An example of customizing a toolset

To modify an existing toolset, you start by deriving a new class from it.

To modify widgets in the toolset, you need to be able to access them. The following functions in the Abaqus GUI Toolkit allow you to access a widget:

  • getWidgetFromText(widget, text): The getWidgetFromText function returns a widget whose label or tip text matches the specified text and is also a child of the specified widget. For example, the following statement returns the widget that matches the Save As... item in the File menu: 

    saveAsWidget = getWidgetFromText(fileMenu, 'Save As...')

  • getSeparator(widget, index): The getSeparator function returns the nth separator of the specified widget, where n is specified by the one-based index. For example, the following statement returns the second separator in the File menu: 

    separatorWidget = getSeparator(fileMenu, 2)

The following example shows how you can modify the File toolset GUI. Figure 1 shows the File menu before and after the script is executed.

Figure 1. The toolbar and the File menu before and after executing the example script. 

from sessionGui import FileToolsetGui
from myIcons import boltToolboxIconData
from myForm import MyForm 

class MyFileToolsetGui(FileToolsetGui):

    #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    def __init__(self):

        # Construct the base class.
        #
        FileToolsetGui.__init__(self)

        # Remove unwanted items from the File menu,
        # including the second separator.
        #
        menubar = getAFXApp().getAFXMainWindow().getMenubar()
        menu = getWidgetFromText(menubar, 'File').getMenu()
        getWidgetFromText(menu, 'New').hide()
        getWidgetFromText(menu, 'Save').hide()
        getWidgetFromText(menu, 'Save As...').hide()
        getSeparator(menu, 2).hide()

        # Remove unwanted items from the toolbar
        #
        toolbar = self.getToolbarGroup('File')
        getWidgetFromText(toolbar, 'New Model\nDatabase').hide()
        getWidgetFromText(toolbar, 'Save Model\nDatabase').hide()

        # Add an item to the File menu just above Exit
        #
        btn = AFXMenuCommand(self, menu, 'Custom Button...',
            None, MyForm(self), AFXMode.ID_ACTIVATE)
        sep = getSeparator(menu, 6)
        btn.linkBefore(sep)

        # Rename the File menu
        #
        fileMenu = getWidgetFromText(menubar, 'File')
        fileMenu.setText('MyFile')

        # Change a toolbar button icon
        #
        btn = getWidgetFromText(toolbar, 'Open')
        icon = FXXPMIcon(getAFXApp(), boltToolboxIconData)
        btn.setIcon(icon)

This example script illustrates the following:

Deriving a new toolset class

To modify a toolset GUI, you begin by deriving a new class from it. Inside the new class constructor body, you must call the base class constructor and pass self as the first argument.

Removing items from a menu or toolbar

You can remove items from a menu by hiding them. You use the getWidgetFromText or the getSeparator functions to obtain the widgets and call the hide method to remove them.

Adding items to a menu

You can insert items into an existing menu by creating new menu commands and positioning them using the linkBefore or linkAfter methods.

Renaming items and changing icons

You can change the text or icon associated with a widget by calling the setText or setIcon methods.