Importing user defined Python modules in Sikuli

I use execfile() to import my basic helpers, that I need in more complex scripts and I have a central image repository.

Python modules, that are not available in the Jython environment, cannot be imported.

The only way to get around this is to use Python as main system and make the Sikuli functionality available by importing the Sikuli modules. See discussion https://answers.launchpad.net/sikuli/+question/108782.
Unfortunately with version 0.10 there are still some open questions with this approach (worked with 0.9.9).

You can import user defined python modules in a Sikuli script by either putting them in the Sikuli installation directory, or adding the module directory to sys.path. You can even import other Sikuli scripts as python modules. Suppose you have /somedir/myutil.sikuli/myutil.py, then in your main Sikuli script do

import sys
sys.path.append('/somedir/myutil.sikuli')
import myutil

If myutil.py contains images, you have to specify the full pathname to the image files in myutil.py, for example:

click('/somedir/util.sikuli/' + IMAGE)

otherwise Sikuli cannot find the image files when you call a method in myutil from the main script.

I use a small python module that adds all directories with name *.sikuli in my script directory to sys.path, so in any of my scripts I import that module first and then I can import all my other Sikuli modules.

Also, I run all my scripts from the commandline (basically java -jar sikuli-script.jar script.py) rather than in the IDE. The IDE does not clear its state everytime you hit the Run button, so any modules that were previously imported will not be imported again, which makes development a pain. I only use the IDE to capture images, and I use one script for all images, which I can then import into other scripts.

Thanks Edu for the reply. I guess best option for me is to import Sikuli modules into a Python environment like Raiman had also pointed out.

@Edu

Interesting solution. Thanks.

To avoid the use of full path for the images you can use setBundlePath() to your image directory.

Your solution can even be optimized in my direction (have basic scripts and images in the script folder for portability):

import sys
sys.path.append(getBundlePath())
import myutil # contained in the scriptfolder

This approach makes it possible, to create portable scripts.

Tsung-Hsiang Chang suggests this article as an answer to your question:
FAQ #1114: “Importing user defined Python modules in Sikuli”.

As the IDE recycles the python interpreter instance you'll encounter the problem that changes to the myutil modules are not recognized until you restart the IDE.

A workaround enableing you to click 'run' in the IDE again after changing myutil use the following construct:
========================================================
import sys

# extend sys.path only once, else it'll get longer and longer with each click on 'run'
if getBundlePath() not in sys.path:
  sys.path.append(getBundlePath())

# clean out references to myutil to have it being imported again
# system.modules
if 'myutil' in sys.modules:
  del sys.modules['myutil']
# current scope
myutil = None
del myutil

# freshly import myutil from the scriptfolder
import myutil
========================================================

This may lead to memleaks (depending on what you do in myutil and how smart the gc of jython is), but is way better than having to restart the IDE each time you change something in myutil.

Keep in mind that the garbace collector in jython won't call __del__ on new-style classes, so don't rely on it to clean up!

in case you have more files in your myutil module, and not only __init__.py:

n = 'myutil'
for i in sys.modules.keys():
  if n == i[:len(n)]:
    del sys.modules[i]

Gregor, thanks for this tip. It would be very helpful for the people who need to write modules.

Gregor, thanks for that.
Would be great if developers add in Sikuli method like setModulePath() for external python modules (like setBundlePath())

How do i pass parameters in the command:

java -jar sikuli-script.jar Script.sikuli

If i run the above command with parameters :

java -jar sikuli-script.jar LoadBrwser.sikuli "IE"

then i get the following error after the scirpt is executed successfully taking into account the actual parameter value:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: String ind
ex out of range: -1
        at java.lang.String.substring(Unknown Source)
        at edu.mit.csail.uid.ScriptRunner.getPyFrom(ScriptRunner.java:86)
        at edu.mit.csail.uid.ScriptRunner.runPython(ScriptRunner.java:80)
        at edu.mit.csail.uid.SikuliScript.main(SikuliScript.java:76)

I am not able to trace why the above error is coming. Any help would be good. Do we have a valid option at all of passing parameters to Sikuli scripts from jython command line?

Use sikuli-ide.sh (or sikuli-ide,bat) --args to pass parameters to Sikuli scripts.
You can't do this using sikuli-script.jar yet.

Unfortunately I have problem with import.
When I use keyword 'with' I get such error:

SyntaxError: ("'with' will become a reserved keyword in Python 2.6", ('C:\\scripts\\robot.sikuli\\grtools.py', 60, 1, ''))

Here is a piece of code from grtools.py:
bReg = Region(473,377,752,434)
bLoc = Location(bReg.getX()+bReg.getW()-25, bReg.getY()+bReg.getH()/2-5)
def battle():
 with bReg:
  click(bLoc)
....

Did you import sikuli modules in your scripts?
Add "from sikuli.Sikuli import *" in the beginning of your each py module.

Does not matter, still exists.

Edited as your advice:

from sikuli.Sikuli import *

bReg = Region(473,377,752,434)
bLoc = Location(bReg.getX()+bReg.getW()-25, bReg.getY()+bReg.getH()/2-5)
def battle():
 with bReg:
  click(bLoc)
....

Sean,

Does this mean that i can pass parameeters while running as .skl file :

Sikuli-IDE.bat LoadBrowser.skl "IE"

which i can run directly from command line.I am able to pass parametrs to .sikuli using the .bat file:

Sikuli-IDE.bat LoadBrowser.sikuli "IE"

This will launch the sikuli IDE and i have to run the script from that with parameters.

Kakha,

i linked the relevant bug ('with' in user modules) against this.

Thank you Gregor,
Hope It will be corrected with new release.

Hi Edu,

Thanks for your solution but I tried myself a simple case, when try to:

import myutil

sikulix complain that "name 'click' is not defined"

@randomcrash

--1: post your own questions, so everyone can see it. Does not make sense, to add asking comments to 8 year old questions

--2. use 1.1.4 and read the docs:
https://sikulix-2014.readthedocs.io/en/latest/scripting.html#importing-other-sikuli-scripts-reuse-code-and-images

@RaiMan

Thanks, the docs of 1.1.4 really helps me.