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UCRL-SM-209589

VisIt Python Interface Manual


February 2005

L
L aw
N ive re
La ati rm nc
bo on or e
ra al e
to
ry

Version 1.4.1

ii

DISCLAIMER
This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither
the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty,
express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of
any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately
owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark,
manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by
the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do
not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be
used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
under Contract W-7405-ENG-48.

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iv

Introduction to VisIt
Manual chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Understanding how VisIt works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Starting VisIt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Getting started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Python
Indentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Identifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Data types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Control flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Quick Recipes
Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Function Reference
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
AddArgument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Launch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
LocalNamespace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
DebugLevel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
ActivateDatabase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
AddOperator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
AddPlot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
AddWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
AlterDatabaseCorrelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ChangeActivePlotsVar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
CheckForNewStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
ChooseCenterOfRotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ClearCache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
ClearPickPoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
ClearReferenceLines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
ClearViewKeyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CloneWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
CloseComputeEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CloseDatabase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
ColorTableNames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
CreateAnnotationObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
CreateDatabaseCorrelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
DefineExpression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
DeIconifyAllWindows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
DeletePlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
DeleteDatabaseCorrelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
DeleteExpression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
DeletePlotKeyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
DeleteViewKeyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
DeleteWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
DemoteOperator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
DisableRedraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
DrawPlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
EnableTool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
EvalCubic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
EvalCubicSpline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
EvalLinear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
EvalQuadratic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
GetActiveColorTable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
GetActiveTimeSlider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
GetAnimationTimeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
GetAnimationNumStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
GetAnnotationAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
GetAnnotationObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
GetDatabaseNStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
GetDomains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
GetEngineList . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
GetGlobalAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
GetGlobalLineoutAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
GetInteractorAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
GetKeyframeAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
GetLastError . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
GetLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
GetLocalName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
GetMaterialAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
GetMaterials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
GetNumPlots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
GetPickAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
GetPickOutput. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

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GetPipelineCachingMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
GetQueryOutput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
GetQueryOverTimeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
GetRenderingAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
GetSaveWindowAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
GetTimeSliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
GetView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
GetWindowInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
HideActivePlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
HideToolbars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
IconifyAllWindows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
InvertBackgroundColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Lineout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
ListPlots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
LongFileName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
MovePlotKeyframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
MoveViewKeyframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
NodePick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
NumColorTableNames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
NumOperatorPlugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
NumPlotPlugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
OpenComputeEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
OpenDatabase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
OpenMDServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
OperatorPlugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
OverlayDatabase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
PickByGlobalNode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
PickByGlobalZone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
PickByNode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
PickByZone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
PlotPlugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
PrintWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
PromoteOperator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
QueriesOverTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Query. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
QueryOverTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
RecenterView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
RedrawWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
RemoveOperator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
ReOpenDatabase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
ReplaceDatabase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

vii

ResetLineoutColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
ResetOperatorOptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
ResetPickLetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
ResetPlotOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
ResetView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
RestoreSession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
SaveSession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
SaveWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
SetActiveColorTable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
SetActivePlots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
SetActiveTimeSlider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
SetActiveWindow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
SetAnimationTimeout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
SetAnnotationAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
SetCenterOfRotation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
SetGlobalLineoutAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
SetInteractorAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
SetKeyframeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
SetLight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
SetMaterialAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
SetOperatorOptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
SetPickAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
SetPipelineCachingMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
SetPlotDatabaseState . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
SetPlotFrameRange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
SetPlotOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
SetPlotSILRestriction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
SetPrinterAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
SetRenderingAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
SetSaveWindowAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
SetTimeSliderState . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
SetView. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
SetViewExtentsType. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
SetViewKeyframe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
SetWindowArea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
SetWindowLayout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
SetWindowMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
ShowAllWindows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
ShowToolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
TimeSliderGetNStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
TimeSliderNextState. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
TimeSliderPrevState . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
ToggleMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

viii

Turn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
UndoView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
WriteConfigFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Object Reference I
Functions and Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
AnnotationAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
GlobalAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
LightAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
MaterialAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
PrinterAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
RenderingAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
SaveWindowAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
SILRestriction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
ViewCurveAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
View2DAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
View3DAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
WindowInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Plot Plugin Object Reference


Functions and Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
BoundaryAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
ContourAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
CurveAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
FilledBoundaryAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
HistogramAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
LabelAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
MeshAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
PseudocolorAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
ScatterAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
StreamlineAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
SubsetAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
SurfaceAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
TensorAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
VectorAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
VolumeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Operator Plugin Object Reference


Functions and Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
BoxAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
ClipAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
ConeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
CylinderAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
DisplaceAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

ix

IndexSelectAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
InverseGhostZoneAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
IsosurfaceAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
IsovolumeAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
LineoutAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
OnionPeelAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
ProjectAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
ReflectAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
RevolveAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
SliceAttributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
SphereSliceAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
ThreeSliceAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
ThresholdAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
TransformAttributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Chapter 1

1.0

Introduction to VisIt

Overview
VisIt is a distributed, parallel, visualization tool for visualizing data defined on two and
three-dimensional structured and unstructured meshes. VisIts distributed architecture
allows it to leverage both the compute power of a large parallel computer and the graphics
acceleration hardware of a local workstation. Another benefit of the distributed
architecture is that VisIt can visualize the data where it is generated, eliminating the need
to move data. VisIt can be controlled by a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or through the
Python scripting language. More information about VisIts Graphical User Interface can
be found in the VisIt Users Manual.

2.0

Manual chapters
This manual is broken down into the following chapters:

Overview

Chapter title

Chapter description

Introduction to VisIt

This chapter.

Python

Describes the basic features of the


Python programming language.

Quick Recipes

Describes common patterns for scripting


using the VisIt Python Interface.

Function Reference

Describes functions in the VisIt Python


Interface.

Object Reference I

Describes extension types.

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Introduction to VisIt

3.0

Plot Plugin Object Reference

Describes plot plugin extension types

Operator Plugin Object Reference

Describes operator plugin extension


types.

Appendix A

Describes VisIts command line options.

Understanding how VisIt works


VisIt visualizes data by creating one or more plots in a visualization window, also known
as a vis window. Examples of plots include Mesh plots, Contour plots and Pseudocolor
plots. Plots take as input one or more mesh, material, scalar, or tensor variables. It is
possible to modify the variables by applying one or more operators to the variables before
passing them to a plot. Examples of operators include arithmetic operations or taking
slices through the mesh. It is also possible to restrict the visualization of the data to subsets
of the mesh.
VisIt provides Python bindings to all of its plots and operators so they may be controlled
through scripting. Each plot or operator plugin provides a function, which is added to the
VisIt namespace, to create the right type of plot or operator attributes. The attribute object
can then be modified by setting its fields and then it can be passed to a general-purpose
function to set the plot or operator attributes. To display a complete list of functions in the
VisIt Python Interface, you can type dir() at the Python prompt. Similarly, to inspect the
contents of any object, you can type its name at the Python prompt.
VisIt supports up to 16 visualization windows, also called vis windows. Each vis window
is independent of the other vis windows and VisIt Python functions generally apply only
to the currently active vis window.
This manual explains how to use the VisIt Python Interface which is a Python extension
module that controls VisIts viewer. In that way, the VisIt Python Interface fulfills the same
role as VisIts GUI. The difference is that the viewer is totally controlled through Python
scripting, which makes it easy to write scripts to create visualizations and even movies.
Since the VisIt module controls VisIts viewer, the Python interpreter currently has no
direct mechanism for passing data to the compute engine (see Figure 1-1). If you want to
write a script that generates simulation data and have that script pass data to the compute
engine, you must pass the data through a file on disk.
The VisIt Python Interface comes packaged in two varieties: the extension module and the
Command Line Interface (CLI). The extension module version of the VisIt Python
Interface is imported into a standard Python 2.1.2 interpreter using the import directive.
VisIts command line interface (CLI) is essentially a Python interpreter where the VisIt

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Introduction to VisIt

Python Interface is built-in. The CLI is provided to simplify the process of running VisIt
Python scripts.
Scripts

Python
interpreter
VisIt module

Local computer
Remote computer

Database server

VCL

Parallel Compute Engine


Data

Figure 1-1: VisIts architecture

4.0

Starting VisIt
You can invoke VisIts command line interface from the command line by typing: visit -cli
For a complete list of the command line options, see Appe ndix A on page 259. It is best
to have VisIt in your default search path instead of specifying the absolute path to VisIt
when starting it. This isnt important when VisIt is run locally, but VisIt may not run
properly in a distributed manner if it isnt in your default search path on all the machines
on which you plan to run VisIt.

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Introduction to VisIt

5.0

Getting started
VisIt is a tool for visualizing 2D and 3D scientific databases. The first thing to do when
running VisIt is select databases to visualize. To select a database, you must first open the
database using the OpenDatabase function. After a window has an open database, any
number of plots and operators can be added. To create a plot, use the AddPlot function.
After adding a plot, call the DrawPlots function to make sure that all of the new plots are
drawn.
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv3d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()

To see a list of the available plots and operators when you use the VisIt Python Interface,
use the OperatorPlugins and PlotPlugins functions. Each of those functions returns a tuple
of strings that contain the names of the currently loaded plot or operator plugins. Each plot
and operator plugin provides a function for creating an attributes object to set the plot or
operator attributes. The name of the function is the name of the plugin in the tuple returned
by the OperatorPlugins or PlotPlugins functions plus the word Attributes. For example,
the Pseudocolor plot provides a function called PseudocolorAttributes.
To set the plot attributes or the operator attributes, first use the attributes creation function
to create an attributes object. Assign the newly created object to a variable name and set
the fields in the object. Each object has its own set of fields. To see the available fields in
an object, print the name of the variable at the Python prompt and press the Enter key. This
will print the contents of the object so you can see the fields contained by the object. After
setting the appropriate fields, pass the object to either the SetPlotOptions function or the
SetOperatorAttributes function.
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddOperator(Slice)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = rainbow
p.opacity = 0.5
SetPlotOptions(p)
a = SliceAttributes()
a.originType = a.Point
a.normal, a.upAxis = (1,1,1), (-1,1,-1)
SetOperatorOptions(a)
DrawPlots()

Thats all there is to creating a plot using VisIts Python Interface. For more information
on creating plots and performing specific actions in VisIt, refer to the documentation for
each function later in this manual.

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Chapter 2

1.0

Python

Overview
Python is a general purpose, interpreted, extensible, object-oriented scripting language
that was chosen for VisIts scripting language due to its ease of use and flexibility. VisIts
Python interface was implemented as Python module and it allows you to enhance your
Python scripts with coding to control VisIt. This chapter explains some of Pythons syntax
so it will be more familiar when you examine the examples found in this document. For
more information on programming in Python, there are a number of good references,
including on the Internet at http://www.python.org.

2.0

Indentation
One of the most obvious features of Python is its use of indentation for new scopes. You
must take special care to indent all program logic consistently or else the Python
interpreter may halt with an error, or worse, not do what you intended. You must increase
indentation levels when you define a function, use an if/elif/else statement, or use any loop
construct.
Note the different levels of indentation:
def example_function(n):
v = 0
if n > 2:
print n greater than 2.
else:
v = n * n
return v

Overview

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Python

3.0

Comments
Like all good programming languages, Python supports the addition of comments in the
code. Comments begin with a pound character (#) and continue to the end of the line.
# This is a comment
a = 5 * 5

4.0

Identifiers
The Python interpreter accepts any identifier that contains letters A-Z, a-z and
numbers 09 as long as the identifier does not begin with a number. The Python
interpreter is case-sensitive so the identifier case would not be the same identifier as
CASE. Be sure to case consistently throughout your Python code since the Python
interpreter will instantiate any identifier that it has not seen before and mixing case would
cause the interpreter to use multiple identifiers and cause problems that you might not
expect. Identifiers can be used to refer to any type of object since Python is flexible in its
treatment of types.

5.0

Data types
Python supports a wide variety of data types and allows you to define your own data types
readily. Most types are created from a handful of building-block types such as integers,
floats, strings, tuples, lists, and dictionaries.
5.1

Strings

Python has built-in support for strings and you can create them using single quotes or
double quotes. You can even use both types of quotes so you can create strings that include
quotes in case quotes are desired in the output. Strings are sequence objects and support
operations that can break them down into characters.
s = using single quotes
s2 = using double quotes
s3 = nesting the spiffy double quotes

5.2

Tuples

Python supports tuples, which can be thought of as a read-only set of objects. The
members of a tuple can be of different types. Tuples are commonly used to group multiple
related items into a single object that can be passed around more easily. Tuples support a
number of operations. You can subscript a tuple like an array to access its individual
members. You can easily determine whether an object is a member of a tuple. You can

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Python

iterate over a tuple. There are many more uses for tuples. You can create tuples by
enclosing a comma-separated list of objects in parenthesis.
# Create a tuple
a = (1,2,3,4,5)
print The first value in a is:, a[0]
# See if 3 is in a using the in operator.
print 3 is in a:, 3 in a
# Create another tuple and add it to the first one to create c.
b = (6,7,8,9)
c = a + b
# Iterate over the items in the tuple
for value in c:
print value is: , value

5.3

Lists

Lists are just like tuples except they are not read-only and they use square brackets [] to
enclose the items in the list instead of using parenthesis.
# Start with an empty list.
L = []
for i in range(10):
# Add i to the list L
L = L + [i]
print L
# Assign a value into element 6
L[5] = 1000
print L

5.4

Dictionaries

Dictionaries are Python containers that allow you to store a value that is associated with a
key. Dictionaries are convenient for mapping 1 set to another set since they allow you to
perform easy lookups of values. Dictionaries are declared using curly braces {} and each
item in the dictionary consists of a key:value pair with the key and values being separated
by a colon. To perform a lookup using a dictionary, provide the key whose value you want
to look up to the subscript [] operator.
colors = {red : rouge, orange : orange, \
yellow : jaune, green : vert, blue : bleu}
# Perform lookups using the keys.
for c in colors.keys():
print %s in French is: %s % (c, colors[c])

6.0

Control flow
Python, like other general-purpose programming languages provides keywords that
implement control flow. Control flow is an important feature to have in a programming

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Python

language because it allows complex behavior to be created using a minimum amount of


scripting.
6.1

if/elif/else

Python provides if/elif/else for conditional branching. The if statement takes any
expression that evaluates to an integer and it takes the if branch if the integer value is 1
other wise it takes the else branch if it is present.
# Example 1
if condition:
do_something()
# Example 2
if condition:
do_something()
else:
do_something_else()
# Example 3
if condition:
do_domething()
elif conditionn:
do_something_n()
...
else:
do_something_else()

6.2

For loop

Python provides a for loop that allows you to iterate over all items stored in a sequence
object (tuples, lists, strings). The body of the for loop executes once for each item in the
sequence object and allows you to specify the name of an identifier to use in order to
reference the current item.
# Iterating through the characters of a string
for c in characters:
print c
# Iterating through a tuple
for value in (VisIt, is, coolness, times, 100):
print value
# Iterating through a list
for value in [VisIt, is, coolness, times, 100):
print value
# Iterating through a range of numbers [0,N) created with range(N).
N = 100
for i in range(N):
print i, i*i

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Python

6.3

While loop

Python provides a while loop that allows you to execute a loop body indefinitely based on
some condition. The while loop can be used for iteration but can also be used to execute
more complex types of loops.
token = get_next_token()
while token != :
do_something(token)
token = get_next_token()

7.0

Functions
Python comes with many built-in functions and modules that implement additional
functions. Functions can be used to execute bodies of code that are meant to be re-used.
Functions can optionally take arguments and can optionally return values. Python provides
the def keyword, which allows you to define a function. The def keyword is followed by
the name of the function and its arguments, which should appear as a tuple next to the
name of the function.
# Define a function with no arguments and no return value.
def my_function():
print my function prints this...
# Define a function with arguments and a return value.
def n_to_the_d_power(n, d):
value = 1
if d > 0:
for i in range(d):
value = value * n
elif d < 0:
value = 1. / float(n_to_the_d_power(n, -d))
return value

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Python

10

VisIt Python Interface Manual

Chapter 3

1.0

Quick Recipes

Overview
This manual contains documentation for over two hundred functions and several dozen
extension object types. Learning to combine the right functions in order to accomplish a
visualization task without guidance would involve hours of trial and error. To maximize
productivity and start creating visualizations using Visits Python Interface as fast as
possible, this chapter provides some common patterns, or quick recipes that you can
combine to quickly create complex scripts.

2.0

Patterns
This section contains short various code snippets that illustrate various concepts. Each bit
of code is targetted at performing a specific visualization action and contains the VisIt
scripting commands that are required to complete that action. You can combine one or
more of these sections of code to build up more complex scripts.
2.1

Using session files

VisIts session files contain all of the information required to recreate plots that have been
set up in previous interactive VisIt sessions. Since session files contain all of the
information about plots, etc., they are natural candidates to make scripting easier since
they can be used to do the hard part of setting up the complex visualization, leaving the
bulk of the script to animate through time or alter the plots in some way. To use session
files within a script, use the RestoreSession function, documented on page 144.
# Import a session file from the current working directory.
RestoreSesssion(my_visualization.session, 0)
# Now that VisIt has restored the session, animate through time.

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for states in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):


SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

2.2

Getting something on the screen

If you dont want to use a session file to begin the setup for your visualization then you
will have to dive into opening databases, creating plots, and animating through time. This
is where all of hand-crafted scripts begin. The first step in creating a visualization is
opening a database. VisIt provides the OpenDatabase function (see page 118) to open a
database. Once a database has been opened, you can create plots from its variables using
the AddPlot function (see page 34). The AddPlot function takes a plot plugin name and
the name of a variable from the open database. Once youve added a plot, it is in the new
state, which means that it has not yet been submitted to the compute engine for processing.
To make sure that the plot gets drawn, call the DrawPlots function.
# Step 1: Open a database
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
# Step 2: Add plots
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
# Step 3: Draw the plots
DrawPlots()
# Step 4: Animate through time and save images
for states in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

2.3

Saving images

Much of the time, the entire purpose of using VisIts Python Interface is to create a script
that can save out images of a time-varying database for the purpose of making movies.
Saving images using VisIts Python Interface is a straight-forward process, involving just a
few functions.
2.3.1

Setting the output image characteristics

VisIt provides a number of options for saving files, including: file format, filename, image
size, to name a few. These attributes are grouped into the SaveWindowAttributes object.
To set the options that VisIt uses to save files, you must create a SaveWindowAttributes
object, change the necessary attributes, and call the SetSaveWindowAttributes function.
Note that if you want to create images using a specific image resolution, the best way is to
use the -geometry command line argument with VisIts Command Line Interface and tell
VisIt to use screen capture. If you instead require your script to be capable of saving

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several different image sizes then you can turn off screen capture and set the image
resolution in the SaveWindowAttributes object.
# Save a BMP file at 1024x768 resolution
s = SaveWindowAttributes()
s.format = s.BMP
s.fileName = mybmpfile
s.width, s.height = 1024,768
s.screenCapture = 0
SetSaveWindowAttributes(s)
2.3.2

Saving an image

Once you have set the SaveWindowAttributes to your liking, you can call the
SaveWindow function to save an image. The SaveWindow function returns the name of
the image that is saved so you can use that for other purposes in your script.
# Save images of all time steps and add each image filename to a list.
names = []
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
# Save the image
n = SaveWindow()
names = names + [n]
print names

2.4

Working with databases

VisIt allows you to open a wide array of databases both in terms of supported file formats
and in terms how databases treat time. Databases can have a single time state or can have
multiple time states. Databases can natively support multiple time states or sets of single
time states files can be grouped into time-varying databases using .visit files or using
virtual databases. Working with databases gets even trickier if you are using VisIt to
visualize a database that is still being generated by a simulation. This section describes
how to interact with databases.
2.4.1

Opening a database

Opening a database is a relatively simple operation - most complexities arise in how the
database treats time. If you only want to visualize a single time state or if your database
format natively supports multiple time states per file then opening a database requires just
a single call to the OpenDatabase function.
# Open a database at time state 0
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
2.4.2

Opening a database at late time

Opening a database at a later time state is done just the same as opening a database at time
state zero except that you must specify the time state at which you want to open the

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database. There are a number of reasons for opening a database at a later time state. The
most common reason for doing so, as opposed to just changing time states later, is that
VisIt uses the metadata from the first opened time state to describe the contents of the
database for all time states (except for certain file formats that dont do this i.e. SAMRAI).
This means that the list of variables found for the first time state that you open is used for
all time states. If your database contains a variable at a later time state that does not exist at
earlier time states, you must open the database at a later time state to gain access to the
transient variable.
# Open a database at a later time state to pick up transient variables
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, 17)
2.4.3

Opening a virtual database

VisIt provides two ways for accessing a set of single time-state files as a single timevarying database. The first method is a .visit file, which is a simple text file that contains
the names of each file to be used as a time state in the time-varying database. The second
method uses virtual databases, which allow VisIt to exploit the file naming conventions
that are often employed by simulation codes when they create their dumps. In many cases,
VisIt can scan a specified directory and determine which filenames look related. Filenames
with close matches are grouped as individual time states into a virtual database whose
name is based on the more abstract pattern used to create the filenames.
# Opening first file in series wave0000.silo, wave0010.silo, ...
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave0000.silo)
# Opening a virtual database representing all wave*.silo files.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database)
2.4.4

Opening a remote database

VisIt supports running the client on a local computer while also allowing you to process
data in parallel on a remote computer. If you want to access databases on a remote
computer using VisIts Python Interface, the only difference to accessing a database on a
local computer is that you must specify a host name as part of the database name.
# Opening a file on a remote computer by giving a host name
OpenDatabase(thunder:/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, 17)
2.4.5

Opening a compute engine

Sometimes it is advantageous to open a compute engine before opening a database. When


you tell VisIt to open a database using the OpenDatabase function, VisIt also launches a
compute engine and tells the compute engine to open the specified database. When the
VisIt Python Interface is run with a visible window, the Engine Chooser Window will
present itself so you can select a host profile. If you want to design a script that must
specify parallel options, etc in batch mode where there is no Engine Chooser Window
then you have few options other than to open a compute engine before opening a database.
To open a compute engine, use the OpenComputeEngine function. You can pass the name

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of the host on which to run the compute engine and any arguments that must be used to
launch the engine such as the number of processors.
# Open a remote, parallel compute engine before opening a database
OpenComputeEngine(mcr, (-np, 4, -nn, 2))
OpenDatabase(mcr:/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_ucd3d.silo)

2.5

Working with plots

Plots are viewable objects, created from a database, that can be displayed in a visualization
window. VisIt provides several types of plots and each plot allows you to view data using
different visualization techniques. For example, the Pseudocolor plot allows you to see the
general shape of a simulated object while painting colors on it according to the values
stored in a variables scalar field. The most important functions for interacting with plots
are covered in this section.
2.5.1

Creating a plot

The function for adding a plot in VisIt is: AddPlot. The AddPlot function takes the name
of a plot type and the name of a variable that is to be plotted and creates a new plot and
adds it to the plot list. The name of the plot to be created corresponds to the name of one of
VisIts plot plugins, which can be queried using the PlotPlugins function. The variable that
you pass to the AddPlot function must be a valid variable for the open database. New plots
are not realized, meaning that they have not been submitted to the compute engine for
processing. If you want to force VisIt to process the new plot you must call the DrawPlots
function.
# Names of all available plot plugins
print PlotPlugins()
# Create plots
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
# Draw the plots
DrawPlots()
2.5.2

Plotting materials

Plotting materials is a common operation in VisIt. The Boundary and FilledBoundary


plots enable you to plot material boundaries and materials, respectively.
# Plot material boundaries
AddPlot(Boundary, mat1)
# Plot materials
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, mat1)
2.5.3

Setting plot attributes

Each plot type has an attributes object that controls how the plot generates its data or how
it looks in the visualization window. The attributes object for each plot contains different
fields. You can view the individual object fields by printing the object to the console. Each
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plot type provides a function that creates a new instance of one of its attribute objects. The
function name is always of the form: plotname + Attributes. For example, the attributes
object creation function for the Pseudocolor plot would be: PseudocolorAttributes. To
change the attributes for a plot, you create an attributes object using the appropriate
function, set the properties in the returned object, and tell VisIt to use the new plot
attributes by passing the object to the SetPlotOptions function (see page 166). Note that
you should set a plots attributes before calling the DrawPlots method to realize the plot
since setting a plots attributes can cause the compute engine to recalculate the plot.
# Creating a Pseudocolor plot and setting min/max values.
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
# Look in the object
print p
# Set the min/max values
p.min, p.minFlag = 1, 0.0
p.max, p.maxFlag = 1, 10.0
SetPlotOptions(p)
2.5.4

Working with multiple plots

When you work with more than one plot, it is sometimes necessary to set the active plots
because some of VisIts functions apply to all of the active plots. The active plot is usually
the last plot that was created unless youve changed the list of active plots. Changing
which plots are active is useful when you want to delete or hide certain plots or set their
plot attributes independently. When you want to set which plots are active, use the
SetActivePlots function. If you want to list the plots that youve created, call the ListPlots
function.
# Create more than 1 plot of the same type
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, density)
# List the plots. The second plot should be active.
ListPlots()
# Draw the plots
DrawPlots()
# Hide the first plot
SetActivePlots(0)
HideActivePlots()
# Set both plots color table to hot
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = hot
SetActivePlots((0,1))
SetPlotOptions(p)
# Show the first plot again.
SetActivePlots(0)
HideActivePlots()

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# Delete the second plot


SetActivePlots(1)
DeleteActivePlots()
ListPlots()
2.5.5

Plots in the error state

When VisIts compute engine cannot process a plot, the plot is put into the error state.
Once a plot is in the error state, it no longer is displayed in the visualization window. If
you are generating a movie, plots entering the error state can be a serious problem because
you most often want all of the plots that you have created to animate through time and not
disappear in the middle of the animation. You can add extra code to your script to prevent
plots from disappearing (most of the time) due to error conditions by adding a call to the
DrawPlots function.
# Save an image and take care of plots that entered the error state.
drawThePlots = 0
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
if SetTimeSliderState(state) == 0:
drawThePlots = 1
if drawThePlots == 1:
if DrawPlots() == 0:
print VisIt could not draw plots for state: %d % state
else:
drawThePlots = 0
SaveWindow()

2.6

Operators

Operators are filters that are applied to database variables before the compute engine uses
them to create plots. Operators can be linked one after the other to form chains of
operators that can drastically transform the data before plotting it.
2.6.1

Adding operators

Adding an operator is similar to adding a plot in that you call a function with the name of
the operator to be added. The list of available operators is returned by the OperatorPlugins
function. Any of the names returned in that plugin can be used to add an operator using the
AddOperator function. Operators are added to the active plots by default but you can also
force VisIt to add them to all plots in the plot list.
# Print available operators
print OperatorPlugins()
# Create a plot
AddPlot(Pseudocolor)
# Add an Isovolume operator and a Slice operator
AddOperator(Isovolume)

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AddOperator(Slice)
DrawPlots()
2.6.2

Setting operator attributes

Each plot gets its own instance of an operator which means that you can set each plots
operator attributes independently. Like plots, operators use objects to set their attributes.
These objects are returned by functions whose names are of the form: operatorname +
Attributes. Once you have created an operator attributes object, you can pass it to the
SetOperatorOptions to set the options for an operator. Note that setting the attributes for an
operator nearly always causes the compute engine to recalculate the operator. You can use
the power of VisIts Python Interface to create complex operator behavior such as in the
following code example, which moves slice planes through a Pseudocolor plot.
# Moving slice planes
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hardyglobal)
AddOperator(Slice)
s = SliceAttributes()
s.originType = s.Percent
s.project2d = 0
SetOperatorOptions(s)
DrawPlots()
nSteps = 20
for axis in (0,1,2):
s.axisType = axis
for step in range(nSteps):
t = float(step) / float(nSteps - 1)
s.originPercent = t * 100.
SetOperatorOptions(s)
SaveWindow()

2.7

Quantitative operations

This section focuses on some of the operations that allow you to examine your data more
quantitatively.
2.7.1

Defining expressions

VisIt allows you to create derived variables using its powerful expressions language. You
can plot or query variables created using expressions just as you would if they were read
from a database. VisIts Python Interface allows you to create new scalar, vector, tensor
variables using the DefineScalarExpression, DefineVectorExpression, and
DefineTensorExpression functions.
# Creating a new expression
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()

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DefineScalarExpression(newvar, sin(hardyglobal) + \
cos(shepardglobal)
ChangeActivePlotsVar(newvar)
2.7.2

Pick

VisIt allows you to pick on cells, nodes, and points within a database and reutrn
information for the item of interest. To that end, VisIt provides several pick functions.
Once a pick function has been called, you can call the GetPickOutput function to get a
string that contains the pick information. The information in the string could be used for a
multitude of uses such as building a test suite for a simulation code.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
s = []
# Pick by a node id
PickbyNode(300)
s = s + [GetPickOutput()]
# Pick by a cell id
PickByZone(250)
s = s + [GetPickOutput()]
# Pick on a cell using a 3d point
Pick((-2., 2., 0.))
s = s + [GetPickOutput()]
# Pick on the node closest to (-2,2,0)
NodePick((-2,2,0))
s = s + [GetPickOutput()]
# Print all pick results
print s
2.7.3

Lineout

VisIt allows you to extract data along a line, called a lineout, and plot the data using a
Curve plot.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
Lineout((-5,-3), (5,8))
# Specify a number of sample points
Lineout((-5,-4), (5,7))
2.7.4

Query

VisIt can perform a number of different queries based on values calculated about plots or
their originating database.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()
Query(NumNodes)
print The float value is: %g % GetQueryOutputValue()

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Query(NumNodes)
2.7.5

Finding the min and the max

A common operation in debugging a simulation code is examining the min and max
values. Here is a pattern that allows you to print out the min and the max values and their
locations in the database and also see them visually.
# Define a helper function to get the ids of the MinMax query.
def GetMinMaxIds():
Query(MinMax)
import string
s = string.split(GetQueryOutputString(), )
retval = []
nextGood = 0
idType = 0
for token in s:
if token == (zone or token == (cell:
idType = 1
nextGood = 1
continue
elif token == (node:
idType = 0
nextGood = 1
continue
if nextGood == 1:
nextGood = 0
retval = retval + [(idType, int(token))]
return retval
# Set up a plot
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
# Do picks on the ids that were returned by MinMax.
for ids in GetMinMaxIds():
idType = ids[0]
id = ids[1]
if idType == 0:
PickByNode(id)
else:
PickByZone(id)

2.8

Subsetting

VisIt allows the user to turn off subsets of the visualization using a number of different
methods. Databases can be divided up any number of ways: domains, materials, etc. This
section provides some details on how to remove materials and domains from your
visualization.

