class MFnPlugin

: public MFnBase Register and deregister plug-in services with Maya

Inheritance:

MFnPlugin < MFnBase

public members:

	MFnPlugin ()
	MFnPlugin ( MObject & object, const char* vendor = "Unknown", const char* version = "Unknown", const char* requiredApiVersion = "Any", MStatus * ReturnStatus = 0L )
virtual	~MFnPlugin ()
virtual MFn::Type	type () const
MString	vendor ( MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL ) const
MString	version ( MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL ) const
MString	apiVersion ( MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL ) const
MString	name ( MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL ) const
MString	loadPath ( MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL ) const
MStatus	setName ( const MString & newName, bool allowRename = true )
MStatus	setVersion ( const MString & newVersion )
MStatus	registerCommand (const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MCreateSyntaxFunction createSyntaxFunction = NULL)
MStatus	deregisterCommand ( const MString & commandName )
MStatus	registerControlCommand (const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )
MStatus	deregisterControlCommand (const MString & commandName)
MStatus	registerModelEditorCommand (const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MCreatorFunction paneCreatorFunction)
MStatus	deregisterModelEditorCommand (const MString & commandName)
MStatus	registerContextCommand ( const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction)
MStatus	registerContextCommand ( const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, const MString & toolCmdName, MCreatorFunction toolCmdCreator, MCreateSyntaxFunction toolCmdSyntax = NULL )
MStatus	deregisterContextCommand ( const MString & commandName )
MStatus	deregisterContextCommand ( const MString & commandName, const MString & toolCmdName )
MStatus	registerNode ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MPxNode::Type type = MPxNode::kDependNode , const MString * classification = NULL)
MStatus	deregisterNode ( const MTypeId & typeId )
MStatus	registerShape ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MCreatorFunction uiCreatorFunction, const MString * classification = NULL)
MStatus	registerTransform ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MCreatorFunction xformCreatorFunction, const MTypeId & xformId, const MString * classification = NULL)
MStatus	registerData ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MPxData::Type type = MPxData::kData )
MStatus	deregisterData ( const MTypeId & typeId )
MStatus	registerDevice ( const MString & deviceName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )
MStatus	deregisterDevice ( const MString & deviceName )
MStatus	registerFileTranslator ( const MString & translatorName, char* pixmapName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, char* optionsScriptName = NULL, char* defaultOptionsString = NULL, bool requiresFullMel = false )
MStatus	deregisterFileTranslator ( const MString & translatorName )
MStatus	registerIkSolver ( const MString & ikSolverName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )
MStatus	deregisterIkSolver ( const MString & ikSolverName )
MStatus	registerUI (const MString & creationProc, const MString & deletionProc, const MString & creationBatchProc = "", const MString & deletionBatchProc = "")
MStatus	registerDragAndDropBehavior ( const MString & behaviorName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction)
MStatus	deregisterDragAndDropBehavior ( const MString & behaviorName )
MStatus	registerImageFile ( const MString & imageFormatName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, const MStringArray & imageFileExtensions)
MStatus	deregisterImageFile ( const MString & imageFormatName)
static MObject	findPlugin ( const MString & pluginName )
static bool	isNodeRegistered ( const MString & typeName)
MTypeId	matrixTypeIdFromXformId (const MTypeId & xformTypeId, MStatus * ReturnStatus=NULL)
MStringArray	addMenuItem ( const MString & menuItemName, const MString & parentName, const MString & commandName, const MString & commandParams, bool needOptionBox = false, MString optBoxFunction = NULL, MStatus retStatus = NULL )
MStatus	removeMenuItem ( MStringArray & menuItemNames)
MStatus	registerMaterialInfo ( MString & type , MMaterialInfoFactoryFnPtr fnPtr )
MStatus	unregisterMaterialInfo (const MString &typeName)
MStatus	registerBakeEngine ( MString &typeName, MBakeEngineCreatorFnPtr fnPtr )
MStatus	unregisterBakeEngine (const MString &typeName)

Inherited from MFnBase:

public members:

virtual MFn::Type	type () const
bool	hasObj ( MFn::Type ) const
bool	hasObj ( const MObject & ) const
MObject	object ( MStatus * ReturnStatus = NULL ) const
virtual MStatus	setObject ( MObject & object )
virtual MStatus	setObject ( const MObject & object )

Documentation

Description

This class is used in the initializePlugin and uninitializePlugin functions in a Maya plugin in order to register new services with Maya. The constructor for this class is passed the MObject provided by Maya as an argument to initializePlugin and uninitializePlugin. Subsequent calls are made to the various "register" methods from inside initializePlugin, and to the various "deregister" methods from inside uninitializePlugin.

