Every Templater batch fault shows up at one of three moments: before anything renders, while the batch runs, or only when you open the finished files. The moment decides where you look and how much it costs. A mistyped layer name shows up in a preview. A missing image can pass the whole batch and reach a customer inside a video. This article sorts the faults our documentation describes into those three stages, and says where each one leaves its trace.
We do not claim this list is complete for every possible setup. It covers the faults that Templater’s own help pages and FAQ document, for Templater Rig, Pro and Bot, with the Bot-only items marked. If your fault is not here, the log file is the thing to send to support.
Faults you can catch before anything renders
The cheapest faults are the ones a preview exposes. Most of them are about whether Templater can find and read what you told it to use.
Mapping faults. Templater updates a layer only when the Templater Settings effect is applied to it and its name matches a column header or JSON property key. Our documentation lists the ways this fails. The effect was never applied. The layer was not explicitly renamed after you created it, even if the source name looks identical, so Templater may not treat it as dynamic. The layer name contains spaces, which our documentation says you should not use. The effect was applied more than once to the same layer, which gives unexpected results. Or the layer name is one of the reserved names, such as id, target or render-status, which can cause an error in processing. Often the symptom is that the composition does not change when you preview, but applying the effect twice gives unexpected results and a reserved name can cause an error in processing.
Unsupported layers and settings. The Templater Settings effect cannot be applied to Shape layers. You pre-compose the shape and apply the effect to the pre-composition. Layout rules do not function correctly for properties that have Separate Dimensions enabled.
Preview menu faults. If the preview uses menu is set to current state, the composition never moves to another row. People read this as a data problem. Set the menu to an option such as next row.
Data source access faults. Google Sheets needs Templater 3.5 or later. The machine must reach your Google Drive account across your network, so a firewall that blocks Google’s servers is a fault, and so is antivirus software that blocks the curl.exe file. If sign-in fails to authorize your Google Drive account, you get another authorization code by clicking Sign In again. If Templater cannot list your sheets, you may lack permission to read the sheet, or the account may have none. If it reads the wrong sheet, relink the data source. Templater can also only map data to one worksheet and one data source.
File format faults. A tab-delimited file exported from Excel or Numbers needs the matching preference checked, and a file from anywhere else needs it unchecked, or stray characters appear in text layers. TSV and JSON files must be UTF-8. Multi-line text needs a multi-line text box in After Effects and a new line character After Effects can read. Google Sheets headers that start with a numeral or contain spaces, the _ character or a dollar sign will not map.
Destination composition faults. A batch needs a destination composition. If Templater cannot find one, it shows an error. The target named in Preferences can be missing from a project you switched to. The target in a data column overrides all other methods, so you need a backup method set. And if more than one composition in a project uses the double-brace or double-bracket notation for the project default, unexpected behavior results.
Project switching faults. When rows switch between After Effects projects with the aep column, the project files must open without error. Our documentation says missing fonts or missing effects will halt the process.
Essential property faults. A value of the wrong type for a promoted property is skipped and an error is written to the log. Read the log, because the row can still finish. Our article on why essential properties on a nested pre-comp do not behave the way you expect covers this feature more fully.
Expression faults. Mapping data to expressions through JSON footage is described as experimental. Previews that use this feature do not update automatically. For stability, our documentation recommends referencing a dynamic text layer’s Source Text instead.
License and edition faults. Activation needs an internet connection. Antivirus and firewall software can block it. A one-month license may have expired, and a license key bought from a reseller before version 2.5 may be out of date. If Render, Replicate or Enable Bot is disabled, the edition does not include it: Render and Replicate need Pro, and Enable Bot needs Bot. The trial includes the features of every edition, with minor limitations, so this surprises people after they buy a lower edition.
Previews and the log catch the mapping and file faults. Check the license, edition and network faults before you start. Our article on handling dirty or incomplete data goes further on the data side.
Faults that show up while the batch runs
Some faults only appear once real jobs are moving. Templater gives you four places to see them: the console readout at the bottom of the main panel, the log files, the render-status column if you use the Bot, and After Effects itself.
The console shows what Templater is doing and displays error messages. If it does not settle the question, turn on the log. Templater writes templater.out with color coding and templater.log without it, and errors go to templater.err when you use the command line tools. If you leave the log location empty, Templater writes to the logged-in user’s Documents folder. The advice for a hang is to note the last log message.
Expression dialogs. As of After Effects 15.1.1, a modal dialog needs a person to respond when an imported JSON footage item changes structure, and that can interfere with batch processing.
Hangs. Templater can preview a composition and still hang on a render or replicate when the effect is on an unsupported layer type or a parameter is invalid for its layer type, such as a Scale Factor other than 0% on an audio layer. The log may show which layer it was working on.
Render queue errors. If After Effects render queue items fail with the message “Failed at N/A,” After Effects did not find one or more assets, footage or fonts where they were expected. Files may have been moved or deleted.
Footage faults mid-batch. What happens depends on the option you chose for missing footage. “Ask me what to do” and “Let me find the footage asset” stop processing and wait for a person, so they are poor choices on an unattended machine. “Skip the row” leaves that row unversioned and moves on. “Cancel the process” stops the run. “Use my branded placeholder” keeps going, which our documentation recommends for smooth batch processing. Remote footage adds download errors, reported on the command line as code 1002.
Bot status faults. With the Bot, each row’s render-status moves from ready to queued, processing and done. A row can instead get ERR::MEDIA, for a problem locating or importing a media asset, or ERR::AFXHOST, for an error in After Effects itself after which it will likely have stopped operating normally. A Google error reading “An error with code [ 3 ] occurred when requesting information from Google: ScriptError” means a value the Bot needs was not found in the data source. The usual cause is a missing render-status column, or a Bot Name set in Preferences with no column called bot. After an upgrade, a message that the Bot can queue a maximum of 20 jobs can stop you saving Preferences, and our FAQ says resetting After Effects Preferences fixes it.