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2.8.1

Turning off domains

VisIts Python Interface provides the TurnDomainsOn and TurnDomainsOff functions to


make it easy to turn domains on and off.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_rect2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Turning off all but the last domain
d = GetDomains()
for dom in d[:-1]:
TurnDomainsOff(dom)
# Turn all domains off
TurnDomainsOff()
# Turn on domains 3,5,7
TurnDomainsOn((d[3], d[5], d[7]))
2.8.2

Turning off materials

VisIts Python Interface provides the TurnMaterialsOn and TurnMaterialsOff functions to


make it easy to turn materials on and off.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_rect2d.silo)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, mat1)
DrawPlots()
# Print the materials are:
GetMaterials()
# Turn off material 2
TurnMaterialsOff(2)

2.9

View

Setting up the view in your Python script is one of the most important things you can do to
ensure the quality of your visualization because the view concentrates attention on an
object or inferest. VisIt provides different methods for setting the view, depending on the
dimensionality of the plots in the visualization window but despite differences in how the
view is set, the general procedure is basically the same.
2.9.1

Setting the 2D view

The 2D view consists of a rectangular window in 2D space and a 2D viewport in the


visualization window. The window in 2D space determines what parts of the visualization
you will look at while the viewport determines where the images will appear in the
visualization window. It is not necessary to change the viewport most of the time.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
AddPlot(Mesh, Mesh2D)
AddPlot(Label, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
print The current view is:, GetView2D()

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# Get an initialized 2D view object.


v = GetView2D()
v.windowCoords = (-7.67964, -3.21856, 2.66766, 7.87724)
SetView2D(v)
2.9.2

Setting the 3D view

The 3D view is much more complex than the 2D view. For information on the actual
meaning of the fields in the View3DAttributes object, refer to page 210 or the VisIt Users
Manual. VisIt automatically computes a suitable view for 3D objects and it is best to
initialize new View3DAttributes objects using the GetView3D function so most of the
fields will already be initialized. The best way to get new views to use in a script is to
interactively create the plot and repeatedly call GetView3D() after you finish rotating the
plots with the mouse. You can paste the printed view information into your script and
modify it slightly to create sophisticated view transitions.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hardyglobal)
AddPlot(Mesh, Mesh)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
print The view is: , v
v.viewNormal = (-0.571619, 0.405393, 0.713378)
v.viewUp = (0.308049, 0.911853, -0.271346)
SetView3D(v)
2.9.3

Flying around plots

Flying around plots is a commonly requested feature when making movies. Fortunately,
this is easy to script. The basic method used for flying around plots is interpolating the
view. VisIt provides a number of functions that can interpolate View2DAttributes and
View3DAttributes objects. The most useful of these functions is the EvalCubicSpline
function. The EvalCubicSpline function uses piece-wise cubic polynomials to smoothly
interpolate between a tuple of N like items. Scripting smooth view changes using
EvalCubicSpline is rather like keyframing in that you have a set of views that are mapped
to some distance along the parameterized space [0., 1.]. When the parameterized space is
sampled with some number of samples, VisIt calculates the view for the specified
parameter value and returns a smoothly interpolated view. One benefit over keyframing, in
this case, is that you can use cubic interpolation whereas VisIts keyframing mode
currently uses linear interpolation.
# Do a pseudocolor plot of u.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Create the control points for the views.
c0 = View3DAttributes()
c0.viewNormal = (0, 0, 1)
c0.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c0.viewUp = (0, 1, 0)

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c0.viewAngle = 30
c0.parallelScale = 17.3205
c0.nearPlane = 17.3205
c0.farPlane = 81.9615
c0.perspective = 1
c1 = View3DAttributes()
c1.viewNormal = (-0.499159, 0.475135, 0.724629)
c1.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c1.viewUp = (0.196284, 0.876524, -0.439521)
c1.viewAngle = 30
c1.parallelScale = 14.0932
c1.nearPlane = 15.276
c1.farPlane = 69.917
c1.perspective = 1
c2 = View3DAttributes()
c2.viewNormal = (-0.522881, 0.831168, -0.189092)
c2.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c2.viewUp = (0.783763, 0.556011, 0.27671)
c2.viewAngle = 30
c2.parallelScale = 11.3107
c2.nearPlane = 14.8914
c2.farPlane = 59.5324
c2.perspective = 1
c3 = View3DAttributes()
c3.viewNormal = (-0.438771, 0.523661, -0.730246)
c3.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c3.viewUp = (-0.0199911, 0.80676, 0.590541)
c3.viewAngle = 30
c3.parallelScale = 8.28257
c3.nearPlane = 3.5905
c3.farPlane = 48.2315
c3.perspective = 1
c4 = View3DAttributes()
c4.viewNormal = (0.286142, -0.342802, -0.894768)
c4.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c4.viewUp = (-0.0382056, 0.928989, -0.36813)
c4.viewAngle = 30
c4.parallelScale = 10.4152
c4.nearPlane = 1.5495
c4.farPlane = 56.1905
c4.perspective = 1
c5 = View3DAttributes()
c5.viewNormal = (0.974296, -0.223599, -0.0274086)
c5.focus = (0, 0, 0)
c5.viewUp = (0.222245, 0.97394, -0.0452541)
c5.viewAngle = 30
c5.parallelScale = 1.1052
c5.nearPlane = 24.1248
c5.farPlane = 58.7658

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c5.perspective = 1
c6 = c0
# Create a tuple of camera values and x values. The x values
# determine where in [0,1] the control points occur.
cpts = (c0, c1, c2, c3, c4, c5, c6)
x=[]
for i in range(7):
x = x + [float(i) / float(6.)]
# Animate the view using EvalCubicSpline.
nsteps = 100
for i in range(nsteps):
t = float(i) / float(nsteps - 1)
c = EvalCubicSpline(t, x, cpts)
c.nearPlane = -34.461
c.farPlane = 34.461
SetView3D(c)

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Chapter 4

3.0

Function Reference

Overview
This chapter describes all of the non-plugin functions that are built into the VisIt Python
interface. Functions that are added by plugins and functions that exist only to create
extension objects are covered in the later object references; not this chapter.
There are many functions in the VisIt Python Interface because VisIt provides a lot of
capabilities for visualizing data. Each function is described in detail so you will know
what each function does and also what arguments to pass. Most functions also include a
brief Python script that demonstrates how to use the function in context.
VisIts Python Interface is implemented as a Python extension module, which is a library
that can be loaded by the Python interpreter at runtime. All of the functions in this chapter
are part of the visit module namespace since modules all have their own namespace. If
you use the Python import directive to import the VisIt module into a Python interpreter,
you must preface each call to a VisIt function with the module name. For example, if you
wanted to call the OpenDatabase function, you would type:
visit.OpenDatabase(mydatabase). If you use the VisIt Command Line Interface (CLI),
which can be invoked by typing visit -cli on the command line, all of the functions are
added to the global namespace and prefacing functions with the name of the visit module
is not necessary.
The first functions descibed in this chapter are most directly related to importing the VisIt
module into a Python interpreter. The functions allow you to specify the debug level, add
arguments, launch, and close the modules connection to VisIts viewer. If you intend to
always use VisIt functions from within VisIts CLI, then you can skip to page 32 to see the
first function that is not associated with setting properties for the VisIt module.

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25

AddArgument

AddArgumentAdd an argument to the viewers command line argument list.


Synopsis:
AddArgument(argument)
Arguments:
argument

A string object that is added to the viewers command line argument list.

Returns:
AddArgument does not return a value.
Description:
The AddArgument function is used to add extra command line arguments to VisIts viewer. This is
only useful when VisIts Python interface is imported into a stand-alone Python interpreter
because the AddArgument function must be called before the viewer is launched. The AddArgument function has no effect when used in VisIts cli program because the viewer is automatically
launched before any commands are processed.
Example:
import visit
visit.AddArgument(-nowin) # Add the -nowin argument to the viewer.

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

Close

CloseCloses the viewer.


Synopsis:
Close()
Arguments:
none
Returns:
The Close function does not return a value.
Description:
The Close function terminates VisIts viewer. This is useful for Python scripts that only need
access to VisIts capabilties for a short time before closing VisIt.
Example:
import visit
visit.Launch()
visit.Close() # Close the viewer

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Launch

LaunchLaunches VisIts viewer


Synopsis:
Launch()
LaunchNowin()
Arguments:
none
Returns:
The Launch functions do not return a value
Description:
The Launch function is used to launch VisIts viewer when the VisIt module is imported into a
stand-alone Python interpreter. The Launch function has no effect when a viewer already exists.
The difference between Launch and LaunchNowin is that LaunchNowin prevents the viewer from
ever creating onscreen visualization windows. The LaunchNowin function is primarily used in
Python scripts that want to generate visualizations using VisIt without the use of a display such as
when generating movies.
Example 1:
import visit
visit.AddArgument(-geometry)
visit.AddArgument(1024x1024)
visit.LaunchNowin()

Example 2:
import visit
visit.AddArgument(-nowin)
visit.Launch()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

LocalNamespace

LocalNamespaceTells the VisIt module to import plugins into the global namespace.
Synopsis:
LocalNamespace()
Arguments:
none
Returns:
The LocalNamespace function does not return a value.
Description:
The LocalNamespace function tells the VisIt module to add plugin functions to the global
namespace when the VisIt module is imported into a stand-alone Python interpreter. This is the
default behavior when using VisIts cli program.
Example:
import visit
visit.LocalNamespace()
visit.Launch()

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DebugLevel

DebugLevelSet or Get the VisIt modules debug level.


Synopsis:
GetDebugLevel() -> integer
SetDebugLevel(level)
Arguments:
level

An integer in the range [1,5]. A value of 1 is a low debug level, which should be
used to produce little output while a value of 5 should produce a lot of debug
output.

Returns:
The GetDebugLevel function returns the debug level of the VisIt module.
Description:
The GetDebugLevel and SetDebugLevel functions are used when debugging VisIt Python scripts.
The SetDebugLevel function sets the debug level for VisIts viewer thus it must be called before a
Launch method. The debug level determines how much detail is written to VisIts execution logs
when it executes. The GetDebugLevel function can be used in Python scripts to alter the behavior
of the script. For instance, the debug level can be used to selectively print values to the console.
Example:
% visit -cli -debug 2
print VisIts debug level is: %d % GetDebugLevel()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

Version

VersionReturns VisIts version string.


Synopsis:
Version() -> string
Returns:
The Version function return a string that represents VisIts version.
Description:
The Version function returns a string that represents VisIts version. The version string can be used
in Python scripts to make sure that the VisIt module is a certain version before processing the rest
of the Python script.
Example:
% visit -cli
print We are running VisIt version %s % Version()

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ActivateDatabase

ActivateDatabaseActivates a database that has been previously opened.


Synopsis:
ActivateDatabase(argument) -> integer
Arguments:
argument

A string object containing the name of the database to be activated.

Returns:
ActivateDatabase returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The ActivateDatabase function is used to set the active database to a database that has been previously opened. The ActivateDatabase function only works when you are using it to activate a database that you have previously opened. You do not need to use this function unless you frequently
toggle between more than one database when making plots or changing time states. While the
OpenDatabase function on page 117 can also be used to set the active database, the ActivateDatabase function does not have any side effects that would cause the time state for the new active database to be changed.
Example:
% visit -cli
dbs = (/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, \
/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo)
OpenDatabase(dbs[0], 17)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
OpenDatabase(dbs[1])
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Lets add another plot from the first database.
ActivateDatabase(dbs[0])
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
DrawPlots()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

AddOperator

AddOperatorAdds the named operator to the selected plots.


Synopsis:
AddOperator(operator) -> integer
AddOperator(operator, all) -> integer
Arguments:
operator

This is a string containing the name of the operator to be applied.

all

This is an optional integer argument that applies the operator to all plots if the
value of the argument is not zero.

Returns:
The AddOperator function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The AddOperator function adds a VisIt operator to the selected plots. The operator argument is a
string containing the name of the operator to be added to the selected plots. The operatore name
must be a valid operator plugin name that is a member of the tuple returned by the OperatorPlugins
function (see page 120). The all argument is an integer that determines whether or not the operator
is applied to all plots. If the all argument is not provided, the operator is only added to selected
plots. Once the AddOperator function is called, the desired operator is added to all selected plots
unless the all argument is a non-zero value. When the all argument is a non-zero value, the operator is applied to all plots regardless of whether or not they are selected. Operator attributes are set
through the SetOperatorOptions function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
AddOperator(Slice, 1) # Slice both plots
DrawPlots()

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AddPlot

AddPlotCreates a new plot.


Synopsis:
AddPlot(plotType, variableName) -> integer
Arguments:
plotType

This is a string containing the name of a valid plot plugin type.

variableName This is a string containing a valid variable name for the open database.
Returns:
The AddPlot function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The AddPlot function creates a new plot of the specified type using a variable from the open database. The plotType argument is a string that contains the name of a valid plot plugin type which
must be a member of the string tuple that is returned by the PlotPlugins function (see page 127).
The variableName argument is a string that contains the name of a variable in the open database.
After the AddPlot function is called, a new plot is created and it is made the sole active plot.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Subset, mat1) # Create a subset plot
DrawPlots()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

AddWindow

AddWindowCreates a new visualization window.


Synopsis:
AddWindow()
Returns:
The AddWindow function does not a return value.
Description:
The AddWindow function creates a new visualization window and makes it the active window.
This function can be used to create up to 16 visualization windows. After that, the AddWindow
function has no effect.
Example:
import visit
visit.Launch()
visit.AddWindow() # Create window #2
visit.AddWindow() # Create window #3

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AlterDatabaseCorrelation

AlterDatabaseCorrelationAlters a specific database correlation.


Synopsis:
AlterDatabaseCorrelation(name, databases, method) -> integer
Arguments:
name

The name argument must be a string object containing the name of the database
correlation to be altered.

databases

The databases argument must be a tuple or list of strings containing the fully
qualified database names to be used in the database correlation.

method

The method argument must be an integer in the range [0,3].

Returns:
The AlterDatabaseCorrelation function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The AlterDatabaseCorrelation method alters an existing database correlation. A database correlation is a VisIt construct that relates the time states for two or more databases in some way. You
would use the AlterDatabaseCorrelation function if you wanted to change the list of databases
used in a database correlation or if you wanted to change how the databases are related - the correlation method. The name argument is a string that is the name of the database correlation to be
altered. If the name that you pass is not a valid database correlation then the AlterDatabaseCorrelation function fails. The databases argument is a list or tuple of string objects containing the fullyqualified (host:/path/filename) names of the databases to be involved in the database query. The
method argument allows you to specify a database correlation method.
Correlation method

Value

IndexForIndexCorrelation

StretchedIndexCorrelation

TimeCorrelation

CycleCorrelation

dbs = (/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, \
/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database)
OpenDatabase(dbs[0])
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
OpenDatabase(dbs[1])
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
# VisIt created an index for index database correlation but we
# want a cycle correlation.
AlterDatabaseCorrelation(Correlation01, dbs, 3)

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

ChangeActivePlotsVar

ChangeActivePlotsVarChanges the variable for the active plots


Synopsis:
ChangeActivePlotsVar(variableName) -> integer
Arguments:
variableName The name of the new plot variable.
Returns:
The ChangeActivePlotsVar function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The ChangeActivePlotsVar function changes the plotted variable for the selected plots. This is a
useful way to change what is being visualized without having to delete and recreate the current
plots. The variableName argument is a string that contains the name of a variable in the open database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
SaveWindow()
ChangeActivePlotsVar(v)

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CheckForNewStates

CheckForNewStates Checks the specified database for new time states.


Synopsis:
CheckForNewStates(name) -> integer
Arguments:
name

The name argument must be a string that contains the name of a database that
has been opened previously.

Returns:
The CheckForNewStates function returns 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
Calculations are often run at the same time as some of the preliminary visualization work is being
performed. That said, you might be visualizing the leading time states of a database that is still
being created. If you want to force VisIt to add any new time states that were added since you
opened the database, you can use the CheckForNewStates function. The name argument must contain the name of a database that has been opened before.
Example:
% visit -cli
db = /usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
SetTimeSliderState(TimeSliderGetNStates() - 1)
# More files appear on disk
CheckForNewStates(db)
SetTimeSliderState(TimeSliderGetNStates() - 1)

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

ChooseCenterOfRotation

ChooseCenterOfRotationAllows you to interactively pick a new center of rotation.


Synopsis:
ChooseCenterOfRotation() -> integer
ChooseCenterOfRotation(screenX, screenY) -> integer
Arguments:
screenX

The X coordinate of the pick point in normalized [0,1] screen space.

screenY

The Y cooridinate of the pick point in normalized [0,1] screen space.

Returns:
The ChooseCenterOfRotation function returns 1 if successful and 0 if it fails.
Description:
The ChooseCenterOfRotation function allows you to pick a new center of rotation, which is the
point about which plots are rotated when you interactively rotate plots. The function can either
take zero arguments, in which case you must interactively pick on plots, or it can take two arguments that correspond to the X and Y coordinates of the desired pick point in normalized screen
space. When using the two argument version of the ChooseCenterOfRotation function, the X and
Y values are floating point values in the range [0,1]. If the ChooseCenterOfRotation function is
able to actually pick on plots, yes there must be plots in the vis window, then the center of rotation
is updated and the new value is printed to the console.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlots(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Interactively choose the center of rotation
ChooseCenterOfRotation()
# Choose a center of rotation using normalized screen
# coordinates and print the value.
ResetView()
ChooseCenterOfRotation(0.5, 0.3)
print The new center of rotation is:, GetView3D().centerOfRotation

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ClearCache

ClearCacheClears the compute engines network cache.


Synopsis:
ClearCache(host) -> integer
ClearCache(host, simulation) -> integer
ClearCacheForAllEngines() -> integer
Arguments:
host

The name of the computer where the compute engine is running.

simulation

The name of the simulation being processed by the compute engine.

Returns:
The ClearCache and ClearCacheForAllEngines functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
Sometimes during extended VisIt runs, you might want to periodically clear the compute engines
network cache to reduce the amount of memory being used by the compute engine. Clearing the
network cache is also useful when you want to change what the compute engine is working on. For
example, you might process a large database and then decide to process another large database.
Clearing the network cache beforehand will free up more resources for the compute engine so it
can more efficiently process the new database. The host argument is a string object containing the
name of the computer on which the compute engine is running. The simulation argument is
optional and only applies to when you want to instruct a simulation that is acting as a VisIt compute engine to clear its network cache. If you want to tell more than one compute engine to clear
its cache without having to call ClearCache multiple times, you can use the ClearCacheForAllEngines function.
Example:
%visit -cli
OpenDatabase(localhost:very_large_database)
# Do a lot of work
ClearCache(localhost)
OpenDatabase(localhost:another_large_database)
# Do more work
OpenDatabase(remotehost:yet_another_database)
# Do more work
ClearCacheForAllEngines()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

Clear

ClearClears visualization windows of plots.


Synopsis:
ClearAllWindows()
ClearWindow()
Returns:
The Clear functions do not return values.
Description:
The ClearWindow function is used to clear out the plots from the active visualization window. The
plots are removed from the visualization window but are left in the plot list so that subsequent calls
to the DrawPlots function regenerate the plots in the plot list. The ClearAllWindows function preforms the same work as the ClearWindow function except that all windows are cleared of their
plots.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
AddWindow()
SetActiveWindow(2) # Make window 2 active
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Subset, mat1)
DrawPlots()
ClearWindow() # Clear the plots in window 2.
DrawPlots() # Redraw the plots in window 2.
ClearAllWindows() # Clear the plots from all windows.

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ClearPickPoints

ClearPickPointsClears pick points from the visualization window


Synopsis:
ClearPickPoints()
Returns:
The ClearPickPoints function does not return a value.
Description:
The ClearPickPoints function removes pick points from the active visualization window. Pick
points are the letters that are added to the visualization window where the mouse is clicked when
the visualization window is in pick mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
# Put the visualization window into pick mode using the popup
# menu and add some pick points.
# Clear the pick points.
ClearPickPoints()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

ClearReferenceLines

ClearReferenceLinesClears reference lines from the visualization window.


Synopsis:
ClearReferenceLines()
Returns:
The ClearReferenceLines function does not return a value.
Description:
The ClearReferenceLines function removes reference lines from the active visualization window.
Reference lines are the lines that are drawn on a plot to show where you have performed lineouts.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
Lineout((-3.0, 2.0), (2.0, 4.0), ("default", "u", "v"))
ClearReferenceLines()

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ClearViewKeyframes

ClearViewKeyframesClears any view keyframes that have been set.


Synopsis:
ClearViewKeyframes() -> integer
Returns:
The ClearViewKeyframes function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The ClearViewKeyframes function clears any view keyframes that may have been set. View keyframes are used to create complex view behavior such as fly-throughs when VisIt is in keyframing
mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
k = KeyframeAttributes()
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1,10,1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
DrawPlots()
SetViewKeyframe()
v1 = GetView3D()
v1.viewNormal = (-0.66609, 0.337227, 0.665283)
v1.viewUp = (0.157431, 0.935425, -0.316537)
SetView3D(v1)
SetTimeSliderState(9)
SetViewKeyframe()
ToggleCameraViewMode()
for i in range(10):
SetTimeSliderState(i)
ClearViewKeyframes()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

CloneWindow

CloneWindowCreates a new window that has the same plots, annotations, lights, and view
as the active window.
Synopsis:
CloneWindow() -> integer
Returns:
The CloneWindow function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The CloneWindow function tells the viewer to create a new window, based on the active window,
that contains the same plots, annotations, lights, and view as the active window. This function is
useful for when you have a window set up like you want and then want to do the same thing in
another window using a different database. You can first clone the window and then replace the
database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
v = ViewAttributes()
v.camera = (-0.505893, 0.32034, 0.800909)
v.viewUp = (0.1314, 0.946269, -0.295482)
v.parallelScale = 14.5472
v.nearPlane = -34.641
v.farPlane = 34.641
v.perspective = 1
SetView3D() # Set the view
a = AnnotationAttributes()
a.backgroundColor = (0, 0, 255, 255)
SetAnnotationAttributes(a) # Set the annotation properties
CloneWindow() # Create a clone of the active window
DrawPlots() # Make the new window draw its plots

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45

CloseComputeEngine

CloseComputeEngineCloses the compute engine running on a specified host.


Synopsis:
CloseComputeEngine() -> integer
CloseComputeEngine(hostName) -> integer
CloseComputeEngine(hostName, simulation) -> integer
Arguments:
hostName

Optional name of the computer on which the compute engine is running.

simulation

Optional name of a simulation.

Returns:
The CloseComputeEngine function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The CloseComputeEngine function tells the viewer to close the compute engine running a specified host. The hostName argument is a string that contains the name of the computer where the
compute engine is running. The hostName argument can also be the name localhost if you want
to close the compute engine on the local machine without having to specify its name. It is not necessary to provide the hostName argument. If the argument is omitted, the first compute engine in
the engine list will be closed. The simulation argument can be provided if you want to close a connection to a simulation that is acting as a VisIt compute engine. A compute engine can be launched
again by creating a plot or by calling the OpenComputeEngine function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo) # Launches an engine
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
CloseComputeEngine() # Close the compute engine

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

CloseDatabase

CloseDatabaseCloses the specified database and frees up resources associated with it.
Synopsis:
CloseDatabase(name) -> integer
Arguments:
name

A string object containing the name of the database to close.

Returns:
The CloseDatabase function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The CloseDatabase function is used to close a specified database and free all resources that were
devoted to keeping the database open. This function has an effect similar to ClearCache (see
page 40) but it does more in that in addition to clearing the compute engines cache, which it only
does for the specified database, it also removes all references to the specified database from tables
of cached metadata, etc. Note that the CloseDatabase function will fail and the database will not be
closed if any plots reference the specified database.
Example:
% visit -cli
db = /usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
print This wont work: retval = %d % CloseDatabase(db)
DeleteAllPlots()
print Now it works: retval = %d % CloseDatabase(db)

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ColorTableNames

ColorTableNamesReturns a tuple of color table names.


Synopsis:
ColorTableNames() -> tuple
Returns:
The ColorTableNames function returns a tuple of strings containing the names of the color tables
that have been defined.
Description:
The ColorTableNames function returns a tuple of strings containing the names of the color tables
that have been defined. This method can be used in case you want to iterate over several color
tables.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
for ct in ColorTableNames():
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = ct
SetPlotOptions(p)

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

Copy

CopyCopies attributes from one visualization window to another visualization window.


Synopsis:
CopyAnnotationsToWindow(source, dest) -> integer
CopyLightingToWindow(source, dest) -> integer
CopyViewTowindow(source, dest) -> integer
CopyPlotsToWindow(source, dest) -> integer
Arguments:
source

The index (an integer from 1 to 16) of the source window.

dest

The index (an integer from 1 to 16) of the destination window.