A plug-in's uninitializePlugin function is not called automatically when Maya exits. Meaning any code which deallocates resources or a similar task will be called when the plug-in is explicitly unloaded but not when Maya exits. In order to work-around this problem and execute the code when Maya exits use the MSceneMessage class's addCallback method with a message of "kMayaExiting". This will register a callback function that will be executed when the "kMayaExiting" message occurs. Use this message and the addCallback method to deallocate any resources when exiting.

A side effect of including MFnPlugin.h is to embed an API version string into the .o file produced. If it is necessary to include MFnPlugin.h into more than one file that comprises a plugin, the preprocessor macro MNoVersionString should be defined in all but one of those files prior to the inclusion of MFnPlugin.h. If this is not done, the linker will produce warnings about multiple definitions of the variable MApiVersion as the .so file is being produced. These warning are harmless and can be ignored. Normally, this will not arise as only the file that contains the initializePlugin and uninitializePlugin routines should need to include MFnPlugin.h.

Modules are related to the topic of plug-ins and are described next.

Modules

Modules provide a way of informing Maya where a third party plug-in has been installed. This is the recommended way of allowing Maya to know that a plug-in is available and is important for 3rd party developers who deliver plug-ins outside of the Maya installation procedure.

The list of directories that Maya searches for modules can be accessed through the MAYA_MODULE_PATH environment variable. Please consult the online documentation for more details on this environment variable. To examine this variable value, run the following from the MEL script editor:

	getenv "MAYA_MODULE_PATH";

The MAYA_MODULE_PATH contains a list of directories and within each module directory there are subdirectories that look like:

	<PRODUCT>\<VERSION>

Within that directory are zero or more text files. Each file has a single line that looks like this:

	+ <NAME> <VERSION> <PATH>

The fields are defined as:

+ add this plug-in
NAME plug-in name ( no spaces allowed )
VERSION plug-in version ( no spaces allowed )
PATH plug-in path ( spaces allowed )

If we had a plug-in named doubleHelix, the single line for a Windows installation might be:

	+ doubleHelix 6.0 c:\program files\DoubleHelix\

On Irix or Linux, we might have:

	+ doubleHelix 6.0 /usr/local/DoubleHelix/

When Maya starts up it will search the paths defined by MAYA_MODULE_PATH. For any paths found it will do the following:

<PATH>/scripts is appended to MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH
<PATH>/plug-ins is appended to MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH
<PATH>/icons is appended to XBMLANGPATH

When the Plug-in Manager is opened it will display the plug-ins described by the module files since the appropriate paths have been modified. Following the subdirectory naming structure using "plug-ins", "scripts" and "icons" will allow Maya to find your files properly.

NOTE: a specific module path may not exist on disk. This will not cause an error. Maya will skip over this path and continue to process the others.

Functions

MFnPlugin:: MFnPlugin ()

Description

Default class constructor. The function set is not attached to an MObject.

MFnPlugin:: MFnPlugin ( MObject & object, const char* vendor , const char* version , const char* requiredApiVersion, MStatus * ReturnStatus )

Description

Class constructor that initializes the function set to the given MObject. The MObject should the be one passed as an argument to either the initializePlugin or uninitializePlugin entry points of a Maya plug-in.

Arguments

object the MObject to attach the function set to
vendor a string identifying the vendor of this plug-in
version a string identifying the version number of this plug-in
requiredApiVersion if the plug-in is known to work with only a specify API version, that version can be specified here. This argument is current not used by the Maya API.
ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if the function set is successfully attached
- MS::kInvalidParameter if the function set is not allowed to attach to this MObject or if the MObject does not represent a valid Maya object

MFnPlugin:: ~MFnPlugin ()

Description

The class destructor.

MFn::Type MFnPlugin:: type () const

Description

Return the type of this function set.

Return Value

the constant MFn::kPlugin

MString MFnPlugin:: vendor ( MStatus * ReturnStatus ) const

Description

Return the vendor string supplied in the MFnPlugin constructor.

Arguments

ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if successful
- MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

Return Value

an MString containing the vendor name

MString MFnPlugin:: version ( MStatus * ReturnStatus ) const

Description

Return the version string supplied in the MFnPlugin constructor.

