Layer tasks are special, decorated methods within user-defined :ref:`sequence <sequences>` classes. They allow to "draw an image" once per frame. Similar to :ref:`prepare task methods <prepare_tasks>`, they are evaluated in a certain order, the z-index. A :ref:`pool <index_pool>` of z-index-values is managed by :attr:`bewegung.Video.zindex` once per video. Layer tasks can :ref:`request parameters on demand <requesting_parameters>`.
Layers can be configured to use a certain :ref:`backend for drawing <drawing>`. DrawingBoard is the default backend, see :ref:`here <drawingboard>`. It does not matter what kind of object a layer method returns as long as it is recognized by one of the currently loaded backends. If the canvas was provided by bewegung, a layer method usually does not need to return it - bewegung will keep a reference on it. There are exceptions however: The :ref:`datashader backend <datashader>` for instance requires the user to convert the canvas to an image before the user must in fact return the image from the layer method.
Layers may have an offset from the top-left corner of the video frame, where the y-axes is positive downwards. The size, i.e. width and height, of a layer must be configured through its backend via the :meth:`bewegung.Video.canvas` method.
Layers can be post-processed by an arbitrary number of :ref:`effects`. Effects are special decorator classes which are stacked on top of the :meth:`bewegung.Video.layer` decorator method.
This method is used to decorate layer task methods within user-defined :ref:`sequence <sequences>` classes. See :meth:`bewegung.Video.layer` method for further details.
Warning
Do not work with this class directly. Use the :meth:`bewegung.Video.layer` method instead.
.. autoclass:: bewegung.animation.Layer
:members:
:private-members: