Comparisons¶

In this section, Boss’s features will be compared so that you can understand various possibilities.

Lets take a hypothetical task of creating a named cube, that is, take input string from user and create a Cube with that name. simple.

Below are two code sections that perform the above mentioned task.

Following is a way using operator:

import bpy

class OBJECT_OT_create_named_cube(bpy.types.Operator):
    bl_idname = 'object.create_named_cube'
    bl_label = 'Create Named Cube'
    cubeName : bpy.props.StringProperty(name='cubeName',default='Cube')

    def invoke(self, context, event):
        return context.window_manager.invoke_props_dialog(self, width=250)

    def execute(self, context):
        bpy.ops.mesh.primitive_cube_add(size=2)
        context.object.name = self.cubeName
        return {'FINISHED'}

    def draw(self, context):
        layout = self.layout
        layout.prop(self,'cubeName')

def register():
    bpy.utils.register_class(OBJECT_OT_create_named_cube)


def unregister():
    bpy.utils.unregister_class(OBJECT_OT_create_named_cube)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    register()

And Following is way using boss script:

import bpy
from boss.ui_creator import UICreator

def onEnterPress(caller):
    bpy.ops.mesh.primitive_cube_add(size=2)
    bpy.context.object.name = caller.value
    caller.op.quit()  # to quit after the button is clicked.


def ui_elements(op):
    rr = UICreator.rr(op)

    rd = (rr.width/2 - btn_width/2,rr.height/2 - btn_height/2,100,40)

    UICreator.textField(op,rd,text='Cube',onEnterPress=onEnterPress)

Addon vs Script¶

**Addon vs Script**¶
Addon	Script
Always needs registration.	Can be an addon or can be a Script
	is dynamic, scripts won’t require reload, ui can be created/deleted while script is running
	New UIs can be created at any time.
isn’t very flexible, user has limited way to creating things, UI has limited option.	is very flexible, you can create gui very precisely and add event in an easy way.

Operator vs Button¶

There will be time when when you simply want to create operator to call a function or

run a sequence of code. This is comparison of two the ways

**Operator vs Button**¶
Operator	Button
No image.	Image
No Image tool tip.	Image tooltip
Looks and size isn’t customizable.	Looks and size can be customized.
na	Can be repositioned by dragging
Can be (needs to be) placed on other Menu or Panel to exist in UI.	na
This is normal way of doing thing.	It’s basically a modal operator, nothing much.
You can only define what happens when clicked, or when a property is updated	You can add onClick,onMouseEnter/Exit, onMouseRollUp/Down, onDrag/Begin/End