersome.
There are 3 main ressources for scripting (all are pdf):
for AE : the After Effects Scripting Guide
for the UI : the JavaScriptToolGuide and Peter Kahrel's ScriptUI for dummies.
The first 2 are from Adobe and should already be located in your Scripts folder. They are a bit dry though, and cruelly lack examples.
On the other hand, Peter Kahrel's pdf is full of axamples.
To get working examples of scripting code for after effects, have a look at Dan Ebbert's website: Table of Contents
For more, your best friend will be a web search engine.
Another thing to know is that some things are feasable via a script, but are not documented in any guide.
This is the case of your step 2 (menu commands are not documented).
The beginning of your script could look like this:
function create(){
var comp = app.project.activeItem;
if (comp===null || comp.typeName!=="Composition" || comp.selectedLayers.length!==1 || comp.selectedLayers[0].matchName!== "ADBE Text Layer"){alert("Please select one text layer"); return;};
comp.openInViewer();
app.executeCommand(app.findMenuCommandId("Create Shapes from Text"));
// this will create a single shape layer with many groups, one for each letter
// then you'll need to convert this single shape into individual shape layer, add controllers, etc
};
function update(){
alert("huhu");
};
var win = new Window("palette", "test");
var createBTN = win.add("button", undefined, "create");
var updateBTN = win.add("button", undefined, "update");
createBTN.onClick = create;
updateBTN.onClick = update;
win.show();
Xavier
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