# Designer quality of life "mods" **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** scripting\ **Created:** [June 27, 2026, 8:10am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195 "2026-06-27T08:10:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chris\_Murphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Chris\_Murphy](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Chris_Murphy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 7:03am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/41 "2026-07-08T07:03:54Z")
Here's my QOL addition. Parameter presets. There are certain view usages that have a predetermined set of parameters, like a view to be used in a perspective table cell. I have a hot key that lets me pick from a set of predefined parameter sets and applies them to the view. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/6/e/6ed734392ebdd27a020f2f2abda583e753e6f554.png) ---
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:29am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/42 "2026-07-08T11:29:43Z")
This sparked another idea, something to auto gen the columns list in a perspective table, taken from the columns in the data so you don't have to do this manually all the time. ---
**Author:** ![code\_skin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@code\_skin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/code_skin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 11:31am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/43 "2026-07-08T11:31:50Z")
+1 ! This is so ideal. ---
**Author:** ![Aiasa21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Aiasa21](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Aiasa21)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/44 "2026-07-08T12:11:03Z")
Also, it would be great to have the **option to show the row count** , just like when you filter. ---
**Author:** ![MMaynard](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/mmaynard/32/3366_2.png) [@MMaynard](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/MMaynard)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/45 "2026-07-08T12:30:57Z")
> [@nminchin](#): > > This sparked another idea, something to auto gen the columns list in a perspective table, taken from the columns in the data so you don't have to do this manually all the time. I just bind the columns key to the data key and run this script transform. ```python return [ {'field': col, 'sortable': True, 'visible': True, 'editable': False, 'resizable':True, 'header': { 'title': col } } for col in value[0] ] ``` Then I disable the binding, Of course add/remove whatever properties you normally use on your table columns, but this gets me 99% there. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/46 "2026-07-08T13:42:32Z")
The item that would be of most use to me in some of my projects would be to allow tag folders to be opened in the tag editor, to allow viewing and editing of custom properties. The can be written by script and read by scripts and bindings, but there is no convenient manual editing UI. ---
**Author:** ![code\_skin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@code\_skin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/code_skin)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/47 "2026-07-08T14:22:35Z")
Wrong thread? I think you meant to post to [Designer quality of life "mods"](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195) ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Murphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Chris\_Murphy](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Chris_Murphy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/48 "2026-07-09T00:21:15Z")
The UI is actually there which makes it extra frustrating. To open it, initiate a search that will find that folder, then double click the search result. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/7/9/79d0c3fe6e46794154648e9ef9bd8e3e617211da.png) it opens the tag editor scoped to the folder, you can add custom properties, tooltip etc. just need a way to open more naturally. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Murphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Chris\_Murphy](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Chris_Murphy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 3:46am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/49 "2026-07-09T03:46:24Z")
Clanker generated 'edit folder' addition to tag browser context menu. Only available on a single folder selection in the tag browser. I actually use custom properties on folders all the time so this might be my new favourite hahaha. EDIT: Change out the system.util.getSystemFlags() function call for ApplicationScope.getGlobalScope() since the getSystemFlags moved to system.vision and breaks this in 8.3. ```python # QoL add-on: adds an "Edit Folder..." item to the Tag Browser right-click menu that # opens the (folder-scoped) Tag Editor for the selected folder from java.awt import Frame _MENU_ITEM_KEY = "qolEditFolderItem" _LISTENER_KEY = "qolEditFolderListener" # Latest Tag Browser selection (list of tree nodes), kept fresh by the selection listener. _selection = [] def _ctx_and_frame(): for f in Frame.getFrames(): try: c = f.getContext() if c is not None: return c, f except: pass return None, None def _is_folder(node): from com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tags.tree.node import FolderNode # Flip this to `return True` to show the item for tags/UDTs/folders alike. return isinstance(node, FolderNode) def _open_editor_for_selection(): if not _selection: return ctx, _ = _ctx_and_frame() if ctx is None: return ctx.getTagEditor().editTag(_selection[0].getTagPath()) def install(): from java.awt.event import ActionListener from javax.swing import JMenuItem, Action from com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.sqltags.dialog import OnTagSelectedListener ctx, frame = _ctx_and_frame() if ctx is None: return rp = frame.getRootPane() if rp.getClientProperty(_MENU_ITEM_KEY) is not None: print "Edit Folder item already installed." return tb = ctx.getTagBrowser() item = JMenuItem(u"Edit Folderโ€ฆ") try: edit_icon = tb.getActions().getEdit().getValue(Action.SMALL_ICON) if edit_icon is not None: item.setIcon(edit_icon) # reuse Ignition's built-in edit icon except: pass class _Open(ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self, e): _open_editor_for_selection() item.addActionListener(_Open()) class _Sel(OnTagSelectedListener): def tagSelectionChanged(self, tags): global _selection _selection = list(tags) if tags else [] # show the item only when a single folder is selected item.setVisible(len(_selection) == 1 and _is_folder(_selection[0])) listener = _Sel() tb.addOnTagSelectedListener(listener) tb.addTagPopupMenuComponent(item, 0) # 0 = top of the right-click menu item.setVisible(False) # hidden until a folder is selected rp.putClientProperty(_MENU_ITEM_KEY, item) rp.putClientProperty(_LISTENER_KEY, listener) print "Installed: 'Edit Folder' tag context-menu item (folders only)." def uninstall(): # NOTE: the Tag Browser has no API to remove a popup item, so we can only HIDE it and # stop the listener. The item object lingers in the popup until the Designer restarts. ctx, frame = _ctx_and_frame() if frame is None: return rp = frame.getRootPane() item = rp.getClientProperty(_MENU_ITEM_KEY) if item is not None: item.setVisible(False) rp.putClientProperty(_MENU_ITEM_KEY, None) listener = rp.getClientProperty(_LISTENER_KEY) if listener is not None and ctx is not None: ctx.getTagBrowser().removeOnTagSelectedListener(listener) rp.putClientProperty(_LISTENER_KEY, None) print "Uninstalled: 'Edit Folder' item hidden and listener removed (restart to fully clear)." def _is_designer(): from com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.model import ApplicationScope return ApplicationScope.isDesigner(ApplicationScope.getGlobalScope()) if _is_designer(): install() ``` ---
