Writing Python based plugins and extensions for VMD

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Writing Python based plugins and extensions for VMD

Python Modules

VMD doesn't do anything particularly special in support of Python modules other than to provide hooks by which they can be registered in the VMD "Extensions" menu, and subdirectories in the VMD installation directory where the extensions can be installed.

Python modules which implement a Tk-based GUI are registered in the VMD "Extensions" menu by calling VMD.registerExtensionMenu("MyPluginTitle", startMyPlugin)

A minimal Python example plugin

The example below is an extremely minmalistic Python script that creates a window when triggered by an appropriate selection in the VMD "Extensions" menu.

from Tkinter import *

# A minimal plugin class that just creates an empty window
class MyPlugin:
  def __init__(self):
    self.root = Tk()
    self.root.title("My Plugin Window")

# Function to start the plugin.  Must return the window handle.
def startMyPlugin():
  return MyPlugin().root

if __name__=="__main__":
  import VMD
  # Register the plugin so that it's not actually created until the
  # first request to open the window.
  VMD.registerExtensionMenu("myplugin", startMyPlugin)

  # Create the plugin now and add it to the Extensions menu.
  # VMD.addExtensionMenu("myplugin", MyPlugin().root)

Id:: plg_python.dox,v 1.3 2008/03/31 19:40:26 johns Exp

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