Script nodes, script jobs and namespaces...OH MY!!!

[mcw0]

My brain has turned to mush and I need some different perspective please.

I have a rig that has a scriptNode that runs a script job when the file opens.  It's reliant on when "node.attr" changes.  The rig is referenced with a namespace.  I got around the namespace issue by querying for the node with ("*:"+$node).  All good.

Now bring in a second reference of the same rig and it all falls apart.  You don't know what the namespaces are going to be.  How would you solve this issue?

I just had an idea while typing this.  Would querying existing scriptJobs be a way to differentiate the namespaces?  If the first reference opens and kicks off the first script job, then I should be able to get the namespace of that node and exclude it from my query results of ("*:"+$node)...I think.  

UGH!!!  My brain hurts!

[mcw0]

My idea worked.  But what a pain!  Does anyone know of another, maybe better (easier) way?

[jwlove]

Ok, I know it's over 2 years since you posted this, but could you please provide a few more details on your solution?

I'm extremely new to trying out script jobs/script nodes and am implementing one for an fk/ik switch, but I want to ensure it will work both with a namespace and with multiple copies of the rig in the scene...

Are you saying the trigger plug (node.attr) is dynamically generated in the code string used to create the script job when you import each copy of the rig so that the script job in each copy of the rig knows about it's own namespace?

Thanks!

[mcw0]

It's been awhile and I'm no longer in that studio so I don't have access to my files to refresh my memory.  But basically, the issue is sorting namespaces.  So first, get a list of scriptNodes and filter to find the latest reference.  Having consistent naming helps with this filtering.  Then create a new scriptJob for the newly referenced asset with the latest namespace.

[jwlove]

Thank you for replying - I thought it might be a little tough given how much time has passed.

So to clarify, are you talking about importing the character with a namespace and then generating a scriptJob/scriptNode at that point instead of creating it in the file before importing it?  Something that would essentially be a command to import a rig and set up the scriptJob/scriptNode...

Or are you saying to build some logic into the code string to determine the appropriate namespace as a variable outside of the scope of the function to use within it?  Then this would figure it out and generate the scriptJob with the namespace built in upon importing with no additional need to create a new scriptJob/scriptNode as some sort of post-import step?

something along these lines? (run in the non-namespaced source file)

code_str = '''
import maya.cmds as mc

namespace = # code to figure out namespace (likely requires more than one line)

def myFunc():
    # do stuff here (some may require the namespace variable)
    print('I am doing things and going places!!!')

mc.scriptJob(attributeChange=['{}node.attr'.format(namespace), myFunc], killWithScene=True)
'''

mc.scriptNode(st=2, bs=code_str, n='node.attr', stp='python')

I guess the only question is how do I determine which namespaces have already been used in previously imported copies of the rig?

[mcw0]

IIRC, my rig had the scriptNode in it.  What the script node was doing was kicking off the scriptJob when the rig is referenced into the scene, based on an attribute changing.  But since I don't know the namespace, I had to figure it out and pass that to the scriptJob.  Since the scriptNodes in the scene all have the same root name, the only difference will be in the namespace.  And if the references were created with some system in place, it should be straightforward to determine which is the last namespace created in the scene.

[jwlove]

Cool, thanks

Yeah, I understand that's what the scriptNode is for.  I was just wondering if the psuedo-code was the way to do it since it looked like any code you wanted to run had to be contained within a string that sets up the scriptJob - at least from everything I've read about using them so far.  Unless there's a way to run some code outside of that string and then format it into the string?

I guess I'll be testing stuff out... you're right, this is quite the headache that the scriptJob system itself should already know how to handle, ugh...

[mcw0]

The scriptJob can accept any code you have in your script path.  It doesn't have to be contained in the scriptNode.

