BUG: precomps are being autonamed and square brackets disappear after duplicate layers are detected
I created this file a while back - with several duplicates of the same precomp. All the names of the duplicates show within square brackets, because the names refer to the same precomp. *pls refer to first screengrab.
I'm now on version 18.4.1 and after opening the same file and start working on it, the layers get renamed. *pls refer to second screengrab.
This becomes a problem for instance when I want to rename the source precomp in the project panel: as the names in the timeline doesn't update anymore. *pls refer to third screengrab.
The layers in the timeline are no longer reflecting the changes because they were renamed.
This extends to linked media as well. any images, AI, PSD, mp3 - any linked file with any duplicates in the timeline are also being renamed in sequential order.
When replacing those duplicates with another jpg for example (opt/alt+drag), the layer name doesn't update anymore. it shows as the previous name with the sequential number.
This is CRITICAL.

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Hi Pablo,
Thank you for reporting this issue. If you click on the header of the "Layer Name" column, the layer names should switch to the Source Name e.g. the name of the pre-comp. Is this what you are looking for?
Additionally, if you open the same project in a previous version of After Effects, do the layers show their layer name with the incrementing suffix, or do they show the source name of the pre-comp in square brackets?
Thanks for any additional information,
- John, After Effects Engineering Team