**Author:** ![Duffanator](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/duffanator/32/3560_2.png) [@Duffanator](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Duffanator)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/50 "2026-07-09T19:01:09Z")
I'm a little behind in the Ignition updates, maybe this is already in there but... The ability to make copies of alarms on a tag! When I have 32 alarms, one for each bit in an alarm word I hate having to type in the same alarm configuration over and over again when only the alarm name and bit number need to change. ---
**Author:** ![brandon1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@brandon1](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/brandon1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/51 "2026-07-09T19:02:53Z")
You can already do this! Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V and you will see the alarm get copied on the tag UI editor interface. ---
**Author:** ![Duffanator](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/duffanator/32/3560_2.png) [@Duffanator](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Duffanator)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/52 "2026-07-09T19:04:51Z")
Damn.. I can't believe I didn't try that before. lol. I assumed since it wasn't a right click menu it wasn't possible. Well, that's my problem solved ๐Ÿ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Laubach](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/steve_laubach/32/60900_2.png) [@Steve\_Laubach](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Steve_Laubach)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/53 "2026-07-09T20:22:07Z")
With tags in general it's also good to note the "Copy as JSON" feature. You can copy an alarm configuration to a text editor like this and copy/paste the JSON into the tag database really easily. It's also very useful if you're trying to make a lot of tags programmatically. You can use a script transform to convert tags from whatever format to Ignition tags for example. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 12:51am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/54 "2026-07-10T00:51:03Z")
Hmmm. This is universal enough that it makes me want to implement it in my Integration Toolkit. (Life cycle is simpler...) Objections? ---
**Author:** ![justinedwards.jle](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/justinedwards.jle/32/37854_2.png) [@justinedwards.jle](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/justinedwards.jle)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/55 "2026-07-10T14:15:43Z")
~~Coming soon to the Exchange... Hopefully~~ ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/9/d/9d2c5c2daaf05534a59e80cf31fc375f7743fcbe.png) This version is considerably more robust than the one I originally posted. I had a colleague intentionally try to poke holes in it, and that process led to several improvements. Rather than disabling the **OK** button, the patch now uses a document listener to detect `tag()` expressions and display a warning icon. For enforcement, it intercepts the **OK** button's `ActionListener` and displays a lightweight popup if the user attempts to save an expression containing a `tag()` call. I also added a selection listener to the binding type pane, so the warning automatically disappears when the user switches to a binding type other than an Expression Binding. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/6/d/6d4e710728b6e7c8d593d13b56369c68d360936f.png) **Edit:** This is now live on [The Exchange](https://inductiveautomation.com/exchange/2969/overview): ๐Ÿ™‚ > [@Preventing the Use of Tag() Expressions in Vision](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/preventing-the-use-of-tag-expressions-in-vision/116609): > > Introducing Tag Expression Blocker A free tool is now available on the Ignition Exchange that prevents developers from introducing tag() expressions into Vision UI bindings. [Inductive Automation Exchange: Tag Expression Blocker](https://inductiveautomation.com/exchange/2969/overview) Although the tag() function has a valid use case in expression tags, it is not recommended for other binding types due to its negative impact on performance. Tag Expression Blocker helps teams enforce this best practice by detecting and preventing these bindings before โ€ฆ ---
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/56 "2026-08-07T03:33:09Z")
> [@nminchin](#): > > > [@paul-griffith](#): > > > > If we could just give you a 'click style.classes, start typing, it auto-filters `` by name down to whatever you're typing' - would you say that's "good enough" or do you actually reach for the by-prop reference often? > > I'll be honest and say I haven't used this tool yet as I only recently added it ๐Ÿคญ. The name filtering though i've wanted for a _long time_ now. I thought to add CSS prop name _and value_ filtering in case I wanted to be able to filter for example on style classes that include specific props, like `gap`, `background-color`, `color`, `font-size`, `border`, etc., or that use specific css variable names. I think this will be more useful if you don't know the project in order to find the styles that set the font-size, for example > > _ **I think the simple workflow you mention would service most use-cases though imo.** _ I take this back. I've been using this quite a bit now and the ability to filter for style classes that contain specific css prop names and/or values has been incredibly useful! For example, I can filter for style classes that: - set font-size - set "bold" font - set borders - set background colours - use specific colours or variable names - have animations - etc. Which is invaluable if you don't know the style class names that you're looking for, but you know the css props that you need. Also the ability to view in the tooltip what declarations/css props the style class selector has is also very useful. So I would advocate for building this into a new UI design as well ---
**Author:** ![travisaggiebrown](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/travisaggiebrown/32/85824_2.png) [@travisaggiebrown](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/travisaggiebrown)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/57 "2026-08-14T13:54:25Z")
this is slopy work at best and was done mostly by a clanker, but I was able to make a Gui wizard that auto pulls in column names and allows you to style the columns easier. you have to be selected onto the table you want when you run the command to open it. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/b/1/b151c4fd2c3f1644dbe2eec321590903238baf95.png) ```python import traceback import json import copy import re from java.awt import BorderLayout, GridLayout, FlowLayout, Dimension, Color from javax.swing import (JDialog, JPanel, JLabel, JTextField, JCheckBox, JComboBox, JButton, JList, JScrollPane, BorderFactory, ListSelectionModel, JColorChooser) from javax.swing.event import ListSelectionListener from java.awt.event import KeyAdapter, ActionListener from java.awt import Window, Frame try: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.api import PropertyType except ImportError: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.config import PropertyType def open_table_wizard(): """ Perspective Table Column Wizard Auto-Injector --------------------------------------------- Reads the data of your selected Perspective Table, spawns a native Java Swing GUI to configure column settings, and injects the fully compliant schema back into your component. """ DEFAULT_COLUMN_TEMPLATE = { "field": "", "visible": True, "editable": False, "render": "auto", "justify": "auto", "align": "center", "resizable": True, "sortable": True, "sort": "none", "viewPath": "", "viewParams": {}, "boolean": "checkbox", "number": "value", "numberFormat": "0,0.