Command line scripts
With Scribus 1.5.1, the command line launch of scribus enables to start a script in scribus.
Calling syntax
Options
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. This prevent dialogs to interrupt the script.
- --python-arg [list of flags or argument-names and their values] : arguments for the script.
Opened scribus document
When using --python-script argument, scribus can be launched with or without a document file name specified.
- when specified, the scribus document filename has to be last on the command line
- When no scribus document is specified, it's up to the script to open the document it wants to work with.
Example of possible uses :
- create a new article document (no SLA file specified) :
scribus -py create_new_article.py
- create a new article document, using some existing document as a masterdocument
scribus -py create_new_document_from_template.py master_article.sla
--python-arg option syntax
This option enable the script to receive additional parameters that tweak its behaviour.
This option and its parameters list have to be the last option on the command line, just before the name of the SLA document that scribus opens, when there is one. Other scribus options have to be specified first, at the begining of the command line.
Possible parameters :
- --python-arg can receive 'flags' (options without parameter) and 'options' (with parameters)
- --python-arg car receive options with '-' or without. It's up to the script to parse the received script options and it will generaly parse only one or few of them.
- Various options are concataneted after a single '--python-arg'
Example of possible calls, with flags and options, with or without sla document opened, with various possible option syntax :
scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg -v scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg --verbose mydoc.sla scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg verbose scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg verbose yes scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg -v yes scribus -py somescript.py --python-arg -v -w 500 -h 200 mydoc.sla
Accessing scripts parameters in the script
'import sys' enables to access the command line arguments in sys.argv array. The script defines a 'main' function that receives argv and behaves accordingly.
if __name__ == '__main__':
main(sys.argv)
The argv array contains each option as it is on the command line. There is no preprocessing of the dash - or doubledash -- preceding a parameter. When you pass '-w' or '--width' you will get '-w' or '--width' (not 'w' or 'width').
See examples below.
Example of command line script without arguments
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!
Examples of command line script with argument
Debuging script
Hello world script with arguments
This 'hello_or_not.py' script says hello only when it receives "hello" as an argument. It then says goodbye.
#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# example calls :
# scribus151svn -g -py hello_or_not.py --python-arg 1 2 3 # wont say hello
# scribus151svn -g -py hello_or_not.py --python-arg hello you # will say hello
import sys
import sys, scribus
def main(argv):
sayhello="idontknow"
i = 1;
# parse each arguments
while i < len(argv):
if argv[i] == "hello":
sayhello="yes"
print "hello world"
i = i + 1
if sayhello=="idontknow":
print "Sorry i wasnt asked to say Hello";
print "good bye"
if __name__ == '__main__':
main(sys.argv)
Script to print the required height for a text to be imported into a textframe
That 'import_text_into_scribusfile.py' script receives a text filename as a command line argument, opens it, puts its content in the first text frame of the Scribus document and adapts height of the text frame to fit the text. It then prints the required height and exits. It has to be launched with an opened scribus document.
- create import_text_into_scribusfile.py script
- have a sample.txt ready with some text inside
- create somedocument.sla scribus file having at least a 'Text1' textframe on one of its page (this is the default name for the first created textframe in english UI scribus : It will be Texte1 for french UI. So adapt to your UI langage or rename the textframe using the Property Palette )
Launch script with arguments :
scribus -g -py feed_text_to_scribus.py --python-arg -storyfile sample.txt somedocument.sla
'import_text_into_scribusfile.py' script :
#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
"""
import_text_to_scribus.py : Imports into text1 textframe the content of -storyfile option textfile and adapts height of the text frame to fit the text.
Return the computed depth of the text frame
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.'