Converting Open GENIE to genie_python

Scripting > Converting Open GENIE to genie_python

Converting Open GENIE to genie_python

If you know a little bit of Python already, converting Open GENIE scripts to genie_python is very often straightforward. Even if you're new to Python, once you know a few simple pieces of syntax, you'll be able to convert many scripts without issue.

Note: If you are new to Python, consult the Introduction to Python on the Mantid web-site.

List of functions

We've included some common genie_python commands on this page, but for a full list refer to the `genie\_python reference manual`_.

Indentation

One thing where there is no direct comparison between Python and Open GENIE is with indentation. In Python, different code blocks are identified by their indentation level. In many programming languages, code blocks are encased in curly braces ({...}), but Python uses indentation. For example:

print "No indent"
def my_func():
    print "1 indent. Inside the function"
    if True:
        print "2 indents. Inside the if clause"
        print "2 indents. Still inside the if clause"
    print "1 indent. In the function but not the if clause"
print "No indent. Outside the function"

Typically an indent is 3 or 4 spaces. Tabs can be used too, but Python won't recognise that a tab is the same as 4 spaces so can lead to problems. It's often best to avoid them. This might be a new concept if you've only ever written Open GENIE, but trust us in that it opens up a lot of ways to make scripts more powerful, easier to read and more reliable.

Side-by-side comparison