##", "dateFormat": "MM/DD/YYYY", "width": "", "strictWidth": False, "filter": { "enabled": False, "visible": "on-hover", "string": { "condition": "", "value": "" }, "number": { "condition": "", "value": "" }, "boolean": { "condition": "" }, "date": { "condition": "", "value": "" } }, "style": { "classes": "" }, "header": { "title": "", "justify": "left", "align": "center", "style": { "classes": "" } }, "footer": { "title": "", "justify": "left", "align": "center", "style": { "classes": "" } } } def _format_header_title(key): if not key: return "" formatted = re.sub(r'([a-z0-9])([A-Z])', r'\1 \2', key) formatted = formatted.replace('_', ' ').replace('-', ' ') words = [word.capitalize() for word in formatted.split() if word] return " ".join(words) def _hex_to_color(hex_str, default_color): try: if hex_str.startswith("#") and len(hex_str) == 7: return Color.decode(hex_str) except Exception: pass return default_color # --------------------------------------------------------- # 3. ENCAPSULATED SWING CLASSES # --------------------------------------------------------- class _SelectionHandler(ListSelectionListener): def __init__ (self, wizard): self.wizard = wizard def valueChanged(self, event): self.wizard._on_select(event) class _ColorTypingAdapter(KeyAdapter): def __init__ (self, update_func): self.update_func = update_func def keyReleased(self, event): self.update_func() class _ColorOkListener(ActionListener): def __init__ (self, chooser, result_dict): self.chooser = chooser self.result = result_dict def actionPerformed(self, event): self.result["color"] = self.chooser.getColor() class _ColumnWizardDialog: def __init__ (self, parent_window, keys, existing_col_map): self.keys = keys self.existing_col_map = existing_col_map self.accepted = False self.configs = {} for k in self.keys: if k in self.existing_col_map: c = self.existing_col_map[k] h_style = c.get("header", {}).get("style", {}) c_style = c.get("style", {}) h_bg = h_style.get("backgroundColor", "#1A202C") h_txt = h_style.get("color", "#FFFFFF") c_bg = c_style.get("backgroundColor", "#F4F5F7") c_txt = c_style.get("color", "#333333") f_size = c_style.get("fontSize", "13px") h_extra = {key: val for key, val in h_style.items() if key not in ["backgroundColor", "color"]} c_extra = {key: val for key, val in c_style.items() if key not in ["backgroundColor", "color", "fontSize"]} self.configs[k] = { "title": c.get("header", {}).get("title", _format_header_title(k)), "header_align": c.get("header", {}).get("align", "center"), "content_align": c.get("align", "left"), "sortable": c.get("sortable", True), "resizable": c.get("resizable", True), "width": c.get("width", ""), "strict_width": c.get("strictWidth", False), "font_size": f_size, "header_bg": h_bg, "header_text": h_txt, "cell_bg": c_bg, "cell_text": c_txt, "header_extra": json.dumps(h_extra) if h_extra else "{}", "cell_extra": json.dumps(c_extra) if c_extra else "{}" } else: self.configs[k] = { "title": _format_header_title(k), "header_align": "center", "content_align": "left", "sortable": True, "resizable": True, "width": "", "strict_width": False, "font_size": "13px", "header_bg": "#1A202C", "header_text": "#FFFFFF", "cell_bg": "#F4F5F7", "cell_text": "#333333", "header_extra": "{\"fontWeight\": \"bold\"}", "cell_extra": "{\"fontWeight\": \"bold\", \"border\": \"1px solid #E5E7EB\", \"padding\": \"8px\"}" } self.global_config = { "header_align": "center", "content_align": "left", "sortable": True, "resizable": True, "width": "", "strict_width": False, "font_size": "13px", "header_bg": "#1A202C", "header_text": "#FFFFFF", "cell_bg": "#F4F5F7", "cell_text": "#333333", "header_extra": "{\"fontWeight\": \"bold\"}", "cell_extra": "{\"fontWeight\": \"bold\", \"border\": \"1px solid #E5E7EB\", \"padding\": \"8px\"}" } self.last_sel = "-- ALL COLUMNS --" # --- Build GUI --- self.dialog = JDialog(parent_window, "Perspective Column Editor", True) self.dialog.setSize(650, 700) self.dialog.setLayout(BorderLayout(10, 10)) self.dialog.setLocationRelativeTo(parent_window) # Left Panel list_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout()) list_panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Columns")) list_panel.setPreferredSize(Dimension(200, 0)) list_items = ["-- ALL COLUMNS --"] + self.keys self.col_list = JList(list_items) self.col_list.setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.SINGLE_SELECTION) self.col_list.addListSelectionListener(_SelectionHandler(self)) list_panel.add(JScrollPane(self.col_list), BorderLayout.CENTER) self.dialog.add(list_panel, BorderLayout.WEST) # Center Panel settings_panel = JPanel(GridLayout(15, 2, 6, 6)) settings_panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Settings")) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Title:")) self.txt_title = JTextField("") self.txt_title.setEnabled(False) settings_panel.add(self.txt_title) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Align:")) self.cb_h_align = JComboBox(["left", "center", "right"]) settings_panel.add(self.cb_h_align) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Content Align:")) self.cb_c_align = JComboBox(["auto", "left", "center", "right"]) settings_panel.add(self.cb_c_align) self.chk_sort = JCheckBox("Sortable", True) settings_panel.add(self.chk_sort) self.chk_res = JCheckBox("Resizable", True) settings_panel.add(self.chk_res) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Width (e.g., '150px' or ''):")) self.txt_width = JTextField("") settings_panel.add(self.txt_width) self.chk_sw = JCheckBox("Strict Width", False) settings_panel.add(self.chk_sw) settings_panel.add(JLabel("")) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Cell Font Size:")) self.txt_font = JTextField("13px") settings_panel.add(self.txt_font) def make_color_action(textfield): def action(event): current_color = _hex_to_color(textfield.getText().strip(), Color.WHITE) chooser = JColorChooser(current_color) chooser.setPreviewPanel(JPanel()) for panel in chooser.getChooserPanels(): if panel.getDisplayName() in ["Swatches", "CMYK"]: chooser.removeChooserPanel(panel) result = {"color": None} ok_listener = _ColorOkListener(chooser, result) picker_dialog = JColorChooser.createDialog(self.dialog, "Pick a Color", True, chooser, ok_listener, None) picker_dialog.setVisible(True) if result["color"]: hex_color = "#%02X%02X%02X" % (result["color"].getRed(), result["color"].getGreen(), result["color"].getBlue()) textfield.setText(hex_color) self._update_previews() return action # Colors settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header BG Color:")) h_bg_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout(5, 0)) self.txt_h_bg = JTextField("#1A202C") self.txt_h_bg.addKeyListener(_ColorTypingAdapter(self._update_previews)) btn_h_bg = JButton("๐ŸŽจ", actionPerformed=make_color_action(self.txt_h_bg)) h_bg_panel.add(self.txt_h_bg, BorderLayout.CENTER) h_bg_panel.add(btn_h_bg, BorderLayout.EAST) settings_panel.add(h_bg_panel) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Text Color:")) h_txt_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout(5, 0)) self.txt_h_text = JTextField("#FFFFFF") self.txt_h_text.addKeyListener(_ColorTypingAdapter(self._update_previews)) btn_h_text = JButton("๐ŸŽจ", actionPerformed=make_color_action(self.txt_h_text)) h_txt_panel.add(self.txt_h_text, BorderLayout.CENTER) h_txt_panel.add(btn_h_text, BorderLayout.EAST) settings_panel.add(h_txt_panel) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Preview:")) self.lbl_h_preview = JLabel(" Sample Header Text ", JLabel.CENTER) self.lbl_h_preview.setOpaque(True) self.lbl_h_preview.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.GRAY)) settings_panel.add(self.lbl_h_preview) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Cell BG Color:")) c_bg_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout(5, 0)) self.txt_c_bg = JTextField("#F4F5F7") self.txt_c_bg.addKeyListener(_ColorTypingAdapter(self._update_previews)) btn_c_bg = JButton("๐ŸŽจ", actionPerformed=make_color_action(self.txt_c_bg)) c_bg_panel.add(self.txt_c_bg, BorderLayout.CENTER) c_bg_panel.add(btn_c_bg, BorderLayout.EAST) settings_panel.add(c_bg_panel) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Cell Text Color:")) c_txt_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout(5, 0)) self.txt_c_text = JTextField("#333333") self.txt_c_text.addKeyListener(_ColorTypingAdapter(self._update_previews)) btn_c_text = JButton("๐ŸŽจ", actionPerformed=make_color_action(self.txt_c_text)) c_txt_panel.add(self.txt_c_text, BorderLayout.CENTER) c_txt_panel.add(btn_c_text, BorderLayout.EAST) settings_panel.add(c_txt_panel) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Cell Preview:")) self.lbl_c_preview = JLabel(" Sample Cell Data ", JLabel.CENTER) self.lbl_c_preview.setOpaque(True) self.lbl_c_preview.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.GRAY)) settings_panel.add(self.lbl_c_preview) # JSON json_tooltip = 'Must use strict JSON with double quotes.