Arguments

ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if successful
- MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

Return Value

an MString containing the version string

MString MFnPlugin:: apiVersion ( MStatus * ReturnStatus ) const

Description

Return the required API version string supplied in the MFnPlugin constructor.

Arguments

ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if successful
- MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

Return Value

an MString containing the required API version string

MString MFnPlugin:: name ( MStatus * ReturnStatus ) const

Description

Return the name by which Maya knows this plug-in.

Arguments

ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if successful
- MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

Return Value

an MString containing the plug-in name

MString MFnPlugin:: loadPath ( MStatus * ReturnStatus ) const

Description

Determine the path where the plugin was loaded.

Arguments

ReturnStatus the return status
- MS::kSuccess if successful
- MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

Return Value

an MString containing path name to the location of the plugin.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: setName ( const MString & newName, bool makeUnique )

Description

Set the name by which Maya knows this plug-in.

Arguments

newName the new name
makeUnique if true and the requested name is already in use, then Maya will create an unused name for this plug-in. If false, and the name is in use, do not change the current name.

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure makeUnique was false, and the requested name is already in use
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: setVersion ( const MString & newVersion )

Description

Set the version name for this plug-in.

Arguments

newVersion the new version

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerCommand ( const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MCreateSyntaxFunction createSyntaxFunction)

Description

Register a new command with Maya. Once registered, the command can be invoked from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya commands.

Arguments

commandName the name of the command to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxCommand) that implements the new command.
createSyntaxFunction a pointer to a function that will return a new instance of a syntax object (MSyntax) that implements the syntax of the command.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the command is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterCommand ( const MString & commandName )

Description

Deregister the user defined command from Maya. Once deregistered the command can no longer be invoked from MEL.

Arguments

commandName the name of the command to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the command was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerControlCommand ( const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )

Description

Register a new control command with Maya. Once registered, the command can be invoked from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya commands.

Arguments

commandName the name of the control to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class(derived from MPxControlCommand) that implements the new command.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the command is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterControlCommand ( const MString & commandName )

Description

Deregister the user defined control command from Maya. Once deregistered the command can no longer be invoked from MEL.

Arguments

commandName the name of the command to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the command was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerModelEditorCommand (const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MCreatorFunction viewCreatorFunction)

Description

Register a new model editor command with Maya. Once registered, the command can be invoked from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya commands.

Arguments

commandName the name of the command to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxEditorCommand) that implements the new command.
viewCreatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPx3dModelView) that implemented the new view associated with this command.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the command is successfully registered
MS::kInvalidParameter if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterModelEditorCommand ( const MString & commandName )

Description

Deregister the user defined editor command from Maya. Once deregistered the command can no longer be invoked from MEL.

Arguments

commandName the name of the command to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the command was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerContextCommand ( const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )

Description

Register a new context command with Maya. Once registered, the context can be used to create a new tool that can be used in a manner identical to built-in Maya tools.

Arguments

commandName the name of the context command to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxToolCommand) that implements the new tool.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the command is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerContextCommand (const MString & commandName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, const MString & toolCmdName, MCreatorFunction toolCmdCreator, MCreateSyntaxFunction toolCmdSyntax)

Description

Register a new context command and a new tool command with Maya. This version of registerContextCommand must be used if a tool command (a class derived from MPxToolCommand) is used within the context. The method newToolCommand of MPxContext will return a new instance of the tool command that can be used in the context.

Once registered, the context can be used to create a new tool that can be used in a manner identical to built-in Maya tools. The tool command can also be used as a MEL command.

Arguments

commandName the name of the context command to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxToolCommand) that implements the new tool.
toolCmdName the name of the tool command to register
toolCmdCreator a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxToolCommand) that implements the new command.
toolCmdSyntax a pointer to a function that will return a new instance of a syntax object (MSyntax) that implements the syntax of the command.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the command is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterContextCommand ( const MString & commandName )

Description

Deregister the given user defined context command from Maya. Once deregistered the user defined tool can no longer be used.

Arguments

commandName the name of the context command to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the command was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterContextCommand ( const MString & commandName, const MString & toolCmdName )

Description

Deregister the given user defined context command and tool command from Maya. Once deregistered the user defined tool can no longer be used and the tool command can no longer be invoked from MEL.

