Python Script

BOY uses Jython, the Java implementation of Python under the hood. So please follow the Jython documentatoin for more details in calling Java code from Jython. Since it is Jython, it follows the Python language grammar, see Python Tutorial. Most of standard Python modules are available from Jython, but not all modules implemented in C for CPython are available because they need to be re-implemented in Java for Jython. For example, SciPy, NumPy are not implemented for Jython yet.

Python module files search path

Unlike Javascript, Python script in BOY allows you to reuse other Python scripts as modules. In BOY, the search path for module files includes the current path of the script file and the path specified in PYTHONPATH preference which is configured in BOY preference page: CSS->Preferences...->CSS Applications->Display->BOY->OPI Runtime. It accept both workspace path and system path. Paths are separated by |. For example:

/MyPyLib/MyModule1|C:\Python27\Lib

If there was Python script executed before you make changes to this preference, CSS must be restarted to make the new PYTHONPATH take effect. It is because the PYTHONPATH preference is only loaded once during the first execution of any Python script in BOY.

Use PyDev

One of the good parts of using Python script in BOY is that you can take advantage of the free Python development IDE PyDev. PyDev provided a good Python script editor with syntax hightlight and code auto-completion. If it is a pure Python code, you are even able to debug/run the python script in the IDE.

PyDev is also a bunch of Eclipse Plugins, so they can be easily integrated to your CSS by following these steps:

  1. Install Jython to your operating system.
  2. Go to CSS menu Help->Install New Software... to open the dialog as below. In this dialog, click Add... button to add two update site locations(name can be arbitrary): Work with http://pydev.org/updates. Select the checkbox of PyDev for Eclipse. Select the option Contact all update sites during install to find required software.
    Click Next and follow the instructions to finish the installation.

    Install software dialog

  3. Restart CSS.
  4. Go to CSS->Preferences->PyDev->Interpreter-Jython and select New... to add the jython interpreter jython.jar from where your Jython was installed. Select the button New Jar/Zips in Libraries tab and add org.csstudio.opibuilder.jar from your_CSS_path/plugins folder. Adding this jar file to PYTHONPATH will give you the capability to make code auto-completion to BOY ScriptUtil. You can also add other plugins if you want to get code auto-completion to other plugins, for example, add org.eclipse.jface.jar and org.eclipse.swt.jar will give you the power of code auto-completion to SWT and JFace code. But this doesn't mean you can run/debug its code directly from PyDev. Remember, only pure Java or Python code are able to run/debug from PyDev.

    PyDev Preference Dialog

  5. In CSS Navigator view, right click the project which includes your python script files and select Properties->PyDev-Interpreter/Grammar. Choose project type as Jython. Click OK.
  6. Now you should be able to use PyDev in your CSS for Python script editing.

    Use PyDev as Python script editor for BOY