Scripting Extension

These are notes and current status of extending openmw scripting through SWIG.

STATUS: Python scripting is fully functional. You can call from the console, or can attach to objects/global scripts with the command

StartExternalScript, "scriptname.py"

. This way you get access to all the locals and globals as if your python script is a normal script. The Python script has to be in the same directory that other morrowind data/addons are in (one of the data directories).

How to use (development release):

$ sudo apt-get install python3-dev swig
$ git clone https://github.com/maqifrnswa/openmw/tree/python-scripting 
$ cd openmw/
$ mkdir build && cd build
$ make -j
$ [make your python script, see example below]
$ ./openmw --start="Seyda Neen" --skip-menu

then in game, hit "~" to get the console, and run your script with the new command

StartExternalScript, "testing.py"

, or write a script/addon that calls StartExternalScript.

Example script, make sure you have a "run()" method, that is what will be called by openmw:

#SomethingScript in morrowind_testing.omwaddon has a short variable named hello you can use
from openmw import *

def run():
    print("health: " + str((gethealth("player"))))
    print("hello i'm a criminal")
    setpccrimelevel(100000000)
    print("flying: " + str(getflying("player")))
    setflying("player",1)
    print("flying: " + str(getflying("player")))
    print("random100: " + str(omwget("random100")))
    omwset("random100",42)
    print("random100: " + str(omwget("random100")))
    print("SomethingScript.hello: " + str(omwget("SomethingScript.hello")))
    omwset("SomethingScript.hello",42.0)
    print("SomethingScript.hello: " + str(omwget("SomethingScript.hello")))
    omwcall("MessageBox, \"This is a simple message\"")

how to write scripts: All commands are lowercase and take the same arguments as before, even optional ones. Commands that can take a reference (commands with ->) now have a first argument which is the reference. That first argument is required. If it is an implicit reference, use "self". Example 1:

player->AddItem, "Gold_001", 200 

is now

additem("player","Gold_001",200)

Example 2:

AIWander, 0, 0, 0 

is now

aiwander("self",0,0,0)

Example 3:

"urzul gra-agum"->AIWander, 128, 0, 0, 60, 30, 10, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

is now

aiwander("urzul gra-agum", 128, 0, 0, 60, 30, 10, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0)

Getting and setting variables:

omwset("localvariablename", value)
omwset("globalvariablename", value)
omwset("objectID.variablename", value)
owmset("globalID.variablename", value)

omwget("localvariablename")
etc.

instead of set and get to avoid name collisions with functions in python.

Non-extension functions:

All extensions are directly available for use, but interpreter commands (like message box) can be accessed with "omwcall()"

omwcall("MessageBox, \"This is a simple message\"")

the argument to omwcall will be parsed as if it was a normal Morrowind script.

there's still a bunch of debugging output that will show up in the terminal, bear with it for the moment.

Overview:

• Security will be an issue (running untrusted scripts), but it something people already deal with in the modding community (e.g, Blender Python Scripting)Security. Concerns can be addressed at a minimum by making users opt in to using python, and can be extended to only allow running scripts signed by a trusted certificate/key.

To do:

• sandboxed and secure lua scripting, coming very soon!