[jwlove]

Alright, after some testing, I got it to work...  It's an extremely simple test case and I'm sure the code could be made more efficient, but it's the first time I got it working - so I thought I'd go ahead and post what I ended up with to help anyone else who comes across both this issue and this thread looking for an answer/help.

some notes:

- the code is in python 2.7 (I was testing in maya 2020)

- the file I created to do the test has two 'controls' named 'lf_test' and 'rt_test'

- the controls have an enum attr named 'match' with 'IKtoFK' and 'FKtoIK' enums

- there are two poly cubes representing ik controls named 'lf_IK' and 'rt_IK'

- there are two poly spheres representing fk controls named 'lf_FK' and 'rt_FK'

- you can open the file after running the code to create the scriptNode and it will work (no namespaces)

- you can import that same file multiple times with different namespaces and each of those work as well

- you can also have one imported without a namespace and others with a namespace and they will all work

- obviously your real matching script will be more complex

code_str = '''
import maya.cmds as mc

namespace = ''
jobs = [j for j in mc.scriptJob(listJobs=True) if 'test.match' in j]

for node in mc.ls('*:test_matchIKFK'):
    ns = '%s:' %node.partition(':')[0]
    found = False
    for job in jobs:
        if ns in job:
            found=True
            break
    else:
        if found:
            continue
        else:
            namespace = ns
        break

def ikToFk(ns, side):
    pos = mc.xform('%s%s_FK' %(ns, side), q=True, t=True)
    mc.xform('%s%s_IK' %(ns, side), t=pos)

def fkToIk(ns, side):
    pos = mc.xform('%s%s_IK' %(ns, side), q=True, t=True)
    mc.xform('%s%s_FK' %(ns, side), t=pos)

def matchIKFK():
    node = mc.ls(sl=True)[0]
    if ':' in node:
        ns, _, name = node.partition(':')
        ns = '%s:' %ns
        side = name.partition('_')[0]
    else:
        ns = ''
        side = node.partition('_')[0]
    opt = mc.getAttr('%s.match' %node)
    if opt == 0:
        ikToFk(ns, side)
    elif opt == 1:
        fkToIk(ns, side)

mc.scriptJob(attributeChange=['%slf_test.match' %namespace, matchIKFK], killWithScene=True, compressUndo=True)
mc.scriptJob(attributeChange=['%srt_test.match' %namespace, matchIKFK], killWithScene=True, compressUndo=True)
'''

mc.scriptNode(scriptType=2, beforeScript=code_str, name='test_matchIKFK', sourceType='python')

Are there any obvious optimizations for the scriptJob/scriptNode specific stuff that I may not have noticed yet?

[mcw0]

Instead of listing scriptJobs, listing scriptNodes will be faster due to there being fewer scriptNodes versus scriptJobs.  But great job!!!  Thanks for posting your results here.

PS.  I also use scriptJobs to run IK/FK switching.  🙂 

[jwlove]

oh... hmm... I'm listing both scriptNodes and scriptJobs...  I thought I'd need to check if the namespace is used in an existing scriptJob to determine if that particular namespace is the 'new one' to use in the 'mc.scriptJob' command call lines.  Is there a way to query it from the scriptNodes only?

Note: 'for node in mc.ls('*:test_matchIKFK'):' is where I'm listing the scriptNodes (by their name, since I know the node name)

[mcw0]

Your scriptNode query is correct.  What I mentioned earlier about a naming system for namespaces is what I'm getting at.  So if you import/reference with a set namespace, i.e. "ref01", then the next will be "ref02" and then "ref03" and so on.  The latest will be the last element in your scriptNode query return.  But if what you have is already working, then I wouldn't mess with it.

[jwlove]

Ah, ok - yeah, I see what you're saying now... I was going for a way that would be open ended for animators to import and put in any namespace they want.  Yes, having a specific tool/command or namespace naming convention would allow that code to be much simpler and not even need to query the existing scriptJobs to see if the namespace is in use in any of them yet

Thanks for the help and feedback!

[mcw0]

My pleasure.  I'm just sad that this is even an issue.  LOL!!!