Returns:
The Copy functions return an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The Copy functions copy attributes from one visualization window to another visualization window. The CopyAnnotationsToWindow function copies the annotations from a source visualization
window to a destination visualization window while the CopyLightingAttributes function copies
lighting and the CopyViewToWindow function copies the view. The CopyPlotsToWindow function copies the plots from one visualization window to another visualization window but does not
also force plots to generate so after copying plots with the CopyPlotsToWindow function, you
should also call the DrawPlots function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
AddWindow()
SetActiveWindow(2)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
# Copy window 1s Pseudocolor plot to window 2.
CopyPlotsToWindow(1, 2)
DrawPlots() # Window 2 will have 2 plots
# Spin the plots around in window 2 using the mouse.
CopyViewToWindow(2, 1) # Copy window 2s view to window 1.

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CreateAnnotationObject

CreateAnnotationObjectCreates an annotation object that can directly manipulate


annotations in the vis window.
Synopsis:
CreateAnnotationObject(annotType) -> annotation object
Arguments:
annotType

A string containing the name of the type of annotation object to create.

Returns:
CreateAnnotationObject is a factory function that creates annotation objects of different types. The
return value, if a valid annotation type is provided, is an annotation object. If the function fails,
VisItException is raised.
Description:
CreateAnnotationObject is a factory function that creates different kinds of annotation objects.
The annotType argument is a string containing the name of the type of annotation object to create.
Each type of annotation object has different properties that can be set. Setting the different properties of an Annotation objects directly modifes annotations in the vis window. Currently there are 2
types of annotation objects:
Annotation type

String

2D text annotation

Text2D

Time slider annotation

TimeSlid
er

Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, 17)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
slider = CreateAnnotationObject(TimeSlider)
print slider
slider.startColor = (255,0,0,255)
slider.endColor = (255,255,0,255)

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

CreateDatabaseCorrelation

CreateDatabaseCorrelationCreates a database correlation.


Synopsis:
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(name, databases, method) -> integer
Arguments:
name

String object containing the name of the database correlation to be created.

databases

Tuple or list of string objects containing the names of the databases to involve in
the database correlation.

method

An integer in the range [0,3] that determines the correlation method.

Returns:
The CreateDatabaseCorrelation function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The CreateDatabaseCorrelation function creates a database correlation, which is a VisIt construct
that relates the time states for two or more databases in some way. You would use the CreateDatabaseCorrelation function if you wanted to put plots from more than one time-varying database in
the same vis window and then move them both through time in some synchronized way. The name
argument is a string that is the name of the database correlation to be created. You will use the
name of the database correlation to set the active time slider later so that you can change time
states. The databases argument is a list or tuple of string objects containing the fully-qualified
(host:/path/filename) names of the databases to be involved in the database query. The method
argument allows you to specify a database correlation method.
Correlation method

Value

IndexForIndexCorrelation

StretchedIndexCorrelation

TimeCorrelation

CycleCorrelation

Each database correlation has its own time slider that can be used to set the time state of databases
that are part of a database correlation. Individual time-varying databases have their own trivial
database correlation, consisting of only 1 database. When you call the CreateDatabaseCorrelation
function, VisIt creates a new time slider with the same name as the database correlation and makes
it be the active time slider.
Example:
% visit -cli
dbs = (/usr/gapps/visit/data/dbA00.pdb,
/usr/gapps/visit/data/dbB00.pdb)
OpenDatabase(dbs[0])

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CreateDatabaseCorrelation

AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
OpenDatabase(dbs[1])
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
# Creating a new database correlation also creates a new time
# slider and makes it be active.
w = GetWindowInformation()
print Active time slider: %s % w.timeSliders[w.activeTimeSlider]
# Animate through time using the common database correlations
# time slider.
for i in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(i)

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

DefineExpression

DefineExpressionCreates a expression variable.


Synopsis:
DefineMaterialExpression(variableName, expression)
DefineMeshExpression(variableName, expression)
DefineScalarExpression(variableName, expression)
DefineSpeciesExpression(variableName, expression)
DefineVectorExpression(variableName, expression)
Arguments:
variableName The name of the variable to be created.
expression

The expression definition.

Returns:
The DefineExpression functions do not return a value.
Description:
The DefineScalarExpression function creates a new scalar variable based on other variables from
the open database. Likewise, the DefineMaterialExpression function creates new material variables, DefineMeshExpression creates new mesh variables, DefineSpeciesExpression creates new
species variables, and DefineVectorExpression creates new vector variables. Expression variables
can be plotted like any other variable. The variableName argument is a string that contains the
name of the new variable. The expression argument is a string that contains the definition of the
new variable in terms of math operators and pre-existing variable names. Reference the VisIt
Users Manual if you want more information on creating expressions, such as expression syntax,
or a list of built-in expression functions.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
DefineScalarExpression(myvar, sin(u) + cos(w))
# Plot the scalar expression variable.
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, myvar)
DrawPlots()
# Plot a vector expression variable.
DefineVectorExpression(myvec, {u,v,w})
AddPlot(Vector, myvec)
DrawPlots()

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53

DeIconifyAllWindows

DeIconifyAllWindowsUnhides all of the hidden visualization windows.


Synopsis:
DeIconifyAllWindows()
Returns:
The DeIconifyAllWindows function does not return a value.
Description:
The DeIconifyAllWindows function unhides all of the hidden visualization windows. This function is usually called after IconifyAllWindows as a way of making all of the hidden visualization
windows visible.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4) # Have 4 windows
IconifyAllWindows()
DeIconifyAllWindows()

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VisIt Python Interface Manual

Delete

DeletePlotsDeletes plots from the active windows plot list.


Synopsis:
DeleteActivePlots() -> integer
DeleteAllPlots() -> integer
Returns:
The Delete functions return an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The Delete functions delete plots from the active windows plot list. The DeleteActivePlots function deletes all of the active plots from the plot list. There is no way to retrieve a plot once it has
been deleted from the plot list. The active plots are set using the SetActivePlots function. The
DeleteAllPlots function deletes all plots from the active windows plot list regardless of whether or
not they are active.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
AddPlot(Contour, u)
AddPlot(Mesh, curvmesh2d)
DrawPlots()
DeleteActivePlots() # Delete the mesh plot
DeleteAllPlots() # Delete the pseudocolor and contour plots.

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DeleteDatabaseCorrelation

DeleteDatabaseCorrelationDeletes a database correlation.


Synopsis:
DeleteDatabaseCorrelation(name) -> integer
Arguments:
name

A string object containing the name of the database correlation to delete.

Returns:
The DeleteDatabaseCorrelation function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The DeleteDatabaseCorrelation function deletes a specific database correlation and its associated
time slider. If you delete a database correlation whose time slider is being used for the current time
slider, the time slider will be reset to the time slider of the next best suited database correlation.
You can use the DeleteDatabaseCorrelation function to remove database correlations that you no
longer need such as when you choose to examine databases that have nothing to do with your current databases.
Example:
% visit -cli
dbs = (dbA00.pdb, dbB00.pdb)
OpenDatabase(dbs[0])
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
OpenDatabase(dbs[1])
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
SetTimeSliderState(10)
DeleteAllPlots()
DeleteDatabaseCorrelation(common)
CloseDatabase(dbs[0])
CloseDatabase(dbs[1])

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DeleteExpression

DeleteExpressionDeletes an expression variable from the expression list.


Synopsis:
DeleteExpression(variableName)
Arguments:
variableName The name of the expression variable to be deleted.
Returns:
The DeleteExpression function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The DeleteExpression function deletes the definition of an expression. The variableName argument is a string containing the name of the variable expression to be deleted. Any plot that uses an
expression that has been deleted will fail to regenerate if its attributes are changed.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
DefineScalarExpression(myvar, sin(u) + cos(w))
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, myvar) # Plot the expression variable.
DrawPlots()
DeleteExpression(myvar) # Delete the expression variable myvar.

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DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe

DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframeDeletes a database keyframe for a plot.


Synopsis:
DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe(plotIndex, frame)
Arguments:
plotIndex

A zero-based integer value corresponding to a plots index in the plot list.

frame

A zero-based integer value corresponding to a database keyframe at a particular


animation frame.

Returns:
DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe does not return a value.
Description:
The DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe function removes a database keyframe from a specific plot. A
database keyframe represents the database time state that will be used at a given animation frame
when VisIts keyframing mode is enabled. The plotIndex argument is a zero-based integer that is
used to identify a plot in the plot list. The frame argument is a zero-based integer that is used to
identify the frame at which a database keyframe is to be removed for the specified plot.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
k.enabled,k.nFrames,k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1,20,1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
SetPlotDatabaseState(0, 0, 60)
# Repeat time state 60 for the first few animation frames by adding a
keyframe at frame 3.
SetPlotDatabaseState(0, 3, 60)
SetPlotDatabaseState(0, 19, 0)
DrawPlots()
ListPlots()
# Delete the database keyframe at frame 3.
DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe(0, 3)
ListPlots()

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DeletePlotKeyframe

DeletePlotKeyframeDeletes a plot keyframe at a specified frame.


Synopsis:
DeletePlotKeyframe(plotIndex, frame)
Arguments:
plotIndex

A zero-based integer value corresponding to a plots index in the plot list.

frame

A zero-based integer value corresponding to a plot keyframe at a particular


animation frame.

Returns:
DeletePlotKeyframe does not return a value.
Description:
The DeletePlotKeyframe function removes a plot keyframe from a specific plot. A plot keyframe is
the set of plot attributes at a specified frame. Plot keyframes are used to determine what plot
attributes will be used at a given animation frame when VisIts keyframing mode is enabled. The
plotIndex argument is a zero-based integer that is used to identify a plot in the plot list. The frame
argument is a zero-based integer that is used to identify the frame at which a keyframe is to be
removed.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
k.enabled,k.nFrames,k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1,20,1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
# Set up plot keyframes so the Pseudocolor plots min will change
# over time.
p0 = PseudocolorAttributes()
p0.minFlag,p0.min = 1,0.0
p1 = PseudocolorAttributes()
p1.minFlag,p1.min = 1, 0.5
SetPlotOptions(p0)
SetTimeSliderState(19)
SetPlotOptions(p1)
SetTimeSliderState(0)
DrawPlots()
ListPlots()
# Iterate over all animation frames and wrap around to the first one.
for i in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(i)
# Delete the plot keyframe at frame 19 so the min wont

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DeletePlotKeyframe

# change anymore.
DeletePlotKeyframe(19)
ListPlots()
SetTimeSliderState(10)

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DeleteViewKeyframe

DeleteViewKeyframeDeletes a view keyframe at a specified frame.


Synopsis:
DeleteViewKeyframe(frame)
Arguments:
frame

A zero-based integer value corresponding to a view keyframe at a particular


animation frame.

Returns:
DeleteViewKeyframe returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The DeleteViewKeyframe function removes a view keyframe at a specified frame. View keyframes
are used to determine what view will be used at a given animation frame when VisIts keyframing
mode is enabled. The frame argument is a zero-based integer that is used to identify the frame at
which a keyframe is to be removed.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
k = KeyframeAttributes()
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1,10,1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Set some view keyframes
SetViewKeyframe()
v1 = GetView3D()
v1.viewNormal = (-0.66609, 0.337227, 0.665283)
v1.viewUp = (0.157431, 0.935425, -0.316537)
SetView3D(v1)
SetTimeSliderState(9)
SetViewKeyframe()
ToggleCameraViewMode()
# Iterate over the animation frames to watch the view change.
for i in list(range(10)) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(i)
# Delete the last view keyframe, which is on frame 9.
DeleteViewKeyframe(9)
# Iterate over the animation frames again. The view should stay
# the same.
for i in range(10):
SetTimeSliderState(i)

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DeleteWindow

DeleteWindowDeletes the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
DeleteWindow() -> integer
Returns:
The DeleteWindow function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The DeleteWindow function deletes the active visualization window and makes the visualization
window with the smallest window index the new active window. This function has no effect when
there is only one remaining visualization window.
Example:
% visit -cli
DeleteWindow() # Does nothing since there is only one window
AddWindow()
DeleteWindow() # Deletes the new window.

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DemoteOperator

DemoteOperatorMoves an operator closer to the database in the visualization pipeline.


Synopsis:
DemoteOperator(opIndex) -> integer
DemoteOperator(opIndex, applyToAllPlots) -> integer
Arguments:
opIndex

A zero-based integer corresponding to the operator that should be demoted.

applyAll

An integer flag that causes all plots in the plot list to be affected when it is nonzero.

Returns:
DemoteOperator returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The DemoteOperator function moves an operator closer to the database in the visualization pipeline. This allows you to change the order of operators that have been applied to a plot without having to remove them from the plot. For example, consider moving a Slice to before a Reflect
operator when it had been the other way around. Changing the order of operators can result in
vastly different results for a plot. The opposite function is PromoteOperator (see page 129).
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo")
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "hardyglobal")
AddOperator(Slice)
s = SliceAttributes()
s.project2d = 0
s.originPoint = (0,5,0)
s.originType=s.Point
s.normal = (0,1,0)
s.upAxis = (-1,0,0)
SetOperatorOptions(s)
AddOperator("Reflect")
DrawPlots()
# Now reflect before slicing. Well only get 1 slice plane
# instead of 2.
DemoteOperator(1)
DrawPlots()

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DisableRedraw

DisableRedrawPrevents the active visualization window from redrawing itself.


Synopsis:
DisableRedraw()
Returns:
The DisableRedraw function does not return a value.
Description:
The DisableRedraw function prevents the active visualization window from ever redrawing itself.
This is a useful function to call when performing many operations that would cause unnecessary
redraws in the visualization window. The effects of this function are undone by calling the
RedrawWindow function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, u)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, w)
DrawPlots()
DisableRedraw()
AddOperator(Slice)
# Set the slice operator attributes
# Redraw now that th operator attributes are set. This will
# prevent 1 redraw.
RedrawWindow()

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DrawPlots

DrawPlotsDraws any new plots


Synopsis:
DrawPlots() -> integer
Returns:
The DrawPlots function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The DrawPlots function forces all new plots in the plot list to be drawn. Plots are added and then
their attributes are modified. Finally, the DrawPlots function is called to make sure all of the new
plots draw themselves in the visualization window. This function has no effect if all of the plots in
the plot list are already drawn.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots() # Draw the new pseudocolor plot.

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EnableTool

EnableToolSets the enabled state of an interactive tool in the active visualization window.
Synopsis:
EnabledTool(toolIndex, activeFlag)
Arguments:
toolIndex

This is an integer that corresponds to an interactive tool. (Line tool = 0, Plane


tool = 1, Sphere tool = 2)

activeFlag

A value of 1 enables the tool while a value of 0 disables the tool.

Returns:
The EnableTool function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The EnableTool function is used to set the enabled state of an interactive tool in the active visualization window. The toolIndex argument is an integer index that corresponds to a certain tool. The
activeFlag argument is an integer value (0 or 1) that indicates whether to turn the tool on or off.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
EnableTool(0, 1) # Turn on the line tool.
EnableTool(1,1) # Turn on the plane tool.
EnableTool(2,1) # Turn on the sphere tool.
EnableTool(2,0) # Turn off the sphere tool.

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EvalCubic

EvalCubicInterpolates between four values using a cubic polynomial.


Synopsis:
EvalCubic(t, c0, c1, c2, c3) -> f(t)
Arguments:
t

A floating point number in the range [0., 1.] that represents the distance from c0
to c3.

c0

The first control point. f(0) = c0. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c0.

c1

The second control point. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c1.

c2

The third control point. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic expression
can be passed for c2.

c3

The last control point. f(1) = c3. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c3.

Returns:
The EvalCubic function returns the interpolated value for t taking into account the control points
that were passed in.
Description:
The EvalCubic function takes in four objects and blends them using a cubic polynomial and
returns the blended value.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
v0 = GetView3D()
# rotate the plots
v1 = GetView3D()
# rotate the plots again.
v2 = GetView3D()
# rotate the plots one last time.
v3 = GetView3D()
# Fly around the plots using the views that have been specified.
nSteps = 100
for i in range(nSteps):
t = float(i) / float(nSteps - 1)
newView = EvalCubic(t, v0, v1, v2, v3)
SetView3D(newView)

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EvalCubicSpline

EvalCubicSplineInterpolates between N values using piece-wise cubic splines.


Synopsis:
EvalCubicSpline(t, weights, values) -> f(t)
Arguments:
t

A floating point value in the range [0., 1.] that represents the distance from the
first control point to the last control point.

weights

A tuple of N floating point values in the range [0., 1.] that represent how far
along in parameterized space, the values will be located.

values

A tuple of N objects to be blended. Any objects that can be used in arithmetic


expressions can be passed.

Returns:
The EvalCubicSpline function returns the interpolated value for t considering the objects that were
passed in.
Description:
The EvalCubicSpline function takes in N objects to be blended and blends them using piece-wise
cubic polynomials and returns the blended value. For an example, see page 22.

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EvalLinear

EvalLinearInterpolates linearly between two values.


Synopsis:
EvalLinear(t, value1, value2) -> f(t)
Arguments:
t

A floating point value in the range [0., 1.] that represents the distance between
the first and last control point in parameterized space.

value1

Any object that can be used in an arithmetic expression. f(0) = value1.

value2

Any object that can be used in an arithmetic expression. f(1) = value2.

Returns:
The EvalLinear function returns an interpolated value for t based on the objects that were passed
in.
Description:
The EvalLinear function linearly interpolates between two values and returns the result.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
c0 = GetView3D()
c1 = GetView3D()
c1.viewNormal = (-0.499159, 0.475135, 0.724629)
c1.viewUp = (0.196284, 0.876524, -0.439521)
nSteps = 100
for i in range(nSteps):
t = float(i) / float(nSteps - 1)
v = EvalLinear(t, c0, c1)
SetView3D(v)

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EvalQuadratic

EvalQuadraticInterpolates between three values using a quadratic polynomial.


Synopsis:
EvalQuadratic(t, c0, c1, c2,) -> f(t)
Arguments:
t

A floating point number in the range [0., 1.] that represents the distance from c0
to c3.

c0

The first control point. f(0) = c0. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c0.

c1

The second control point. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c1.

c2

The last control point. f(1) = c2. Any object that can be used in an arithmetic
expression can be passed for c2.

Returns:
The EvalQuadratic function returns the interpolated value for t taking into account the control
points that were passed in.
Description:
The EvalQuadratic function takes in four objects and blends them using a cubic polynomial and
returns the blended value.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
v0 = GetView3D()
# rotate the plots
v1 = GetView3D()
# rotate the plots one last time.
v2 = GetView3D()
# Fly around the plots using the views that have been specified.
nSteps = 100
for i in range(nSteps):
t = float(i) / float(nSteps - 1)
newView = EvalQuadratic(t, v0, v1, v2)
SetView3D(newView)

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Expressions

ExpressionsReturns a tuple of expression names and definitions.


Synopsis:
Expressions() -> tuple of expression tuples
Returns:
The Expressions function returns a tuple of tuples that contain two strings that give the expression
name and definition.
Description:
The Expressions function returns a tuple of tuples that contain two strings that give the expression
name and definition. This function is useful for listing the available expressions or for iterating
through a list of expressions in order to create plots.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
DefineScalarExpression(sin_u, sin(u))
DefineScalarExpression(cos_u, cos(u))
DefineScalarExpression(neg_u, -u)
DefineScalarExpression(bob, sin_u + cos_u)
for i in range(1,5):
SetActiveWindow(i)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
exprName = Expressions()[i-1][0]
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, exprName)
DrawPlots()

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GetActiveColorTable

GetActiveColorTableReturns the name of the active color table.


Synopsis:
GetActiveContinuousColorTable() -> string
GetActiveDiscreteColorTable() -> string
Returns:
Both functions return a string object containing the name of a color table.
Description:
A color table is a set of color values that are used as the colors for plots. VisIt supports two flavors
of color table: continuous and discrete. A continuous color table is defined by a small set of color
control points and the colors specified by the color control points are interpolated smoothly to fill
in any gaps. Continuous color tables are used for plots that need to be colored smoothly by a variable (e.g. Pseudocolor plot). A discrete color table is a set of color control points that are used to
color distinct regions of a plot (e.g. Subset plot). VisIt supports the notion of default continuous
and default discrete color tables so plots can just use the default color table. This lets you change
the color table used by many plots by just changing the default color table. The GetActiveContinuousColorTable function returns the name of the default continuous color table. The GetActiveDiscreteColorTable function returns the name of the default discrete color table.
Example:
% visit -cli
print Default continuous color table: %s % \
GetActiveContinuousColorTable()
print Default discrete color table: %s % \
GetActiveDiscreteColorTable()

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GetActiveTimeSlider

GetActiveTimeSliderReturns the name of the active time slider.


Synopsis:
GetActiveTimeSlider() -> string
Returns:
The GetActiveTimeSlider function returns a string containing the name of the active time slider.
Description:
VisIt can support having multiple time sliders when you have opened more than one time-varying
database. You can then use each time slider to independently change time states for each database
or you can use a database correlation to change time states for all databases simultaneously. Every
time-varying database has a database correlation and every database correlation has its own time
slider. If you want to query to determine which time slider is currently the active time slider, you
can use the GetActiveTimeSlider function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(dbA00.pdb)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
OpenDatabase(dbB00.pdb)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, materials(mesh))
print Active time slider: %s % GetActiveTimeSlider()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, (dbA00.pdb, dbB00.pdb), 2)
print Active time slider: %s % GetActiveTimeSlider()

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GetAnimationTimeout

GetAnimationTimeoutReturns the animation timeout in milliseconds.


Synopsis:
GetAnimationTimeout() -> integer
Returns:
The GetAnimationTimeout function returns an integer that contains the time interval, measured in
milliseconds, between the rendering of animation frames.
Description:
The GetAnimationTimeout returns an integer that contains the time interval, measured in milliseconds, between the rendering of animation frames.
Example:
% visit -cli
print Animation timeout = %d % GetAnimationTimeout()

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GetAnimationNumStates

GetAnimationNumStatesReturns the number of time steps in an animation.


Synopsis:
GetAnimationNumStates() -> integer
Returns:
GetAnimationNumStates returns an integer value containing the number of time steps in the open
database.
Description:
The GetAnimationNumStates function returns the number of time steps in the active windows
open database. This function will always return 1 unless a .visit file was opened as the database.
When a .visit file is opened, the GetAnimationNumStates function returns the number of time
steps in the time-varying database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
print Number of time steps = %d % GetAnimationNumStates()

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GetAnnotationAttributes

GetAnnotationAttributesReturns an object containing the active visualization


windows annotation attributes.
Synopsis:
GetAnnotationAttributes() -> AnnotationAttributes object
Returns:
The GetAnnotationAttributes function returns an AnnotationAttributes object that contains the
annotation settings for the active visualization window.
Description:
The GetAnnotationAttributes function returns an AnnotationAttributes object that contains the
annotation settings for the active visualization window. It is often useful to retrieve the annotation
settings and modify them to suit the visualization.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
a = GetAnnotationAttributes()
print a
a.backgroundMode = a.BACKGROUNDMODE_GRADIENT
a.gradientColor1 = (0, 0, 255)
SetAnnotationAttributes(a)

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GetAnnotationObject

GetAnnotationObjectReturns a reference to the annotation object at the specified


index in the annotation object list.
Synopsis:
GetAnnotationObject(index) -> Annotation object
Arguments:
index

A zero-based integer index into the annotation object list.

Returns:
GetAnnotationObject returns a reference to an annotation object that was created using the CreateAnnotationObject function.
Description:
GetAnnotationObject returns a reference to an annotation object that was created using the CreateAnnotationObject function (see page 50). The index argument is a zero-based integer that specifies
the index of the object for which we want to return another reference. This function is not currently
necessary unless the annotation object that you used to create an annotation has gone out of scope
and you need to create another reference to the object to set its properties.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
a = CreateAnnotationObject(TimeSlider)
ref = GetAnnotationObject(0)
print ref

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GetDatabaseNStates

GetDatabaseNStatesReturns the numberof time states in the active database.


Synopsis:
GetDatabaseNStates() -> integer
Returns:
Returns the number of time states in the active database or 0 if there is no active database.
Description:
GetDatabaseNStates returns the number of time states in the active database, which is not the same
as the number of states in the active time slider. Time sliders can have different lengths due to database correlations and keyframing. Use this function when you need the actual number of time
states in the active database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database)
print Number of time states: %d % GetDatabaseNStates()

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GetDomains

GetDomainsReturns a tuple containing the names of all of the domain subsets for the
active plot.
Synopsis:
GetDomains() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
GetDomains returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
GetDomains returns a tuple containing the names of all of the domain subsets for a plot that was
created using a database with multiple domains. This function can be used in specialized logic that
iterates over domains to turn them on or off in some programmed way.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_ucd3d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
doms = GetDomains()
print doms
# Turn off all but the last domain, one after the other.
for d in doms[:-1]:
TurnDomainsOff(d)

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GetEngineList

GetEngineListReturns a tuple containing the names of the compute engines.


Synopsis:
GetEngineList() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
GetEngineList returns a tuple of strings that contain the names of the computers on which compute
engines are running.
Description:
The GetEngineList function returns a tuple of strings containing the names of the computers on
which compute engines are running. This function can be useful if engines are going to be closed
and opened explicitly in the Python script. The contents of the tuple can be used to help determine
which compute engines should be closed or they can be used to determine if a compute engine was
successfully launched.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
OpenDatabase(mcr:/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
DrawPlots()
for name in GetEngineList():
print VisIt has a compute engine running on %s % name
CloseComputeEngine(GetEngineList()[1])

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GetGlobalAttributes

GetGlobalAttributesReturns a GlobalAttributes object.


Synopsis:
GetGlobalAttributes() -> GlobalAttributes object
Returns:
Returns a GlobalAttributes object that has been initialized.
Description:
The GetGlobalAttributes function returns a GlobalAttributes object that has been initialized with
the current state of the viewer proxys GlobalAttributes object. The GlobalAttributes object contains read-only information about the list of sources, the list of windows, and various flags that can
be queried.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
g = GetGlobalAttributes()
print g

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GetGlobalLineoutAttributes

GetGlobalLineoutAttributesReturns a GlobalLineoutAttributes object.


Synopsis:
GetGlobalLineoutAttributes() -> GlobalLineoutAttributes object
Returns:
Returns an initialized GlobalLineoutAttributes object.
Description:
The GetGlobalLineoutAttributes function returns an initialized GlobalLineoutAttributes object.
The GlobalLineoutAttributes, as suggested by its name, contains global properties that apply to all
lineouts. You can use the GlobalLineoutAttributes object to turn on lineout sampling, specify the
destination window, etc. for curve plots created as a result of performing lineouts. Once you make
changes to the object by setting its properties, use the SetGlobalLineoutAttributes function to
make VisIt use the modified global lineout attributes.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
g = GetGlobalLineoutAttributes()
print g
g.samplingOn = 1
g.windowId = 4
g.createWindow = 0
g.numSamples = 100
SetGlobalLineoutAttributes(g)
Lineout((-3,2),(3,3),("default"))

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GetInteractorAttributes

GetInteractorAttributesReturns an InteractorAttributes object.


Synopsis:
GetInteractorAttributes() -> InteractorAttributes object
Returns:
Returns an initialized InteractorAttributes object.
Description:
The GetInteractorAttributes function returns an initialized InteractorAttributes object. The InteractorAttributes object can be used to set certain interactor properties. Interactors, can be thought of
as how mouse clicks and movements are translated into actions in the vis window. To set the interactor attributes, first get the interactor attributes using the GetInteractorAttributes function. Once
youve set the objects properties, call the SetInteractorAttributes function to make VisIt use the
new interactor attributes.
Example:
% visit -cli
ia = GetInteractorAttributes()
print ia
ia.showGuidelines = 0
SetInteractorAttributes(ia)

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GetKeyframeAttributes

GetKeyframeAttributesReturns an initialized KeyframeAttributes object.


