Compound Attributes in the attr editor

[shredder]

Hi guys.. so I am trying to make a compound attribute for a custom locator node. The node has a lot of draw options that I want to put in their own compound attribute so that when you are editing the nodes other attrs, you dont have to sift thru the 20 some odd draw options. here is a code snippet..

 
testDisplayOptions = numFn.create( "testDipOpt", "tdo", MFnNumericData::kBoolean );
numFn.setKeyable( true );
numFn.setDefault( 1 );
numFn.setHidden(false);
 
tdisplayOptions = numFn.create( "testDipOptt", "tdto", MFnNumericData::kBoolean );
numFn.setKeyable( true );
numFn.setDefault( 1 );
numFn.setHidden(false);
 
	MFnCompoundAttribute cmpAttr; 
	displayOptions = cmpAttr.create("displayOptionsO", "doo", &stat); 
	cmpAttr.setArray(false); 
	stat = cmpAttr.addChild(testDisplayOptions);
	if (!stat) { stat.perror("cmpAttr.addChild testDisplayOptions"); return stat;}
	stat = cmpAttr.addChild(tdisplayOptions);
	if (!stat) { stat.perror("cmpAttr.addChild tdisplayOptions"); return stat;}
	cmpAttr.setReadable(true); 
	cmpAttr.setHidden(false);
	cmpAttr.setUsesArrayDataBuilder(false); 
 
	addAttribute(displayOptions);

The node compiles fine, it initializes fine in maya and everything seems to be there. The problem is when I go to click on the little arrow in the attr editor to display all the attrs in the extra attributes section, I get this error..

// Error: ...AEnewBooleanGroup { "facialRiggingLocator1.testDipOpt", "facialRiggingLocator1.testDipOptt" } { "Test Dip Opt", "Test Dip Optt"  // 
// Error: Line 1.131: Syntax error // 
// Error: TPSdatabase::createAddControlUI: could not create control for attribute displayOptionsO //

If I comment out either one of the addChild lines like the ones below..

stat = cmpAttr.addChild(tdisplayOptions);
	if (!stat) { stat.perror("cmpAttr.addChild tdisplayOptions"); return stat;}

the plugin displays just fine in the attr editor.. sut obviously only has one attribute listed under the "displayOptions" compound attribute.

This is maya 2009 64bit

[joojaa]

maya does not have a generic mehod for showing compouds. It just has a guess for SOME kinds of compounds. whenever you get creative maya bails out. Thet doesnet mean the compounds are not there. Its juts not teh way it works.

IMHO your using teh worng tool, your actually trying to do the wrong thing in the wrong place. If you want o affect how thinngs look inside the AE then the ONLY right way is to worte a AETemplate for your node. Compounds are for stuff thet can not either topographically be described in other ways. Or its of a type that you need to connect or its one of those special types maya has a generic template for. Otherwise you need to write a AETemplate for the special compound,, and much more complex at that. So really only make a compound if theres some sane reason to connect such compounds.

If you just want hodden categories make a AETemplate thets what they are there for. See mayas design separates gui from actual nodal code.

[shredder]

Cool thank you.. I actually figured that a compound wasnt the correct way to do it, but was the only thing I found that did it in the API. I didnt know it should be dont somewhere else..
thanks!