MY APPS category

The MY APPS category is your own category to which you can add apps or programs that you want available every time you open a model.

Figure 30: MY APPS category

Import apps, programs or scripts

App Space Import Script

To import an app a program or a script, you have two solutions.

• Using the Import tile:

Click the Import tile. The Import file window opens.

Select the app (.app), program (.exe) or script file you want to add to the category.

Click Open.

• Using Add program from the contextual menu:

From the Import tile contextual menu , select Add program if you want to add an app (.app) or program (.exe). The Import program window opens.

Name: enter a name for your app/program that will be displayed in the App space tile.

Command line: enter the path to your app/program or use the browse button. You can also enter any arguments you require. You can use the browse button to locate the application file.

Working directory: enter the path to the folder which the process launched will use as the current directory.

Description: enter a description (optional).

Click OK once you have entered all the necessary information.

• Using Add python script or Add batch / shell script from the contextual menu if you want to add a script: From the Import tile contextual menu , select the correct Add script entry depending on whether you want to add a python script or a "system" script (batch for Windows, shell for Linux). The Import script window opens.Figure 31: Import script

Name: enter a name for your script that will be displayed in the App space tile.

Script file path: enter the path to your script or use the browse button.

Script arguments: enter the arguments of your script. Use double quotes to enclose text containing spaces which should be seen as a single argument.

Working directory: enter the path to the folder which the process launched will use as the current directory. Note If the context in which the script is executed is within the same instance as the current Simcenter Amesim application, the working directory must be the model path directory and so cannot be changed.

Description: enter a description (optional).

Advanced: select the context in which the script is to be executed. If the script uses the Python module of the Circuit API, you must select from new instance. In other cases, within current instance is recommended.

Click OK once you have entered all the necessary information.

Results

The command line, the script file path and the working directory fields can use any environment variable prefixed with a '$'. For example:

$windir\system32\notepad.exe

They can also make use of the pseudo-variables ${circuit_path}, ${full_circuit_name} and {circuit_name}. In the case of a system file C:\Models\MassSpring.ame:

Copy

${circuit_path} = C:\Models 
${full_circuit_name} = C:\Models\MassSpring 
${circuit_name} = MassSpring

Arguments in the command line or the working directory fields which contain spaces must be enclosed in double quotes. For instance:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" "C:\a path with spaces\calendar.html"

Any file access by the application where the file path is not absolute will be searched for relative to the working directory folder. The default setting is the folder where the current Simcenter Amesim model file is located. If you intend to launch shell or python scripts which import or make use of other files in the same folder, you may find it useful to set that folder as the working directory.

Hovering the cursor over the command line or the working directory editors will display a tooltip with tips on how to fill them in.

Tip

Windows tips:

use $ComSpec to open a command window with the Simcenter Amesim environment on Windows;

use $ComSpec /c start "a window title" "path to the bat file" to run a bat file in a command window that does not close itself on completion on Windows;

Linux tips:

use /usr/bin/gnome-terminal to open a Gnome terminal window with the Simcenter Amesim environment on Linux;

use /usr/bin/gnome-terminal --window -e "$SHELL -c 'path\ to\ the\ shell\ script\ file*; exec $SHELL -i'*'" to run a shell script in a visible command window on Linux (Note: space characters in the shell script path are escaped with a backslash).

Windows examples:

$AME\win64\AMETable.exe

"$ProgramFiles\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

$ComSpec

$ComSpec /c start "a window title" "C:\the path to my folder containing spaces\a bat file to run in a persistent window.bat"

"C:\the python to the python executable\python.exe" "C:\the path to a python file containing spaces\a python file.py"

$AME\win64\AMEPython.exe "C:\the path to a python file containing spaces\a python file.py"

Linux examples:

$AME/lnx_x64/AMETable

/usr/bin/gnome-terminal

/usr/bin/gnome-terminal --window -e "$SHELL -c '/the\ path\ to\ my\ folder\ containing\ spaces/a\ shell\ file.sh; exec $SHELL -i'"

/usr/bin/python "/the path to a python file containing spaces/a python file.py"

$AME/lnx_x64/AMEPython "/the path to a python file containing spaces/a python file.py"

Launch apps, scripts and programs

Click on the created tile to launch it. If you want to add an app to your model, use the Add to "Model Apps" entry in the contextual menu.

Manage apps, scripts and applications

You can manage apps, scripts and programs through the contextual menu. From that contextual menu you can perform various actions:

Figure 32: App Contextual menu

Figure 33: Application contextual menu

Figure 34: Script contextual menu

• Export (apps only): export your app in order to share it with colleagues.

• Remove: remove your app/script/program from the App space. The app file is not deleted from its location on the disk, only its App space tile is removed.

• Replace with (apps only): deletes the tile app file, and replaces it with a copy of the app file of another tile the user clicks on; this is useful if you want to change the app file behind a MY APPS tile, so that all models which had apps added by clicking on this tile will use this new app file.

• Change name/description/icon: change the name/description/icon of your app/script/program. Changes to the name, description or icon of an app tile are also written to the app file.

• Reset icon: (application/script shortcuts only): this option can be used to reset the application shortcut script default icon to the default application/script icon if you customized it and would like to revert; the operation is available only when an icon has been customized.

• Change file location (apps only): lets you change the file path that a tile points to; this is useful if you are moving the app file to another location, and would like to have the app tile still pointing to the same file, considering the model apps linking behavior.

• Change command (application shortcuts/script only): lets you change the Command line or Working directory of your program/script.

• Open containing directory: open the folder where your app/script/program is saved.

The App space tracks changes to the files behind MY APPS tiles, in order to update instances of the apps in models (see the Model Apps category section). Because of this, it can prove useful to be able to change the app file that a tile in the MY APPS refers to. There are three ways to do this:

• the file manager can be used to replace the app file with another app file with the same file name;

• the Change file path operation allows you to pick another app file for the tile;

• the Replace with operation will delete the tile's current app file, and replace it with a copy of the app file from the tile the user clicks on.