sourcing external .py files

[borisb2]

Quick question:

 

I'm running a lot of python snippets (creating specific nodes, ROPS etc.) through a custom menu in houdini. The external python-files are sourced in the MainMenuCommoin.xml via

<label>Submit Caching Job (Non Sequential)</label>
<scriptPath>Y:/_scripts/houdini/submitCachingJob.py</scriptPath>

So far so good.

 

Now I want to create a button on a node in houdini that also calls one of these external scripts. But here I'm a little stuck as I can't figure out how to actually source an external python-script via the buttons callback-script. In these files there are no functions to import, just plain commands to create/connect/set something in houdini.

 

What would be an easy way to source an external python file?

Thanks a lot.

Edited May 22, 2015 by borisb2

[Stalkerx777]

Having all your code in global namespace of a module without a functions, usually a bad practice. If you can edit this file, make a simple main() function in it.

Also, you can try to use python's execfile build-in.

[borisb2]

Thanks. But even if I'd wrap all commands in a function, how would I source that external py-file in the buttons callback script? .. the file is not sitting in the users directoy but on the server.

 

Guess I have to look at the execfile function?

[dennis.albus]

You could try something like this in your callback script.

import sys; sys.path.append("/path/to/your/python/module"); import your_module; your_module.main()

As Alexey mentioned make sure your code is wrapped into functions otherwise it will only be run once when the module is imported.

 

Cheers,

Dennis

[borisb2]

hmm ... trying:

import sys; sys.path.append("Y:/_scripts/houdini/setMantraOutput"); import setMantraOutput

but I get "No module named setMantraOutput"..

 

The file sits here:

Y:/_scripts/houdini/setMantraOutput.py

 

what am I doing wrong?

[Stalkerx777]

hmm ... trying:

import sys; sys.path.append("Y:/_scripts/houdini/setMantraOutput"); import setMantraOutput

but I get "No module named setMantraOutput"..

 

The file sits here:

Y:/_scripts/houdini/setMantraOutput.py

 

what am I doing wrong?

Read the basics of Python modules. You need to append a path to a folder, not to a file, where python can find your module by name.

[borisb2]

damn it .. caught unprepared .. (I'm in the middle of a production)

 

works.. thanks.. sorry