Synopsis:
GetKeyframeAttributes() -> KeyframeAttributes object
Returns:
GetKeyframeAttributes returns an initialized KeyframeAttributes object.
Description:
Use the GetKeyframeAttributes function when you want to examine a KeyframeAttributes object
so you can determine VisIts state when it is in keyframing mode. The KeyframeAttributes object
allows you to see whether VisIt is in keyframing mode and, if so, how many animation frames are
in the current keyframe animation.
Example:
% visit -cli
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
print k
k.enabled,k.nFrames,k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, 100, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)

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GetLastError

GetLastErrorReturns a string containing the last error message that VisIt issued.
Synopsis:
GetLastError() -> string
Returns:
GetLastError returns a string containing the last error message that VisIt issued.
Description:
The GetLastError function returns a string containing the last error message that VisIt issued.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/this/database/does/not/exist)
print VisIt Error: %s % GetLastError()

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GetLight

GetLightReturns a light object containing the attributes for a specified light.


Synopsis:
GetLight(index) -> LightAttributes object
Arguments:
index

A zero-based integer index into the light list. Index can be in the range [0,7].

Returns:
GetLight returns a LightAttributes object.
Description:
The GetLight function returns a LightAttributes object containing the attributes for a specific light.
You can use the LightAttributes object that GetLight returns to set light properties and then you
can pass the object to SetLight to make VisIt use the light properties that youve set.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "w")
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = xray
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
InvertBackgroundColor()
light = GetLight(0)
print light
light.enabledFlag = 1
light.direction = (0,-1,0)
light.color = (255,0,0,255)
SetLight(0, light)
light.color,light.direction = (0,255,0,255), (-1,0,0)
SetLight(1, light)

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GetLocal

GetLocalNameGets the local user or host name.


Synopsis:
GetLocalHostName() -> string
GetLocalUserName() -> string
Returns:
Both functions return a string.
Description:
These functions are useful for determining the name of the local computer or the account name of
the user running VisIt. The GetLocalHostName function returns a string that contains the name of
the local computer. The GetLocalUserName function returns a string containing the name of the
user running VisIt.
Example:
% visit -cli
print Local machine name is: %s % GetLocalHostName()
print My username: %s % GetLocalUserName()

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GetMaterialAttributes

GetMaterialAttributesReturns a MaterialAttributes object containing VisIts


current material interface reconstruction settings.
Synopsis:
GetMaterialAttributes() -> MaterialAttributes object
Returns:
Returns a MaterialAttributes object.
Description:
The GetMaterialAttributes function returns a MaterialAttributes object that contains VisIts current
material interface reconstruction settings. You can set properties on the MaterialAttributes object
and then pass it to SetMaterialAttributes to make VisIt use the new material attributes that youve
specified:
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.min,p.minFlag = 4.0, 1
p.max,p.maxFlag = 13.0, 1
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
# Tell VisIt to always do material interface reconstruction.
m = GetMaterialAttributes()
m.forceMIR = 1
SetMaterialAttributes(m)
ClearWindow()
# Redraw the plot forcing VisIt to use the mixed variable information.
DrawPlots()

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GetMaterials

GetMaterialsReturns a string tuple of material names for the current plots database.
Synopsis:
GetMaterials() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
The GetMaterials function returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The GetMaterials function returns a tuple of strings containing the names of the available materials
for the current plots database. Note that the active plots database must have materials for this
function to return a tuple that has any string objects in it. Also, you must have at least one plot. You
can use the materials returned by the GetMaterials function for a variety of purposes including
turning materials on or off.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
DrawPlots()
mats = GetMaterials()
for m in mats[:-1]:
TurnMaterialOff(m)

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GetNumPlots

GetNumPlotsReturns the number of plots in the active window.


Synopsis:
GetNumPlots() -> integer
Returns:
Returns the number of plots in the active window.
Description:
The GetNumPlots function returns the number of plots in the active window.
Example:
% visit -cli
print Number of plots, GetNumPlots()
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
print Number of plots, GetNumPlots()
AddPlot(Mesh, curvmesh2d)
DrawPlots()
print Number of plots, GetNumPlots()

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GetPickAttributes

GetPickAttributesReturns the current pick attributes.


Synopsis:
GetPickAttributes() -> PickAttributes object
Returns:
GetPickAttributes returns a PickAttributes object.
Description:
The GetPickAttributes object returns the pick settings that VisIt is currently using when it performs picks. These settings mainly determine which pick information is displayed when pick
results are printed out but they can also be used to select auxiliary variables and generate time
curves. You can examing the settings and you can set properties on the returned object. Once
youve changed pick settings by setting properties on the object, you can pass the altered object to
the SetPickAttributes function to force VisIt to use the new pick settings.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/ireg)
DrawPlots()
p = GetPickAttributes()
print p
p.variables = (default, mesh/a, mesh/mixvar)
SetPickAttributes(p)
# Now do some interactive picks and youll see pick information
# for more than 1 variable.
p.doTimeCurve = 1
SetPickAttributes(p)
# Now do some interactive picks and youll get time-curves in
# a new window.

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GetPickOutput

GetPickOutputReturns a string containing the output from the last pick.


Synopsis:
GetPickOutput() -> string
Returns:
Returns a string containing the output from the last pick.
Description:
The GetPickOutput returns a string object that contains the output from the last pick.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/rect2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
Pick((0.4, 0.6), ("default", "u", "v"))
s = GetPickOutput()
print s

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GetPipelineCachingMode

GetPipelineCachingModeReturns if pipelines are cached in the viewer.


Synopsis:
GetPipelineCachingMode() -> integer
Returns:
The GetPipelineCachingMode function returns 1 if pipelines are being cached and 0 otherwise.
Description:
The GetPipelineCachingMode function returns whether or not pipelines are being cached in the
viewer. For animations of long time sequences, it is often useful to turn off pipeline caching so the
viewer does not run out of memory.
Example:
%visit -cli
offon = (off, on)
print Pipeline caching is %s % offon[GetPipelineCachingMode()]

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GetQueryOutput

GetQueryOutputReturns information about the last query.


Synopsis:
GetQueryOutputString() -> string
GetQueryOutputValue() -> double, tuple of doubles
Returns:
GetQueryOutputString returns a string.
GetQueryOutputValue returns a single double precision number or a tuple of double precision
numbers.
Description:
Both the GetQueryOutputString and GetQueryOutputValue functions return information about the
last query to be executed but the type of information returns differs. GetQueryOutputString returns
a string containing the output of the last query. GetQueryOutputValue returns a single number or
tuple of numbers, depending on the nature of the last query to be executed.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/rect2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
Query(MinMax)
print GetQueryOutputString()
print The min is: %g and the max is: %g % GetQueryOutputValue()

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GetQueryOverTimeAttributes

GetQueryOverTimeAttributesReturns a QueryOverTimeAttributes object


containing the settings that VisIt currently uses for
queries over time.
Synopsis:
GetQueryOverTimeAttributes() -> QueryOverTimeAttributes object
Returns:
GetQueryOverTimeAttributes returns a QueryOverTimeAttributes object.
Description:
The GetQueryOverTimeAttributes function returns a QueryOverTimeAttributes object containing
the settings that VisIt currently uses for query over time. You can use the returned object to change
those settings by first setting object properties and then by passing the modified object to the SetQueryOverTimeAttributes function (see page 169).
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
DrawPlots()
qot = GetQueryOverTimeAttributes()
print qot
# Make queries over time go to window 4.
qot.createWindow,q.windowId = 0, 4
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes(qot)
QueryOverTime(Min)
# Make queries over time only use half of the number of time states.
qot.endTimeFlag,qot.endTime = 1, GetDatabaseNStates() / 2
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes(qot)
QueryOverTime(Min)
ResetView()

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GetRenderingAttributes

GetRenderingAttributesReturns a RenderingAttributes object containing VisIts


current rendering settings.
Synopsis:
GetRenderingAttributes() -> RenderingAttributes object
Returns:
Returns a RenderingAttributes object.
Description:
The GetRenderingAttributes function returns a RenderingAttributes object that contains the rendering settings that VisIt currently uses. The RenderingAttributes object contains information
related to rendering such as whether or not specular highlights or shadows are enabled. The RenderingAttributes object also contains information scalable rendering such as whether or not it is
currently in use and the scalable rendering threshold.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Surface, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.215934, -0.454611, 0.864119)
v.viewUp = (0.973938, -0.163188, 0.157523)
v.imageZoom = 1.64765
SetView3D(v)
light = GetLight(0)
light.direction = (0,1,-1)
SetLight(0, light)
r = GetRenderingAttributes()
r.scalableActivationMode = r.Always
r.doShadowing = 1
SetRenderingAttributes(r)

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GetSaveWindowAttributes

GetSaveWindowAttributesReturns an object that contains the attributes used to


save windows.
Synopsis:
GetSaveWindowAttributes() -> SaveWindowAttributes object
Returns:
This function returns a VisIt SaveWindowAttributes object that contains the attributes used in saving windows.
Description:
The GetSaveWindowAttributes function returns a SaveWindowAttributes object that is a structure
containing several fields which determine how windows are saved to files. The object that us
returned can be modified and used to set the save window attributes.
Example:
% visit -cli
s = GetSaveWindowAttributes()
print s
s.width = 600
s.height = 600
s.format = s.FILEFORMAT_RGB
print s

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GetTimeSliders

GetTimeSlidersReturns a tuple containing the names of all of the available time


sliders.
Synopsis:
GetTimeSliders() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
GetTimeSliders returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The GetTimeSliders function returns a tuple of strings containing the names of each of the available time sliders. The list of time sliders contains the names of any open time-varying database, all
database correlations, and the keyframing time slider if VisIt is in keyframing mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
path = /usr/gapps/visit/data/
dbs = (path + /dbA00.pdb, path + dbB00.pdb, path + dbC00.pdb)
for db in dbs:
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
print The list of time sliders is: , GetTimeSliders()

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GetView

GetViewReturn an object containing the current view.


Synopsis:
GetView2D() -> View2DAttributes object
GetView3D() -> View3DAttributes object
GetViewCurve() -> ViewCurveAttributes object
Returns:
Both functions return objects that represent the curve, 2D, or 3D view information.
Description:
The GetView functions return ViewAttributes objects which describe the current camera location.
The GetView2D function should be called if the active visualization window contains 2D plots.
The GetView3D function should be called to get the view if the active visualization window contains 3D plots. The GetViewCurve function should be called if the active visualization window
contains 1D curve plots.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Change the view interactively using the mouse.
v0 = GetView3D()
# Change the view again using the mouse
v1 = GetView3D()
print v0
for i in range(0,20):
t = float(i) / 19.
v2 = (1. - t) * v1 + t * v0
SetView3D(v2) # Animate the view back to the first view.

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GetWindowInformation

GetWindowInformationReturns a WindowInformation object that contains


information about the active visualization window.
Synopsis:
GetWindowInformation() -> WindowInformation object
Returns:
The GetWindowInformation object returns a WindowInformation object.
Description:
The GetWindowInformation object returns a WindowInformation object that contains information
about the active visualization window. The WindowInformation object contains the name of the
active source, the active time slider index, the list of available time sliders and their current states,
as well as certain window flags that determine whether a windows view is locked, etc. Use the
WindowInformation object if you need to query any of these types of information in your script to
influence how it behaves.
Example:
path = /usr/gapps/visit/data/
dbs = (path + dbA00.pdb, path + dbB00.pdb, path + dbC00.pdb)
for db in dbs:
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
# Get the list of available time sliders.
tsList = GetWindowInformation().timeSliders
# Iterate through time on each time slider.
for ts in tsList:
SetActiveTimeSlider(ts)
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
# Print the window information to examine the other attributes
# that are available.
GetWindowInformation()

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HideActivePlots

HideActivePlotsHides the active plots in the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
HideActivePlots() -> integer
Returns:
The HideActivePlots function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The HideActivePlots function tells the viewer to hide the active plots in the active visualization
window.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
DrawPlots()
SetActivePlots(0)
HideActivePlots()
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, mat1)
DrawPlots()

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HideToolbars

HideToolbarsHides the visualization windows toolbars.


Synopsis:
HideToolbars() -> integer
HideToolbars(allWindows) ->integer
Arguments:
allWindows

An integer value that tells VisIt to hide the toolbars for all windows when it is
non-zero.

Returns:
The HideToolbars function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The HideToolbars function tells VisIt to hide the toolbars for the active visualization window or
for all visualization windows when the optional allWindows argument is provided and is set to a
non-zero value.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
HideToolbars()
ShowToolbars()
# Hide the toolbars for all windows.
HideToolbars(1)

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IconifyAllWindows

IconifyAllWindowsMinimizes all of the visualization windows.


Synopsis:
IconifyAllWindows()
Returns:
The IconifyAllWindows function does not return a value.
Description:
The IconifyAllWindows function minimizes all of the hidden visualization windows to get them
out of the way.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4) # Have 4 windows
IconifyAllWindows()
DeIconifyAllWindows()

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InvertBackgroundColor

InvertBackgroundColorSwaps the background and foreground colors in the active


visualization window.
Synopsis:
InvertBackgroundColor()
Returns:
The InvertBackgroundColor function does not return a value.
Description:
The InvertBackgroundColor function swaps the background and foreground colors in the active
visualization window. This function is a cheap alternative to setting the foreground and background colors though the AnnotationAttributes in that it is a simple no-argument function call. It is
not adequate to set new colors for the background and foreground, but in the event where the two
colors can be exchanged favorably, it is a good function to use. An example of when this function
is used is after the creation of a Volume plot.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Volume, u)
DrawPlots()
InvertBackgroundColor()

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Lineout

LineoutPerforms a lineout.
Synopsis:
Lineout(start,
Lineout(start,
Lineout(start,
Lineout(start,

end)
end,
end,
end,

-> integer
variables) -> integer
samples) -> integer
variables, samples) -> integer

Arguments:
start

A 2 or 3 item tuple containing the coordinates of the starting point.

end

A 2 or 3 item tuple containing the coordinates of the end point.

variables

A tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which lineouts
should be created.

samples

An integer value containing the number of sample points along the lineout.

Returns:
The Lineout function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The Lineout function extracts data along a given line segment and creates curves from it in a new
visualization window. The start argument is a tuple of numbers that make up the coordinate of the
lineouts starting location. The end argument is a tuple of numbers that make up the coordinate of
the lineouts ending location. The optional variables argument is a tuple of strings that contain the
variables that should be sampled to create lineouts. The optional samples argument is used to
determine the number of sample points that should be taken along the specified line. If the samples
argument is not provided then VisIt will sample the mesh where it intersects the specified line
instead of using the number of samples to compute a list of points to sample.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/rect2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, ascii)
DrawPlots()
Lineout((0.2,0.2), (0.8,1.2))
Lineout((0.2,1.2), (0.8,0.2), (default, d, u))
Lineout((0.6, 0.1), (0.6, 1.2), 100)

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Lineout

ListLists the members of a SIL restriction category.


Synopsis:
ListDomains()
ListMaterials()
Returns:
The List functions do not return a value.
Description:
The List functions: ListDomains, and List Materials prints a list of the domains and the materials
for the selected plots, which indicates which domains or materials are on and off. The list functions are used mostly to print the results of restricting the SIL.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
TurnMaterialsOff("4") # Turn off material 4
ListMaterials() # List the materials in the SIL restriction

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ListPlots

ListPlotsLists the plots in the active visualization windows plot list.


Synopsis:
ListPlots()
Returns:
The ListPlots function does not return a value.
Description:
Sometimes it is difficult to remember the order of the plots in the active visualization windows
plot list. The ListPlots function prints the contents of the plot list to the output console.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot(Contour, d)
DrawPlots()
ListPlots()

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LongFileName

LongFileNameReturns the long filename for a short WIN32 filename.


Synopsis:
LongFileName(filename) -> string
Arguments:
filename

A string object containing the short filename to expand.

Returns:
The LongFileName function returns a string.
Notes:
This function returns the input argument unless you are on the Windows platform.
Description:
On Windows, filenames can have two different sizes: traditional 8.3 format, and long format. The
long format, which lets you name files whatever you want, is implemented using the traditional 8.3
format under the covers. Sometimes filenames are given to VisIt in the traditional 8.3 format and
must be expanded to long format before it is possible to open them. If you ever find that you need
to do this conversion, such as when you process command line arguments, then you can use the
LongFileName function to return the longer filename.

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MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe

MovePlotDatabaseKeyframeMoves a database keyframe for a plot.


Synopsis:
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe(index, oldFrame, newFrame)
Arguments:
index

An integer representing the index of the plof in the plot list.

oldFrame

The old animation frame where the keyframe is located.

newFrame

The new animation frame where the keyframe will be moved.

Returns:
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe does not return a value.
Description:
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe moves a database keyframe for a specified plot to a new animation
frame, which changes the list of database time states that are used for each animation frame when
VisIt is in keyframing mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
SetPlotFrameRange(0, 0, nFrames-1)
SetPlotDatabaseKeyframe(0, 0, 70)
SetPlotDatabaseKeyframe(0, nFrames/2, 35)
SetPlotDatabaseKeyframe(0, nFrames-1, 0)
DrawPlots()
for state in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(state)
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe(0, nFrames/2, nFrames/4)
for state in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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MovePlotKeyframe

MovePlotKeyframeMoves a keyframe for a plot.


Synopsis:
MovePlotKeyframe(index, oldFrame, newFrame)
Arguments:
index

An integer representing the index of the plof in the plot list.

oldFrame

The old animation frame where the keyframe is located.

newFrame

The new animation frame where the keyframe will be moved.

Returns:
MovePlotKeyframe does not return a value.
Description:
MovePlotKeyframe moves a keyframe for a specified plot to a new animation frame, which
changes the plot attributes that are used for each animation frame when VisIt is in keyframing
mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
SetPlotFrameRange(0, 0, nFrames-1)
c = ContourAttributes()
c.contourNLevels = 5
SetPlotOptions(c)
SetTimeSliderState(nFrames/2)
c.contourNLevels = 10
SetPlotOptions(c)
c.contourLevels = 25
SetTimeSliderState(nFrames-1)
SetPlotOptions(c)
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()
temp = nFrames-2

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MovePlotKeyframe

MovePlotKeyframe(0, nFrames/2, temp)


MovePlotKeyframe(0, nFrames-1, nFrames/2)
MovePlotKeyframe(0, temp, nFrames-1)
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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MoveViewKeyframe

MoveViewKeyframeMoves a view keyframe.


Synopsis:
MoveViewKeyframe(oldFrame, newFrame)
Arguments:
oldFrame

The old animation frame where the keyframe is located.

newFrame

The new animation frame where the keyframe will be moved.

Returns:
MoveViewKeyframe returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
MoveViewKeyframe moves a view keyframe to a new animation frame, which changes the view
that is used for each animation frame when VisIt is in keyframing mode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
SetViewKeyframe()
SetTimeSliderState(nFrames/2)
v = GetView3d()
v.viewNormal = (-0.616518, 0.676972, 0.402014)
v.viewUp = (0.49808, 0.730785, -0.466764)
SetViewKeyframe()
SetTimeSliderState(0)
# Move the view keyframe to the last animation frame.
MoveViewKeyframe(nFrames/2, nFrames-1)

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NodePick

NodePickPerforms a nodal pick on a plot.


Synopsis:
NodePick(point) -> integer
NodePick(point, variables) -> integer
NodePick(sx, sy) -> integer
NodePick(sx, sy, variables) -> integer
Arguments:
point

A tuple of values that describe the coordinate of where we want to perform the
nodal pick.

variables

An optional tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we
want information. The tuple can contain the name default if you want
information for the plotted variable.

sx

A screen X location (in pixels) offset from the left side of the visualization
window.

sy

A screen Y location (in pixels) offset from the bottom of the visualization
window.

Returns:
The NodePick function prints pick information for the node closest to the specified point. The
point can be specified as a 2D or 3D point in world space or it can be specified as a pixel location
in screen space. If the point is specified as a pixel location then VisIt finds the node closest to a ray
that is projected into the mesh. Once the nodal pick has been calculated, you can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve the printed pick output as a string which can be used for other purposes.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
# Perform node pick in screen space
NodePick(300,300)
# Perform node pick in world space.
NodePick((-5.0, 5.0))

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NumColorTableNames

NumColorTableNamesReturns the number of color tables that have been defined.


Synopsis:
NumColorTableNames() -> integer
Returns:
The NumColorTableNames function return an integer.
Description:
The NumColorTableNames function returns the number of color tables that have been defined.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = default
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
print There are %d color tables. % NumColorTableNames()
for ct in ColorTableNames():
SetActiveContinuousColorTable(ct)
SaveWindow()

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NumOperatorPlugins

NumOperatorPluginsReturns the number of available operator plugins.


Synopsis:
NumOperatorPlugins() -> integer
Returns:
The NumOperatorPlugins function returns an integer.
Description:
The NumOperatorPlugins function returns the number of available operator plugins.
Example:
% visit -cli
print The number of operator plugins is: , NumOperatorPlugins()
print The names of the plugins are: , OperatorPlugins()

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NumPlotPlugins

NumPlotPluginsReturns the number of available plot plugins.


Synopsis:
NumPlotPlugins() -> integer
Returns:
The NumPlotPlugins function returns an integer.
Description:
The NumPlotPlugins function returns the number of available plot plugins.
Example:
% visit -cli
print The number of plot plugins is: , NumPlotPlugins()
print The names of the plugins are: , PlotPlugins()

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OpenDatabase

OpenComputeEngineOpens a compute engine on the specified computer


Synopsis:
OpenComputeEngine() -> integer
OpenComputeEngine(hostName) -> integer
OpenComputeEngine(hostName, simulation) -> integer
OpenComputeEngine(hostName, args) -> integer
Arguments:
hostName

The name of the computer on which to start the engine.

args

Optional tuple of command line arguments for the engine.

Returns:
The OpenComputeEngine function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The OpenComputeEngine function is used to explicitly open a compute engine with certain properties. When a compute engine is opened implicitly, the viewer relies on sets of attributes called
host profiles. Host profiles determine how compute engines are launched. This allows compute
engines to be easily launched in parallel. Since the VisIt Python Interface does not expose VisIts
host profiles, it provides the OpenComputeEngine function to allow users to launch compute
engines. The OpenComputeEngine function must be called before opening a database in order to
prevent any latent host profiles from taking precedence. A complete list of VisIts command line
arguments is listed in Ap p en d ix A on page 259.
Example:
% visit -cli
# Launch parallel compute engine remotely.
args = (-np, 16, -nn, 4)
OpenComputeEngine("thunder", args)
OpenDatabase("thunder:/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_ucd3d.silo")
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "d")
DrawPlots()

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OpenDatabase

OpenDatabaseOpens a database for plotting.


Synopsis:
OpenDatabase(databaseName) -> integer
OpenDatabase(databaseName, timeIndex) -> integer
Arguments:
databaseName A string containing the name of the database to open.
timeIndex

This is an optional integer argument indicating the time index at which to open
the database. If it is not specified, a time index of zero is assumed.

Returns:
The OpenDatabase function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The OpenDatabase function is one of the most important functions in the VisIt Python Interface
because it opens a database so it can be plotted. The databaseName argument is a string containing
the full name of the database to be opened. The database name is of the form: computer:/path/filename. The computer part of the filename can be omitted if the database to be opened resides on the
local computer.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
OpenDatabase(mcr:/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_ucd3d.silo)
OpenDatabase(file.visit)
OpenDatabase(file.visit, 4)

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OpenMDServer

OpenMDServerExplicitly opens a metadata server.


Synopsis:
OpenMDServer() -> integer
OpenMDServer(host) -> integer
OpenMDServer(host, args) -> integer
Arguments:
host

The optional host argument determines the host on which the metadata server is
to be launched. If this argument is not provided, localhost is assumed.

args

A tuple of strings containing command line flags for the metadata server.

Returns:
The OpenMDServer function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The OpenMDServer explicitly launches a metadata server on a specified host. This allows you to
provide command line options that influence how the metadata server will run.
Argument

Description

-debug #

The -debug argument allows you to specify a debug level in


the range [1,5] that VisIt uses to write debug logs to disk.

-dir visitdir

The -dir argument allows you to specify where VisIt is


located on a remote computer. This allows you to successfully connect to a remote computer in the absence of host
profiles. It also allows you to debug VisIt in distributed
mode.

-default_format format

The -default_format argument allows you to specify the


default database plugin that will be used to open files. This is
useful when the files that you want to open do not have file
extensions. Example: -default_format PDB

Example:
% visit -cli
args = (-dir, /my/private/visit/version/, -default_format, \
PDB, -debug, 4)
# Open a metadata server before the call to OpenDatabase so we
# can launch it how we want.
OpenMDServer(thunder, args)
OpenDatabase(thunder:/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
# Open a metadata server on localhost too.
OpenMDServer()

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OperatorPlugins

OperatorPluginsReturns a tuple of operator plugin names.


Synopsis:
OperatorPlugins() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
The OperatorPlugins function returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The OperatorPlugins function returns a tuple of strings that contain the names of the loaded operator plugins. This can be useful for the creation of scripts that alter their behavior based on the
available operator plugins.
Example:
% visit -cli
for plugin in OperatorPlugins():
print The %s operator plugin is loaded. % plugin

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OverlayDatabase

OverlayDatabaseCreates new plots based on current plots but with a new database.
Synopsis:
OverlayDatabase(databaseName) -> integer
Arguments:
databaseName

A string containing the name of the new plot database.

Returns:
The OverlayDatabase function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
VisIt has the concept of overlaying plots which, in the nutshell, means that the entire plot list is
copied and a new set of plots with exactly the same attributes but a different database is appended
to the plot list of the active window. The OverlayDatabase function allows the VisIt Python Interface to overlay plots. OverlayDatabase takes a single string argument which contains the name of
the database. After calling the OverlayDatabase function, the plot list is larger and contains plots
of the specified overlay database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo")
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "u")
DrawPlots()
OverlayDatabase("riptide:/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo")

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Pick

PickPerforms a zonal pick on a plot.


Synopsis:
Pick(point) -> integer
Pick(point, variables) -> integer
Pick(sx, sy) -> integer
Pick(sx, sy, variables) -> integer
ZonePick(point) -> integer
ZonePick(point, variables) -> integer
ZonePick(sx, sy) -> integer
ZonePick(sx, sy, variables) -> integer
Arguments:
point

A tuple of values that describe the coordinate of where we want to perform the
zonal pick.

variables

An optional tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we
want information. The tuple can contain the name default if you want
information for the plotted variable.

sx

A screen X location (in pixels) offset from the left side of the visualization
window.

sy

A screen Y location (in pixels) offset from the bottom of the visualization
window.

Returns:
The Pick function prints pick information for the cell (a.k.a zone) that contains the specified point.
The point can be specified as a 2D or 3D point in world space or it can be specified as a pixel location in screen space. If the point is specified as a pixel location then VisIt finds the zone that contains the intersection of a cell and a ray that is projected into the mesh. Once the zonal pick has
been calculated, you can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve the printed pick output as a
string which can be used for other purposes.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
# Perform node pick in screen space
Pick(300,300)
# Perform node pick in world space.
Pick((-5.0, 5.0))

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PickByGlobalNode

PickByGlobalNodePerforms pick operation for a specific node using a global node id.
Synopsis:
PickByGlobalNode(node) -> integer
PickByGlobalNode(node, variables) -> integer
Arguments:
node

Integer index of the global node for which we want pick information.

variables

A tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we want pick
information.

Returns:
PickByGlobalNode returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The PickByGlobalNode function tells VisIt to perform pick using a specific global node index for
the entire problem. Some meshes are broken up into smaller domains and then these smaller
domains can employ a global indexing scheme to make it appear as though the mesh was still one
large mesh. Not all meshes that have been decomposed into domains provide sufficient information to allow global node indexing. You can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve a string
containing the pick information once youve called PickByGlobalNode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Pick on node 200 in the first domain.
PickByGlobalNode(200)
print Last pick = , GetPickOutput()

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PickByGlobalZone

PickByGlobalZonePerforms pick operation for a specific cell using a global cell id.
Synopsis:
PickByGlobalZone(id) -> integer
PickByGlobalZone(id, variables) -> integer
Arguments:
id

Integer index of the global cell for which we want pick information.

variables

A tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we want pick
information.