Arguments

commandName the name of the context command to deregister
toolCmdName the name of the command to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the command was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerNode ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MPxNode::Type type , const MString * classification )

Description

Register a new dependency node with Maya. Once registered, the node can be used from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya nodes.

Arguments

typeName the name of the new type of node
typeId a unique id that identifies this node
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxNode) that implements the new node type
initFunction a pointer to a function that will initialize all the attributes of the new node type
type the type of plugin node to be registered
classification a string that is used in dependency nodes that are also shaders to provide more detailed type information to the rendering system. See the documentation for the MEL commands getClassification and listNodeTypes for information on the strings that can be provided.

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if the node type was successfully registered
MS::kFailure the registration failed.
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterNode ( const MTypeId & typeId )

Description

Deregister the given user defined dependency node type Maya. Once deregistered new instances of the user defined dependency node can no longer be created. Additionally, any existing instances of the node type will be changed to the special type Unknown and will no longer evaluate in the dependency graph although they will be saved correctly if the scene is written.

Arguments

typeId the unique type id of the node type to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the node type was not owned by this plug-in
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerShape ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MCreatorFunction uiCreatorFunction, const MString * classification )

Description

Registers the given user defined shape node with Maya. Once registered, the shape can be used from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya nodes.

To deregister the shape node use the MFnPlugin::deregisterNode() method.

Arguments

typeName the name of the new type of user defined shape node
typeId a unique id that identifies this node
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxSurfaceNode) that implements the new shape node type
initFunction a pointer to a function that will initialize all the attributes of the new shape node type
uiCreatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MGxSurfaceShapeUI) that is used to implement the drawing and selection functions of the user defined shape.
classification a string that is used in dependency nodes that are also shaders to provide more detailed type information to the rendering system. See the documentation for the MEL commands getClassification and listNodeTypes for information on the strings that can be provided.

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if the node type was successfully registered
MS::kFailure the registration failed.
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerTransform ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MInitializeFunction initFunction, MCreatorFunction xformCreatorFunction, const MTypeId & xformId, const MString * classification )

Description

Registers the given user defined transform node with Maya. Once registered, the transform can be used from MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya nodes.

To deregister the transform node use the MFnPlugin::deregisterNode() method.

Arguments

typeName the name of the new type of user defined transform node
typeId a unique id that identifies this node
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxTransform) that implements the new transform node type
initFunction a pointer to a function that will initialize all the attributes of the new transform node type
xformCreatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxTransformationMatrix) that is used to implement the matrix functions of the custom transform. For default behavior, use the MPxTransformationMatrix::creator method.
xformId a unique id that identifies this transformation matrix. If MPxTransformationMatrix::creator is used, then MPxTransformationMatrix::baseTransformationMatrixId should be used.
classification a string that is used in dependency nodes that are also shaders to provide more detailed type information to the rendering system. See the documentation for the MEL commands getClassification and listNodeTypes for information on the strings that can be provided.

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if the node type was successfully registered
MS::kFailure the registration failed.
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerData ( const MString & typeName, const MTypeId & typeId, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, MPxData::Type type )

Description

Register a new data type with Maya. Once registered, the data type can be passed between dependency nodes in a manner identical to built-in Maya data types.

Arguments

typeName the name of the data type to register
typeId the unique type id of the data type to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxData) that implements the new data type.
type the type of data being registered, see the Type enum in MPxData.h for all available types

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the data type is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterData ( const MTypeId & typeId )

Description

Deregister the given user defined data type from Maya.

It is important to note that this method will always fail if there are any instances of the user-defined data in the scene. If the plug-in were to be allowed to deregister its implementation of the data, it would become impossible to save the scene since the writeASCII and writeBinary methods would no longer be accessible.

Arguments

typeId the unique type id of the data type to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kFailure the data type is being used by current instances of nodes in the dependency graph
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerDevice ( const MString & deviceName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )

Description

Register a new input device with Maya. Once registered, the new input device can be connected to Maya actions using the assignInputDevice command in MEL in a manner identical to built-in Maya devices. In Maya 1.0, only Midi input devices are supported and the creatorFunction must return a pointer to a MPxMidiInputDevice instance. This interface will be generalized in a future release.

Arguments

deviceName the name of the device to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxMidiInputDevice) that implements the new device.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the device is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterDevice ( const MString & deviceName )

Description

Deregister the given user defined input device from Maya.

