Advanced Export Options and UI Configuration Caching

[AleFeng]

1. Core Logic & Performance
   Recursive Visibility: Implemented effective group visibility propagation during layer traversal.
   Optimization: Combined layer collection and visibility checks into a single pass for better efficiency.

2. UI & User Experience
   New Options Panel: Added toggles for "Ignore Group Visibility" and "Clear Old Images."
   Improved Path Selection: Simplified the output directory workflow and added a "Quick Open Folder" feature post-export.
   Layout Refinement: Polished UI spacing and element alignment for better readability.

3. Coordinate System
   Custom Origin: Added configurable X/Y origin (0.0 to 1.0) with quick presets (Center, Top-Left, etc.).
   Integer Toggle: Added an option to round coordinate values to integers.
   Input Validation: Implemented real-time clamping for coordinate bounds.

4. Configuration Management
   Persistent Cache: Settings are now automatically saved and restored on the next launch.
   Reset Feature: Added a "Reset Config" button to restore factory defaults.
   Error Reporting: Added a summary dialog to report any file-write failures.

[davidetan]

I am not an Aseprite expert, but I have a couple of doubts.

1. Expressing the origin through a [0–1] range might be too imprecise. The origin is quite important for Spine, and I expect it to be especially important for pixel art. Wouldn't it be better to give the user the ability to express it in pixels?
2. Why is it important to have the option "Use layer visibility only"? In our Photoshop script, we don't have such an option, and users have never asked for it. We do have an "Ignore hidden layers" option, though, which might be more useful.

[AleFeng]

I am not an Aseprite expert, but I have a couple of doubts.

1. Expressing the origin through a [0–1] range might be too imprecise. The origin is quite important for Spine, and I expect it to be especially important for pixel art. Wouldn't it be better to give the user the ability to express it in pixels?
2. Why is it important to have the option "Use layer visibility only"? In our Photoshop script, we don't have such an option, and users have never asked for it. We do have an "Ignore hidden layers" option, though, which might be more useful.

Thanks for your feedback! I’m actually using Aseprite to create assets and Spine for 2D animations for my indie game. I came across this 'aseprite-to-spine' plugin and decided to iterate on it based on common game development workflows.

1. Regarding the [0, 1] Origin Range:
   In game development, pivot points or anchors are frequently set to specific positions like Bottom-Center (for character feet), Center (for objects), or Top-Left/Bottom-Left (for UI elements). Standardizing these to a [0, 1] range allows for a consistent and reusable alignment logic across all assets, regardless of their individual pixel dimensions (e.g., the center is always 0.5, whereas the pixel coordinate changes based on canvas size).
   However, you're right—other artists might prefer precision based on actual pixel dimensions. I will add a 'Pixel Mode' configuration for the origin to support both workflows.

2. Regarding 'Use layer visibility only' & 'Ignore hidden layers':
   The 'Use layer visibility only' option was a remnant from when I was fixing the previously broken Group visibility logic. After resolving that, I kept it as a toggle, but I agree it's likely redundant (and I’m happy to remove it! haha).
   The 'Ignore hidden layers' feature sounds much more practical, and I will definitely implement that as suggested.

Thanks again for the valuable insights!

[davidetan]

Thanks for the quick reply :)

1. Regarding the [0, 1] origin range:
   In the Photoshop script and the Import PSD feature, we have the concept of an origin that is set using visual guides or a tag. So users are used to placing the origin visually themselves, rather than specifying a relative point without being 100% sure where the origin will end up. See the doc here. I'm not saying you have to implement this, I just want to let you know the workflow Photoshop users generally follow.
   That said, I can see that for games using Aseprite assets, it might make more sense to have fixed-size images with a specific relative origin, and then build the asset around that origin.

2. Regarding "Use layer visibility only" and "Ignore hidden layers":
   I don't think it's that important to add "Ignore hidden layers", but if "Use layer visibility only" is not that useful for you either, I would just remove it :)

[AleFeng]

Thanks for the quick reply :)

1. Regarding the [0, 1] origin range:
   In the Photoshop script and the Import PSD feature, we have the concept of an origin that is set using visual guides or a tag. So users are used to placing the origin visually themselves, rather than specifying a relative point without being 100% sure where the origin will end up. See the doc here. I'm not saying you have to implement this, I just want to let you know the workflow Photoshop users generally follow.
   That said, I can see that for games using Aseprite assets, it might make more sense to have fixed-size images with a specific relative origin, and then build the asset around that origin.
2. Regarding "Use layer visibility only" and "Ignore hidden layers":
   I don't think it's that important to add "Ignore hidden layers", but if "Use layer visibility only" is not that useful for you either, I would just remove it :)

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I've updated the PR based on our discussion and added several features inspired by the Photoshop version to align the workflows.

1. Origin & Positioning Improvements:
   Pixel Mode: A pixel mode has been added for origin setting, thus meeting the precision requirements for coordinates in Spine.

[origin] Layer Support: In Aseprite, there is no such reference line function as in Photoshop that can be utilized. I’ve implemented support for a [origin] tagged layer. The script now automatically detects this layer and uses its position as the export origin, offering a visual way to set the origin point directly in the canvas.

2. Additional Enhancements:
   Image Settings: Added Scale and Padding configurations to give users more control over the exported texture dimensions.

UI/UX : Added the control method of Slider to the input box and reorganized the layout and typography.