Returns:
PickByGlobalZone returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The PickByGlobalZone function tells VisIt to perform pick using a specific global cell index for
the entire problem. Some meshes are broken up into smaller domains and then these smaller
domains can employ a global indexing scheme to make it appear as though the mesh was still one
large mesh. Not all meshes that have been decomposed into domains provide sufficient information to allow global cell indexing. You can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve a string containing the pick information once youve called PickByGlobalZone.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Pick on cell 200 in the first domain.
PickByGlobalZone(200)
print Last pick = , GetPickOutput()

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PickByNode

PickByNodePerforms pick operation for a specific node in a given domain.


Synopsis:
PickByNode(node)
PickByNode(node,
PickByNode(node,
PickByNode(node,

-> integer
variables) -> integer
domain) -> integer
domain, variables) -> integer

Arguments:
node

Integer index of the node for which we want pick information.

domain

An integer representing the index of the domain that contains the node for
which we want pick information. Note that if the first domain is domain1 then
the first valid index is 1.

variables

A tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we want pick
information.

Returns:
PickByNode returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The PickByNode function tells VisIt to perform pick using a specific node index in a given
domain. Other pick by node variants first determine the node that is closest to some user-specified
3D point but the PickByNode functions cuts out this step and allows you to directly pick on the
node of your choice. You can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve a string containing the
pick information once youve called PickByNode.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Pick on node 200 in the first domain.
PickByNode(200)
# Pick on node 200 in the second domain.
PickByNode(200, 2)
# Pick on node 100 in domain 5 and return information for two
additional variables.
PickByNode(100, 5, (default, u, v))
print Last pick = , GetPickOutput()

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PickByZone

PickByZonePerforms pick operation for a specific cell in a given domain.


Synopsis:
PickByZone(cell)
PickByZone(cell,
PickByZone(cell,
PickByZone(cell,

-> integer
variables) -> integer
domain) -> integer
domain, variables) -> integer

Arguments:
cell

Integer index of the cell for which we want pick information.

domain

An integer representing the index of the domain that contains the cell for which
we want pick information. Note that if the first domain is domain1 then the
first valid index is 1.

variables

A tuple of strings containing the names of the variables for which we want pick
information.

Returns:
PickByZone returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The PickByZone function tells VisIt to perform pick using a specific cell index in a given domain.
Other pick by zone variants first determine the cell that contains some user-specified 3D point but
the PickByZone functions cuts out this step and allows you to directly pick on the cell of your
choice. You can use the GetPickOutput function to retrieve a string containing the pick information once youve called PickByZone.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Pick on cell 200 in the first domain.
PickByZone(200)
# Pick on cell 200 in the second domain.
PickByZone(200, 2)
# Pick on cell 100 in domain 5 and return information for two
additional variables.
PickByZone(100, 5, (default, u, v))
print Last pick = , GetPickOutput()

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PlotPlugins

PlotPluginsReturns a tuple of plot plugin names.


Synopsis:
PlotPlugins() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
The PlotPlugins function returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The PlotPlugins function returns a tuple of strings that contain the names of the loaded plot plugins. This can be useful for the creation of scripts that alter their behavior based on the available
plot plugins.
Example:
% visit -cli
for plugin in PluginPlugins():
print The %s plot plugin is loaded. % plugin

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PrintWindow

PrintWindowPrints the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
PrintWindow() -> integer
Returns:
The PrintWindow function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The PrintWindow function tells the viewer to print the image in the active visualization window
using the current printer settings.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
AddPlot(Contour, u)
DrawPlots()
PrintWindow()

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PromoteOperator

PromoteOperatorMoves an operator closer to the end of the visualization pipeline.


Synopsis:
PromoteOperator(opIndex) -> integer
PromoteOperator(opIndex, applyToAllPlots) -> integer
Arguments:
opIndex

A zero-based integer corresponding to the operator that should be promoted.

applyAll

An integer flag that causes all plots in the plot list to be affected when it is nonzero.

Returns:
PromoteOperator returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The PromoteOperator function moves an operator closer to the end of the visualization pipeline.
This allows you to change the order of operators that have been applied to a plot without having to
remove them from the plot. For example, consider moving a Slice to after a Reflect operator when
it had been the other way around. Changing the order of operators can result in vastly different
results for a plot. The opposite function is DemoteOperator (see page 63).
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo")
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "hardyglobal")
AddOperator(Slice)
s = SliceAttributes()
s.project2d = 0
s.originPoint = (0,5,0)
s.originType=s.Point
s.normal = (0,1,0)
s.upAxis = (-1,0,0)
SetOperatorOptions(s)
AddOperator("Reflect")
DrawPlots()
# Now slice after reflect. Well only get 1 slice plane instead of 2.
PromoteOperator(0)
DrawPlots()

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Queries

QueriesReturns a tuple containing the names of all supported queries.


Synopsis:
Queries() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
The Queries function returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The Queries function returns a tuple of strings that contain the names of all of VisIts supported
queries.
Example:
% visit -cli
print supported queries: , Queries()

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QueriesOverTime

QueriesOverTimeReturns a tuple of containing the names of all supported queries that


can execute over time.
Synopsis:
QueriesOverTime() -> tuple of strings
Returns:
Returns a tuple of strings.
Description:
The QueriesOverTime function returns a tuple of strings that contains the names of all of the VisIt
queries that can be executed over time.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allineone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
DrawPlots()
# Execute each of the queries over time on the plots.
for q in QueriesOverTime():
QueryOverTime(q)

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Query

QueryExecutes one of VisIts queries.


Synopsis:
Query(name)
Query(name,
Query(name,
Query(name,
Query(name,
Query(name,

-> integer
variables) -> integer
arg1) -> integer
arg1, variables) -> integer
arg1, arg2) -> integer
arg1, arg2, variables) -> integer

Arguments:
name

A string containing the name of the query to execute.

variables

An optional tuple of strings containing the names of additional query variables.

arg1

An optional general purpose integer argument.

arg2

An optional general purpose integer argument.

Returns:
The Query function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The Query function is used to execute any of VisIts predefined queries. Since queries can take a
wide array of arguments, the Query function has a wide variety of possible arguments. The list of
queries can be found in the VisIt Users Manual in the Quantitative Analysis chapter.You
can get also get a list of queries that can be executed over time using the Queries function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
Query(Volume)

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QueryOverTime

QueryOverTimeExecutes one of VisIts queries over time to produce a curve.


Synopsis:
QueryOverTime(name)
QueryOverTime(name,
QueryOverTime(name,
QueryOverTime(name,
QueryOverTime(name,
QueryOverTime(name,

-> integer
variables) -> integer
arg1) -> integer
arg1, variables) -> integer
arg1, arg2) -> integer
arg1, arg2, variables) -> integer

Arguments:
name

A string containing the name of the query to execute.

variables

An optional tuple of strings containing the names of additional query variables.

arg1

An optional general purpose integer argument.

arg2

An optional general purpose integer argument.

Returns:
The QueryOverTime function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The QueryOverTime function is used to execute any of VisIts predefined queries. Since queries
can take a wide array of arguments, the QueryOverTime function has a wide variety of possible
arguments. The list of queries can be found in the VisIt Users Manual in the Quantitative
Analysis chapter. You can get also get a list of queries that can be executed over time using the
QueriesOverTime function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
for q in QueriesOverTime():
QueryOverTime(q)
ResetView()

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RecenterView

RecenterViewRecalculates the view for the active visualization window so that its plots
are centered in the window.
Synopsis:
RecenterView()
Returns:
The RecenterView function does not return a value.
Description:
After adding plots to a visualization window or applying operators to those plots, it is sometimes
necessary to recenter the view. When the view is recentered, the orientation does not change but
the view is shifted to make better use of the screen.
Example:
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo")
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "u")
DrawPlots()
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo")
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
RecenterView()

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RedrawWindow

RedrawWindowEnables redraws and forces the active visualization window to redraw.


Synopsis:
RedrawWindow()
Returns:
The RedrawWindow function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The RedrawWindow function allows a visualization window to redraw itself and then forces the
window to redraw. This function does the opposite of the DisableRedraw function and is used to
recover from it.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, u)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, w)
DrawPlots()
DisableRedraw()
AddOperator(Slice)
# Set the slice operator attributes
# Redraw now that the operator attributes are set. This will
# prevent 1 redraw.
RedrawWindow()

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RemoveOperator

RemoveOperatorRemoves operators from plots.


Synopsis:
RemoveAllOperators() -> integer
RemoveAllOperators(all) -> integer
RemoveLastOperator() -> integer
RemoveLastOperator(all) -> integer
RemoveOperator(index) -> integer
RemoveOperator(index, all) -> integer
Arguments:
all

An optional integer argument that tells the function to ignore the selected plots
and use all plots in the plot list if the value of the argument is non-zero.

index

The zero-based integer index into a plots operator list that specifies which
operator is to be deleted.

Returns:
All functions return an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The RemoveOperator functions allow operators to be removed from plots. The RemoveLastOperator function removes the operator that was last applied to the selected plots. The RemoveAllOperators function removes all operators from the selected plots in the active visualization window. If
the all argument is provided and contains a non-zero value, all plots in the active visualization window are affected. If the value is zero or if the argument is not provided, only the selected plots are
affected.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddOperator(Threshold)
AddOperator(Slice)
AddOperator(SphereSlice)
DrawPlots()
RemoveLastOperator() # Remove SphereSlice
RemoveOperator(0) # Remove Threshold
RemoveAllOperators() # Remove the rest of the operators

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ReOpenDatabase

ReOpenDatabaseReopens a database for plotting.


Synopsis:
ReOpenDatabase(databaseName) -> integer
Arguments:
databaseName A string containing the name of the database to open.
Returns:
The ReOpenDatabase function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The ReOpenDatabase function reopens a database that has been opened previously with the OpenDatabase function. The ReOpenDatabase function is primarily used for regenerating plots whose
database has been rewritten on disk. ReOpenDatabase allows VisIt to access new variables and
new time states that have been added since the database was opened using the OpenDatabase function. Note that ReOpenDatabase is expensive since it causes all plots that use the specified database to be regenerated. If you want to ensure that a time-varying database has all of its time states
as they are being created by a simulation, try the CheckForNewStates function on page 38 instead.
The databaseName argument is a string containing the full name of the database to be opened. The
database name is of the form: host:/path/filename. The host part of the filename can be omitted if
the database to be reopened resides on the local computer.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(frost:/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
last = TimeSliderGetNStates()
for state in range(last):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()
ReOpenDatabase(frost:/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave*.silo database)
for state in range(last, TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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ReplaceDatabase

ReplaceDatabaseReplaces the database in the current plots with a new database.


Synopsis:
ReplaceDatabase(databaseName) -> integer
ReplaceDatabase(databaseName, timeState) -> integer
Arguments:
databaseName A string containing the name of the new database.
timeState

A zero-based integer containing the time state that should be made active once
the database has been replaced.

Returns:
The ReplaceDatabase function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The ReplaceDatabase function replaces the database in the current plots with a new database. This
is one way of switching timesteps if no .visit file was ever created. If two databases have the
same variable name then replace is usually a success. In the case where the new database does not
have the desired variable, the plot with the variable not contained in the new database does not get
regenerated with the new database.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
ReplaceDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo)
SaveWindow()
# Replace with a time-varying database and change the time
# state to 17.
ReplaceDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit, 17)

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ResetLineoutColor

ResetLineoutColorResets the color used by lineout to the first color.


Synopsis:
ResetLineoutColor() -> integer
Returns:
ResetLineoutColor returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
Lineouts on VisIt cause reference lines to be drawn over the plot where the lineout was being
extracted. Each reference line uses a different color in a discrete color table. Once the colors in the
discrete color table are used up, the reference lines start using the color from the start of the discrete color table and so on. ResetLineoutColor forces reference lines to start using the color at the
start of the discrete color table again thus resetting the lineout color.

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ResetOperatorOptions

ResetOperatorOptionsResets operator attributes back to the default values.


Synopsis:
ResetOperatorOptions(operatorType) -> integer
ResetOperatorOptions(operatorType, all) -> integer
Arguments:
operatorType

A string containing the name of a valid operator type.

all

An optional integer argument that tells the function to reset the operator
options for all plots regardless of whether or not they are selected.

Returns:
The ResetOperatorOptions function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The ResetOperatorOptions function resets the operator attributes of the specified operator type for
the selected plots back to the default values. The operatorType argument is a string containing the
name of the type of operator whose attributes are to be reset. The all argument is an optional flag
that tells the function to reset the operator attributes for the indicated operator in all plots regardless of whether the plots are selected. When non-zero values are passed for the all argument, all
plots are reset. When the all argument is zero or not provided, only the operators on selected plots
are modified.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
AddOperator(Slice)
a = SliceAttributes()
a.normal,a.upAxis = (0,0,1),(0,1,0)
SetOperatorOptions(a)
ResetOperatorOptions(Slice)

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ResetPickLetter

ResetPickLetterResets the pick marker letter back to A.


Synopsis:
ResetPickLetter() -> integer
Returns:
ResetPickLetter returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The ResetPickLetter function resets the pick marker back to A so that the next pick will use A
as the pick letter and then B and so on.

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ResetPlotOptions

ResetPlotOptionsResets plot attributes back to the default values.


Synopsis:
ResetPlotOptions(plotType) -> integer
Arguments:
plotType

A string containing the name of the plot type.

Returns:
The ResetPlotOptions function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The ResetPlotOptions function resets the plot attributes of the specified plot type for the selected
plots back to the default values. The plotType argument is a string containing the name of the type
of plot whose attributes are to be reset.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = "calewhite"
p.minFlag,p.maxFlag = 1,1
p.min,p.max = -5.0, 8.0
SetPlotOptions(p)
ResetPlotOptions(Pseudocolor)

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ResetView

ResetViewResets the view to the initial view


Synopsis:
ResetView()
Returns:
The ResetView function does not return a value.
Description:
The ResetView function resets the camera to the initial view.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo)
AddPlot(Mesh, curvmesh3d)
v = ViewAttributes()
v.camera = (-0.45396, 0.401908, 0.79523)
v.focus = (0, 2.5, 15)
v.viewUp = (0.109387, 0.910879, -0.397913)
v.viewAngle = 30
v.setScale = 1
v.parallelScale = 16.0078
v.nearPlane = -32.0156
v.farPlane = 32.0156
v.perspective = 1
SetView3D(v) # Set the 3D view
DrawPlots()
ResetView()

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RestoreSession

RestoreSessionRestores a VisIt session.


Synopsis:
RestoreSession(filename, visitDir) -> integer
Arguments:
filename

The name of the session file to restore.

visitDir

An integer flag that indicates whether the filename to be restored is located in


the users VisIt directory. If the flag is set to 1 then the session file is assumed to
be located in the users VisIt directory otherwise the filename must contain an
absolute path.

Returns:
RestoreSession returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The RestoreSession function is important for setting up complex visualizations because you can
design a VisIt session file, which is an XML file that describes exactly how plots are set up, using
the VisIt GUI and then use that same session file in the CLI to generate movies in batch. The
RestoreSession function takes 2 arguments. The first argument specifies the filename that contains
the VisIt session to be restored. The second argument determines whether the session file is
assumed to be in the users VisIt directory. If the visitDir argument is set to 0 then the filename
argument must contain the absolute path to the session file.
Example:
% visit -cli
# Restore my session file for a time-varying database from
# my .visit directory.
RestoreSessionFile(visit.session, 1)
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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SaveSession

SaveSessionTells VisIt to save a session file describing the current visualization.


Synopsis:
SaveSession(filename) -> integer
Arguments:
filename

The filename argument is the filename that is used to save the session file. The
filename is relative to the current working directory.

Returns:
The SaveSession function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SaveSession function tells VisIt to save an XML session file that describes everything about
the current visualization. Session files are very useful for creating movies and also as shortcuts for
setting up complex visualizations.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
# Set up a keyframe animation of view and save a session file of it.
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
k.enabled,k.nFrames,k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1,20,1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Surface, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (0.40823, -0.826468, 0.387684)
v.viewUp, v.imageZoom = (-0.261942, 0.300775, 0.917017), 1.60684
SetView3D(v)
SetViewKeyframe()
SetTimeSliderState(TimeSliderGetNStates() - 1)
v.viewNormal = (-0.291901, -0.435608, 0.851492)
v.viewUp = (0.516969, 0.677156, 0.523644)
SetView3D(v)
SetViewKeyframe()
ToggleCameraViewMode()
SaveSession(~/.visit/keyframe.session)

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SaveWindow

SaveWindowSave the contents of the active window


Synopsis:
SaveWindow() -> string
Returns:
The SaveWindow function returns a string containing the name of the file that was saved.
Description:
The SaveWindow function saves the contents of the active visualization window. The format of the
saved window is dictated by the SaveWindowAttributes which can be set using the SetSaveWindowAttributes function. The contents of the active visualization window can be saved as TIFF, JPEG,
RGB, PPM, PNG images or they can be saved as curve, Alias Wavefront Obj, or VTK geometry
files.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Set the save window attributes.
s = SaveWindowAttributes()
s.filename = "test"
s.format = s.FILEFORMAT_JPEG
s.progressive = 1
s.fileName = "test"
SetSaveWindowAttributes(s)
name = SaveWindow()
print name = %s % name

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SetActiveColorTable

SetActiveColorTableSets the color table that is used by plots that use a default
color table.
Synopsis:
SetActiveContinuousColorTable(name) -> integer
SetActiveDiscreteColorTable(name) -> integer
Arguments:
name

The name of the color table to use for the active color table. The name must be
present in the tuple returned by the ColorTableNames function.

Returns:
Both functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
VisIt supports two flavors of color tables: continuous and discrete. Both types of color tables have
the same underlying representation but each type of color table is used a slightly different way.
Continuous color tables are made of a small number of color control points and the gaps in the
color table between two color control points are filled by interpolating the colors of the color control points. Discrete color tables do not use any kind of interpolation and like continuous color
tables, they are made up of control points. The color control points in a discrete color table repeat
infinitely such that if we have 4 color control points: A, B, C, D then the pattern of repetition is:
ABCDABCDABCD... Discrete color tables are mainly used for plots that have a discrete set of
items to display (e.g. Subset plot). Continuous color tables are used in plots that display a continuous range of values (e.g. Pseudocolor).
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
SetActiveDiscreteColorTable(levels)

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SetActivePlots

SetActivePlotsSets the active plots in the plot list.


Synopsis:
SetActivePlots(plots) -> integer
Arguments:
plots

A tuple of integer plot indices starting at zero.

Returns:
The SetActivePlots function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
Any time VisIt sets the attributes for a plot, it only sets the attributes for plots which are selected.
The SetActivePlots function must be called to set the active plots. The function takes one argument
which is a tuple of integer plot indices that start at zero. If only one plot is being selected, the plots
argument can be an integer instead of a tuple.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Subset, mat1)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
AddPlot(Contour, u)
DrawPlots()
SetActivePlots((0,1,2)) # Make all plots active
SetActivePlots(0) # Make only the Subset plot active

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SetActiveTimeSlider

SetActiveTimeSliderSets the active time slider.


Synopsis:
SetActiveTimeSlider(tsName) -> integer
Arguments:
tsName

A string containing the name of the time slider that should be made active.

Returns:
SetActiveTimeSlider returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
Sets the active time slider, which is the time slider that is used to change time states.
Example:
% visit -cli
path = /usr/gapps/visit/data/
dbs = (path + dbA00.pdb, path + dbB00.pdb, path + dbC00.pdb)
for db in dbs:
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
tsNames = GetWindowInformation().timeSliders
for ts in tsNames:
SetActiveTimeSlider(ts)
for state in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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SetActiveWindow

SetActiveWindowSets the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
SetActiveWindow(windowIndex) -> integer
Arguments:
windowIndex An integer window index starting at 1.
Returns:
The SetActiveWindow fucntion returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
Most of the functions in the VisIt Python Interface operate on the contents of the active window. If
there is more than one window, it is very important to be able to set the active window. To set the
active window, use the SetActiveWindow function. The SetActiveWindow function takes a single
integer argument which is the index of the new active window. The new window index must be an
integer greater than zero and less than or equal to the number of open windows.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(2)
SetActiveWindow(2)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
DrawPlots()

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SetAnimationTimeout

SetAnimationTimeoutSets the speed at which animations play.


Synopsis:
SetAnimationTimeout(milliseconds) -> integer
Returns:
The SetAnimationTimeout function returns 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The SetAnimationTimeout function sets the animation timeout which is a value that governs how
fast animations play. The timeout is specified in milliseconds and has a default value of 1 millisecond. Larger timeout values decrease the speed at which animations play.
Example:
%visit -cli
# Play a new frame every 5 seconds.
SetAnimationTimeout(5000)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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SetAnnotationAttributes

SetAnnotationAttributesSets the annotation attributes for the active window.


Synopsis:
SetAnnotationAttributes(atts)
SetDefaultAnnotationAttributes(atts)
Arguments:
atts

An AnnotationAttributes object containing the annotation settings.

Returns:
Both functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The annotation settings control what bits of text are drawn in the visualization window. Among the
annotations are the plot legends, database information, user information, plot axes, triad, and the
background style and colors. Setting the annotation attributes is important for producing quality
visualizations. The annotation settings are stored in AnnotationAttributes objects. To set the annotation attributes, first create an AnnotationAttributes object using the AnnotationAttributes function and then pass the object to the SetAnnotationAttributes function. To set the default annotation
attributes, also pass the object to the SetDefaultAnnotationAttributes function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
a = AnnotationAttributes()
a.axes3DFlag = 1
a.userInfoFlag = 0
a.gradientBackgroundStyle = a.GRADIENTSTYLE_RADIAL
a.gradientColor1 = (0,255,255)
a.gradientColor2 = (0,0,0)
a.backgroundMode = a.BACKGROUNDMODE_GRADIENT
SetAnnotationAttributes(a)

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SetCenterOfRotation

SetCenterOfRotationSets the center of rotation for plots in a 3D vis window.


Synopsis:
SetCenterOfRotation(x,y,z) -> integer
Arguments:
x

The x component of the center of rotation.

The y component of the center of rotation.

The z component of the center of rotation.

Returns:
The SetCenterOfRotation function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetCenterOfRotation function sets the center of rotation for plots in a 3D visualization window. The center of rotation, is the point about which plots are rotated when you interactively spin
the plots using the mouse. It is useful to set the center of rotation if youve zoomed in on any 3D
plots so in the event that you rotate the plots, the point of interest remains fixed on the screen.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot("Mesh", "mesh1")
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.409139, 0.631025, 0.6591)
v.viewUp = (0.320232, 0.775678, -0.543851)
v.imageZoom = 4.8006
SetCenterOfRotation(-4.755280, 6.545080, 5.877850)
# Rotate the plots interactively.

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SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions

SetDatabaseCorrelationOptionsSets the global options for database


correlations.
Synopsis:
SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions(method, whenToCreate) -> integer
Arguments:
An integer that tells VisIt what default method to use when automatically
creating a database correlation. The value must be in the range [0,3].

method

whenToCreate An integer that tells VisIt when to automatically create database correlations.
Returns:
SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
VisIt provides functions to explicitly create and alter database correlations but there are also a
number of occasions where VisIt can automatically create a database correlation. The SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions function allows you to tell VisIt the default correlation method to use
when automatically creating a new database correlation and it also allows you to tell VisIt when
database correlations can be automatically created.
method

Description

IndexForIndexCorrelation

StretchedIndexCorrelation

TimeCorrelation

CycleCorrelation

whenToCreate

Description

Always create database correlation

Never create database correlation

Create database correlation


only if the new time-varying
database has the same length
as another time-varying database already being used in a
plot.

Example:

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SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions

% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/dbA00.pdb)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
# Always create a stretched index correlation.
SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions(1, 0)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/dbB00.pdb)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
# The AddPlot caused a database correlation to be created.
DrawPlots()
wi = GetWindowInformation()
print Active time slider: % wi.timeSliders[wi.activeTimeSlider]
# This will set time for both databases since the database correlation
is the active time slider.
SetTimeSliderState(5)

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SetGlobalLineoutAttributes

SetGlobalLineoutAttributesSets global lineout attributes that are used for all


lineouts.
Synopsis:
SetGlobalLineoutAttributes(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

A GlobalLineoutAttributes object that contains the new settings.

Returns:
The SetGlobalLineoutAttributes function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetGlobalLineoutAttributes function allows you to set global lineout options that are used in
the creation of all lineouts. You can, for example, specify the destination window and the number
of sample points for lineouts.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
gla = GetGlobalLineoutAttributes()
gla.createWindow = 0
gla.windowId = 4
gla.samplingOn = 1
gla.numSamples = 150
SetGlobalLineoutAttributes(gla)
Lineout((-5,-8), (-3.5, 8))

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SetInteractorAttributes

SetInteractorAttributesSets VisIts interactor attributes.


Synopsis:
SetInteractorAttributes(atts) -> integer
SetDefaultInteractorAttributes(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

An InteractorAttributes object that contains the new interactor attributes that


you want to use.

Returns:
SetInteractorAttributes returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetInteractorAttributes function is used to set certain interactor properties. Interactors, can be
thought of as how mouse clicks and movements are translated into actions in the vis window. To
set the interactor attributes, first get the interactor attributes using the GetInteractorAttributes function (see page 83). Once youve set the objects properties, call the SetInteractorAttributes function
to make VisIt use the new interactor attributes.
The SetDefaultInteractorAttributes function sets the default interactor attributes, which are used
for new visualization windows. The default interactor attributes can also be saved to the VisIt configuration file to ensure that future VisIt sessions have the right default interactor attributes.
Example:
% visit -cli
ia = GetInteractorAttributes()
print ia
ia.showGuidelines = 0
SetInteractorAttributes(ia)

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SetKeyframeAttributes

SetKeyframeAttributesSets VisIts keyframing attributes.


Synopsis:
SetKeyframeAttributes(kfAtts) -> integer
Arguments:
kfAtts

A KeyframeAttributes object that contains the new keyframing attributes to use.

Returns:
SetKeyframeAttributes returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
Use the SetKeyframeAttributes function when you want to change VisIts keyframing settings.
You must pass a KeyframeAttributes object, which you can create using the GetKeyframeAttributes function (page 84). The KeyframeAttributes object must contain the keyframing settings
that you want VisIt to use. For example, you would use the SetKeyframeAttributes function if you
wanted to turn on keyframing mode and set the number of animation frames.
Example:
% visit -cli
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
print k
k.enabled,k.nFrames,k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, 100, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)

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SetLight

SetLightReturns a light object containing the attributes for a specified light.


Synopsis:
SetLight(index, light) -> integer
Arguments:
index

A zero-based integer index into the light list. Index can be in the range [0,7].

light

A LightAttributes object containing the properties to use for the specified light.

Returns:
SetLight returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetLight function sets the attributes for a specific light.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "w")
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = xray
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
InvertBackgroundColor()
light = GetLight(0)
print light
light.enabledFlag = 1
light.direction = (0,-1,0)
light.color = (255,0,0,255)
SetLight(0, light)
light.color,light.direction = (0,255,0,255), (-1,0,0)
SetLight(1, light)

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SetMaterialAttributes

SetMaterialAttributesSets VisIts material interface reconstruction options.


Synopsis:
SetMaterialAttributes(atts) -> integer
SetDefaultMaterialAttributes(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

A MaterialAttributes object containing the new settings.

Returns:
Both functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetMaterialAttributes function takes a MaterialAttributes object and makes VisIt use the
material settings that it contains. You use the SetMaterialAttributes function when you want to
change how VisIt performs material interface reconstruction. The SetDefaultMaterialAttributes
function sets the default material attributes, which are saved to the config file and are also used by
new visualization windows.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.min,p.minFlag = 4.0, 1
p.max,p.maxFlag = 13.0, 1
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
# Tell VisIt to always do material interface reconstruction.
m = GetMaterialAttributes()
m.forceMIR = 1
SetMaterialAttributes(m)
ClearWindow()
# Redraw the plot forcing VisIt to use the mixed variable information.
DrawPlots()

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SetOperatorOptions

SetOperatorOptionsSets the attributes for an operator.


