Use Soundflow to change each track color in Pro Tools?

2025-07-24 03:10:48.996Z

I have a list of colors someone gives me, for instance:
Track 1 - RED
Track 2 - BLUE
Track 3 - GREEN

And i haven't been able to come up with a good script to select each track, change the color, and move on to the next track.

I can get SoundFlow to read the list, like a JSON file, but i can't make it actually change the colors with any sort of rhyme or reason. In some cases i've gotten it to change ALL tracks to one color, or some random one to purple.

I thought this would be simple but maybe it's much more complex than i'm giving it credit for? Thanks in advance for any insight!

Solved in post #6, click to view

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4 replies

In reply toKenneth_Vasko⬆:

Kenneth Vasko @Kenneth_Vasko

2025-07-24 03:45:20.960Z


  const exportFile = '/Users/Shared/SessionSync/latest_export.json';

  try {
      const data = sf.file.readJson({ path: exportFile }).json;

      if (data && data.tracks) {
          // Rename first (this works)
          const selectedNames = Array.from(sf.ui.proTools.selectedTrackNames);
          selectedNames.forEach((oldName, index) => {
              if (index < data.tracks.length) {
                  sf.app.proTools.renameTrack({
                      oldName: oldName,
                      newName: data.tracks[index].name
                  });
              }
          });

          // Apply colors one by one
          setTimeout(() => {
              // Try alternative activation methods
              try {
                  // Method 1: Use app bundle ID
                  sf.ui.app('com.avid.ProTools').appActivateMainWindow();
              } catch (e) {
                  // Method 2: Use menu click to ensure focus
                  sf.ui.proTools.menuClick({ menuPath: ['Window', 'Edit'] });
              }

              // Add wait for activation
              sf.wait({ intervalMs: 200 });

              // Process each track sequentially
              let currentIndex = 0;

              function processNextTrack() {
                  if (currentIndex < data.tracks.length) {
                      const track = data.tracks[currentIndex];

                      if (track.colorParams) {
                          // Select the track
                          sf.ui.proTools.trackSelectByName({
                              names: [track.name]
                          });

                          // Wait before applying color
                          sf.wait({ intervalMs: 100 });

                          // Apply color
                          sf.ui.proTools.colorsSelect({
                              colorBrightness: track.colorParams.colorBrightness,
                              colorNumber: track.colorParams.colorNumber
                          });

                          // Move to next track
                          currentIndex++;
                          setTimeout(processNextTrack, 300);
                      } else {
                          // Skip tracks without color
                          currentIndex++;
                          processNextTrack();
                      }
                  }
              }

              // Start processing
              processNextTrack();

          }, 2000);
      }
  } catch (error) {
      // Error
  }

'''

Chris Shaw @Chris_Shaw
- SoundFlow Ambassador
2025-07-24 15:20:52.266Z
It would be much easier to fix / refactor your script if you could provide an example of the /Users/Shared/SessionSync/latest_export.json file or the data.tracks object.
Thanks!
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In reply toKenneth_Vasko⬆:

Matt Friedman @Matt_Friedman

2025-07-24 15:31:20.714Z2025-07-24 15:47:38.979Z

That is super over the top. You could just update your existing foreach loop at the top into this:

const selectedNames = Array.from(sf.ui.proTools.selectedTrackNames);
selectedNames.forEach((oldName, index) => {
    if (index < data.tracks.length) {
        const newName = data.tracks[index].name;
        const colorBrightness = data.tracks[index].colorParams.colorBrightness;
        const colorNumber = data.tracks[index].colorParams.colorNumber;

        // Select the track
        sf.app.proTools.selectTracksByName({
            selectionMode: "Replace",
            trackNames: [oldName]
        })

        // Rename the track
        sf.app.proTools.renameTrack({
            oldName,
            newName,
        });

        // Wait for name to complete (may not be needed)
        sf.waitFor({
            callback: () => sf.ui.proTools.selectedTrackNames[0] === newName,
            timeout: 2000
        })

        // Change track color
        sf.ui.proTools.colorsSelect({
            colorBrightness,
            colorNumber,
        });

        // Wait for color to complete (may not be needed)
        sf.ui.proTools.colorPaletteWindow.elementWaitFor({waitForNoElement: true})
    }
});

In reply toKenneth_Vasko⬆:

Kenneth Vasko @Kenneth_Vasko

2025-07-31 01:08:20.149Z

For anyone else looking, here's a version that works pretty consistently! Thanks all for your contribution/insight.

if (data && data.tracks) {
// Ensure Pro Tools has focus
sf.ui.proTools.appActivateMainWindow();
sf.wait({ intervalMs: 2000 });

  // FOOLPROOF SELECTION: Simplified approach
  function selectAllVisibleTracks() {
      // First deselect all
      sf.ui.proTools.trackDeselectAll();
      sf.wait({ intervalMs: 300 });

      // Get all visible track headers
      const visibleTracks = sf.ui.proTools.visibleTrackHeaders;

      if (visibleTracks && visibleTracks.length > 0) {
          // Option+click on the first visible track to select all
          visibleTracks[0].titleButton.mouseClickElement({ isOption: true });
      }
  }

  // Select all tracks
  selectAllVisibleTracks();
  sf.wait({ intervalMs: 1000 });

  // Now get the names of ALL selected tracks
  const selectedNames = Array.from(sf.ui.proTools.selectedTrackNames);

  // Process each track one by one
  selectedNames.forEach((oldName, index) => {
      if (index < data.tracks.length) {
          const track = data.tracks[index];

          // Skip if no color parameters
          if (!track.colorParams) return;

          // Select the track by its current name
          sf.app.proTools.selectTracksByName({
              selectionMode: "Replace",
              trackNames: [oldName]
          });

          sf.wait({ intervalMs: 200 });

          // Rename if needed
          if (oldName !== track.name) {
              sf.app.proTools.renameTrack({
                  oldName: oldName,
                  newName: track.name
              });

              sf.wait({ intervalMs: 300 });
          }

          // Apply color
          sf.ui.proTools.colorsSelect({
              colorBrightness: track.colorParams.colorBrightness,
              colorNumber: track.colorParams.colorNumber
          });

          sf.wait({ intervalMs: 200 });
      }
  });

  // Select all tracks at the end to show the result
  selectAllVisibleTracks();

}

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