How to extract commands such as single dupliverts

Question

To my understanding now Blender has many single commands that can be run via python commands and those commands are embedded into UI scripts.

For example the command for Duplication.

layout.prop(ob, "dupli_type", expand=True)

Now if I click Verts the Consol will write:

bpy.ops.object.duplicates_make_real()
bpy.context.object.dupli_type = 'NONE'
bpy.context.object.use_dupli_vertices_rotation = True
bpy.context.object.dupli_faces_scale = 1
bpy.context.object.dupli_type = 'VERTS'

I try to understand how for example I could only display None, Verts, and Faces plus their settings Rotate and Scale and package that into a box layout.

col = layout.row()
split = col.split(percentage=1.0)
box = split.column().box()

row = box.row()
row.label('Geometry Instancing')
row = box.row()        
row.operator("context.object.dupli_type = 'VERTS'", text="VERTS")
row.prop(ob, "dupli_faces_scale", text="Inherit Scale")

But this only generates the button for scale and does not draw the Verts Type button. I assume this has something to do with the way how the object.dupli_type is called and the type declared.

I hope the way I explained this makes sense. In the end I would like to generate slimmer UI interfaces for my students so that they are only presented with Values/options usable for ID. Frame and Group is not a function we would use in product design.

Answer 1

The row of "dupli_type" options [None, Frame, Verts, Faces, Group] comes from what is called an EnumProperty. Blender uses this as a radio-box-like interface to give you a choice from a list. The item you select determines which elements of the UI become visible.

Right-Click on the Verts button, pick Edit Source, go to the TextEditor and open properties_object.py it will show at the line where that UI element is referenced.

The Duplication panel's draw is like this. Notice that the 5 possible states are covered by the if-elif-elif-elif. Notably the choice for NONE results in no drawing at all because it isn't in any of those tests. There's nothing to show in the case of 'NONE' so a 5th logic statement is redundant.

def draw(self, context):
    layout = self.layout

    ob = context.object

    layout.prop(ob, "dupli_type", expand=True)

    if ob.dupli_type == 'FRAMES':
        split = layout.split()

        col = split.column(align=True)
        col.prop(ob, "dupli_frames_start", text="Start")
        col.prop(ob, "dupli_frames_end", text="End")

        col = split.column(align=True)
        col.prop(ob, "dupli_frames_on", text="On")
        col.prop(ob, "dupli_frames_off", text="Off")

        layout.prop(ob, "use_dupli_frames_speed", text="Speed")

    elif ob.dupli_type == 'VERTS':
        layout.prop(ob, "use_dupli_vertices_rotation", text="Rotation")

    elif ob.dupli_type == 'FACES':
        row = layout.row()
        row.prop(ob, "use_dupli_faces_scale", text="Scale")
        sub = row.row()
        sub.active = ob.use_dupli_faces_scale
        sub.prop(ob, "dupli_faces_scale", text="Inherit Scale")

    elif ob.dupli_type == 'GROUP':
        layout.prop(ob, "dupli_group", text="Group")

To make a custom panel for this you need to make a custom (deputy) EnumProperty, which should include some code to update the real property.

import bpy


class HelloWorldPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
    """Creates a Panel in the Object properties window"""
    bl_label = "Hello World Panel"
    bl_idname = "OBJECT_PT_hello"
    bl_space_type = 'PROPERTIES'
    bl_region_type = 'WINDOW'
    bl_context = "object"

    def draw(self, context):
        layout = self.layout
        ob = context.object

        layout.prop(ob, "deputy_dupli_type", expand=True)

        if ob.deputy_dupli_type == 'VERTS':
            layout.prop(ob, "use_dupli_vertices_rotation", text="Rotation")

        elif ob.deputy_dupli_type == 'FACES':
            row = layout.row()
            row.prop(ob, "use_dupli_faces_scale", text="Scale")
            sub = row.row()
            sub.active = ob.use_dupli_faces_scale
            sub.prop(ob, "dupli_faces_scale", text="Inherit Scale")


def register():
    # give all objects a new property (also known as an attribute)
    # called "deputy_duply_type".
    bpy.types.Object.deputy_dupli_type = bpy.props.EnumProperty(
        items=[
            ('NONE', 'NONE', "", 0),
            ('VERTS', 'VERTS', "", 1),
            ('FACES', 'FACES', "", 2)                        
        ],
        default='NONE',
        update=lambda s, c: setattr(s, 'dupli_type', s.deputy_dupli_type)
    )
    bpy.utils.register_class(HelloWorldPanel)


def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(HelloWorldPanel)
    del bpy.types.Object.deputy_dupli_type


if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

The downside in this case is that changes made back in the original Duplication Panel are not reflected in the state of your new deputy_dupli_type property. This may lead to some confusion, but if you aren't using the original panels then it isn't a problem.

Some code clarification:

update=lambda s, c: setattr(s, 'dupli_type', s.deputy_dupli_type)

The take-away from this line is (even if it looks like gibberish):

• Once the user picks a different option from the object.deputy_dupli_type, this triggers the object's dupli_type attribute to be set to the same value as the newly selected option.