Synopsis:
SetOperatorOptions(atts) -> integer
SetOperatorOptions(atts, activeIndex, all) -> integer
SetOperatorOptions(atts, all) -> integer
SetDefaultOperatorOptions(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

Any type of operator attributes object.

activeIndex An optional zero-based integer that serves as an index into the selected plots
operator list. Use this argument if you want to set the operator attributes for a
plot that has multiple instances of the same type of operator.
all

An optional integer argument that tells the function to apply the operator
attributes to all plots containing the specified operator if the value of the
argument is non-zero.

Returns:
All functions return an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
Each operator in VisIt has a group of attributes that controls the operator. To set the attributes for
an operator, first create an operator attributes object. This is done by calling a function which is the
name of the operator plus the word Attributes. For example, a Slice operators operator attributes
object is created and returned by the SliceAttributes function. Assign the new operator attributes
object into a variable and set its fields. After setting the desired fields in the operator attributes
object, pass the object to the SetOperatorOptions function. The SetOperatorOptions function
determines the type of operator to which the operator attributes object applies and sets the
attributes for that operator type. To set the default plot attributes, use the SetDefaultOperatorOptions function. Setting the default attributes ensures that all future instances of a certain operator
are initialized with the new default values.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
AddOperator(Slice, 1) # Add the operator to both plots
a = SliceAttributes()
a.normal, a.upAxis = (0,0,1), (0,1,0)
# Only set the attributes for the selected plot.
SetOperatorOptions(a)
DrawPlots()

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SetPickAttributes

SetPickAttributesChanges the pick settings that VisIt uses when picking on plots.
Synopsis:
SetPickAttributes(atts) -> integer
SetDefaultPickAttributes(atts) -> integer
ResetPickAttributes() -> integer
Arguments:
atts

A PickAttributes object containing the new pick settings.

Returns:
All functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetPickAttributes function changes the pick attributes that are used when VisIt picks on plots.
The pick attributes allow you to format your pick output in various ways and also allows you to
select auxiliary pick variables.
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
Pick((-5,5))
p = GetPickAttributes()
p.showTimeStep = 0
p.showMeshName = 0
p.showZoneId = 0
SetPickAttributes(p)
Pick((0,5))

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SetPipelineCachingMode

SetPipelineCachingModeSets the pipeline caching mode.


Synopsis:
SetPipelineCachingMode(mode) -> integer
Returns:
The SetPipelineCachingMode function returns 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
The SetPipelineCachingMode function turns pipeline caching on or off in the viewer. When pipeline caching is enabled, animation timesteps are cached for fast playback. This can be a disadvantage for large databases or for plots with many timesteps because it increases memory
consumption. In those cases, it is often useful to disable pipeline caching so the viewer does not
use as much memory. When the viewer does not cache pipelines, each plot for a timestep must be
recalculated each time the timestep is visited.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetPipelineCachingMode(0) # Disable caching
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
DrawPlots()
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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SetPlotDatabaseState

SetPlotDatabaseStateSets a database keyframe for a specific plot.


Synopsis:
SetPlotDatabaseState(index, frame, state)
Arguments:
index

A zero-based integer index that is the plots location in the plot list.

frame

A zero-baed integer index representing the animation frame for which were
going to add a database keyframe.

state

A zero-based integer index representating the database time state that were
going to use at the specified animation frame.

Returns:
The SetPlotDatabaseState function does not return a value.
Description:
The SetPlotDatabaseState function is used when VisIt is in keyframing mode to add a database
keyframe for a specific plot. VisIt uses database keyframes to determine which database state is to
be used for a given animation frame. Database keyframes can be used to stop database time
while animation time continues forward and they can also be used to make database time go in
reverse, etc.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
DrawPlots()
# Make database time for the Pseudocolor plot go in reverse
SetPlotDatabaseState(0, 0, 70)
SetPlotDatabaseState(0, nFrames-1, 0)
# Animate through the animation frames since the Keyframe animation
time slider is active.
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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SetPlotFrameRange

SetPlotFrameRangeSets the range of animation frames over which a plot is valid.


Synopsis:
SetPlotFrameRange(index, start, end)
Arguments:
index

A zero-based integer representing an index into the plot list.

start

A zero-based integer representing the animation frame where the plot first
appears in the visualization.

end

A zero-based integer representing the animation frame where the plot


disappears from the visualization.

Returns:
The SetPlotFrameRange function does not return a value.
Description:
The SetPlotFrameRange function sets the start and end frames for a plot when VisIt is in keyframing mode. Outside of this frame range, the plot does not appear in the visualization. By default,
plots are valid over the entire range of animation frames when they are first created. Frame ranges
allow you to construct complex animations where plots appear and disappear dynamically.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
AddPlot(Mesh, quadmesh)
DrawPlots()
# Make the Pseudocolor plot take up the first half of the animation
frames before it disappears.
SetPlotFrameRange(0, 0, nFrames/2-1)
# Make the Mesh plot take up the second half of the animation frames.
SetPlotFrameRange(1, nFrames/2, nFrames-1)
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates())
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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SetPlotOptions

SetPlotOptionsSets plot attributes for the selected plots.


Synopsis:
SetPlotOptions(atts) -> integer
SetDefaultPlotOptions(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

Any type of plot attributes object.

Returns:
All functions return an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
Each plot in VisIt has a group of attributes that controls the appearance of the plot. To set the
attributes for a plot, first create a plot attributes object. This is done by calling a function which is
the name of the plot plus the word Attributes. For example, a Pseudocolor plots plotattributes
object is created and returned by the PseudocolorAttributes function. Assign the new plot
attributes object into a variable and set its fields. After setting the desired fields in the plot
attributes object, pass the object to the SetPlotOptions function. The SetPlotOptions function
determines the type of plot to which the plot attributes object applies and sets the attributes for that
plot type. To set the default plot attributes, use the SetDefaultPlotOptions function. Setting the
default attributes ensures that all future instances of a certain plot are initialized with the new
default values.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = "calewhite"
p.minFlag,p.maxFlag = 1,1
p.min,p.max = -5.0, 8.0
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()

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SetPlotSILRestriction

SetPlotSILRestrictionSet the SIL restriction for the selected plots.


Synopsis:
SetPlotSILRestriction(silr) -> integer
SetPlotSILRestriction(silr, all) -> integer
Arguments:
silr

A SIL restriction object.

all

An optional argument that tells the function if the SIL restriction should be
applied to all plots in the plot list.

Returns:
The SetPlotSILRestriction function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
VisIt allows the user to select subsets of databases. The description of the subset is called a Subset
Inclusion Lattice Restriction, or SIL restriction. The SIL restriction allows databases to be subselected in several different ways. The VisIt Python Interface provides the SetPlotSILRestriction
function to allow Python scripts to turn off portions of the plotted database. The SetPlotSILRestriction function accepts a SILRestriction object that contains the SIL restriction for the selected
plots. The optional all argument is an integer that tells the function to apply the SIL restriction to
all plots when the value of the argument is non-zero. If the all argument is not supplied, then the
SIL restriction is only applied to the selected plots.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_curv2d.silo)
AddPlot("Subset", "mat1")
silr = SILRestriction()
silr.TurnOffSet(silr.SetsInCategory(mat1)[1])
SetPlotSILRestriction(silr)
DrawPlots()

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SetPrinterAttributes

SetPrinterAttributesSets the printer attributes.


Synopsis:
SetPrinterAttributes(atts)
Arguments:
atts

A PrinterAttributes object.

Returns:
The SetPrinterAttributes function does not return a value.
Description:
The SetPrinterAttributes function sets the printer attributes. VisIt uses the printer attributes to
determine how the active visualization window should be printed. The function accepts a single
argument which is a PrinterAttributes object containing the printer attributes to use for future
printing. VisIt allows images to be printed to a network printer or to a PostScript file that can be
printed later by other applications.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Surface, v)
DrawPlots()
# Make it print to a file.
p = PrinterAttributes()
p.outputToFile = 1
p.outputToFileName = printfile
SetPrinterAttributes(p)
PrintWindow()

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SetQueryOverTimeAttributes

SetQueryOverTimeAttributesChanges the settings that VisIt uses for queries


over time.
Synopsis:
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes(atts) -> integer
SetDefaultQueryOverTimeAttributes(atts) -> integer
ResetQueryOverTimeAttributes() -> integer
Arguments:
atts

A QueryOverTimeAttributes object containing the new settings to use for


queries over time.

Returns:
All functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetQueryOverTimeAttributes function changes the settings that VisIt uses for query over
time. The SetDefaultQueryOverTimeAttributes function changes the settings that new visualization windows inherit for doing query over time. Finally, the ResetQueryOverTimeAttributes function forces VisIt to use the stored default query over time attributes instead of the previous settings.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
DrawPlots()
qot = GetQueryOverTimeAttributes()
# Make queries over time go to window 4.
qot.createWindow,q.windowId = 0, 4
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes(qot)
QueryOverTime(Min)
# Make queries over time only use half of the number of time states.
qot.endTimeFlag,qot.endTime = 1, GetDatabaseNStates() / 2
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes(qot)
QueryOverTime(Min)
ResetView()

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SetRenderingAttributes

SetRenderingAttributesSets global rendering attributes that control the look and


feel of the plots.
Synopsis:
SetRenderingAttributes(atts) -> integer
Arguments:
atts

A RenderingAttributes object that contains the rendering attributes that we want


to make VisIt use.

Returns:
The SetRenderingAttributes function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetRenderingAttributes makes VisIt use the rendering attributes stored in the specified RenderingAttributes object. The RenderingAttributes object stores rendering attributes such as: scalable rendering options, shadows, specular highlights, display lists, etc.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Surface, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView2D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.215934, -0.454611, 0.864119)
v.viewUp = (0.973938, -0.163188, 0.157523)
v.imageZoom = 1.64765
SetView3D(v)
light = GetLight(0)
light.direction = (0,1,-1)
SetLight(0, light)
r = GetRenderingAttributes()
print r
r.scalableActivationMode = r.Always
r.doShadowing = 1
SetRenderingAttributes(r)

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SetSaveWindowAttributes

SetSaveWindowAttributesSet the attributes used to save windows.


Synopsis:
SetSaveWindowAttributes(atts)
Arguments:
atts

A SaveWindowAttributes object.

Returns:
The SetSaveWindowAttributes object does not return a value.
Description:
The SetSaveWindowAttributes function sets the format and filename that are used to save windows when the SaveWindow function is called. The contents of the active visualization window
can be saved as TIFF, JPEG, RGB, PPM, PNG images or they can be saved as curve, Alias Wavefront Obj, or VTK geometry files. To set the SaveWindowAttributes, create a SaveWindowAttributes object using the SaveWindowAttributes function and assign it into a variable. Set the fields
in the object and pass it to the SetSaveWindowAttributes function.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv3d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
# Set the save window attributes
s = SaveWindowAttributes()
s.filename = "test"
s.format = s.FILEFORMAT_JPEG
s.progressive = 1
s.fileName = "test"
SetSaveWindowAttributes(s)
# Save the window
SaveWindow()

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SetTimeSliderState

SetTimeSliderStateSets the time state for the active time slider.


Synopsis:
SetTimeSliderState(state) -> integer
Arguments:
state

A zero-based integer containing the time state that we want to make active.

Returns:
The SetTimeSliderState function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetTimeSliderState function sets the time state for the active time slider. This is the function
to use if you want to animate through time or change the current keyframe frame.
Example:
% visit -cli
path = /usr/gapps/visit/data/
dbs = (path + dbA00.pdb, path + dbB00.pdb, path + dbC00.pdb)
for db in dbs:
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
tsNames = GetWindowInformation().timeSliders
for ts in tsNames:
SetActiveTimeSlider(ts)
for state in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(state)

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SetView

SetViewSets the view for the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
SetView2D(view)
SetView3D(view)
Arguments:
view

A ViewAttributes object containing the view.

Returns:
Neither function returns a value.
Description:
The view is a crucial part of a visualization since it determines which parts of the database are
examined. The VisIt Python Interface provides two functions for setting the view: SetView2D, and
SetView3D. If the visualization window contains 2D plots, use the SetView2D function. Use the
SetView3D function when the visualization window contains 3D plots. Both functions take a ViewAttributes object as an argument. To set the view, first create a ViewAttributes object using the
ViewAttributes function and set the objects fields to set a new view. After setting the fields, pass
the object to either the SetView2D or SetView3D function. A common use of the SetView functions is to animate the view to produce simple animations where the camera appears to fly around
the plots in the visualization window.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, v)
DrawPlots()
v0 = GetView3D()
v1 = GetView3D()
v1.camera,v1.viewUp = (1,1,1),(-1,1,-1)
v1.parallelScale = 10.
for i in range(0,20):
t = float(i) / 19.
v2 = (1. - t) * v0 + t * v1
SetView3D(v2) # Animate the view.

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SetViewExtentsType

SetViewExtentsTypeTells VisIt how to use extents when computing the view.


Synopsis:
SetViewExtentsType(type) -> integer
Arguments:
type

An integer 0, 1 or one of the strings: original, actual.

Returns:
SetViewExtentsType returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
VisIt can use a plots spatial extents in two ways when computing the view. The first way of using
the extents is to use the original extents, which are the spatial extents before any modifications,
such as subset selection, have been made to the plot. This ensures that the view will remain relatively constant for a plot. Alternatively, you can use the actual extents, which are the spatial
extents of the pieces of the plot that remain after operations such as subset selection.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
SetViewExtentsType(actual)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, mat1)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.618945, 0.450655, 0.643286)
v.viewUp = (0.276106, 0.891586, -0.358943)
SetView3D(v)
mats = GetMaterials()
nmats = len(mats):
# Turn off all but the last material in sequence and watch
# the view update each time.
for i in range(nmats-1):
index = nmats-1-i
TurnMaterialsOff(mats[index])
SaveWindow()
SetViewExtentsType(original)

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SetViewKeyframe

SetViewKeyframeAdds a view keyframe.


Synopsis:
SetViewKeyframe() -> integer
Returns:
The SetViewKeyframe function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The SetViewKeyframe function adds a view keyframe when VisIt is in keyframing mode. View
keyframes are used to set the view at crucial points during an animation. Frames that lie between
view keyframes have an interpolated view that is based on the view keyframes. You can use the
SetViewKeyframe function to create complex camera animations that allow you to fly around (or
through) your visualization.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()
k = GetKeyframeAttributes()
nFrames = 20
k.enabled, k.nFrames, k.nFramesWasUserSet = 1, nFrames, 1
SetKeyframeAttributes(k)
SetPlotFrameRange(0, 0, nFrames-1)
SetViewKeyframe()
SetTimeSliderState(10)
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.721721, 0.40829, 0.558944)
v.viewUp = (0.294696, 0.911913, -0.285604)
SetView3D(v)
SetViewKeyframe()
SetTimeSliderState(nFrames-1)
v.viewNormal = (-0.74872, 0.423588, -0.509894)
v.viewUp = (0.369095, 0.905328, 0.210117)
SetView3D()
SetViewKeyframe()
ToggleCameraViewMode()
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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SetWindowArea

SetWindowAreaSet the screen area devoted to visualization windows.


Synopsis:
SetWindowArea(x, y, width, height)
Arguments:
x

Left X coordinate in screen pixels.

Top Y coordinate in screen pixels.

width

Width of the window area in pixels.

height

Height of the window area in pixels.

Returns:
The SetWindowArea function does not return a value.
Description:
The SetWindowArea method sets the area of the screen that can be used by VisIts visualization
windows. This is useful for making sure windows are a certain size when running a Python script.
Example:
import visit
visit.Launch()
visit.SetWindowArea(0, 0, 600, 600)
visit.SetWindowLayout(4)

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SetWindowLayout

SetWindowLayoutSets the window layout


Synopsis:
SetWindowLayout(layout) -> integer
Arguments:
layout

An integer that specifies the window layout. (1,2,4,8,9,16 are valid)

Returns:
The SetWindowLayout function returns an integer value of 1 for success and 0 for failure.
Description:
VisIts visualization windows can be arranged in various tiled patterns that allow VisIt to make
good use of the screen while displaying several visualization windows. The window layout determines how windows are shown on the screen. The SetWindowLayout function sets the window
layout. The layout argument is an integer value equal to 1,2,4,8,9, or 16.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(2) # switch to 1x2 layout
SetWindowLayout(4) # switch to 2x2 layout
SetWindowLayout(8) # switch to 2x4 layout

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SetWindowMode

SetWindowModeSets the window mode of the active visualization window.


Synopsis:
SetWindowMode(mode)
Arguments:
mode

A string containing lineout, navigate, pick, or zoom.

Returns:
The SetWindowMode function does not return a value.
Description:
VisIts visualization windows have various window modes that alter their behavior. Most of the
time a visualization window is in navigate mode which changes the view when the mouse is
moved in the window. The zoom mode allows a zoom rectangle to be drawn in the window for
changing the view. The pick mode retrieves information about the plots when the mouse is
clicked in the window. The lineout mode allows the user to draw lines which produce curve
plots.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, d)
DrawPlots()
SetWindowMode(zoom)
# Draw a rectangle in the visualization window to zoom the plots

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ShowAllWindows

ShowAllWindowsTells VisIt to show its visualization windows.


Synopsis:
ShowAllWindows() -> integer
Returns:
The ShowAllWindows function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The ShowAllWindows function tells VisIts viewer to show all of its visualization windows. The
command line interface calls ShowAllWindows before giving control to any user-supplied script to
ensure that the visualization windows appear as expected. Call the ShowAllWindows function
when using the VisIt module inside another Python interpreter so the visualization windows are
made visible.
Example:
% python
import visit
visit.Launch()
visit.ShowAllWindows()

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ShowToolbars

ShowToolbarsShows the visualization windows toolbars.


Synopsis:
ShowToolbars() -> integer
ShowToolbars(allWindows) ->integer
Arguments:
allWindows

An integer value that tells VisIt to show the toolbars for all windows when it is
non-zero.

Returns:
The ShowToolbars function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The ShowToolbars function tells VisIt to show the toolbars for the active visualization window or
for all visualization windows when the optional allWindows argument is provided and is set to a
non-zero value.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
HideToolbars(1)
ShowToolbars()
# Show the toolbars for all windows.
ShowToolbars(1)

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Source

SourceExecutes the specified Python script


Synopsis:
Source(filename)
Returns:
The Source function does not return a value.
Description:
The Source function reads in the contents of a text file and interprets it with the Python interpreter.
This is a simple mechanism that allows simple scripts to be included in larger scripts. The Source
function takes a single string argument that contains the name of the script to execute.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# include another script that does some animation.
Source(Animate.py)

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TimeSliderGetNStates

TimeSliderGetNStatesReturns the number of time states for the active time slider.
Synopsis:
TimeSliderGetNStates() -> integer
Returns:
Returns an integer containing the number of time states for the current time slider.
Description:
The TimeSliderGetNStates function returns the number of time states for the active time slider.
Remember that the length of the time slider does not have to be equal to the number of time states
in a time-varying database because of database correlations and keyframing. If you want to iterate
through time, use this function to determine the number of iterations that are required to reach the
end of the active time slider.
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/wave.visit)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, pressure)
DrawPlots()
for state in range(TimeSliderGetNStates()):
SetTimeSliderState(state)
SaveWindow()

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TimeSliderNextState

TimeSliderNextStateAdvances the active time slider to the next state.


Synopsis:
TimeSliderNextState() -> integer
Returns:
The TimeSliderNextState function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The TimeSliderNextState function advances the active time slider to the next time slider state.
Example:
# Assume that files are being written to the disk.
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(dynamic*.silo database)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, var)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh)
DrawPlots()
SetTimeSliderState(TimeSliderGetNStates() - 1)
while 1:
SaveWindow()
TimeSliderPreviousState()

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TimeSliderPreviousState

TimeSliderPrevStateMoves the active time slider to the previous time state.


Synopsis:
TimeSliderPreviousState() -> integer
Returns:
The TimeSliderPreviousState function returns 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The TimeSliderPreviousState function moves the active time slider to the previous time slider
state.
Example:
# Assume that files are being written to the disk.
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(dynamic*.silo database)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, var)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh)
DrawPlots()
while 1:
TimeSliderNextState()
SaveWindow()

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ToggleMode

ToggleModeToggle a visualization window mode


Synopsis:
ToggleBoundingBoxMode() -> integer
ToggleCameraViewMode() -> integer
ToggleFullFrameMode() -> integer
ToggleLockTime() -> integer
ToggleLockViewMode() -> integer
ToggleMaintainDataMode() -> integer
ToggleMaintainViewMode() -> integer
ToggleSpinMode() -> integer
Returns:
All functions return 1 on success and 0 on failure.
Description:
The visualization window has various modes that affect its behavior and the VisIt Python Interface
provides a few functions to toggle some of those modes.
The ToggleBoundingBoxMode function toggles bounding box mode on and off. When the visualization window is in bounding box mode, any plots it contains are hidden while the view is being
changed so the window redraws faster.
The ToggleCameraViewMode function toggles camera view mode on and off. When the visualization window is in camera view mode, the view is updated using any view keyframes that have been
defined when VisIt is in keyframing mode.
The ToggleFullFrameMode function toggles fullframe mode on and off. When the visualization
window is in fullframe mode, the viewport is stretched non-uniformly so that it covers most of the
visualization window. While not maintaining a 1:1 aspect ratio, it does make better use of the visualization window.
The ToggleLockTime function turns time locking on and off in a visualization window. When time
locking is on in a visualization window, VisIt creates a database correlation that works for the databases in all visualization windows that are time-locked. When you change the time state using the
time slider for the the afore-mentioned database correlation, it has the effect of updating time in all
time-locked visualization windows.
The ToggleLockViewMode function turns lock view mode on and off. When windows are in lock
view mode, each view change is broadcast to other windows that are also in lock view mode. This
allows windows containing similar plots to be compared easily.
The ToggleMaintainDataMode and ToggleMaintainViewMode functions force the data range and
the view, respectively, that was in effect when the mode was toggled to be used for all subsequent
time states.
The ToggleSpinMode function turns spin mode on and off. When the visualization window is in
spin mode, it continues to spin along the axis of rotation when the view is changed interactively.

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ToggleMode

Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
# Turn on spin mode.
ToggleSpinMode()
# Rotate the plot interactively using the mouse and watch it keep
spinning after the mouse release.
# Turn off spin mode.
ToggleSpinMode()

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TurnMaterialsOn/Off, TurnDomainsOn/Off

TurnTurns materials or domains on or off.


Synopsis:
TurnMaterialsOn() -> integer
TurnMaterialsOn(string) -> integer
TurnMaterialsOn(tuple of strings) -> integer
TurnMaterialsOff() -> integer
TurnMaterialsOff(string) -> integer
TurnMaterialsOff(tuple of strings) -> integer
TurnDomainsOn() -> integer
TurnDomainsOn(string) -> integer
TurnDomainsOn(tuple of strings) -> integer
TurnDomainsOff() -> integer
TurnDomainsOff(string) -> integer
TurnDomainsOff(tuple of strings) -> integer
Returns:
The Turn functions return an integer with a value of 1 for success or 0 for failure.
Description:
The Turn functions are provided to simplify the removal of material or domain subsets. Instead of
creating a SILRestriction object, you can use the Turn functions to turn materials or domains on or
off. The TurnMaterialsOn function turns materials on and the TurnMaterialsOff function turns
them off. The TurnDomainsOn function turns domains on and the TurnDomainsOff function turns
them off. All of the Turn functions have three possible argument lists. When you do not provide
any arguments, the function applies to all subsets in the SIL so if you called the TurnMaterialsOff
function with no arguments, all materials would be turned off. Calling TurnMaterialsOn with no
arguments would turn all materials on. All functions can also take a string argument, which is the
name of the set to modify. For example, you could turn off domain 0 by calling the TurnDomainsOff with a single argument of domain0 (or the appropriate set name). All of the Turn functions
can also be used to modify more than one set if you provide a tuple of set names. After you use the
Turn functions to change the SIL restriction, you might want to call the ListMaterials or ListDomains functions to make sure that the SIL restriction was actually modified.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
DrawPlots()
TurnMaterialsOff(4) # Turn off material 4
TurnMaterialsOff((1, 2)) # Turn off materials 1 and 2
TurnMaterialsOn() # Turn on all materials

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UndoView

UndoViewRestores the previous view


Synopsis:
UndoView()
Returns:
The UndoView function does not return a value.
Description:
When the view changes in the visualization window, it puts the old view on a stack of views. The
UndoView function restores the view on top of the stack and removes it. This allows the user to
undo up to ten view changes.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/curv2d.silo)
AddPlot(Subset, mat1)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView2D()
v.windowCoords = (-2.3,2.4,0.2,4.9)
SetView2D(v)
UndoView()

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WriteConfigFile

WriteConfigFileTells the viewer to write its configuration file.


Synopsis:
WriteConfigFile()
Returns:
The WriteconfigFile function does not return a value.
Description:
The viewer maintains internal settings which determine the default values for objects like plots and
operators. The viewer can save out the default values so they can be used in future VisIt sessions.
The WriteConfig function tells the viewer to write out the settings to the VisIt configuration file.
Example:
% visit -cli
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.minFlag, p.min = 1, 5.0
p.maxFlag, p.max = 1, 20.0
SetDefaultPlotOptions(p)
# Save the new default Pseudocolor settings to the config file.
WriteConfig()

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WriteConfigFile

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Chapter 5

1.0

Object Reference I

Overview
VisIts Python Interface is replete with functions that perform complex behaviors. Each
function requires anywhere from a handful of pieces of information to dozens of pieces of
information in order to complete successfully. To ensure that programming scripts using
VisIts Python Interface is made as simple as possible, many functions take special objects
which group all related pieces of information as their arguments. These objects are new
Python types that contain groups of attributes that are used to perform related functions.
These objects, which are covered in this chapter, are used to simplify the interface to the
functions in the VisIt Python Interface and they also make convenient return values for
functions that return information about VisIts state.

2.0

Functions and Objects


The objects described in this reference all have constructor functions which return a new
instance of the specific object type. The reference page for each object gives both a
synopsis of how to use the constructor function and a description of all of the fields and
methods that are part of the object.
Most objects can be modified using a simple assigment of an appropriate Python object
into any of its fields. When an incompatible value is assigned into one of an objects fields,
the Python interpreter will throw an exception. In addition to being able to set the value of
each field directly, all objects provide Set/Get methods which can be used to assign values
into a field. These Set/Get methods are not covered except to say that if you have an object
called FOO and a field called BAR, the Set/Get methods would be of the form:
FOO.SetBAR(value), FOO.GetBAR() -> value.