Arguments

deviceName the name of the input device to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerFileTranslator ( const MString & translatorName, char* pixmapName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, char* optionsScriptName, char* defaultOptionsString, bool requiresFullMel )

Description

It requires a name string containing the "name" by which Maya will refer to this file type, and a pathname to an "icon" file which Maya will use in its file selection dialogs.

Arguments

translatorName the string by which Maya will refer to this file type
pixmapName the pathname of the icon used in file selection dialogs
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxFileTranslator) that implements the new file type.
optionsScriptName the name of a MEL script that will be used to display the contents of the options dialog during file open and save.
defaultOptionsString the default value of the options string that will be passed to the options script.
requiresFullMel this should be set to true if the reader method in the derived class intends to issue MEL commands via the MGlobal::executeCommand method. Setting this to true will slow down the creation of new objects, but allows MEL commands other than those that are part of the Maya Ascii file format to function correctly. This parameter defaults to false.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the file translator is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterFileTranslator ( const MString & translatorName )

Description

Deregister the specified file translator with Maya.

Arguments

translatorName the name of the translator to deregister

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the file translator is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerIkSolver ( const MString & ikSolverName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )

Description

Register a new ik-solver with Maya. NOTE: this method is obsolete. Instead, register the IK solver as a node as described in the example plug-in simpleSolverNode.cpp.

ikSolverName the name of the new IK solver
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxIkSolver) that implements the new file type.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the ik-solver is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterIkSolver ( const MString & ikSolverName )

Description

Deregister the specified ik-solver with Maya. NOTE: this method is obsolete. Instead, register the IK solver as a node as described in the example plug-in simpleSolverNode.cpp.

Arguments

ikSolverName the name of the ik solver to deregister

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the ik-solver is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerUI (const MString & creationProc, const MString & deletionProc, const MString & creationBatchProc, const MString & deletionBatchProc)

Description

Sets the names of the mel procedures to be evaled to create and destroy any UI associated with the plugin.

You can use MEL procedure names as arguments to this method as long as the procedure is located in a file named procedure.mel. This works because, as described in the MEL documentation, when MEL is given a undefined procedure, it searchs MAYA_SCRIPT_PATH looking for a file with the name procedure.mel. If it finds such a file it is sourced and if the procedure was defined by the file, it is then executed.

Example: The procedure lassoToolCreateUI will be run when the plugin is loaded, the procedure lassoToolDeleteUI when the plugin is unloaded. This works as long as the MEL procedure lassoToolCreateUI is defined in a file called lassoToolCreateUI.mel and the procedure lassoToolDeleteUI is defined in a file called lassoToolDeleteUI.mel.

	
MStatus initializePlugin( MObject obj )
{
    MStatus status;

    MFnPlugin plugin( obj, "Alias - Example", "1.0", "Any");
    status = plugin.registerContextCommand( "lassoToolContext",
                                            lassoContextCmd::creator );

    if (!status) {
        status.perror("registerContextCommand");
        return status;
    }

    // set the mel procs to be run when the plugin is loaded / unloaded
    status = plugin.registerUI("lassoToolCreateUI", "lassoToolDeleteUI");
    if (!status) {
        status.perror("registerUIScripts");
        return status;
    }

    return status;
}

Arguments

creationProc The name of the procedure to be run when the plug in is loaded
deletionProc The name of the procedure to be run when the plug in is unloaded
creationBatchProc The name of the procedure to be run when the plug in is loaded in batch mode. The procedure should not contain UI related code.
deletionBatchProc The name of the procedure to be run when the plug in is unloaded in batch mode. The procedure should not contain UI related code.

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerDragAndDropBehavior ( const MString & behaviorName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction )

Description

Register a new drag and drop behavior with Maya. Once registered, the new behavior can be used to finish connections between node drag and drops from the hyperGraph/hyperShade to other nodes or Maya UI. Arguments

behaviorName the name of the drag and drop behavior to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MPxDragAndDropBehavior) that implements the new behavior.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the bevavior is successfully registered
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterDragAndDropBehavior ( const MString & behaviorName )

Description

Deregister the given drag and drop behavior from Maya.

