Script Editor Menus

File

Load script

Loads the contents of a text file into the Script editor.

Source script

Executes the contents of a text file.

MEL does not allow you to forward reference locally scoped procedures. Locally scoped procedure definitions must appear before they are called. For example, in a file called noForwardRef.mel, define the local procedures before they are referenced.

proc myLocalProc() { print "In myLocalProc()\n" ; } proc anotherLocalProc() { print "In anotherLocalProc()\n" ; myLocalProc; } global proc noForwardRef() { print "Calling anotherLocalProc()\n" ; anotherLocalProc; }

If you change a script after sourcing it, the change is not automatically picked up by Maya. You need to re-run the script with File > Source Script.

Save script

Saves the selected text to a text file.

Save script to shelf

Adds a button to the current shelf which executes the selected text.

Edit

The edit menu includes standard editing commands and their associated hotkeys: Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, and Select All, as well as the following commands:

Go to line

Goes to the specified line number.

Search and replace

Opens a search dialog where you can search for a string and replace it with a different string. You can choose the search direction and choose whether your search is case-sensitive.

Indent Selection / Unindent selection

You can indent or clear the indent of selected text.

Clear History

Clears the top pane of the Script editor.

Clear Input

Clears the bottom pane of the Script editor.

Clear All

Clears both the top and bottom panes of the Script editor.

History

Batch render messages

Shows batch rendering messages in the Script editor.

Echo all commands

When this item is on, all MEL commands executed by Maya appear in the top pane of the Script editor.

For example, if you select Create > Polygon Primitives > Sphere, the corresponding MEL command (polySphere) that Maya executes is printed in the top pane.

Line numbers in errors

Shows line numbers in errors.

Show stack trace

Opens another window which lists errors and their line numbers in external script files. This is very useful for debugging scripts in external files.

Suppress command results

When turned on, the Script editor does not show the result of commands. Result messages start with // Result:.

Suppress info messages

When turned on, the Script editor does not show informational messages. Informational messages are of many different types and do not have a set prefix (except for //).

Suppress warning messages

When turned on, the Script editor does not show warning messages. Warning messages start with // Warning:.

Suppress error messages

When turned on, the Script editor does not show error messages. Error messages start with // Error:.

Note

Suppressing Script editor messages does not suppress messages from appearing in the Help Line.

Suppress stack window

When turned on, the Script editor suppresses the stack window. If stack trace is enabled, results are returned to the output window instead of a separate stack window.

The Script editor menu items can also be controlled through the scriptEditorInfo command (-sr/suppressResults, -si/suppressInfo, -sw/suppressWarnings, -se/suppressErrors, -ssw/suppressStackWindow).

Command

The following commands allow you to create, delete, and rename new tabs in the input area of the Script editor.

New Tab

Creates a new tab. You must choose whether the tab is for MEL or Python.

Rename Tab

Renames the current tab.

Select Tab

You can step through the tabs using the Previous and Next commands.

Delete Tab

Deletes the current tab.

Show line numbers

Shows line numbers in the Script editor.

Use tabs for indent

Select this option so that when you click Tab to indent, a tab will be created rather than individual spaces.

Command Completion

Auto-completes command names as you type them. If Show Tooltip Help is on, command names appear automatically as you type. If Show Tooltip Help is off, you must press + to make them appear.

Object Path Completion

Auto-completes object path names as you type them. If Show Tooltip Help is on, command names appear automatically as you type. If Show Tooltip Help is off, you must press + to make them appear.

Show Tooltip Help

Displays auto completed commands and object paths as you type them.

Show Quick Help

Displays the Quick Help panel. You can search for commands and the panel displays all valid flags for that command.

Execute

Runs the MEL script in the bottom pane of the Script editor. You can also press Enter on the numeric keypad.

Command highlighting

All MEL and Python commands are highlighted as you enter them into their respective tabs in the Script Editor.

Saved MEL Scripts

MEL scripts are automatically saved when Maya exits and restored in the Script editor when Maya is restarted.

In the event that Maya shuts down unexpectedly and is able to write a backup scene file, the current contents of each tab are written to text files and saved in the same directory as the scene file. These filenames match that of the backup scene file with the suffix -ScriptEditor-.