Example: {"margin": "auto", "padding": "10px"}' lbl_h_extra = JLabel(" Extra Header Style (JSON):") lbl_h_extra.setToolTipText(json_tooltip) settings_panel.add(lbl_h_extra) self.txt_h_extra = JTextField("{}") self.txt_h_extra.setToolTipText(json_tooltip) settings_panel.add(self.txt_h_extra) lbl_c_extra = JLabel(" Extra Cell Style (JSON):") lbl_c_extra.setToolTipText(json_tooltip) settings_panel.add(lbl_c_extra) self.txt_c_extra = JTextField("{}") self.txt_c_extra.setToolTipText(json_tooltip) settings_panel.add(self.txt_c_extra) self.dialog.add(settings_panel, BorderLayout.CENTER) # Bottom Panel btn_panel = JPanel(FlowLayout(FlowLayout.RIGHT)) inject_btn = JButton("Apply & Inject Columns", actionPerformed=self._on_inject) cancel_btn = JButton("Cancel", actionPerformed=self._on_cancel) btn_panel.add(cancel_btn) btn_panel.add(inject_btn) self.dialog.add(btn_panel, BorderLayout.SOUTH) self.col_list.setSelectedIndex(0) self._update_previews() def _update_previews(self): h_bg = _hex_to_color(self.txt_h_bg.getText().strip(), Color.DARK_GRAY) h_fg = _hex_to_color(self.txt_h_text.getText().strip(), Color.WHITE) self.lbl_h_preview.setBackground(h_bg) self.lbl_h_preview.setForeground(h_fg) c_bg = _hex_to_color(self.txt_c_bg.getText().strip(), Color.LIGHT_GRAY) c_fg = _hex_to_color(self.txt_c_text.getText().strip(), Color.BLACK) self.lbl_c_preview.setBackground(c_bg) self.lbl_c_preview.setForeground(c_fg) def _save_form_state(self): h_align = self.cb_h_align.getSelectedItem() c_align = self.cb_c_align.getSelectedItem() sort = self.chk_sort.isSelected() res = self.chk_res.isSelected() w = self.txt_width.getText().strip() sw = self.chk_sw.isSelected() f_size = self.txt_font.getText().strip() h_bg = self.txt_h_bg.getText().strip() h_txt = self.txt_h_text.getText().strip() c_bg = self.txt_c_bg.getText().strip() c_txt = self.txt_c_text.getText().strip() h_extra = self.txt_h_extra.getText().strip() c_extra = self.txt_c_extra.getText().strip() if self.last_sel == "-- ALL COLUMNS --": self.global_config = { "header_align": h_align, "content_align": c_align, "sortable": sort, "resizable": res, "width": w, "strict_width": sw, "font_size": f_size, "header_bg": h_bg, "header_text": h_txt, "cell_bg": c_bg, "cell_text": c_txt, "header_extra": h_extra, "cell_extra": c_extra } for k in self.keys: self.configs[k].update(self.global_config) else: self.configs[self.last_sel]["title"] = self.txt_title.getText() self.configs[self.last_sel].update({ "header_align": h_align, "content_align": c_align, "sortable": sort, "resizable": res, "width": w, "strict_width": sw, "font_size": f_size, "header_bg": h_bg, "header_text": h_txt, "cell_bg": c_bg, "cell_text": c_txt, "header_extra": h_extra, "cell_extra": c_extra }) def _load_form_state(self, sel): if sel == "-- ALL COLUMNS --": self.txt_title.setText("") self.txt_title.setEnabled(False) c = self.global_config else: c = self.configs[sel] self.txt_title.setText(c["title"]) self.txt_title.setEnabled(True) self.cb_h_align.setSelectedItem(c["header_align"]) self.cb_c_align.setSelectedItem(c["content_align"]) self.chk_sort.setSelected(c["sortable"]) self.chk_res.setSelected(c["resizable"]) self.txt_width.setText(c["width"]) self.chk_sw.setSelected(c["strict_width"]) self.txt_font.setText(c.get("font_size", "13px")) self.txt_h_bg.setText(c["header_bg"]) self.txt_h_text.setText(c.get("header_text", "#FFFFFF")) self.txt_c_bg.setText(c["cell_bg"]) self.txt_c_text.setText(c.get("cell_text", "#333333")) self.txt_h_extra.setText(c.get("header_extra", "{}")) self.txt_c_extra.setText(c.get("cell_extra", "{}")) self._update_previews() def _on_select(self, event): if not event.getValueIsAdjusting(): new_sel = self.col_list.getSelectedValue() if new_sel != self.last_sel: self._save_form_state() self._load_form_state(new_sel) self.last_sel = new_sel def _on_inject(self, event): self._save_form_state() self.accepted = True self.dialog.dispose() def _on_cancel(self, event): self.dialog.dispose() def show(self): self.dialog.setVisible(True) return self.configs if self.accepted else None # --------------------------------------------------------- # 4. MAIN SCRIPT EXECUTION # --------------------------------------------------------- designer_window = None for w in Window.getWindows(): if isinstance(w, Frame) and w.getTitle() and "Ignition Designer" in w.getTitle(): designer_window = w break if not designer_window: print "โŒ Could not find Ignition Designer window." return try: context = designer_window.getContext() p_mod = context.getModule("com.inductiveautomation.perspective") ws = p_mod.getWorkspace() editor = ws.getViewEditor() if hasattr(ws, 'getViewEditor') else ws.getSelectedEditor() selection = editor.getSelection() if hasattr(editor, 'getSelection') else None if not selection or selection.isEmpty(): print "โŒ No component selected. Click on your Table in the View first!" return component_details_list = selection.getComponentDetails() if not component_details_list or component_details_list.isEmpty(): return component_details = component_details_list.get(0) props_raw = None if hasattr(component_details, 'props'): props_raw = component_details.props() if callable(component_details.props) else component_details.props if not props_raw: return try: props_json_str = unicode(props_raw.toString() if hasattr(props_raw, "toString") else str(props_raw)) props_dict = json.loads(props_json_str) except Exception as e: return props_data = props_dict.get("data", {}) existing_cols = props_dict.get("columns", []) # Build map of existing configurations existing_col_map = {} if isinstance(existing_cols, list): for c in existing_cols: if isinstance(c, dict) and "field" in c: existing_col_map[str(c["field"])] = c column_keys = set() # Extract keys from Data if isinstance(props_data, dict) and "$columns" in props_data: for col_def in props_data["$columns"]: if isinstance(col_def, dict) and "name" in col_def: column_keys.add(str(col_def["name"])) elif isinstance(props_data, dict) and "$a" in props_data: if isinstance(props_data["$a"], list) and len(props_data["$a"]) > 0: for key in props_data["$a"][0].keys(): if key != "$": column_keys.add(str(key)) elif isinstance(props_data, list) and len(props_data) > 0: if isinstance(props_data[0], dict): for key in props_data[0].keys(): column_keys.add(str(key)) elif isinstance(props_data, dict) and "columns" in props_data: for col in props_data["columns"]: if "name" in col: column_keys.add(str(col["name"])) for k in existing_col_map.keys(): column_keys.add(k) if isinstance(props_data, dict) and "$columns" in props_data: sorted_keys = [] for col_def in props_data["$columns"]: