Python API 22.1

REPORTER

Getting started

As Python is running outside REPORTER, the first thing a script needs to do is to either start an instance of REPORTER, or to connect to an already running instance of REPORTER. At the end of the script you should then either disconnect again or terminate the REPORTER instance.

A skeleton Python script to start REPORTER (Installed at C:\install_directory\reporterXX_x64.exe) and then terminate it is:

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Python
import Oasys.REPORTER

connection = Oasys.REPORTER.start(abspath="C:\\install_directory\\ReporterXX_x64.exe")

...

Oasys.REPORTER.terminate(connection)

By default REPORTER will use port 50053 to communicate with Python and will allocate 25MB of memory for running scripts. These can be changed by adding port and memory arguments to the start function. e.g:

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Python
connection = Oasys.REPORTER.start(abspath="C:\\install_directory\\ReporterXX_x64.exe", port=1234, memory=100)

REPORTER can also be started in batch mode so that the main graphics window is not shown by using a batch argument:

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Python
connection = Oasys.REPORTER.start(abspath="C:\\install_directory\\ReporterXX_x64.exe", batch=True)

To connect to an instance of REPORTER that is already running, REPORTER must currently have been started in a special mode telling it to listen on a port for gRPC messages. See further information here.

A skeleton script to connect to REPORTERand disconnect again would then be:

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Python
import Oasys.REPORTER

connection = Oasys.REPORTER.connect(port=50053)

...

Oasys.REPORTER.disconnect(connection)

or if you want to terminate the instance of REPORTER use terminate instead of disconnect.

Python API

The JS API has been available for several years, is stable and works well, so the Python API has been designed to have the same classes, methods and properties as the JS API.

However, the following classes are not available:

  • Ssh (use Python modules instead)

  • XlsxWorkbook (use Python modules instead)

  • XlsxWorksheet (use Python modules instead)

  • XMLParser (use Python modules instead)

  • Zip (use Python modules instead)

If an argument in the JS API is an object then the equivalent in Python will be a dict, and if an array in JS, the equivalent in Python will be a list.

Simple example

The following example shows how to create a template and to add a page with some text using the JS API and the Python API :

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JavaScript
// Save this in a file named "exampleJavaScript.js" and run it via command line:
// C:\install_directory\ReporterXX_x64.exe -script=exampleJavaScript.js -batch

var aTemplate = new Template();

Debug("Created template with name " + aTemplate.filename);

var aPage = aTemplate.GetPage(0);

LogPrint("Creating a text item!");

var aItem = new Item(aPage, Item.TEXT, "Title", 100, 100, 270, 290);
aItem.text = "First page";
aItem.fontSize = 48;
aItem.textColour = Colour.Red();
aItem.justify = Reporter.JUSTIFY_CENTRE;

Debug("Finishing script: leaving the template open!");

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Python
import Oasys.REPORTER

connection = Oasys.REPORTER.start(abspath="C:\\install_directory\\ReporterXX_x64.exe")

aTemplate = Oasys.REPORTER.Template()

Oasys.REPORTER.Debug("Created template with name " + aTemplate.filename)

aPage = aTemplate.GetPage(0)

Oasys.REPORTER.LogPrint("Creating a text item!")

aItem = Oasys.REPORTER.Item(aPage, Oasys.REPORTER.Item.TEXT, "Title", 100, 100, 270, 290)
aItem.text = "First page"
aItem.fontSize = 48
aItem.textColour = Oasys.REPORTER.Colour.Red()  
aItem.justify = Oasys.REPORTER.Reporter.JUSTIFY_CENTRE

Oasys.REPORTER.Debug("Closing the connection and leaving the template open!")

Oasys.REPORTER.disconnect(connection)

All the classes and methods or functions used in the Python script above can be found in the REPORTER Python API documentation, in the following pages: