Command line scripts

Scribus 1.5.1 allows to use the command line to launch scribus with a script to be launched at start. Various options enable to specify the behaviour

• -py <scriptfilename.py> or --python-script <scriptfilename.py> : specifies the name of the script to be launched
• -g : No GUI. Scribus wont display any dialogs or windows and will exit once the script is ended
• --python-arg [list of flags or argument-names and their values] : allows to pass arguments to the script. This option has to be the last on the command line.

Example of command line script

Create the following 'data.py' script file :

import scribus
scribus.openDoc('mydoc.sla')
scribus.setText('Name', 'Text1') # get 'Name' and 'Address' from database
scribus.setText('Address', 'Text2')
pdf = scribus.PDFfile()
pdf.file = 'output1.pdf'
pdf.save()

Then run scribus as follow:

scribus --python-script data.py

and you have your output1.pdf file created!

Example of command line script with argument

Debuging

See also this http://bugs.scribus.net/file_download.php?file_id=7530&type=bug

Print depth of text

Script that receives a scribus filename on the command line, opens it, does some computation on the first text frame and prints the result as the depth of the text.

#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

""" 

Return the depth of the text in the file sample.txt

Run with the command line
	scribus -g -py storydeptharg.py --python-arg -storyfile sample.txt depthtemplate.sla

- sample.txt is the text file to measure.
- depthtemplate.sla is a document with a single, empty text frame.

Tested with scribus 1.5.0

Author: William Bader

11Aug14 wb initial version
15Dec14 wb get the file name from STORYFILE
19Aug15 wb get the file name from the command line
13Sep15 change comment to fit merged version syntax for arguments

"""

# check that the script is running from inside scribus

try:
	from scribus import *
    
except ImportError:
	print 'This script only runs from within Scribus.'
	sys.exit(1)

# get the os module

try:
	import os

except ImportError:
	print 'Could not import the os module.'
	sys.exit(1)

# get the sys module

try:
	import sys

except ImportError:
	print 'Could not import the sys module.'
	sys.exit(1)

def main(argv):

	# The first text frame of the current document defines the style

	try:
		storyfile = ""

		i = 1;
		while i < len(argv):
			if argv[i] == "-storyfile":
				storyfile = argv[i+1]
			i = i + 1

		if storyfile == "":
			print 'Warning: -storyfile not given, checking environment'
			storyfile = os.environ['STORYFILE']

	except:
		print 'Error: Pass the story file with the --python-arg-storyfile argument or the STORYFILE environment variable'
		return

	try:
		storytext = open(storyfile, 'r').read()
	except:
		print 'Error: Story file "', storyfile, '" not found.'
		return

	try:
		deselectAll()
		selectObject('Text1')
	except:
		print 'Error: The document does not have an object called Text1.'
		return

	try:
		setText(storytext)
	except:
		print 'Error: The document does not have a text frame.'
		return

	try:
		ov = textOverflows()
		width, depth = getSize()
		if ov:
			baddepth = depth
			gooddepth = 100
		else:
			baddepth = 0
			gooddepth = depth
		while baddepth < gooddepth:
			trydepth = (baddepth + gooddepth) / 2
			sizeObject(width, trydepth)
			tryov = textOverflows()
			if tryov:
				baddepth = trydepth + 0.0001
			else:
				baddepth = baddepth + 0.0001
				gooddepth = trydepth
		sizeObject(width, gooddepth)

		print 'The depth is ', str(gooddepth)
	except:
		print 'Error: not a text frame.'

# start the script

if __name__ == '__main__':
	if haveDoc():
		main(sys.argv)
	else:
		print 'Error: You need to have a document open before you can run this script succesfully.'