name = str(col_def["name"]) if name in column_keys: sorted_keys.append(name) for k in column_keys: if k not in sorted_keys: sorted_keys.append(k) else: sorted_keys = sorted(list(column_keys)) if not sorted_keys: print "โŒ No columns found in props.data or props.columns" return # ๐ŸŒŸ LAUNCH WIZARD wizard = _ColumnWizardDialog(designer_window, sorted_keys, existing_col_map) final_configs = wizard.show() if not final_configs: print "โš ๏ธ User cancelled column injection." return new_columns = [] for key in sorted_keys: c_state = final_configs[key] col = existing_col_map.get(key, copy.deepcopy(DEFAULT_COLUMN_TEMPLATE)) col["field"] = key col["align"] = c_state["content_align"] col["sortable"] = c_state["sortable"] col["resizable"] = c_state["resizable"] col["width"] = c_state["width"] col["strictWidth"] = c_state["strict_width"] if "header" not in col: col["header"] = {} col["header"]["title"] = c_state["title"] col["header"]["align"] = c_state["header_align"] if "style" not in col["header"]: col["header"]["style"] = {} if "style" not in col: col["style"] = {} header_style = {"backgroundColor": c_state["header_bg"], "color": c_state["header_text"]} cell_style = {"backgroundColor": c_state["cell_bg"], "color": c_state["cell_text"], "fontSize": c_state["font_size"]} try: if c_state["header_extra"] and c_state["header_extra"] != "{}": header_style.update(json.loads(c_state["header_extra"])) if c_state["cell_extra"] and c_state["cell_extra"] != "{}": cell_style.update(json.loads(c_state["cell_extra"])) except Exception as e: print "โš ๏ธ Warning: Could not parse extra style JSON for column '%s': %s" % (key, e) col["header"]["style"] = header_style col["style"] = cell_style new_columns.append(col) new_columns_json_str = json.dumps(new_columns) try: selection.write(PropertyType.props, "columns", new_columns_json_str) print "โœ… Successfully injected FULL column schema via Editor Wizard!" except Exception as final_e: print "โŒ Failed to write properties." traceback.print_exc() except Exception as e: print "โŒ Failed to inject." traceback.print_exc() ``` Edit: clanker broke it on final refactor, despite me swearing i tested it. it should actually work now ---
**Author:** ![travisaggiebrown](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/travisaggiebrown/32/85824_2.png) [@travisaggiebrown](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/travisaggiebrown)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/58 "2026-08-25T21:11:46Z")
I have made a couple more nice features (at least I think) and made it easier to access the table wizard I made. it adds a tool bar at the top of the property editor for perspective: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/d/6/d69ce3afdb6026e06e0cfb31e3da1424162b47fe.png) this includes 5 features - Copys The Custom propertys of selected component - paste the custom propertys to selected component - copys the params of selected component - paste the params to the selected component - appends the style from clipboard on top of existing styles - opens the table manager (if a table is selected) the structure is as follows: Dev.Clipboard: ```python import json from java.awt import Toolkit from java.awt.datatransfer import StringSelection, DataFlavor def set_text(text): try: toolkit = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit() toolkit.getSystemClipboard().setContents(StringSelection(text), None) except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to write to clipboard: %s" % e) def get_dict(): try: toolkit = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit() text = toolkit.getSystemClipboard().getData(DataFlavor.stringFlavor) if not text: return None payload = json.loads(text) if isinstance(payload, dict): return payload print("ERROR: Clipboard is not a valid JSON Dictionary.") return None except ValueError: print("ERROR: Clipboard content is not valid JSON.") return None except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to read clipboard: %s" % e) return None ``` Dev.Context: ```python from java.awt import Window, Frame def get_workspace_and_selection(): designer_window = None for w in Window.getWindows(): if isinstance(w, Frame) and w.getTitle() and "Ignition Designer" in w.getTitle(): designer_window = w break if not designer_window: return None, None, None try: ctx = designer_window.getContext() p_mod = ctx.getModule("com.inductiveautomation.perspective") ws = p_mod.getWorkspace() editor = ws.getViewEditor() if hasattr(ws, 'getViewEditor') else ws.getSelectedEditor() selection = editor.getSelection() if hasattr(editor, 'getSelection') else None return ws, editor, selection except Exception: return None, None, None ``` Dev.PropertyActions: ```python import json from java.awt.event import ActionListener import Dev.Clipboard as clip_mgr import Dev.Context as ctx_mgr try: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.api import PropertyType except ImportError: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.config import PropertyType class CopyAction(ActionListener): def __init__ (self, target_prop_type): self.target_prop_type = target_prop_type def actionPerformed(self, event): _, _, selection = ctx_mgr.get_workspace_and_selection() if not selection or selection.isEmpty(): return comp_details = selection.getComponentDetails() if not comp_details or comp_details.isEmpty(): return comp = comp_details.get(0) prop_node = getattr(comp, self.target_prop_type, None) if prop_node is None: return raw = prop_node() if callable(prop_node) else prop_node try: json_str = unicode(raw.toString() if hasattr(raw, "toString") else str(raw)) parsed = json.loads(json_str) clip_mgr.set_text(json.dumps(parsed, indent=4)) print("SUCCESS: Copied '%s' properties to clipboard!" % self.target_prop_type) except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to copy properties: %s" % e) class PasteAction(ActionListener): def __init__ (self, target_prop_type): self.target_prop_type = target_prop_type def actionPerformed(self, event): payload = clip_mgr.get_dict() if not payload: print("INFO: Clipboard is empty or does not contain a valid dictionary.") return _, _, selection = ctx_mgr.get_workspace_and_selection() if not selection or selection.isEmpty(): print("INFO: No component selected.") return p_type = PropertyType.custom if self.target_prop_type == "custom" else PropertyType.params try: json_payload = json.dumps(payload) selection.write(p_type, "", json_payload) print("SUCCESS: Natively injected into '%s'!" % self.target_prop_type) except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to paste properties: %s" % e) class AppendStylesAction(ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self, event): payload = clip_mgr.get_dict() if not payload: return # Smart unwrap if the user copied the parent {"style": {...