An example of adding a kernel plug-in to a plug-ins toolbox

You use the registerKernelToolButton() command to make a kernel plug-in available from a plug-ins toolbox. When you add a plug-in to a toolbox, an item appears in the Plug-insToolboxes menu. When you select this item, Abaqus/CAE displays a plug-ins toolbox. Although you can display text in a toolbox, you will probably want to supply an icon instead and not use text (for more information on creating icons, see Will link to cus-apx-icons).

The registerKernelToolButton registration command uses the same arguments as the registerKernelMenuButton command; however, it also requires a toolbox name. You can use the buttonText argument to specify only a tooltip by preceding the tip text with \t as shown in the following version of myUtils_plugin.py:

from abaqusGui import getAFXApp, FXXPMIcon
from myIcons import vpIconData
vpIcon = FXXPMIcon(getAFXApp(), vpIconData)

toolset = getAFXApp().getAFXMainWindow().getPluginToolset()
toolset.registerKernelToolButton(toolboxName='My Utils',
    buttonText='\tPrint Current Viewport', icon=vpIcon,
    moduleName='myUtils', functionName='printCurrentVp()' )

This example creates a My Utils item under the Plug-insToolboxes menu. When a user clicks My Utils, Abaqus/CAE displays a toolbox with My Utils shown in its title bar. When you click the icon in the toolbox, Abaqus/CAE sends the following command to the kernel: 

myUtils.printCurrentVp()

The same command would be sent to the kernel if you registered the plug-in in the Plug-ins menu.

The Toolboxes item, if it exists, always appears first in the Plug-ins menu; and the About Plug-ins item always appears last. Other items in the Plug-ins menu are listed alphabetically.