Slowdown. A Bot left enabled for a long time can slow down because After Effects caches data every time a layer property changes. Our documentation recommends disabling layer caching, and disabling disk caching on any machine where the Bot stays enabled. Since After Effects 24.3, Templater’s setting to purge memory caches no longer empties the disk cache.
Re-rendering faults. With a URL feed, the Bot cannot write render-status back, so rows marked ready can render again unless you register scripts at the Post Job, Post Batch and On Bot Disable events.
Event script faults. A script that does not run leaves a trace: search templater.log for EVENT SCRIPT ERROR or EXEC SHELL SCRIPT, copy the full command line Templater reports, and run it yourself. Check that the script is executable by the user running After Effects, and that its arguments are passed explicitly, because the old preference that passed job details to every script was deprecated in Templater 2.7.
Command line faults. The command line writes a JSON-style error object with a numeric code, a description, the After Effects message, details and a timestamp. The codes cover startup, footage swapping and download, conforming row data, Google authorization and retrieval, the layout engine and HTTP requests. You can name codes in a quit-on-errors setting to force After Effects to quit on the first occurrence. The error “Unable to find a Window Constructor” means After Effects is not running in the foreground, and the fix is the -ui argument.
Connection faults. Pay-per-output licensing through a Que Meter account needs a live connection to the Que service, and the Bot disables itself when credits run out. Que does not load balance jobs across satellites, so if you assign a job to a satellite you must make sure every font and plugin it needs is installed there.
Our article on what happens when a Templater batch fails mid-queue and our piece on handling errors and retries go further on recovery.
Faults you only find in the output
The last group is the most expensive. Nothing stopped, and the status looks fine.
A “done” row with the wrong content. Done means Templater finished processing the row. The picture can still be wrong: a skipped essential property is not applied, an empty footage cell can show the previous row’s item when the option to consider empty cells as faulty is off, and a font specified in your data source that does not support the language imports no text. Footage handling has its own twist. Since Templater 2.9.5, the default for missing footage is the branded placeholder. A missing reference therefore does not stop the batch and instead puts a placeholder in the video.
An ERR::MEDIA row that rendered. The documentation says that in many cases the video may have been rendered, but it may contain a media issue. Open it.
Overwritten files. The Bot overwrites an existing file when two rows render to the same name. Use a unique id or output value for each row. Fewer files than rows is the sign.
Adobe Media Encoder surprises. If you send replicates to Adobe Media Encoder, a cloud-synced output folder can cause errors, so use a local or networked folder. The encoding machine needs the same drive mappings and fonts. Shell scripts run after the composition is versioned in After Effects, not after the encoder finishes, so a script that moves or uploads a file may act before the file is complete. When sending replicates to Adobe Media Encoder, Templater also removes unused footage references from your project and saves the master project file after each replication. If you asked it to remove Templater Settings from replicas, replication is slower and After Effects’ Open Recent menu fills with replica paths.
For this stage, take a deliberate look at output: spot checks over a range, and a human opening the first, the last and a few between.
A fault map to keep next to the machine
- Layer does not update in preview: before render. Check the effect, the layer name, the header characters and the preview menu.
- Preview works, render hangs: during. Check layer types and effect parameters, then the last log message.
- Row stuck on an error status: during. Read the status, then the log and After Effects itself.
- Row says done but looks wrong: after. Check the log for skipped keys, footage handling and fonts.
- Fewer files than rows: after. Check for duplicate output names.
- Nothing starts at all: before. Check the edition, the license and the Google connection. With the Bot, also check the render-status and bot columns.
The bottom line is that most faults are cheap if you look for them at the right stage. A preview across a spread of rows usually shows mapping and file faults. The console, log and status column catch the ones that happen mid-run. The output is where the quiet ones show up, and the log can confirm why. Build all three looks into your routine, and keep the Templater page handy to confirm which edition includes the tools you need.
Here are the questions people ask once they have seen a fault and want to know where to look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Templater show errors?
In three places. The console readout at the bottom of the Templater panel shows what Templater is doing and displays error messages. The log files, templater.out and templater.log, hold the full history, and the command line also writes errors to templater.err. With the Bot, the render-status column shows ERR::MEDIA or ERR::AFXHOST on the affected row.
What is the difference between ERR::MEDIA and ERR::AFXHOST?
ERR::MEDIA means Templater had an issue locating or importing a media asset, and the video may still have rendered with a media problem in it. ERR::AFXHOST means After Effects, Templater’s host application, hit an error and will likely have stopped operating normally. For the second, look at After Effects on the machine running Templater.
Why does my preview work but the render hang?
Our troubleshooting page names two causes. The Templater Settings effect is applied to a layer type Templater does not support, or a parameter in the effect is not valid for the layer type, such as a Scale Factor other than 0% on an audio layer. Check the log for the last message to find the layer.
Does a done status mean the video is correct?
No. It means Templater finished processing the row. A skipped essential property is not applied, an empty footage cell can show the previous row’s item when the option to consider empty cells as faulty is off, and a missing reference may be replaced by a branded placeholder, which is the default since Templater 2.9.5. Open the output and read the log.
Which faults does a spot check catch?
Spot checks are stills or short clips of selected frames from data-merged compositions, so they show problems with text, footage and color across many jobs. They work in Templater Pro and Bot, and they cover only the frames sampled.
What should I do when a fault is not listed in the documentation?
Turn on the log, reproduce the problem, and submit a support ticket with templater.log attached.