Arguments

behaviorName the name of the behavior to deregister

Return Value

MS::kSuccess if successful
MS::kObjectDoesNotExist if the function set is not attached to an MObject.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerImageFile ( const MString & imageFormatName, MCreatorFunction creatorFunction, const MStringArray & imageFileExtensions)

Description

Arguments

imageFormatName the name of the image format to register
creatorFunction a pointer to a function that will return a pointer to a new instance of the class (derived from MImageFile) that implements the new file type.
imageFileExtensions this list of file extensions this image file should be associated with.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the image file type is successfully registered
MS::kFailure otherwise

MStatus MFnPlugin:: deregisterImageFile ( const MString & imageFormatName)

Description

Deregister the specified image file translator with Maya.

Arguments

imageFormatName the name of the image format to deregister

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the image file type is successfully deregistered
MS::kFailure otherwise

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerMaterialInfo ( MString & materialInfoName, MMaterialInfoFactoryFnPtr fnPtr)

Description

Registers a new material information type with Maya.

Arguments

materialInfoGen the new material info generator name.
fnPtr pointer to function that return a new instance of material information node.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the material info node is successfully registered.
MS::kFailure otherwise

MStatus MFnPlugin:: unregisterMaterialInfo (const MString & materialInfoName)

Description

Deregister the specified material info type with Maya.

Arguments

materialInfoGen the material info generator name.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the material info node is successfully deregistered
MS::kFailure otherwise

MStatus MFnPlugin:: registerBakeEngine ( MString & bakeEngineGenName, MBakeEngineCreatorFnPtr fnPtr)

Description

Registers a new bake engine type with Maya.

Arguments

bakeEngineGenName the new bake engine generator name.
fnPtr pointer to function that return a new instance of bake engine generator node.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the bake engine generator node is successfully registered.
MS::kFailure otherwise

MStatus MFnPlugin:: unregisterBakeEngine (const MString & bakeEngineGenName)

Description

Deregister the bake engine type with Maya.

Arguments

bakeEngineGenName the bake engine generator name.

Return Status

MS::kSuccess if the bake engine generator node is successfully deregistered
MS::kFailure otherwise

MObject MFnPlugin:: findPlugin ( const MString & pluginName )

Description

Returns an MObject corresponding to the named plugin. If the plugin isn't loaded, the MObject will be kNullObj. This MObject may be used in the same way as the MObject passed to the plugin's initializePlugin() function. Do not hold onto this MObject, if you need it again later, call findPlugin() again.

Arguments

pluginName the name of the plugin you want a handle for.

Return Status

An MObject corresponding to the plugin if the plugin is loaded.
MObject::kNullObj if the plugin isn't loaded.

bool MFnPlugin:: isNodeRegistered (const MString & typeName)

Description

Queries if the given typeName has been registered by maya or plugins.

Arguments

typeName the type name of a depend graph node to query.

Return Value

true if registered
false if not registered

MTypeId MFnPlugin:: matrixTypeIdFromXformId (const MTypeId & xformTypeId, MStatus * ReturnStatus)

Description

The function returns the MTypeId of the matrix when the MTypeId of the corresponding xform is given.

Arguments

xformTypeId the typeId of the transform.
ReturnStatus Return status.

Return Value

MTypeId TypeId of the corresponding transformation matrix, if found.

MStringArray MFnPlugin:: addMenuItem ( const MString & menuItemName, const MString & parentName, const MString & commandName, const MString & commandParams, bool needOptionBox, MString *optBoxFunction, MStatus *retStatus )

Description

The function adds the menuItem to the specified parent, and associates a command with it. Additionally, an option box can be created and a MEL function/command can be added to it. The function returns the names of the new menuItem and the optionBox created.

Arguments

menuItemName This will be used as the label for the menuItem.
parentName Name of the parent to which the new menuItem needs to be attached.
commandName Command to be attached.
commandParams Parameters for the command.
needOptionBox Boolean indicating whether an option box is required. Default value is false.
optBoxFunctionMEL Function to be attached to the option box. If the needOptionBox is false, then this argument will have no effect.
retStatus Return status.

Return Value

MStringArray returns the names of the new menuItems created. In case the method fails, and MStringArray has items in it, removeMenuItem() should be called on it to remove the unused UI references.

MStatus MFnPlugin:: removeMenuItem ( MStringArray & menuItemNames)

Description

The function removes the menuItem and the corresponding option box, if exists, from the UI.

Arguments

menuItemNames Names of the menuItem which needs to be removed.

Return Value

MStatus returns the status of command execution.

class MFnPlugin

Inheritance:

MFnPlugin < MFnBase

public members:

Inherited from MFnBase:

public members:

Documentation

This class has no child classes.