}} object if "style" in payload and isinstance(payload["style"], dict): payload = payload["style"] _, _, selection = ctx_mgr.get_workspace_and_selection() if not selection or selection.isEmpty(): return existing_classes = "" try: comp = selection.getComponentDetails().get(0) raw_props = comp.props() if callable(comp.props) else comp.props props_dict = json.loads(unicode(raw_props.toString() if hasattr(raw_props, "toString") else str(raw_props))) c = props_dict.get("style", {}).get("classes", "") if isinstance(c, basestring): existing_classes = c except Exception: pass # Properties that require string units (like 'px') in CSS pixel_properties = ["fontSize", "width", "height", "padding", "margin", "borderRadius", "borderWidth", "top", "bottom", "left", "right"] try: for key, value in payload.items(): # ๐ŸŒŸ SMART TYPE CASTER: Automatically convert numeric sizes to px strings! if key in pixel_properties and isinstance(value, (int, float)): value = "%dpx" % int(value) # Smart CSS Class merging if key == "classes" and existing_classes and isinstance(value, basestring): new_classes = existing_classes for c in value.split(): if c not in new_classes.split(): new_classes += " " + c value = new_classes.strip() # Write natively to the style dictionary path selection.write(PropertyType.props, "style." + key, json.dumps(value)) print("SUCCESS: Styles successfully appended!") except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to append styles: %s" % e) ``` Dev.TableWizard: ```python import json import copy import re from java.awt import BorderLayout, FlowLayout, GridLayout, Dimension, Color, Window, Frame from java.awt.event import ActionListener, KeyAdapter from javax.swing import (JPanel, JButton, JLabel, BorderFactory, JDialog, JTextField, JCheckBox, JComboBox, JList, JScrollPane, ListSelectionModel, JColorChooser) from javax.swing.event import ListSelectionListener import Dev.Context as ctx_mgr try: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.api import PropertyType except ImportError: from com.inductiveautomation.perspective.common.config import PropertyType class LaunchWizardAction(ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self, event): launch_table_wizard() def launch_table_wizard(): DEFAULT_COLUMN_TEMPLATE = { "field": "", "visible": True, "editable": False, "render": "auto", "justify": "auto", "align": "center", "resizable": True, "sortable": True, "width": "", "strictWidth": False, "style": { "classes": "" }, "header": { "title": "", "justify": "left", "align": "center", "style": { "classes": "" } }, } def _format_header_title(key): if not key: return "" formatted = re.sub(r'([a-z0-9])([A-Z])', r'\1 \2', key).replace('_', ' ').replace('-', ' ') return " ".join([word.capitalize() for word in formatted.split() if word]) def _hex_to_color(hex_str, default_color): try: if hex_str.startswith("#") and len(hex_str) == 7: return Color.decode(hex_str) except Exception: pass return default_color class _ColumnWizardDialog: def __init__ (self, parent_window, keys, existing_col_map): self.keys = keys self.existing_col_map = existing_col_map self.accepted = False self.configs = {} for k in self.keys: if k in self.existing_col_map: c = self.existing_col_map[k] h_style = c.get("header", {}).get("style", {}) c_style = c.get("style", {}) self.configs[k] = { "title": c.get("header", {}).get("title", _format_header_title(k)), "header_align": c.get("header", {}).get("align", "center"), "content_align": c.get("align", "left"), "sortable": c.get("sortable", True), "resizable": c.get("resizable", True), "width": c.get("width", ""), "strict_width": c.get("strictWidth", False), "font_size": c_style.get("fontSize", "13px"), "header_bg": h_style.get("backgroundColor", "#1A202C"), "header_text": h_style.get("color", "#FFFFFF"), "cell_bg": c_style.get("backgroundColor", "#F4F5F7"), "cell_text": c_style.get("color", "#333333"), "header_extra": json.dumps({key: val for key, val in h_style.items() if key not in ["backgroundColor", "color"]}), "cell_extra": json.dumps({key: val for key, val in c_style.items() if key not in ["backgroundColor", "color", "fontSize"]}) } else: self.configs[k] = { "title": _format_header_title(k), "header_align": "center", "content_align": "left", "sortable": True, "resizable": True, "width": "", "strict_width": False, "font_size": "13px", "header_bg": "#1A202C", "header_text": "#FFFFFF", "cell_bg": "#F4F5F7", "cell_text": "#333333", "header_extra": '{"fontWeight": "bold"}', "cell_extra": '{"fontWeight": "bold", "border": "1px solid #E5E7EB", "padding": "8px"}' } self.global_config = copy.deepcopy(self.configs[self.keys[0]] if self.keys else {}) self.last_sel = "-- ALL COLUMNS --" self.dialog = JDialog(parent_window, "Perspective Column Editor", True) self.dialog.setSize(650, 700) self.dialog.setLayout(BorderLayout(10, 10)) self.dialog.setLocationRelativeTo(parent_window) list_panel = JPanel(BorderLayout()) list_panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Columns")) list_panel.setPreferredSize(Dimension(200, 0)) self.col_list = JList(["-- ALL COLUMNS --"] + self.keys) self.col_list.setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.SINGLE_SELECTION) class _ListProxy(ListSelectionListener): def __init__ (self, outer): self.outer = outer def valueChanged(self, e): if not e.getValueIsAdjusting(): ns = self.outer.col_list.getSelectedValue() if ns != self.outer.last_sel: self.outer._save_form_state() self.outer._load_form_state(ns) self.outer.last_sel = ns self.col_list.addListSelectionListener(_ListProxy(self)) list_panel.add(JScrollPane(self.col_list), BorderLayout.CENTER) self.dialog.add(list_panel, BorderLayout.WEST) settings_panel = JPanel(GridLayout(15, 2, 6, 6)) settings_panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Settings")) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Title:")) self.txt_title = JTextField("") self.txt_title.setEnabled(False) settings_panel.add(self.txt_title) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Header Align:")) self.cb_h_align = JComboBox(["left", "center", "right"]) settings_panel.add(self.cb_h_align) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Content Align:")) self.cb_c_align = JComboBox(["auto", "left", "center", "right"]) settings_panel.add(self.cb_c_align) self.chk_sort = JCheckBox("Sortable", True) settings_panel.add(self.chk_sort) self.chk_res = JCheckBox("Resizable", True) settings_panel.add(self.chk_res) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Width (e.g., '150px' or ''):")) self.txt_width = JTextField("") settings_panel.add(self.txt_width) self.chk_sw = JCheckBox("Strict Width", False) settings_panel.add(self.chk_sw) settings_panel.add(JLabel("")) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Cell Font Size:")) self.txt_font = JTextField("13px") settings_panel.add(self.txt_font) def make_color_action(textfield): class ActionProxy(ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self, e): chooser = JColorChooser(_hex_to_color(textfield.getText().strip(), Color.WHITE)) class OkProxy(ActionListener): def actionPerformed(self, ev): c = chooser.getColor() if c: textfield.setText("#%02X%02X%02X" % (c.getRed(), c.getGreen(), c.getBlue())) dg = JColorChooser.createDialog(self.outer.dialog, "Pick", True, chooser, OkProxy(), None) dg.setVisible(True) ap = ActionProxy(); ap.outer = self return ap for lbl, txt_ref in [(" Header BG Color:", "txt_h_bg"), (" Header Text Color:", "txt_h_text"), (" Cell BG Color:", "txt_c_bg"), (" Cell Text Color:", "txt_c_text")]: settings_panel.add(JLabel(lbl)) p = JPanel(BorderLayout(5, 0)) tf = JTextField("#000000") setattr(self, txt_ref, tf) p.add(tf, BorderLayout.CENTER) p.add(JButton("๐ŸŽจ", actionPerformed=make_color_action(tf)), BorderLayout.EAST) settings_panel.add(p) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Extra Header Style (JSON):")) self.txt_h_extra = JTextField("{}") settings_panel.add(self.txt_h_extra) settings_panel.add(JLabel(" Extra Cell Style (JSON):")) self.txt_c_extra = JTextField("{}") settings_panel.add(self.txt_c_extra) self.dialog.add(settings_panel, BorderLayout.CENTER) btn_panel = JPanel(FlowLayout(FlowLayout.RIGHT)) class BtnProxy(ActionListener): def __init__ (self, fn): self.fn = fn def actionPerformed(self, e): self.fn(e) def on_inject(e): self._save_form_state() self.accepted = True self.dialog.dispose() btn_panel.add(JButton("Cancel", actionPerformed=BtnProxy(lambda e: self.dialog.dispose()))) btn_panel.add(JButton("Apply & Inject Columns", actionPerformed=BtnProxy(on_inject))) self.dialog.add(btn_panel, BorderLayout.SOUTH) self.col_list.setSelectedIndex(0) def _save_form_state(self): d = { "header_align": self.cb_h_align.getSelectedItem(), "content_align": self.cb_c_align.getSelectedItem(), "sortable": self.chk_sort.isSelected(), "resizable": self.chk_res.isSelected(), "width": self.txt_width.getText().strip(), "strict_width": self.chk_sw.isSelected(), "font_size": self.txt_font.getText().strip(), "header_bg": self.txt_h_bg.getText().strip(), "header_text": self.txt_h_text.getText().strip(), "cell_bg": self.txt_c_bg.getText().strip(), "cell_text": self.txt_c_text.getText().strip(), "header_extra": self.txt_h_extra.getText().strip(), "cell_extra": self.txt_c_extra.getText().strip() } if self.last_sel == "-- ALL COLUMNS --": self.global_config = d for k in self.keys: self.configs[k].update(d) else: d["title"] = self.txt_title.getText() self.configs[self.last_sel].update(d) def _load_form_state(self, sel): c = self.global_config if sel == "-- ALL COLUMNS --" else self.configs[sel] self.txt_title.setText("" if sel == "-- ALL COLUMNS --" else c.get("title", "")) self.txt_title.setEnabled(sel != "-- ALL COLUMNS --") self.cb_h_align.setSelectedItem(c.get("header_align")) self.cb_c_align.setSelectedItem(c.get("content_align")) self.chk_sort.setSelected(c.get("sortable", True)) self.chk_res.setSelected(c.get("resizable", True)) self.txt_width.setText(c.get("width", "")) self.chk_sw.setSelected(c.get("strict_width", False)) self.txt_font.setText(c.get("font_size", "13px")) self.txt_h_bg.setText(c.get("header_bg", "")) self.txt_h_text.setText(c.get("header_text", "")) self.txt_c_bg.setText(c.get("cell_bg", "")) self.txt_c_text.setText(c.get("cell_text", "")) self.txt_h_extra.setText(c.get("header_extra", "{}")) self.txt_c_extra.setText(c.get("cell_extra", "{}")) def show(self): self.dialog.setVisible(True) return self.configs if self.accepted else None # --- EXECUTE WIZARD --- ws, editor, selection = ctx_mgr.get_workspace_and_selection() if not selection or selection.isEmpty(): print("ERROR: No Table selected.") return comp = selection.getComponentDetails().get(0) raw_props = comp.props() if callable(comp.props) else comp.props try: props_dict = json.loads(unicode(raw_props.toString() if hasattr(raw_props, "toString") else str(raw_props))) except Exception: return props_data = props_dict.get("data", {}) existing_cols = props_dict.get("columns", []) existing_col_map = {str(c["field"]): c for c in existing_cols if isinstance(c, dict) and "field" in c} column_keys = set(existing_col_map.keys()) if isinstance(props_data, list) and len(props_data) > 0 and isinstance(props_data[0], dict): column_keys.update([str(k) for k in props_data[0].keys() if not str(k).startswith("$")]) elif isinstance(props_data, dict): if "$columns" in props_data: column_keys.update([str(c.get("name", "")) for c in props_data["$columns"]]) elif "columns" in props_data: column_keys.update([str(c.get("name", "")) for c in props_data["columns"]]) elif "$a" in props_data and isinstance(props_data["$a"], list) and len(props_data["$a"]) > 0: column_keys.update([str(k) for k in props_data["$a"][0].keys() if k != "$"]) elif "type" not in props_data: column_keys.update([str(k) for k in props_data.keys() if not str(k).startswith("$")]) sorted_keys = sorted(list(column_keys)) designer_window = [w for w in Window.getWindows() if isinstance(w, Frame) and "Ignition Designer" in w.getTitle()][0] # ๐ŸŒŸ SMART FALLBACK: Allow JSON string pasting! if not sorted_keys: input_str = JOptionPane.showInputDialog( designer_window, "No columns detected (Data might be bound).