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AnnotationAttributes

AnnotationAttributesAnnotationAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
AnnotationAttributes() -> AnnotationAttributes object
Returns:
The AnnotationAttributes function returns an AnnotationAttributes object.
Object definition:

192

Field

Type

Default value

axesFlag2D

int

axesAutoSetTicks2D

int

labelAutoSetScaling2D

int

xAxisLabels2D

int

yAxisLabels2D

int

xAxisTitle2D

int

yAxisTitle2D

int

xGridLines2D

int

yGridLines2D

int

xMajorTickMinimum2D

float

0.0

yMajorTickMinimum2D

float

0.0

xMajorTickMaximum2D

float

1.0

yMajorTickMaximum2D

float

1.0

xMajorTickSpacing2D

float

0.2

yMajorTickSpacing2D

float

0.2

xMinorTickSpacing2D

float

0.02

yMinorTickSpacing2D

float

0.02

xLabelFontHeight2D

float

0.02

yLabelFontHeight2D

float

0.02

xTitleFontHeight2D

float

0.02

yTitleFontHeight2D

float

0.02

xLabelScaling2D

int

yLabelScaling2D

int

VisIt Python Interface Manual

AnnotationAttributes

Field

Type

Default value

axesLineWidth2D

int

axesTickLocation2D

int

Outside
Possible values: Inside, Outside, Both

axesTicks2D

int

BottomLeft
Possible values: Off, Bottom, Left, BottomLeft, All

axesFlag

int

axesAutoSetTicks

int

labelAutoSetScaling

int

xAxisLabels

int

yAxisLabels

int

zAxisLabels

int

xAxisTitle

int

yAxisTitle

int

zAxisTitle

int

xGridLines

int

yGridLines

int

zGridLines

int

xAxisTicks

int

yAxisTicks

int

zAxisTicks

int

xMajorTickMinimum

float

0.0

yMajorTickMinimum

float

0.0

zMajorTickMinimum

float

0.0

xMajorTickMaximum

float

1.0

yMajorTickMaximum

float

1.0

zMajorTickMaximum

float

1.0

xMajorTickSpacing

float

0.2

yMajorTickSpacing

float

0.2

zMajorTickSpacing

float

0.2

xMinorTickSpacing

float

0.02

yMinorTickSpacing

float

0.02

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AnnotationAttributes

Field

Type

Default value

zMinorTickSpacing

float

0.02

xLabelFontHeight

float

0.02

yLabelFontHeight

float

0.02

zLabelFontHeight

float

0.02

xTitleFontHeight

float

0.02

yTitleFontHeight

float

0.02

zTitleFontHeight

float

0.02

xLabelScaling

int

yLabelScaling

int

zLabelScaling

int

axesTickLocation

int

axesType

int

ClosestTriad
Possible values: ClosestTriad, FurthestTriad, OutsideEdges, StaticTriad, StaticEdges

triadFlag

int

bboxFlag

int

backgroundColor

tuple of int

(255, 255, 255, 255)

foregroundColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

gradientBackgroundStyle

int

Radial
Possible values: TopToBottom, BottomToTop, LeftToRight, RightToLeft, Radial

gradientColor1

tuple of int

(0, 0, 255, 255)

gradientColor2

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

backgroundMode

int

Solid
Possible values: Solid, Gradient

userInfoFlag

int

databaseInfoFlag

int

legendInfoFlag

int

Description:
The AnnotationAttributes function is used to create AnnotationAttributes objects that can be
passed to the SetAnnotationAttributes function once their attributes have been set.
Example:

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% visit -cli
# Turning on a gradient background.
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, u)
AddPlot(Mesh, mesh1)
DrawPlots()
# Get the current annotation attributes.
a = GetAnnotationAttributes()
a.foregroundColor = (255,255,255,255)
a.gradientBackgroundStyle = a.TopToBottom
a.gradientColor1 = (150,200,255,255)
a.backgroundMode = a.Gradient
# Make the visualization use a gradient background.
SetAnnotationAttributes(a)

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GlobalAttributes

GlobalAttributesGlobalAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
GlobalAttributes() -> GlobalAttributes object
Returns:
The GlobalAttributes function returns a GlobalAttributes object.
Notes:
The only thing a GlobalAttributes object is good for is knowing some of VisIts state information
such as how many windows there are, what the active sources are, etc. Many of the fields contain
simple global flags that you can query and use in control flow logic in your VisIt script. Think of
GlobalAttributes as being read only.
Object definition:

196

Field

Type

Default value

sources

tuple of
string

()

windows

tuple of int

(1)

activeWindow

int

iconifiedFlag

int

autoUpdateFlag

int

replacePlots

int

applyOperator

int

executing

int

windowLayout

int

makeDefaultConfirm

int

cloneWindowOnFirstRef

int

maintainView

int

maintainData

int

automaticallyAddOperator

int

Contains the names of all of the open


sources (databases, simulations, etc).

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GlobalAttributes

Description:
The GlobalAttributes function is used to create GlobalAttributes objects but more often than not,
you should use the GetGlobalAttributes function to create a GlobalAttributes object since objects
returned from that function will be initialized with VisIts current state.
Example:
% visit -cli
SetWindowLayout(4)
ptypes = ("Pseudocolor", "FilledBoundary", "Vector", "Volume")
pvars = ("u", "mat1", "vel", "speed")
for win in GetGlobalAttributes().windows:
SetActiveWindow(win)
DeleteAllPlots()
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo")
i = win-1
AddPlot(ptypes[i], pvars[i])
DrawPlots()

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LightAttributes

LightAttributesLightAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
LightAttributes() -> LightAttributes object
Returns:
The LightAttributes function returns a LightAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

enabledFlag

int

type

int

Camera
Possible values: Ambient, Object, Camera

direction

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, -1.0)

color

tuple of
float

(255, 255, 255, 255)

brightness

float

1.0

Description:
The LightAttributes function is used to create LightAttributes objects. Once you set the properties
for a LightAttributes object, you can pass the object to the SetLight function (see page 159) to set
the properties for one of VisIts lights.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/globe.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, w)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.colorTableName = xray
SetPlotOptions(p)
InvertBackgroundColor()
DrawPlots()
L = LightAttributes()
L.direction, L.color = (0,-1,0), (255,0,0,255)
SetLight(0, L)

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MaterialAttributes

MaterialAttributesMaterialAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
MaterialAttributes() -> MaterialAttributes object
Returns:
The MaterialAttributes function returns a MaterialAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

cleanZonesOnly

int

forceMIR

int

needValidConnectivity

int

smoothing

int

useNewMIRAlgorithm

int

Description:
The MaterialAttributes function is used to create MaterialAttributes objects which are then used to
set material interface reconstruction options using the SetMaterialAttributes function (see
page 160).
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/allinone00.pdb)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, mesh/mixvar)
p = PseudocolorAttributes()
p.min,p.minFlag = 4.0, 1
p.max,p.maxFlag = 13.0, 1
SetPlotOptions(p)
DrawPlots()
# Tell VisIt to always do material interface reconstruction.
m = GetMaterialAttributes()
m.forceMIR = 1
SetMaterialAttributes(m)
ClearWindow()
DrawPlots()

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PrinterAttributes

PrinterAttributesPrinterAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
PrinterAttributes() -> PrinterAttributes object
Returns:
The PrinterAttributes function returns a PrinterAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

creator

string

""

documentName

string

"untitled"

numCopies

int

outputToFile

int

outputToFileName

string

"untitled"

pageSize

int

portrait

int

printColor

int

printProgram

string

lpr

printerName

string

Description:
The PrinterAttributes function is used to create PrinterAttributes objects.

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RenderingAttributes

RenderingAttributesRenderingAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
RenderingAttributes() -> RenderingAttributes object
Description:
The RenderingAttributes function returns a RenderingAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

antialiasing

int

geometryRepresentation

int

Surfaces
Possible values: Surfaces, Wireframe,
Points

displayListMode

int

Auto
Possible values: Never, Always, Auto

stereoRendering

int

stereoType

int

CrystalEyes
Possible values: RedBlue, Interlaced,
CrystalEyes

notifyForEachRender

int

scalableActivationMode

int

Auto
Possible values: Never, Always, Auto

scalableAutoThreshold

int

2000000

specularFlag

int

specularCoeff

float

0.6

specularPower

float

10.0

specularColor

tuple of int

(255, 255, 255, 255)

doShadowing

int

shadowStrength

float

0.5

Description:
The RenderingAttributes function is used to create RenderingAttributes objects that can be passed
to the SetRenderingAttributes function (see page 170) to set VisIts rendering options.
Example:
% visit -cli

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RenderingAttributes

OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Surface, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
# Set up the view
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.215934, -0.454611, 0.864119)
v.viewUp = (0.973938, -0.163188, 0.157523)
v.imageZoom = 1.64765
SetView3D(v)
# Set up the light.
light = GetLight(0)
light.direction = (0,1,-1)
SetLight(0, light)
# Turn on shadows
r = GetRenderingAttributes()
print r
r.scalableActivationMode = r.Always
r.doShadowing = 1
SetRenderingAttributes(r)

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SaveWindowAttributes

SaveWindowAttributesSaveWindowAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
SaveWindowAttributes() -> SaveWindowAttributes object
Returns:
The SaveWindowAttributes function returns a SaveWindowAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

outputToCurrentDirectory

int

outputDirectory

string

fileName

string

"visit"

family

int

format

int

TIFF
Possible values: BMP, CURVE, JPEG,
OBJ, PNG, POSTSCRIPT, PPM, RGB,
STL, TIFF, ULTRA, VTK

maintainAspect

int

width

int

1024

height

int

1024

screenCapture

int

saveTiled

int

quality

int

80

progressive

int

binary

int

stereo

int

compression

int

Description:
The SaveWindowAttributes function is used to create SaveWindowAttributes objects so that you
can pass them to the SetSaveWindowAttributes function to set options that are used when VisIt
saves an image.
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hardyglobal)

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SaveWindowAttributes

DrawPlots()
# Set the save window options
s = SaveWindowAttributes()
s.fileName = mycontour.jpeg
s.format = s.JPEG
s.family = 0
s.progressive = 1
s.quality = 90
SetSaveWindowOptions(s)
# Save the image in the active vis window.
SaveWindow()

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SILRestriction

SILRestrictionSilRestriction function and object.


Synopsis:
SILRestriction() -> SILRestriction object
Returns:
The SILRestriction function returns a SILRestriction object.
Notes:
The SILRestriction object is used to specify a SIL restriction for a plot. This allows you to turn off
any of the subsets that make up a plot. The SILRestriction object is a little different from other
objects provided by the VisIt Python Interface in that is relies more on methods than the ability to
set properties. This makes it more like an actual Python class. If you want an easier way to turn
domains and materials on or off, refer to the functions on page 187. If you have more exotic types
of subsets, use the SILRestriction function to create a SIL restriction and then call the SetPlotSILRestriction function on page 167 to make the plot use the SIL restriction.
Object definition:
Method

Description

Categories() -> tuple of string

Returns a tuple of strings containing the


names of all of the subset categories contained in the SIL.

NumCategories() -> int

Returns an integer containing the number of


subset categories in the SIL.

NumSets() -> int

Returns an integer containing the number of


sets in the SIL.

SetIndex(setname) -> int

The SetIndex method returns the set index of


a set that is given by name. This makes it easy
to look up a set and turn it on or off if you
have the name of the set that you want to
change.

Arguments:
A string
containing the
name of the set
whose index is to
be returned.

setname

SetName(setindex) -> string

The SetName method returns the name of a


set when given a set index.

Arguments:
setindex

An integer index
into the list of
sets.

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SILRestriction

Method

Description

SetsInCategory(catname) -> tuple of int

This method returns a tuple of integers containing the set indices of the sets that belong
in the specified category.

Arguments:
The name of a
category. The
name must be in
the tuple
returned by the
Categories
method.

catname

TopSet() -> int

The TopSet method returns the set index of


the top set, which is the top-level set that contains all of the sets under it. Note that a SILRestriction can have multiple top sets if there
is more than one mesh in the data set.

TurnOffAll()

The TurnOffAll method turns off all sets in


the SIL restriction.

TurnOffSet(setindex)

The TurnOffSet method turns off a specific


set and all of that sets subsets in the SIL
restriction.

Arguments:
An integer index
into the list of
sets.

setindex

TurnOnAll()

The TurnOnAll method turns on all sets in the


SIL restriction.

TurnOnSet(setindex)

The TurnOnSet method turns on a specific set


and all of that sets subsets in the SIL restriction.

Arguments:
An integer index
into the list of
sets.

setindex

TurnSet(setindex, onoff)

The TurnSet method allows you to turn a specific set and all of its subsets on or off.

Arguments:

206

setindex

An integer index
into the list of
sets.

onoff

An integer that
indicates
whether the set is
on (non-zero) or
off (zero).

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SILRestriction

Method

Description

UsesAllData() -> int

Returns whether or not the SIL restriction


uses all of its sets.

UsesData(setindex) -> int

The UsesData method allows you to query


the SIL restriction to see whether or not it
uses a specific set. If the specified set is used,
the method returns 1; otherwise 0 is returned.

Arguments:
An integer index
into the list of
sets.

setindex

Wholes() -> tuple of int

The Wholes method returns a tuple of integers containing the indices of the top sets that
are stored in the simulation.

Description:
The SILRestriction function is used to create SILRestriction objects based on the active plot in the
plot list. A SIL restriction is can be thought of as a list of on/off values for each set in the SIL. VisIt
uses SIL restrictions to determine which subsets are actually plotted in a visualization. You can use
a SILRestriction object to turn off sets that you do not want to see in the visualization.
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase("/usr/gapps/visit/data/multi_rect2d.silo")
AddPlot("FilledBoundary", "mat1")
AddPlot("Subset", "domains")
s = SubsetAttributes()
s.wireframe, s.lineWidth = 1, 2
SetPlotOptions(s)
DrawPlots()
ToggleMaintainViewMode()
# Select both plots so we can set both of their SIL restrictions.
SetActivePlots((0,1))
s = SILRestriction()
# Iterate through the categories in the SIL restriction
# and turn all sets on/off different ways.
for category in s.Categories():
# Turn sets off one at a time.
for setindex in s.SetsInCategory(category):
s.TurnOffSet(setindex)
SetPlotSILRestriction(s)
# Turn sets back on one at a time.
for setindex in s.SetsInCategory(category):
s.TurnOnSet(setindex)
SetPlotSILRestriction(s)

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ViewCurveAttributes

ViewCurveAttributesViewCurveAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ViewCurveAttributes() -> ViewCurveAttributes object
Returns:
The ViewCurveAttributes function returns a ViewCurveAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

domainCoords

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0)

rangeCoords

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0)

viewportCoords

tuple of
float

(0.2, 0.95)

Description:
The ViewCurveAttributes function is used to create ViewCurveAttributes objects, which are
passed to the SetViewCurve function to set the view when the visualization window displays
Curve plots.

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View2DAttributes

View2DAttributesView2DAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
View2DAttributes() -> View2DAttributes object
Returns:
The View2DAttributes function returns a View2DAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

fullFrame

int

viewportCoords

tuple of
float

(0.2, 0.95, 0.15, 0.95)

windowCoords

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 1.0)

Description:
The View2DAttributes function is used to create View2DAttributes objects that are used to set the
2D view using the SetView2D function. Note that View2DAttributes can be used in arithmetic
expressions so you can add views together, multiply them by a scale factor, etc. You can even
interpolate views (e.g. view0 * (1. - t) + view1 * t).
Example:
% visit -cli
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hgslice)
DrawPlots()
v = View2DAttributes()
xmin, ymin = 0.5, 0.5
v.viewportCoords = (xmin, 0.95, ymin, 0.95)
v.windowCoords = (-5.0, 0.0, 1.02, 5.9)
SetView2D(v)

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View3DAttributes

View3DAttributesView3DAttributes and function.


Synopsis:
View3DAttributes() -> View3DAttributes object
Returns:
The View3DAttributes function returns a View3DAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

viewNormal

tuple of
float

(0, 0, 1)

focus

tuple of
float

(0, 0, 0)

viewUp

tuple of
float

(0, 1, 0)

viewAngle

float

30.0

parallelScale

float

0.5

nearPlane

float

-0.5

farPlane

float

0.5

imagePan

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0)

imageZoom

float

1.0

perspective

int

eyeAngle

float

2.0

centerOfRotationSet

int

centerOfRotation

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

Description:
The View3DAttributes function is used to create View3DAttributes objects which are then passed
to the SetView3D function to set the view when the visualization window is in 3D. Note that
View3DAttributes can be used in arithmetic expressions so you can add views together, multiply
them by a scale factor, etc. You can even interpolate views (e.g. view0 * (1. - t) + view1 * t).
Example:
OpenDatabase(/usr/gapps/visit/data/noise.silo)
AddPlot(Contour, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()

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# Get an initialized view object.


v = GetView3D()
v. viewNormal = (-0.740314, 0.525704, 0.419012)
v.viewUp = (0.406866, 0.846547, -0.343247)
v.imageZoom = 2.70858
v.centerOfRotationSet = 1
v.centerOfRotation = (-9.57689, 6.25049, 3.18773)
SetView3D(v)

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WindowInformation

WindowInformationWindowInformation function and object.


Synopsis:
WindowInformation() -> WindowInformation object
Returns:
The WindowInformation function returns a WindowInformation object.
Notes:
The WindowInformation object, like the GlobalAttributes object, should be considered to be a
read-only object that reflects the state of VisIt. The difference is that the WindowInformation
object contains state information for the active visualization window.
Object definition:

212

Field

Type

Default value

activeSource

string

notset

activeTimeSlider

int

-1

timeSliders

tuple of
string

()

timeSliderCurrentStates

tuple of int

()

animationMode

int

windowMode

int

boundingBoxNavigate

int

spin

int

fullFrame

int

perspective

int

lockView

int

lockTools

int

lockTime

int

viewExtentsType

int

viewDimension

int

viewKeyframes

tuple of int

()

cameraViewMode

int

usingScalableRendering

int

lastRenderMin

float

0.0

VisIt Python Interface Manual

WindowInformation

Field

Type

Default value

lastRenderAvg

float

0.0

lastRenderMax

float

0.0

numTriangles

int

extents

tuple of
float

(-FLTMAX,FLTMAX,-FLTMAX,FLTMAX,-FLTMAX,FLTMAX)

Description:
The WindowInformation function is used to create WindowInformation objects. For an initialized
WindowInformation object, use the GetWindowInformation function. WindowInformation objects
allow you to inspect some of VIsIts state for the active window and you can use this state information to influence the control flow of your scripts.
Example 1:
% visit -cli
path = /usr/gapps/visit/data/
dbs = (path + dbA00.pdb, path + dbB00.pdb, path + dbC00.pdb)
for db in dbs:
OpenDatabase(db)
AddPlot(FilledBoundary, material(mesh))
DrawPlots()
CreateDatabaseCorrelation(common, dbs, 1)
# Use the WindowInformation to get the list of time sliders.
tsNames = GetWindowInformation().timeSliders
for ts in tsNames:
SetActiveTimeSlider(ts)
for state in list(range(TimeSliderGetNStates())) + [0]:
SetTimeSliderState(state)
DeleteAllPlots()

Example 2:
OpenDatabase(path + noise.silo)
AddPlot(Pseudocolor, hardyglobal)
DrawPlots()
v = GetView3D()
v.viewNormal = (-0.700661, 0.379712, 0.604064)
v.viewUp = (0.248662, 0.923501, -0.292083)
SetView3D(v)
# Get the window information so we have the extents.
w = GetWindowInformation()
ToggleMaintainViewMode()
zmin = w.extents[4]

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WindowInformation

zmax = w.extents[5]
AddOperator(Slice)
s = SliceAttributes()
s.project2d = 0
s.originType = s.Point
s.normal = (0,0,1)
s.upAxis = (0,1,0)
nSteps = 50
# Use the extents to slice from zmin to zmax.
for i in range(nSteps):
t = float(i) / float(nSteps - 1)
s.originPoint = (0.0, 0.0, (1.0 - t) * zmin + t * zmax)
SetOperatorOptions(s)

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Chapter 6

1.0

Plot Plugin Object Reference

Overview
VisIts Python Interface contains many objects that allow plot plugin attributes to be set
programmatically. These objects are new Python types that contain groups of attributes
that are used by plots to control the look and feel of the plots. Plot objects, which are
covered in this chapter, are used to simplify the interface to the functions in the VisIt
Python Interface and they also make convenient return values for functions that return
information about VisIts plots.

2.0

Functions and Objects


The objects described in this reference all have constructor functions which return a new
instance of the specific object type. The reference page for each object gives both a
synopsis of how to use the constructor function and a description of all of the fields and
methods that are part of the object.
Most objects can be modified using a simple assigment of an appropriate Python object
into any of its fields. When an incompatible value is assigned into one of an objects fields,
the Python interpreter will throw an exception. In addition to being able to set the value of
each field directly, all objects provide Set/Get methods which can be used to assign values
into a field. These Set/Get methods are not covered except to say that if you have an object
called FOO and a field called BAR, the Set/Get methods would be of the form:
FOO.SetBAR(value), FOO.GetBAR() -> value.

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BoundaryAttributes

BoundaryAttributesBoundaryAttributes function and object


Synopsis:
BoundaryAttributes() -> BoundaryAttributes object
Returns:
The BoundaryAttributes function returns a BoundaryAttributes object.
Object definition:Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

colorType

int

ColorByMultipleColors
Possible values: ColorBySingleColor,
ColorByMultipleColors, ColorByColorTable

colorTableName

string

Default

filledFlag

int

legendFlag

int

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

singleColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

boundaryNames

tuple of int

()

boundaryType

int

Unknown
Possible values: Domain, Group, Material, Unknown

opacity

float

1.0

wireframe

int

smoothingLevel

int

pointSize

float

0.05

pointType

int

Box
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

216

pointSizeVarEnabled

int

pointSizeVar

string

default

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BoundaryAttributes

Description:
The BoundaryAttributes function is used to create BoundaryAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Boundary plots.

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217

ContourAttributes

ContourAttributesContourAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ContourAttributes() -> ContourAttributes object
Returns:
The ContourAttributes function returns a ContourAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

colorTableName

string

Default

colorType

int

ColorByMultipleColors
Possible values: ColorBySingleColor,
ColorByMultipleColors, ColorByColorTable

contourMethod

int

Level
Possible values: Level, Value, Percent

contourNLevels

int

10

contourPercent

tuple of
float

()

contourValue

tuple of
float

()

legendFlag

int

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

max

float

1.0

maxFlag

min

minFlag

scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log

218

singleColor

tuple of int

(255, 0, 0, 255)

wireframe

int

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ContourAttributes

Description:
The ContourAttributes function is used to create ContourAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Contour plots.

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CurveAttributes

CurveAttributesCurveAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
CurveAttributes() -> CurveAttributes object
Returns:
The CurveAttributes function returns a CurveAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

color

tuple of int

(0,0,0,255)

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

pointSize

float

5.0

showLabels

int

showPoints

int

Description:
The CurveAttributes function is used to create CurveAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Curve plots.

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FilledBoundaryAttributes

FilledBoundaryAttributesFilledBoundaryAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
FilledBoundaryAttributes() -> FilledBoundaryAttributes object
Returns:
The FilledBoundaryAttributes function returns a FilledBoundaryAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

colorType

int

ColorByMultipleColors
Possible values: ColorBySingleColor,
ColorByMultipleColors, ColorByColorTable

colorTableName

string

Default

filledFlag

int

legendFlag

int

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

singleColor

tuple of int

(0,0,0,255)

boundaryType

int

Unknown
Possible values: Domain, Group, Material, Unknown

opacity

float

1.0

wireframe

int

drawInternal

int

smoothingLevel

int

cleanZonesOnly

int

mixedColor

tuple of int

(255, 255, 255, 255)

pointSize

float

0.05

pointType

int

Box
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

pointSizeVarEnabled

int

pointSizeVar

string

default

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FilledBoundaryAttributes

Description:
The FilledBoundaryAttributes function is used to create FilledBoundaryAttributes objects that can
be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for FilledBoundary plots.

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HistogramAttributes

HistogramAttributesHistogramAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
HistogramAttributes() -> HistogramAttributes object
Returns:
The HistogramAttributes function returns an HistogramAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

specifyRange

int

min

float

0.0

max

float

1.0

outputType

int

Block
Possible values: Curve, Block

numBins

int

32

twoDAmount

int

RevolvedVolume
Possible values: Area, RevolvedVolume

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

color

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

Description:
The HistogramAttributes function is used to create HistogramAttributes objects that can be fed to
SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Histogram plots.

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LabelAttributes

LabelAttributesLabelAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
LabelAttributes() -> LabelAttributes object
Returns:
The LabelAttributes function returns a LabelAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

legendFlag

int

showNodes

int

showCells

int

restrictNumberOfLabels

int

drawLabelsFacing

int

Front
Possible values: Front, Back, FrontAndBack

showSingleNode

int

showSingleCell

int

useForegroundTextColor

int

labelDisplayFormat

int

Natural
Possible values: Natural, LogicalIndex,
Index

numberOfLabels

int

200

textColor

tuple of int

(255, 0, 0, 255)

textHeight

float

0.02

textLabel

string

horizontalJustification

int

HCenter
Possible values: HCenter, Left, Right

verticalJustification

int

VCenter
Possible values: VCenter, Top, Bottom

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singleNodeIndex

int

singleCellIndex

int

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LabelAttributes

Description:
The LabelAttributes function is used to create LabelAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Label plots.

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MeshAttributes

MeshAttributesMeshAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
MeshAttributes() -> MeshAttributes object
Returns:
The MeshAttributes function returns a MeshAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

legendFlag

int

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

meshColor

tuple of int

(0,0,0,255)

outlineOnlyFlag

int

errorTolerance

float

0.01

opaqueMode

int

Auto
Possible values: Auto, On, Off

pointSize

float

0.05

opaqueColor

tuple of int

(255, 255, 255, 255)

backgroundFlag

int

foregroundFlag

int

smoothingLevel

int

None
Possible values: None, Fast, High

pointSizeVarEnabled

int

pointSizeVar

string

default

pointType

int

Box
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

showInternal

int

Description:
The MeshAttributes function is used to create MeshAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Mesh plots.

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PseudocolorAttributes

PseudocolorAttributesPseudocolorAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
PseudocolorAttributes() -> PseudocolorAttributes object
Returns:
The PseudocolorAttributes function returns a PseudocolorAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

legendFlag

int

lightingFlag

int

minFlag

int

maxFlag

int

centering

int

Natural
Possible values: Natural, Nodal, Zonal

scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

limitsMode

int

min

float

0.0

max

float

1.0

pointSize

float

0.05

pointType

int

Box
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

skewFactor

float

1.0

opacity

float

1.0

colorTableName

string

hot

smoothingLevel

float

pointSizeVarEnabled

int

pointSizeVar

string

default

Description:
The PseudocolorAttributes function is used to create PseudocolorAttributes objects that can be fed
to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Pseudocolor plots.

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ScatterAttributes

ScatterAttributesScatterAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ScatterAttributes() -> ScatterAttributes object
Returns:
The ScatterAttributes function returns a ScatterAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

var1Role

int

Coordinate0
Possible values: Coordinate0,
Coordinate1, Coordinate2, Color, None

var1MinFlag

int

var1MaxFlag

int

var1Min

float

0.0

var1Max

float

0.0

var1Scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

var1SkewFactor

float

1.0

var2Role

int

Coordinate1
Possible values: Coordinate0,
Coordinate1, Coordinate2, Color, None

var2

string

default

var2MinFlag

int

var2MaxFlag

int

var2Min

float

0.0

var2Max

float

1.0

var2Scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

var2SkewFactor

float

1.0

var3Role

int

None
Possible values: Coordinate0,
Coordinate1, Coordinate2, Color, None

228

var3

string

default

var3MinFlag

int

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ScatterAttributes

Field

Type

Default value

var3MaxFlag

int

var3Min

float

0.0

var3Max

float

1.0

var3Scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

var3SkewFactor

float

1.0

var4Role

int

None
Possible values: Coordinate0,
Coordinate1, Coordinate2, Color, None

var4

string

default

var4MinFlag

int

var4MaxFlag

int

var4Min

float

0.0

var4Max

float

1.0

var4Scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

var4SkewFactor

float

1.0

pointSize

float

0.05

pointType

int

Point
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

scaleCube

int

colorTableName

string

hot

singleColor

tuple of int

(255,0,0,255)

foregroundFlag

int

legendFlag

int

Description:
The ScatterAttributes function is used to create ScatterAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Scatter plots.

