pymel.core.windows.helpLine

helpLine(*args, **kwargs)

This command creates a help line where tool help/hints are shown.

Flags:

Long name (short name)		Argument Types	Properties
annotation (ann)		unicode
	Annotate the control with an extra string value.
backgroundColor (bgc)		float, float, float
	The background color of the control. The arguments correspond to the red, green, and blue color components. Each component ranges in value from 0.0 to 1.0.When setting backgroundColor, the background is automatically enabled, unless enableBackground is also specified with a false value.
defineTemplate (dt)		unicode
	Puts a command in a mode where any other flags and args are parsed and added to the command template specified in the argument. They will be used as default arguments in any subsequent invocations of the command when templateName is set as the current template.
docTag (dtg)		unicode
	Add a documentation flag to the control. The documentation flag has a directory structure like hierarchy. Eg. -dt render/multiLister/createNode/material
dragCallback (dgc)		script
	Adds a callback that is called when the middle mouse button is pressed. The MEL version of the callback is of the form: global proc string[] callbackName(string $dragControl, int $x, int $y, int $mods) The proc returns a string array that is transferred to the drop site. By convention the first string in the array describes the user settable message type. Controls that are application defined drag sources may ignore the callback. $mods allows testing for the key modifiers CTL and SHIFT. Possible values are 0 == No modifiers, 1 == SHIFT, 2 == CTL, 3 == CTL + SHIFT. In Python, it is similar, but there are two ways to specify the callback. The recommended way is to pass a Python function object as the argument. In that case, the Python callback should have the form: def callbackName( dragControl, x, y, modifiers ): The values of these arguments are the same as those for the MEL version above. The other way to specify the callback in Python is to specify a string to be executed. In that case, the string will have the values substituted into it via the standard Python format operator. The format values are passed in a dictionary with the keys “dragControl”, “x”, “y”, “modifiers”. The “dragControl” value is a string and the other values are integers (eg the callback string could be “print ‘%(dragControl)s %(x)d %(y)d %(modifiers)d’”)
dropCallback (dpc)		script
	Adds a callback that is called when a drag and drop operation is released above the drop site. The MEL version of the callback is of the form: global proc callbackName(string $dragControl, string $dropControl, string $msgs[], int $x, int $y, int $type) The proc receives a string array that is transferred from the drag source. The first string in the msgs array describes the user defined message type. Controls that are application defined drop sites may ignore the callback. $type can have values of 1 == Move, 2 == Copy, 3 == Link. In Python, it is similar, but there are two ways to specify the callback. The recommended way is to pass a Python function object as the argument. In that case, the Python callback should have the form: def pythonDropTest( dragControl, dropControl, messages, x, y, dragType ): The values of these arguments are the same as those for the MEL version above. The other way to specify the callback in Python is to specify a string to be executed. In that case, the string will have the values substituted into it via the standard Python format operator. The format values are passed in a dictionary with the keys “dragControl”, “dropControl”, “messages”, “x”, “y”, “type”. The “dragControl” value is a string and the other values are integers (eg the callback string could be “print ‘%(dragControl)s %(dropControl)s %(messages)r %(x)d %(y)d %(type)d’”)
enable (en)		bool
	The enable state of the control. By default, this flag is set to true and the control is enabled. Specify false and the control will appear dimmed or greyed-out indicating it is disabled.
enableBackground (ebg)		bool
	Enables the background color of the control.
exists (ex)		bool
	Returns true|false depending upon whether the specified object exists. Other flags are ignored.
fullPathName (fpn)		unicode
	Return the full path name of the widget, which includes all the parentsFlag can appear in Create mode of commandFlag can have multiple arguments, passed either as a tuple or a list.
height (h)		int
	The height of the control. The control will attempt to be this size if it is not overruled by parent layout conditions.
isObscured (io)		bool
	Return whether the control can actually be seen by the user. The control will be obscured if its state is invisible, if it is blocked (entirely or partially) by some other control, if it or a parent layout is unmanaged, or if the control’s window is invisible or iconified.
manage (m)		bool
	Manage state of the control. An unmanaged control is not visible, nor does it take up any screen real estate. All controls are created managed by default.
numberOfPopupMenus (npm)		bool
	Return the number of popup menus attached to this control.
parent (p)		unicode
	The parent layout for this control.
popupMenuArray (pma)		bool
	Return the names of all the popup menus attached to this control.
preventOverride (po)		bool
	If true, this flag disallows overriding the control’s attribute via the control’s right mouse button menu.
useTemplate (ut)		unicode
	Force the command to use a command template other than the current one.
visible (vis)		bool
	The visible state of the control. A control is created visible by default. Note that a control’s actual appearance is also dependent on the visible state of its parent layout(s).
visibleChangeCommand (vcc)		script
	Command that gets executed when visible state of the control changes.
width (w)		int
	The width of the control. The control will attempt to be this size if it is not overruled by parent layout conditions.

Derived from mel command maya.cmds.helpLine

Example:

import pymel.core as pm

import maya.cmds as cmds

#    Create a window with a menu bar, some buttons and a help
#    line.  Attach some annontations to the UI so that they
#    appear in the help line.
#
window = pm.window( menuBar=True )
pm.menu( label='File' )
# Result: ui.Menu('window1|menu40') #
pm.menuItem( label='New', annotation='Help for New' )
# Result: ui.CommandMenuItem('window1|menu40|menuItem258') #
pm.menuItem( label='Open', annotation='Help for Open' )
# Result: ui.CommandMenuItem('window1|menu40|menuItem259') #
pm.menuItem( label='Close', annotation='Help for Close' )
# Result: ui.CommandMenuItem('window1|menu40|menuItem260') #

form = pm.formLayout()
column = pm.rowLayout(numberOfColumns=4,
                        columnWidth4=(32, 32, 32, 32),
                        columnAttach4=('both', 'both', 'both', 'both'))
pm.button( label='A', height=32, annotation='Help for A' )
pm.button( label='B', height=32, annotation='Help for B' )
pm.button( label='C', height=32, annotation='Help for C' )
pm.button( label='D', height=32, annotation='Help for D' )
pm.setParent( '..' )

frame = pm.frameLayout( labelVisible=False )
pm.helpLine()
pm.formLayout( form, edit=True,
                 attachForm=((column, 'top', 0), (column, 'left', 0),
                             (column, 'right', 0), (frame, 'left', 0),
                             (frame, 'bottom', 0), (frame, 'right', 0)),
                 attachNone=((column, 'bottom'), (frame, 'top')) )
pm.showWindow( window )