Creating Scripts

To create a script:

1. From the Resource Browser, select New Resource > Script from the Resources menu.

The Assign Name dialog box opens. Enter the name of the script and click OK.

Newly created scripts are located by default in the active script palette (the palette which is open and active, or which is open in the Resource Browser). If multiple script palettes exist, but are not currently open, the Select Script Palette dialog box opens to select a location for the script. Select the palette to add the script to and click Add. If no script palette exists in the file, a new script palette must be created to contain the script.

2. The Script Editor opens to begin a script editing session. The editor provides a basic authoring environment for script development and maintenance. Its features allow you to create, edit, and compile scripts, browse available functions, view errors, and perform other tasks associated with creating scripts. Select the script language for the script: Python Script or VectorScript. Scripts are limited to 32,001 characters. For detailed developer-oriented documentation related to Python and VectorScript, please navigate to developer.vectorworks.net.

 

Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Editor menu
Procedure	Opens the Procedures dialog box, which lists all the available script functions/procedures by category and provides a prototype as well as a brief description of what operation is performed by the function/procedure. The list serves as both a reference and a means of building the code by pasting the relevant function/procedure into the editor. Select the procedure or function and click OK to add it to the current line of the script editor.
Criteria	Opens the Criteria dialog box, for automatically defining selection criteria in a script (see Creating Custom Selection Scripts)
Tool/Attribute	Opens the Custom Tools dialog box, for saving the current tool and attribute state information into a script (see Creating Custom Tool/Attribute Scripts)
Parameter	The Parameter command provides access to a plug-in objects’ parameter list for editing, when working on the script of a plug-in (see Plug-in Definition)
Text File	The Text File command allows script source code to be imported from external text files
Compile Script	The Compile Script button allows a script to be compiled directly from the Script Editor without the need to execute the script. If errors exist within the script that prevent successful compilation, they will be displayed and can be resolved without the need to exit the script editor. While compiling VectorScripts reports all errors in the script code, compiling Python scripts reports only the syntax errors. For example, an undefined variable is not reported as an error for Python scripts, because this type of error is determined only during script execution. As a result, Python scripts report most errors when executed.
Language	Select Python or VectorScript for the script language
Script Options (Python scripts only)	Opens the Script Options dialog box, which lists folders (environment paths) where imported modules are located, for Python scripts that require external libraries. This dialog box can also be accessed from Tools > Plug-in > Script Options. ●    Add: Select a folder location to add it to the list ●    Remove: Deletes the currently selected folder location ●    Open Folder in OS: Displays the contents of the selected folder in either Windows Explorer or Mac Finder

3. When the script is complete, click OK to save it.

Scripts can be edited, renamed, deleted, exported, imported, moved, and executed from the Resource Browser.

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Editing Scripts

Running Scripts

Using the Resource Browser

Creating a Script Palette

Using Scripts

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