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StreamlineAttributes

StreamlineAttributesStreamlineAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
StreamlineAttributes() -> StreamlineAttributes object
Returns:
The StreamlineAttributes function returns a StreamlineAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

sourceType

int

SpecifiedPoint
Possible values: SpecifiedPoint, SpecifiedLine, SpecifiedPlane, SpecifiedSphere, SpecifiedBox

stepLength

float

1.0

maxTime

float

10.0

pointSource

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

lineStart

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

lineEnd

tuple of
float

(1.0, 0.0, 0.0)

planeOrigin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

planeNormal

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)

planeUpAxis

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0, 0.0)

planeRadius

float

1.0

sphereOrigin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

sphereRadius

float

1.0

boxExtents

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 1.0)

pointDensity

int

displayMethod

int

Lines
Possible values: Lines, Tubes, Ribbons

showStart

230

int

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StreamlineAttributes

Field

Type

Default value

radius

float

0.125

lineWidth

int

coloringMethod

int

ColorBySpeed
Possible values: Solid, ColorBySpeed,
ColorByVorticity

colorTableName

string

Default

singleColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

legendFlag

int

lightingFlag

int

Description:
The StreamlineAttributes function is used to create StreamlineAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Streamline plots.

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SubsetAttributes

SubsetAttributesSubsetAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
SubsetAttributes() -> SubsetAttributes object
Returns:
The SubsetAttributes function returns a SubsetAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

colorType

int

colorTableName

string

Default

filledFlag

int

legendFlag

int

lineStype

int

lineWidth

int

singleColor

tuple of int

(0,0,0,255)

subsetType

int

Unknown
Possible values: Domain, Group, Material, Unknown

opacity

float

1.0

wireframe

int

drawInternal

int

smoothingLevel

int

pointSize

float

0.05

pointType

int

Box
Possible values: Box, Axis, Icosahedron,
Point

pointSizeVarEnabled

int

pointSizeVar

string

default

Description:
The SubsetAttributes function is used to create SubsetAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Subset plots.

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SurfaceAttributes

SurfaceAttributesSurfaceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
SurfaceAttributes() -> SurfaceAttributes object
Returns:
The SurfaceAttributes function returns a SurfaceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

colorByZFlag

int

colorTableName

string

Default

legendFlag

int

lightingFlag

int

limitsMode

int

OriginalData
Possible values: OriginalData, CurrentPlot

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

max
maxFlag

1.0
int

min

0
0.0

minFlag

int

scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log, Skew

skewFactor

float

1.0

surfaceColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

surfaceFlag

int

wireframeColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

wireframeFlag

int

Description:
The SurfaceAttributes function is used to create SurfaceAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Surface plots.

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TensorAttributes

TensorAttributesTensorAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
TensorAttributes() -> TensorAttributes object
Returns:
The TensorAttributes function returns a TensorAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

useStride

int

stride

int

nTensors

int

400

scale

float

0.25

scaleByMagnitude

int

autoScale

int

colorByEigenvalues

int

useLegend

int

tensorColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

colorTableName

string

Default

Description:
The TensorAttributes function is used to create TensorAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Tensor plots.

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VectorAttributes

VectorAttributesVectorAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
VectorAttributes() -> VectorAttributes object
Returns:
The VectorAttributes function returns a VectorAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

useStride

int

stride

int

nVectors

int

400

lineStyle

int

lineWidth

int

scale

float

0.25

scaleByMagnitude

int

autoScale

int

headSize

float

0.25

headOn

int

colorByMag

int

useLegend

int

vectorColor

tuple of int

(0, 0, 0, 255)

colorTableName

string

Default

vectorOrigin

int

Tail
Possible values: Head, Middle, Tail

minFlag

int

maxFlag

int

limitsMode

int

OriginalData
Possible values: OriginalData, CurrentPlot

min

float

0.0

max

float

1.0

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VectorAttributes

Description:
The VectorAttributes function is used to create VectorAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Vector plots.

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VolumeAttributes

VolumeAttributesVolumeAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
VolumeAttributes() -> VolumeAttributes object
Returns:
The VolumeAttributes function returns a VolumeAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

legendFlag

int

lightingFlag

int

opacityAttenuation

float

1.0

freeformFlag

int

resampleTarget

int

50000

opacityVariable

string

default

freeformOpacity

tuple of int

255 integers in a tuple


(0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11...

useColorVarMin

int

colorVarMin

float

0.0

useColorVarMax

int

colorVarMax

float

1.0

useOpacityVarMin

int

opacityVarMin

float

0.0

useOpacityVarMax

int

opacityVarMax

float

0.0

smoothData

int

samplesPerRay

int

500

rendererType

int

Splatting
Possible values: Splatting, Texture3D,
RayCasting

gradientType

int

SobelOperator
Possible values: CenteredDifferences,
SobelOperator

num3DSlices

int

200

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VolumeAttributes

Description:
The VolumeAttributes function is used to create VolumeAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetPlotOptions function in order to set the attributes for Volume plots.

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Chapter 7

1.0

Operator Plugin Object


Reference

Overview
VisIts Python Interface contains many objects that allow operator plugin attributes to be
set programmatically. These objects are new Python types that contain groups of attributes
that are used by operators to control how they process data. Operator objects, which are
covered in this chapter, are used to simplify the interface to the functions in the VisIt
Python Interface and they also make convenient return values for functions that return
information about VisIts operators.

2.0

Functions and Objects


The objects described in this reference all have constructor functions which return a new
instance of the specific object type. The reference page for each object gives both a
synopsis of how to use the constructor function and a description of all of the fields and
methods that are part of the object.
Most objects can be modified using a simple assigment of an appropriate Python object
into any of its fields. When an incompatible value is assigned into one of an objects fields,
the Python interpreter will throw an exception. In addition to being able to set the value of
each field directly, all objects provide Set/Get methods which can be used to assign values
into a field. These Set/Get methods are not covered except to say that if you have an object
called FOO and a field called BAR, the Set/Get methods would be of the form:
FOO.SetBAR(value), FOO.GetBAR() -> value.

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BoxAttributes

BoxAttributesBoxAttributes function and object


Synopsis:
BoxAttributes() -> BoxAttributes object
Returns:
The BoxAttributes function returns a BoxAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

amount

int

maxx

float

1.0

maxy

float

1.0

maxz

float

1.0

minx

float

0.0

miny

float

0.0

minz

float

0.0

Description:
The BoxAttributes function is used to create BoxAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Box operators.

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ClipAttributes

ClipAttributesClipAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ClipAttributes() -> ClipAttributes object
Returns:
The ClipAttributes function returns a ClipAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

center

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

funcType

int

Plane
Possible values: Plane, Sphere

plane1Normal

tuple of
float

(1.0, 0.0, 0.0)

plane1Origin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

plane1Status

int

plane2Normal

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0, 0.0)

plane2Origin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

plane2Status

int

plane3Normal

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)

plane3Origin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

plane3Status

int

planeInverse

int

radius

float

1.0

sphereInverse

int

Description:
The ClipAttributes function is used to create ClipAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Clip operators.

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ConeAttributes

ConeAttributesConeAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ConeAttributes() -> ConeAttributes object
Returns:
The ConeAttributes function returns a ConeAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

angle

float

45.0

cutByLength

int

length

float

1.0

normal

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)

origin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

representation

int

upAxis

tuple of
float

(0.0, 1.0, 0.0)

Description:
The ConeAttributes function is used to create ConeAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Cone operators.

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CylinderAttributes

CylinderAttributesCylinderAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
CylinderAttributes() -> CylinderAttributes object
Returns::
The CylinderAttributes function returns a CylinderAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

point1

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

point2

tuple of
float

(1.0, 0.0, 0.0)

radius

float

1.0

Description:
The CylinderAttributes function is used to create CylinderAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Cylinder operators.

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DisplaceAttributes

DisplaceAttributesDisplaceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
DisplaceAttributes() -> DisplaceAttributes object
Returns:
The DisplaceAttributes function returns a DisplaceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

factor

float

1.0

variable

string

"DISPL"

Description:
The DisplaceAttributes function is used to create DisplaceAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Displace operators.

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IndexSelectAttributes

IndexSelectAttributesIndexSelectAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
IndexSelectAttributes() -> IndexSelectAttributes object
Returns:
The IndexSelectAttributes function returns an IndexSelectAttributes object.
Object definition:Field

Type

Default value

dim

int

domainIndex

int

groupIndex

int

whichData

int

xIncr

int

xMax

int

-1

xMin

int

yIncr

int

yMax

int

-1

yMin

int

zIncr

int

zMax

int

-1

zMin

int

Description:
The IndexSelectAttributes function is used to create IndexSelectAttributes objects that can be fed
to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for IndexSelect operators.

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InverseGhostZoneAttributes

InverseGhostZoneAttributesInverseGhostZoneAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
InverseGhostZoneAttributes() -> InverseGhostZoneAttributes object
Returns:
The InverseGhostZoneAttributes function returns an InverseGhostZoneAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

showType

int

GhostZonesOnly
Possible values: GhostZonesOnly, GhostZonesAndRealZones

Description:
The InverseGhostZoneAttributes function is used to create InverseGhostZoneAttributes objects
that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for InverseGhostZone operators.

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IsosurfaceAttributes

IsosurfaceAttributesIsosurfaceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
IsosurfaceAttributes() -> IsosurfaceAttributes object
Returns:
The IsosurfaceAttributes function returns an IsosurfaceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

contourMethod

int

Level
Possible values: Level, Value, Percent

contourNLevels

int

10

contourPercent

tuple of
float

()

contourValue

tuple of
float

()

max

float

1.0

maxFlag

int

min

float

0.0

minFlag

int

scaling

int

Linear
Possible values: Linear, Log

variable

string

default

Description:
The IsosurfaceAttributes function is used to create IsosurfaceAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Isosurface operators.

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IsovolumeAttributes

IsovolumeAttributesIsovolumeAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
IsovolumeAttributes() -> IsovolumeAttributes object
Returns:
The IsovolumeAttributes function returns an IsovolumeAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

lbound

float

-1e+37

ubound

float

1e+37

variable

string

default

Description:
The IsovolumeAttributes function is used to create IsovolumeAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Isovolume operators.

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LineoutAttributes

LineoutAttributesLineoutAttributes function and operator.


Synopsis:
LineoutAttributes() -> LineoutAttributes object
Returns:
The LineoutAttributes function returns a LineoutAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

point1

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

point2

tuple of
float

(1.0, 1.0, 0.0)

interactive

int

ignoreGlobal

int

samplingOn

int

numberOfSamplePoints

int

50

reflineLabels

int

Description:
The LineoutAttributes function is used to create LineoutAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Lineout operators.

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OnionPeelAttributes

OnionPeelAttributesOnionPeelAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
OnionPeelAttributes() -> OnionPeelAttributes object
Returns:
The OnionPeelAttributes function returns an OnionPeelAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

adjacencyType

int

useGlobalId

int

categoryName

string

Whole

subsetName

string

Whole

index

tuple of int

(1)

logical

int

requestedLayer

int

Description:
The OnionPeelAttributes function is used to create OnionPeelAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for OnionPeel operators.

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ProjectAttributes

ProjectAttributesProjectAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ProjectAttributes() -> ProjectAttributes object
Returns:
The ProjectAttributes function returns a ProjectAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

projectionType

int

XYCartesian
Possible values: XYCartesian, ZRCylindrical

Description:
The ProjectAttributes function is used to create ProjectAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Project operators.

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ReflectAttributes

ReflectAttributesReflectAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ReflectAttributes() -> ReflectAttributes object
Returns:
The ReflectAttributes function returns a ReflectAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

octant

int

PXPYPZ
Possible values: PXPYPZ, NXPYPZ,
PXNYPZ, NXNYPZ, PXPYNZ,
NXPYNZ, PXNYNZ, NXNYNZ

reflections

tuple of int

(1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

specifiedX

float

0.0

specifiedY

float

0.0

specifiedZ

float

0.0

useXBoundary

int

useYBoundary

int

useZBoundary

int

Description:
The ReflectAttributes function is used to create ReflectAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Reflect operators.

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RevolveAttributes

RevolveAttributesRevolveAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
RevolveAttributes() -> RevolveAttributes object
Returns:
The RevolveAttributes function returns a RevolveAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

axis

tuple of
float

(1.0, 0.0, 0.0)

startAngle

float

0.0

steps

int

30

stopAngle

float

360.0

Description:
The RevolveAttributes function is used to create RevolveAttributes objects that can be fed to the
SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Revolve operators.

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SliceAttributes

SliceAttributesSliceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
SliceAttributes() -> SliceAttributes object
Returns:
The SliceAttributes function returns a SliceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

originType

int

Intercept
Possible values: Point, Intercept, Percent,
Zone, Node

originPoint

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

originIntercept

float

0.0

originPercent

float

0.0

originZone

int

originNode

int

normal

tuple of
float

(0.0, -1.0, 0.0)

axisType

int

YAxis
Possible values: XAxis, YAxis, ZAxis,
Arbitrary

upAxis

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)

project2d

int

interactive

int

flip

int

originZoneDomain

int

originNodeDomain

int

Description:
The SliceAttributes function is used to create SliceAttributes objects that can be fed to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Slice operators.

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SphereSliceAttributes

SphereSliceAttributesSphereSliceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
SphereSliceAttributes() -> SphereSliceAttributes object
Returns:
The SphereSliceAttributes function returns a SphereSliceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

origin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

radius

float

1.0

Description:
The SphereSliceAttributes function is used to create SphereSliceAttributes objects that can be fed
to the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for SphereSlice operators.

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ThreeSliceAttributes

ThreeSliceAttributesThreeSliceAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ThreeSliceAttributes() -> ThreeSliceAttributes object
Returns:
The ThreeSliceAttributes function returns a ThreeSliceAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

interactive

int

float

0.0

float

0.0

float

0.0

Description:
The ThreeSliceAttributes function is used to create ThreeSliceAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for ThreeSlice operators.

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ThresholdAttributes

ThresholdAttributesThresholdAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
ThresholdAttributes() -> ThresholdAttributes object
Returns:
The ThresholdAttributes function returns a ThresholdAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

amount

int

lbound

float

-1e+37

ubound

float

1e+37

variable

string

default

Description:
The ThresholdAttributes function is used to create ThresholdAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Threshold operators.

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TransformAttributes

TransformAttributesTransformAttributes function and object.


Synopsis:
TransformAttributes() -> TransformAttributes object
Returns:
The TransformAttributes function returns a TransformAttributes object.
Object definition:
Field

Type

Default value

doRotate

int

doScale

int

doTranslate

int

rotateAmount

float

0.0

rotateAxis

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 1.0)

rotateOrigin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

rotateType

int

scaleOrigin

tuple of
float

(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)

scaleX

float

1.0

scaleY

float

1.0

scaleZ

float

1.0

translateX

float

0.0

translateY

float

0.0

translateZ

float

0.0

Description:
The TransformAttributes function is used to create TransformAttributes objects that can be fed to
the SetOperatorOptions function in order to set the attributes for Transform operators.

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Appendix A

Ap p e n d i x A

A.1

VisIt Command Line Options

Command Line Options


The command line options are listed after the visit command when starting VisIt.
visit [options]
The options are listed below grouped by functionality and listed alphabetically within a
group. The order in which these options are specified is unimportant; visit -cli beta is the same as visit -beta -cli.

Arguments to visit script

Program options

-cli

Run with the Command Line Interface.

-gui

Run with the Graphical User Interface (default).

-movie

Run with the Command Line Interface in movie making mode where
there is no window. You must also provide the -sessionfile or -s arguments when -movie is specified.

Additional programs

Program description

convert

Run the VisIt database conversion tool, which can read in a data file in
one of VisIts supported formats and write it back out in another supported VisIt database format that supports writing new files through
VisIts plugin interface. The convert tool is currently used primarily as
a tool to convert non-Silo files into Silo files.

makemili

Run the makemili program that creates a .mili root file that allows VisIt
to read Mili files.

Command Line Options

259

Appendix A

Additional programs

Program description

mpeg_encode

Run the mpeg_encode software that is bundled with the UNIX versions
of VisIt.

silex

Runs Silex, a graphical tool to browse Silo files.

xmledit

Runs XMLEdit, which is a graphical tool designed to aid VisIt plugin


developers in designing the state objects, etc required for creating VisIt
plot, operator, and database plugins.

xml2plugin

Runs VisIts XML plugin generator.

xmltest

Runs VisIts XML plugin tester.

xml2atts

Runs VisIts XML plugin attribute generator which produces C++ code
from an XML description of a state object.

xml2avt

Runs VisIts XML plugin code generator for AVT components.

xml2info

Runs VisIts XML plugin code generator for plugin skeleton C++ code.

xml2java

Runs VisIts XML plugin attribute generator which produces Java


code from an XML description of a state object.

xml2makefile

Runs VisIts XML plugin Makefile generator.

xml2projectfile

Runs VisIts XML plugin MSVC++ 6.0 project file generator. This component is only distributed in the MS Windows version of VisIt.

xml2python

Runs VisIts XML plugin attribute generator which produces Python


code from an XML description of a state object.

xml2window

Runs VisIts XML plugin GUI window generator for plot and operator
attribute windows.

Version options
-beta

Run the current beta version.

-dir <directory>

Run the version in the given directory. For example, -dir


/usr/gapps/visit/1.3.2/sgi-irix6-mips2 would
run the sgi 1.3.2 version of visit. The -dir option is usually specified
in a Host profile so the visit command does not have to be in your
path on a remote computer when you run in distributed mode.

-v <version>

Run the specified version.

Parallel options
-b <bank>

260

Bank from which to draw resources. Only applies when using a launch
program that operates in a batch environment.

Command Line Options

Appendix A

Parallel options
-expedite

Makes psub and other launch programs give priority to your job when
scheduling your job to run. You must have expedite privileges for this
option to take effect.

-l <method>

Launch VisIts compute engine in parallel using the given launch program. Accepted launch programs are: bsub, dmpirun, mpirun, poe,
prun, psub, srun, yod. Be sure to use the launch program that is appropriate for the computer where you want to run VisIt in parallel.

-la <args>

Provides additional command line arguments to the parallel launch


program.

-n <jobname>

Provides the name for the job.

-nn <numnodes>

Specifies a number of nodes to allocate to the job.

-np <numprocessors>

Specifies the number of processors to use from the allocated nodes.

-p <partition>

Specifies the partition to run in.

-par

Selects the parallel version of VisIts compute engine.

-pl <method>

Similar to -l but only launches the parallel compute engine as specified.

-t <timelimit>

Maximum job run time.

Window options
-background <color>

Background color for the graphical user interface. The color can consist of either a color name or an RGB triplet. For example, the color red
could be specified as -background red or -background
#ff0000.

-foreground <color>

Foreground color for the graphical user interface. The color can consist
of either a color name or an RGB triplet. For example, the color red
could be specified as -background red or -background
#ff0000.

-geometry <spec>

The portion of the screen to use. This is a standard X Windows geometry specification. For example 500x500+300+0, indicates an area 500
pixels by 500 pixels, 300 pixels to the right of the top left corner.

-noconfig

Run without reading any configuration files. This can be useful if you
run VisIt and encounter unexpected behavior on startup.

-nowin

Run without any windows. This option may be useful when running
scripts.

-small

Use a smaller desktop area/window size.

-style <style>

The style to use for the graphical user interface. One of windows,

cde, motif, or sgi.

Command Line Options

261

Appendix A

File options
-o <databasename>

Run VisIt and have it open the specified database.

-s <scriptname>

Run the specified VisIt script. Note that this option only takes effect
with the -cli option.

-default_format <format>

Tells VisIt to use the specified database reader plugin when reading
files. This is a useful option if your data files do not have file extensions,
since VisIt is able to open the file on the first try instead of having to
sequentially try all of its database reader plugins until one of them can
successfully open the file. To make VisIt use the Silo plugin first to open
files, add: -default_format Silo to the command line.

-sessionfile <filename>

Run VisIt and have it open the specified session file, which will cause
VisIt to restore its state to what is stored in the session file. This argument is only valid with the -gui or -movie arguments.

Debugging options
-debug <level>

Run with<level> levels of output logging. <level> must be


between 1 and 5. A debug level of 1 provides the least amount of output logging, while a debug level of 5 provides the most output logging.

-timing

Run with timings. Timings are provided for the execution of each
major portion of the execution pipeline on the viewer and each engine
process. Timing information for launch time is also provided for the gui
and viewer processes.

-dump

This argument causes VisIt to write VTK files for each stage of the execution pipeline so you can see the output of each VTK filter.

-verbose

This argument causes VisIts CLI to print out the stages of execution
for its compute engine to the console.

262

Command Line Options

A
ActivateDatabase 32
AddArgument 26
Adding operators 17
AddOperator 17, 33
AddPlot 15, 34
AddWindow 35
AlterDatabaseCorrelation 36
AnnotationAttributes 192

B
BoundaryAttributes 216
BoxAttributes 240

C
CheckForNewStates 38
ChooseCenterOfRotation 39
ClearAllWindows 41
ClearCache 40
ClearCacheForAllEngines 40
ClearReferenceLines 43
ClearViewKeyframes 44
ClearWindow 41
ClipAttributes 241
Close 27
CloseComputeEngine 46
CloseDatabase 47
ColorTableNames 48
ConeAttributes 242

ContourAttributes 218
Control flow 7
CopyAnnotationsToWindow 49
CopyLightingToWindow 49
CopyPlotsToWindow 49
CopyViewTowindow 49
CreateAnnotationObject 50
CreateDatabaseCorrelation 51
Creating a plot 15
CurveAttributes 220
CylinderAttributes 243

D
DefineMaterialExpression 53
DefineMeshExpression 53
DefineScalarExpression 18, 53
DefineSpeciesExpression 53
DefineVectorExpression 53
Defining expressions 18
Defining functions 9
DeIconifyAllWindows 54
DeleteActivePlots 55
DeleteAllPlots 55
DeleteDatabaseCorrelation 56
DeleteExpression 57
DeletePlotDatabaseKeyframe 58
DeletePlotKeyframe 59
DeleteViewKeyframe 61
DeleteWindow 62
DemoteOperator 63
Dictionaries 7
DisableRedraw 64
DisplaceAttributes 244
DrawPlots 17, 65

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E
EnabledTool 66
EvalCubic 67
EvalCubicSpline 22, 68
EvalLinear 69
EvalQuadratic 70
Expressions 71

F
FilledBoundaryAttributes 221
Finding the min and the max 20
Flying around plots 22
For loop 8

G
GetActiveContinuousColorTable 72
GetActiveDiscreteColorTable 72
GetActiveTimeSlider 73
GetAnimationNumStates 75
GetAnnotationAttributes 76
GetAnnotationObject 77
GetDatabaseNStates 78
GetDebugLevel 30
GetDomains 79
GetEngineList 80
GetGlobalAttributes 81
GetGlobalLineoutAttributes 82
GetInteractorAttributes 83
GetKeyframeAttributes 84

GetLastError 85
GetLight 86
GetLocalHostName 87
GetLocalUserName 87
GetMaterialAttributes 88
GetMaterials 89
GetNumPlots 90
GetPickAttributes 91
GetPickOutput 19, 92
GetPipelineCachingMode 93
GetQueryOutputString 94
GetQueryOutputValue 94
GetQueryOverTimeAttributes 95
GetRenderingAttributes 96
GetSaveWindowAttributes 97
GetTimeSliders 98
Getting something on the screen 12
GetView2D 99
GetView3D 22, 99
GetViewCurve 99
GetWindowInformation 100
GlobalAttributes 196

H
HideActivePlots 101
HideToolbars 102
HistogramAttributes 223

I
IconifyAllWindows 103
Identifiers 6
if/elif/else 8

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Indentation 5
IndexSelectAttributes 245
InverseGhostZoneAttributes 246
IsosurfaceAttributes 247
IsovolumeAttributes 248

N
NodePick 113
NumColorTableNames 114
NumOperatorPlugins 115
NumPlotPlugins 116

L
LabelAttributes 224
Launch 28
LaunchNowin 28
LightAttributes 198
Lineout 19, 105
LineoutAttributes 249
ListPlots 107
Lists 7
LocalNamespace 29
LongFileName 108

O
OnionPeelAttributes 250
OpenComputeEngine 14, 46, 117
OpenDatabase 13, 14, 118
Opening a compute engine 14
Opening a database 13
Opening a database at late time 13
Opening a remote database 14
Opening a virtual database 14
OpenMDServer 119
OperatorPlugins 33, 120
OverlayDatabase 121

M
Manual chapters 1
MaterialAttributes 199
MeshAttributes 226
MovePlotDatabaseKeyframe 109
MovePlotKeyframe 110
MoveViewKeyframe 112

P
Pick 19, 122
PickByGlobalNode 123
PickByGlobalZone 124
PickByNode 125
PickByZone 126
PlotPlugins 34, 127
Plots in the error state 17
Plotting materials 15
PrinterAttributes 200

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PrintWindow 128
ProjectAttributes 251
PromoteOperator 129
PseudocolorAttributes 227

Q
Queries 130
QueriesOverTime 131
Query 132
QueryOverTime 133

R
rAttributes 228
RecenterView 134
RedrawWindow 135
ReflectAttributes 252
RemoveAllOperators 136
RemoveLastOperator 136
RemoveOperator 136
RenderingAttributes 201
ReOpenDatabase 137
ReplaceDatabase 138
ResetLineoutColor 139
ResetOperatorOptions 140
ResetPickAttributes 162
ResetPickLetter 141
ResetPlotOptions 142
ResetQueryOverTimeAttributes 169
ResetView 143
RestoreSession 144
RestoreSesssion 11
RevolveAttributes 253

S
SaveSession 145
SaveWindow 13, 146, 171
SaveWindowAttributes 13, 203
Saving an image 13
SetActiveContinuousColorTable 147
SetActiveDiscreteColorTable 147
SetActivePlots 16, 148
SetActiveTimeSlider 149
SetActiveWindow 150
SetAnnotationAttributes 152
SetCenterOfRotation 153
SetDatabaseCorrelationOptions 154
SetDebugLevel 30
SetDefaultAnnotationAttributes 152
SetDefaultInteractorAttributes 157
SetDefaultMaterialAttributes 160
SetDefaultOperatorOptions 161
SetDefaultPickAttributes 162
SetDefaultPlotOptions 166
SetDefaultQueryOverTimeAttributes 169
SetGlobalLineoutAttributes 156
SetInteractorAttributes 157
SetKeyframeAttributes 158
SetLight 159
SetMaterialAttributes 160
SetOperatorOptions 18, 161
SetPickAttributes 162
SetPlotDatabaseState 164
SetPlotFrameRange 165
SetPlotOptions 16, 166
SetPlotSILRestriction 167
SetPrinterAttributes 168
SetQueryOverTimeAttributes 169
SetRenderingAttributes 170
SetSaveWindowAttributes 146
SetTimeSliderState 172
Setting operator attributes 18
Setting plot attributes 15
Setting the 2D view 21
Setting the 3D view 22
Setting the output image characteristics 12

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SetView2D 173
SetView3D 173
SetViewExtentsType 174
SetViewKeyframe 175
SetWindowArea 176
SetWindowMode 178
ShowAllWindows 179
ShowToolbars 180
SILRestriction 205
SliceAttributes 254
Source 181
SphereSliceAttributes 255
StreamlineAttributes 230
Strings 6
SubsetAttributes 232
SurfaceAttributes 233

TurnMaterialsOn 21, 187

U
UndoView 188
Using session files 11

V
T
TensorAttributes 234
ThreeSliceAttributes 256
ThresholdAttributes 257
TimeSliderGetNStates 182
TimeSliderNextState 183
TimeSliderPreviousState 184
ToggleBoundingBoxMode 185
ToggleCameraViewMode 185
ToggleFullFrameMode 185
ToggleLockTime 185
ToggleLockViewMode 185
ToggleMaintainDataMode 185
ToggleMaintainViewMode 185
ToggleSpinMode 185
TransformAttributes 258
Tuples 6
TurnDomainsOff 21, 187
TurnDomainsOn 21, 187
Turning off domains 21
Turning off materials 21
TurnMaterialsOff 21, 187

VectorAttributes 235
Version 31
View2DAttributes 209
View3DAttributes 210
ViewCurveAttributes 208
VolumeAttributes 237

W
While loop 9
WindowInformation 212
Working with multiple plots 16
WriteConfigFile 189

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Z
ZonePick 122

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