How to run functions that are defined in an ACT extension or Mechanical Add-on from a script?

Landon Mitchell Kanner

I have an ACT extension installed for Mechanical. I want to run an Mechanical script that will leverage some of the automation that is defined in the ACT extension. How can I do that?

Landon Mitchell Kanner

You can access an ACT extension (or Mechanical Add-on) module using the GetModule method:

nvh_addon = ExtAPI.ExtensionManager.GetExtensionByName("NVHToolkit")
nvh_module = nvh_addon.GetModule()

The module allows you to access functions, variables, methods, etc. that are defined in the extension. For example:

mac_data = nvh_module.MacData()

Note that in many cases, it will be difficult to know how to use an extension's module without access to the extension's source code.

Landon Mitchell Kanner

NVH Toolkit is not a great example, because most developers will not have access to its source code. @AKD-Scripting-Team , Could someone please post an example with public source code (e.g. based on an ACT extension from the ACT Start Page)

Mike.Thompson

@Landon Mitchell Kanner there are lots on non-compiled python modules in the bolt tools add on.
You can import from this directory once you have added it to sys.path. The main ACT module is only a single file and most actions are in these other modules with exposed source and access via standard import commands.

There is a property for install directory on the “extension” object returned from the get extension by name method you reference. This is the directory to add to sys.path.

Pernelle Marone-Hitz

@Landon Mitchell Kanner , @Chemsdine CHEMAI had created this post some time ago: https://discuss.ansys.com/discussion/715/how-to-list-and-use-all-functions-of-an-extension-using-the-console But indeed it does not show the code on a specific example