Adding custom attributes - attribute editor problems

[Michał Frątczak]

I'm adding custom attributes to light nodes and having problems with attribute editor.

Currently I use: 

scriptJob -permanent -e DagObjectCreated "AddExtraLightAttrs";

If AttributeEditor is already open when I create new light, new attrs are added _after_ AE refresh - this results in total mess in AE.

If light is created before AE open, everything displays correctly, even subsequent light creations - so this has smth. to do with AE initialization/caching ...

I've used this technique in the past, but now I create ramp attributes, which seem to be causing trouble.

What can I do to fix this? Is there better alternative to scriptJob? 

I did a quick test with registering an API callback:  OpenMaya.MDGMessage.addNodeAddedCallback which in turn calls a AddExtraLightAttrs MEL, but this doesn't seem to fix this.

Or maybe I can make light AETemplate more bulletproof. 

I've also heard that new Maya allows to subclass lights to better handle custom attrs, but I couldn't find any docs for that.

This is the code that adds a ramp attr:

proc AddExtraLightAttrs_Ramp(string $node)
{
 //color ramp
 addAttr -longName "ColorGradient" -attributeType "compound" -multi -numberOfChildren 3 $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_Position" -attributeType "float" -parent "ColorGradient" $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_Color" -attributeType float3 -storable 1  -parent "ColorGradient" $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_ColorR" -attributeType "float"  -parent "ColorGradient_Color" $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_ColorG" -attributeType "float"  -parent "ColorGradient_Color" $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_ColorB" -attributeType "float"  -parent "ColorGradient_Color" $node;
 addAttr -shortName "ColorGradient_Interp" -attributeType "enum" -enumName "None:Linear:Spline:Smooth" -parent "ColorGradient" $node;


 //ramp index type
 addAttr -longName "ColorGradientInput" -attributeType "enum" -enumName "Distance:Intensity:Angle:IntensityAngle" $node;
 addAttr -longName "ColorGradientInputMaxPoint" -attributeType "float" $node;
 addAttr -longName "ColorGradientMix" -attributeType "float"$node;
 setAttr ($node + ".ColorGradientInputMaxPoint") 1;
}

And this is part of modified AEspotLightTemplate:

global proc AEspotLightTemplate ( string $nodeName )
{
 AEswatchDisplay  $nodeName;
 editorTemplate -callCustom
 ("AEspotLightPreviewPortNew " + $nodeName )
 ("AEspotLightPreviewPortReplace " + $nodeName )
 "coneAngle";


editorTemplate -beginScrollLayout;


 editorTemplate -beginLayout (uiRes("m_AEspotLightTemplate.kSpotLightAttr")) -collapse 0;
 AElightCommon $nodeName;


                // THIS PART IS NEW
 editorTemplate -beginLayout "Colour Gradient" -collapse 0;
 AEaddRampControl($nodeName + ".ColorGradient");
 editorTemplate -addControl "ColorGradientInput";
 editorTemplate -addControl "ColorGradientInputMaxPoint";
 editorTemplate -callCustom "AEmfdlSlider_New" "AEmfdlSlider_Replace" "ColorGradientMix 0 1";
 editorTemplate -endLayout;


                // REST OF FILE IS ORIGINAL