Select ALL objects on a certain layer..?

[naughty]

I'm trying to select every object on the layer "DoubleSided" (in a MEL script) and I do actually have it working but the command I'm using is:

layerBarPickObjects DoubleSided MayaWindow|mayaMainWindowForm|formLayout4|frameLayout6|formLayout22|formLayout23|frameLayout7|formLayout24|scrollLayout1|buttonGrid;

Which seems a little over-the-top. I understand all that gubbins is some sort of "path" to the relevant layer bar layout or something but does it really need to be that unweildy?
I tried:

layerBarPickObjects DoubleSided buttonGrid;

and it doesn't bitch but it doesn't actually select the objects either...
Surely a command as simple as something like:

layerBarPickObjects DoubleSided ;

would be expressing exactly the same thing?
Is there another command for this or another way to do it?

:nathaN

[glocker]

I would try using the MEL command editDisplayLayerMembers.

You can also the API to do this. Let me know if you are interested in the API method.

g-

[naughty]

Hmmm, now you see I have an immediate problem with this command. The help file says of editDisplayLayerMembers:

"No equivalent 'remove' command is necessary since all objects must be in exactly one display layer. Removing an object from a layer can be accomplished by adding it to a different layer."

and this is quite clearly bollocks.
I can manually delete my object's connections to the "DoubleSided" layer (using HYPERSHADE) and my object consequently ends up with NO INPUT connections (which is exactly what I want). I want it REMOVED from ALL layers, I don't want it to have an input connection to "defaultLayer". It didn't belong to this layer before I started and NONE of my other objects belong to any layers so why must it end up in this one or another if I want it out of "DoubleSided"?

what's this API method you speak of?

:nathaN

[glocker]

With the api, you can find all the nodes in the world of type kDisplayLayer. You can then look downstream from the drawInfo plug on the layer node. Everything found downstream is in that layer.

g-

[naughty]

Ah, alas, I'm only a humble MEL scripter (and a beginner at that) so the API is probably well outside my scope of understanding or access.

Thanks anyway, I'll just keep the unweildy "pathed" version of layerBarPickObjects...

:nathaN

[glocker]

If you want to select all the objects in a layer, then use
string $members[] = editDisplayLayerMembers -query $layerName;

If you want to remove all the objects from a layer, then use
layerEditorRemoveObjects($layerName);

The above call is in the Maya MEL routine layerEditor.mel

g-

[naughty]

DOH! oh god, sorry glocker, I've just re-read this thread and my original query was just about selecting in a layer.. I don't know why I started that tirade about removing from a layer. I don't even need to know that.. sorry.

anyway you're a star, that command's loads better (and more versatile)
I couldn't get the "remove" command to work though. I'm still using Maya 3.0, maybe that's the problem?

No worries though, I don't need to remove objects at the moment..

[glocker]

You are correct. That remove command is only in 4.0. Sorry about that. Glad I could help.

g-