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  1. Home
  2. Python Tips

    Python Tips

    How to do some common actions in Python. Also see Help -> Python Examples in the TouchDesigner UI.

    General to all OPsedit

    Expressionsedit

    Python
    Getting an OP's path op('sphere1').path
    Getting an OP's name op('sphere1').name
    Getting an OP's digits op('sphere1').digits
    Querying the value of an OP's parameter op('sphere1').par.tx.eval()

    or when it's constant op('sphere1').par.tx

    Querying a parameter in the same OP me.par.tx
    Getting Info CHOP channels from an OP
    without cooking it     		passive(op('moviein1')).width
    Getting an OP's parent parent()
    Getting an OP's grand-parent parent(2)
    Getting an OP's name me.name
    Getting an OP's parent's name parent().name
    Getting digits of an OP's name from its parameters me.digits
    Getting digits of an OP's parent's
    name from its parameters     		parent().digits
    Getting an OP's type # returns an OP object, not a string
    type(op('moviein1'))
    getting a unique random number each frame tdu.rand(absTime.frame+.1)
    getting a unique random number per numbered operator tdu.rand(me.digits+.17)
    Checking for an OP's existence if op('moviein1'):

    or

    bool(op('moviein1'))

    Getting the number of children of a COMP len(op('geo1').children)
    Getting the number of inputs of a multi-input OP len(op('switch1').inputs)
    Getting Info CHOP channels from an OP, width is a member op('moviein1').width
    Conditional "if" in one line of a parameter 22 if me.time.frame<100 else 33
    Conditional "if" alternative [33,22][me.time.frame<100]
    Convert space separated string to a list tdu.split('Space separated string with "two word item"')
    List comprehension [c.name for c in root.children]
    Conditional list comprehension [c.name for c in root.children if c.name != 'perform']
    Test operator type type(root) == baseCOMP
    Test operator family isinstance(root, TOP)

    Timeedit

    "Absolute Time" is the time since you started your TouchDesigner process, not counting when your power button was off (top bar).

    Python
    Retrieving a node's local frame number me.time.frame
    Retrieving a node's local time in seconds me.time.seconds
    Retrieving absolute time in frames absTime.frame
    Retrieving absolute time in seconds absTime.seconds

    Storage in Pythonedit

    Storage is the preferred way to work with persistent global data in Python, since it can store anything data type.

    Python
    Setting a value in storage of a component n n.store('keyname', 0.0)
    Getting a value from storage n.fetch('keyname')
    Directly access the storage dictionary n.storage
    Directly access a key in the storage dictionary n.storage['keyname']
    Test if a key exists in the storage dictionary 'keyname' in n.storage

    Commandsedit

    Python
    Creating an OP (Sphere SOP) op('/project1').create(sphereSOP)
    Creating a named OP op('/project1').create(sphereSOP, 'mysphere')
    Copying OPs (Nodes) op('/project1').copy(op('out1'), name='out2')
    Deleting an OP op('mysphere').destroy()
    Renaming an OP op('mysphere').name = 'thesphere'
    Changing an OP's type op('mysphere').changeType(boxSOP)
    Changing multiple OPs' types list = ops('*sphere*')
    [s.changeType(boxSOP) for s in list]
    Setting an OP's comment op('mysphere').comment = 'this is a sphere'
    Changing an OP's parameter op('mysphere').par.frequency = 10
    Changing an OP's parameter
    with more than 1 value     		s = op('mysphere')
    s.par.tx = 1
    s.par.ty = 2
    s.par.tz = 3
    Pulsing a parameter value op('moviein1').par.cue.pulse()
    Cooking an OP op('mysphere').cook()
    Saving an OP's data to a file op('mysphere').save('sphere.tog')
    Changing an OP's Render and Display Flags on s = op('mysphere')
    s.render = True
    s.display = True
    Loading a .tox file into a COMP op('/project1').loadTox('geo1.tox')
    Wiring operators together Refer to the Connector Class
    Clicking gadgets (panel components) op('slider1').click(.6, .7)
    Timeline Play/Pause me.time.play = True/False
    Run asynchronous or delayed Python code run('print("hello, world")', delayMilliSeconds=2000)

    Variablesedit

    Variables are always text strings.

    Python
    Setting a value me.var('DESKTOP')
    Setting a Root Variable root.setVar('MEDIA', 'c:/MEDIA')
    Setting a Component Variable
    at the current component     		parent().setVar('MEDIA', 'c:/MEDIA')
    Setting a Component Variable
    at another component     		op('/project1/geo1').setVar('MEDIA', 'c:/MEDIA')
    Setting a Path Variable Set the Path Variable parameter of any parent component and use me.var('name') in the same way.


    CHOPsedit

    Expressionsedit

    Evaluate channel chan1 at the current frame op('pattern1')['chan1'].eval()
    or if in parameter, simply: op('pattern1')['chan1']
    Get sample 8 of channel chan1 op('pattern1')['chan1'].eval(8)
    Get the number of CHOP Channels op('pattern1').numChans
    Get the CHOP length op('pattern1').numSamples
    Get the third sample from the first channel op('pattern1')[0][2]
    Get the name of the 2nd channel op('pattern1')[1].name
    Get the channel index of channel chan1 op('pattern1')['chan1'].index


    DATsedit

    Expressionsedit

    See also Working with OPs in Python.
    Get a cell value by index op('table1')[2,3]
    Get a cell value by label op('table1')['r1', 'c1']
    Get a cell value by row index, col label op('table1')[2, 'product']
    Cast cell to integer and float int(op('table1')['month', 3])
    float(op('table1')['speed', 4])
    Get the number of table rows op('table1').numRows
    Get the number of table columns op('table1').numCols
    Set a cell value by indeces or labels op('table1')[3,4] = 'hello'
    op('table1')[2, 'answer'] = 'hello'
    op('table1')['month', 3] = 'july'
    Set a cell value by label op('table1')['r1', 'c1'] = 'abc'
    Copy a table to another table op('table1').copy(op('fromTable'))
    Append a row to a table op('table1').appendRow(['s1','s2', num])
    Append a column to a table op('table1').appendCol(['s1','s2', num])
    Access current cell in an Evaluate DAT me.inputCell
    Access neighboring cells in an Evaluate DAT me.inputCell.offset(1,2)