Additional Python code

Overview

Python code that is not part of ‘core’ Mantid, e.g. is not an algorithm, not related to the Python exports (mantid.* modules) nor an integral part of workbench should go to either the scripts directory or qt directory.

scripts is a place to put non-GUI modules and scripts such as pure Python reduction frameworks or technique specific plotting modules which are desirable to be included in an official release. The code in scripts can be included in the automatic unit testing machinery making it possible to avoid breakages due to changes in Mantid’s core parts. Although some reduction interface code lives in scripts, adding more GUI related code there is discouraged.

Python interfaces should go to the qt directory.

The scripts directory

Python code should be written as proper modules. For example, the code of a module called spam should go into scripts/spam and contain a file named __init__.py at minimum. Then the module can be imported into Mantid simply by import spam.

Documentation

Documentation can be added to Mantid’s Python API docs in docs/source/api and linked to docs/source/api/index.rst. Note, that it is possible to import Python’s docstrings in .rst files using directives such as .. automodule:: or .. autoclass::, see here.

Unit testing

Unit tests for each module should be added to scripts/test/modulename. The tests follow the standard Mantid unit testing practices.

The qt directory

There are no official rules for qt yet. Follow the structure of already existing code there.