\n\nYou can type comma-separated names OR paste a JSON sample row/array here:", "Data Schema Entry", JOptionPane.QUESTION_MESSAGE ) if not input_str or not input_str.strip(): print("INFO: User cancelled manual column entry.") return input_str = input_str.strip() try: # Try to parse the pasted text as JSON pasted_json = json.loads(input_str) if isinstance(pasted_json, list) and len(pasted_json) > 0 and isinstance(pasted_json[0], dict): sorted_keys = [str(k) for k in pasted_json[0].keys() if not str(k).startswith("$")] elif isinstance(pasted_json, dict): sorted_keys = [str(k) for k in pasted_json.keys() if not str(k).startswith("$")] except Exception: # If it's not valid JSON, treat it as comma-separated values sorted_keys = [k.strip() for k in input_str.split(",") if k.strip()] if not sorted_keys: print("ERROR: Could not parse any keys from your input.") return wizard = _ColumnWizardDialog(designer_window, sorted_keys, existing_col_map) final_configs = wizard.show() if not final_configs: return new_columns = [] for key in sorted_keys: c_state = final_configs[key] col = existing_col_map.get(key, copy.deepcopy(DEFAULT_COLUMN_TEMPLATE)) col.update({"field": key, "align": c_state["content_align"], "sortable": c_state["sortable"], "resizable": c_state["resizable"], "width": c_state["width"], "strictWidth": c_state["strict_width"]}) if "header" not in col: col["header"] = {} col["header"].update({"title": c_state["title"], "align": c_state["header_align"]}) header_style = {"backgroundColor": c_state["header_bg"], "color": c_state["header_text"]} cell_style = {"backgroundColor": c_state["cell_bg"], "color": c_state["cell_text"], "fontSize": c_state["font_size"]} try: if c_state["header_extra"] not in ["{}", ""]: header_style.update(json.loads(c_state["header_extra"])) if c_state["cell_extra"] not in ["{}", ""]: cell_style.update(json.loads(c_state["cell_extra"])) except Exception: pass col["header"]["style"] = header_style col["style"] = cell_style new_columns.append(col) selection.write(PropertyType.props, "columns", json.dumps(new_columns)) print("SUCCESS: Full column schema injected!") ``` Dev.UtilityToolbar: ```python from java.awt import FlowLayout, Window, Frame, Color, Insets from javax.swing import JPanel, JButton, JLabel, BorderFactory import Dev.PropertyActions as actions import Dev.TableWizard as wizard # Unique name to identify our injected JPanel container MARKER_NAME = "dev_perspective_utility_panel" def inject(): """Builds and attaches the custom utility toolbar to the Property Editor's header bar.""" # Run an uninstall first to ensure we never stack duplicate panels uninstall() designer_window = None for w in Window.getWindows(): if isinstance(w, Frame) and w.getTitle() and "Ignition Designer" in w.getTitle(): designer_window = w break if not designer_window: return context = designer_window.getContext() propertyEditor = context.dockingManager.getFrame("PerspectivePropEditor") if propertyEditor: # Create the custom Swing panel and name it so we can find it during uninstall utilityPanel = JPanel(FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT, 3, 1)) utilityPanel.setName(MARKER_NAME) utilityPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createMatteBorder(0, 0, 1, 0, Color.LIGHT_GRAY)) utilityPanel.add(JLabel("Utils: ")) buttons = [ ("Copy Custom", actions.CopyAction("custom"), None), ("Paste Custom", actions.PasteAction("custom"), None), ("Copy Params", actions.CopyAction("params"), None), ("Paste Params", actions.PasteAction("params"), None), ("Append Styles", actions.AppendStylesAction(), Color(0, 100, 0)), ("Table Wizard", wizard.LaunchWizardAction(), Color(0, 70, 140)) ] for text, action, color in buttons: btn = JButton(text) btn.setMargin(Insets(1, 4, 1, 4)) btn.addActionListener(action) if color: btn.setForeground(color) utilityPanel.add(btn) # Bind the panel persistently to JIDE's Title Bar component slot propertyEditor.setTitleBarComponent(utilityPanel) # Redraw the frame propertyEditor.revalidate() propertyEditor.repaint() print("SUCCESS: Modular Toolbar bound to Property Editor!") def uninstall(): """Removes our custom panel and restores the Property Editor's title bar back to standard.""" try: designer_window = None for w in Window.getWindows(): if isinstance(w, Frame) and w.getTitle() and "Ignition Designer" in w.getTitle(): designer_window = w break if not designer_window: return False context = designer_window.getContext() propertyEditor = context.dockingManager.getFrame("PerspectivePropEditor") if propertyEditor: current_component = propertyEditor.getTitleBarComponent() # Check if our custom named panel is currently occupying the title bar if current_component and current_component.getName() == MARKER_NAME: # Wiping the title bar component slot completely restores JIDE's default layout propertyEditor.setTitleBarComponent(None) # Force immediate re-layout calculation and redrawing propertyEditor.revalidate() propertyEditor.repaint() print("SUCCESS: Modular Toolbar cleanly uninstalled from Property Editor.") return True return False except Exception as e: print("ERROR: Failed to uninstall Property Editor toolbar: %s" % e) return False ``` then just run Dev.UtilityToolbar.inject() or have it run in a vision client tag on change script as explained in this thread. > [@Component Scripting Window Default Size](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/component-scripting-window-default-size/68548/16): > > If anybody is interested, I've also developed a way to apply this script automatically when the designer is opened, so there is no need to ever run the script from the script console. To do this, simply package the code into a library script, and call it from a Vision client tag using the value changed event. For the client tag, I'm using the data type DateTime with the expression now(0). Since the polling rate is set to zero, the expression changes the value only once when the designer is firsโ€ฆ ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/59 "2026-08-25T22:22:27Z")
Donating this to the folks here, a \[1\] less cursed way to run, basically, designer local modules: > **[GitHub - paul-griffith/designer-extension-agent](https://github.com/paul-griffith/designer-extension-agent)** > > Contribute to paul-griffith/designer-extension-agent development by creating an account on GitHub. > It'll run some files saved in your `.ignition` cache on various lifecycle hooks if you've opted in to 'attaching' it via your designer launcher configuration. That would allow you to save one set of scripts in your _local_ user profile and load it onto any number of (8.3) connected designers, without making any changes in the project. You can edit these files with your resident clanker, or directly inside the designer in a popup frame you invoke from the Tools menu. No future maintenance guarantees are made, this is not an official IA product, use at your own risk, etc, etc. * * * 1. sort of ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195/60 "2026-08-25T22:41:55Z")
> [@paul-griffith](#): > > without making any changes in the project. _ **Blegh** _ _ **Eeeewwwww** _ ๐Ÿคฎ I, at least, **want** all code that runs in my designer/Vision clients to _ **come from the gateway** _. If I were managing a dev team, using this would be a firing offense. [Previous page](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195.md?page=2) [Next page](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/designer-quality-of-life-mods/116195.md?page=4)