UiService

Overview

UiService is a singleton that handles various UI-related tasks within MPFB. It manages internal state, configuration of UI elements, and provides utility methods for building lists of available presets and settings by scanning user configuration directories.

Unlike most MPFB services which are static classes, UiService is instantiated as a module-level singleton. This is because it maintains internal state that persists across the addon's lifetime, including cached preset lists and UI configuration values.

The service's primary responsibilities include: state management (storing and retrieving named values), preset discovery (scanning configuration directories for available presets), and identifier generation (converting user-friendly names to valid Python identifiers).

UiService automatically initializes UI prefixes and category names based on the MPFB version and user preferences. These values are used throughout the addon to create consistent panel titles and property prefixes.

At module load time, UiService automatically rebuilds the importer preset lists to ensure they're available immediately when the UI is drawn.

Source

src/mpfb/services/uiservice.py

Dependencies

Dependency	Usage
LogService	Logging via LogService.get_logger("services.uiservice")
LocationService	Accessing user configuration directory for preset discovery
mpfb.VERSION	Version tuple for constructing UI prefixes
mpfb.get_preference	Reading user preferences for UI customization

UI Categories

UiService initializes the following category values, used for panel organization:

Key	Description
UIPREFIX	Base prefix for all UI elements (e.g., "MPFB v2.0.0")
PROPERTYPREFIX	Prefix for Blender properties ("MPFB_")
MODELCATEGORY	Category for model-related panels
IMPORTERCATEGORY	Category for import panels
CLOTHESCATEGORY	Category for clothes panels
TARGETSCATEGORY	Category for target/morph panels
MATERIALSCATEGORY	Category for material panels
RIGCATEGORY	Category for rig and pose panels
OPERATIONSCATEGORY	Category for general operation panels
DEVELOPERCATEGORY	Category for developer tools
HAIREDITORCATEGORY	Category for hair editor panels

Public API

State Management

get_value(name)

Retrieve a value from internal state.

Argument	Type	Default	Description
name	str	—	The key to look up

Returns: Value associated with the key, or None if not found.

---

set_value(name, value)

Store a value in internal state.

Argument	Type	Default	Description
name	str	—	The key to store under
value	any	—	The value to store

Returns: None

---

Importer Presets

rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available importer presets for the presets panel.

Returns: None

Scans the user configuration directory for files matching importer_presets.*.json and builds a list of preset options. The list always includes "default" as the first option.

Results are stored internally and retrieved via get_importer_presets_panel_list().

---

get_importer_presets_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available importer presets for the presets panel.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of preset tuples in Blender enum format: (identifier, name, description, index).

---

rebuild_importer_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available importer presets for the importer panel.

Returns: None

Similar to rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list(), but the list includes additional options for UI-driven settings. The first option is "FROM_UI" (use current UI settings), followed by "default".

---

get_importer_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available importer presets for the importer panel.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of preset tuples in Blender enum format.

---

Enhanced Settings

rebuild_enhanced_settings_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available enhanced skin settings.

Returns: None

Scans for files matching enhanced_settings.*.json in the user configuration directory.

---

get_enhanced_settings_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available enhanced settings.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of settings tuples in Blender enum format.

---

rebuild_importer_enhanced_settings_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available enhanced material settings for the importer.

Returns: None

The list includes special options:

• "CHARACTER": Match settings to character name
• "default": Use default settings
• "RAW": Don't modify material settings

---

get_importer_enhanced_settings_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available enhanced material settings for the importer.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of settings tuples in Blender enum format.

---

Eye Settings

rebuild_eye_settings_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available eye settings.

Returns: None

Scans for files matching eye_settings.*.json in the user configuration directory.

---

get_eye_settings_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available eye settings.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of settings tuples in Blender enum format.

---

rebuild_importer_eye_settings_panel_list()

Rebuild the list of available eye material settings for the importer.

Returns: None

The list includes:

• "CHARACTER": Match settings to character name
• "default": Use default settings

---

get_importer_eye_settings_panel_list()

Retrieve the list of available eye material settings for the importer.

Returns: list[tuple] — List of settings tuples in Blender enum format.

---

Utility Methods

as_valid_identifier(raw_string)

Convert a string to a valid Python identifier.

Argument	Type	Default	Description
raw_string	str	—	The string to sanitize

Returns: str — The input with all non-alphanumeric characters (except underscore) replaced with underscores.

Useful for creating property names from user-facing preset names.

---

Preset File Naming

The service discovers presets by scanning for JSON files with specific naming patterns:

Pattern	Purpose
importer_presets.*.json	Importer configuration presets
enhanced_settings.*.json	Enhanced skin material settings
eye_settings.*.json	Eye material settings

The * portion becomes the preset name. For example, importer_presets.cartoon.json creates a preset named "cartoon".

The special preset name "default" is reserved and always included automatically.

Examples

Accessing UI Configuration

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService

# Get the UI prefix for panel names
prefix = UiService.get_value("UIPREFIX")
print(f"UI Prefix: {prefix}")  # e.g., "MPFB v2.0.0"

# Get category for a specific panel type
materials_category = UiService.get_value("MATERIALSCATEGORY")

Working with Presets

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService

# Rebuild preset lists (typically done on addon load)
UiService.rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list()
UiService.rebuild_enhanced_settings_panel_list()
UiService.rebuild_eye_settings_panel_list()

# Get the presets for use in a panel
presets = UiService.get_importer_presets_panel_list()
for identifier, name, description, index in presets:
    print(f"Preset: {name} ({identifier})")

Using Presets in a Blender Panel

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService
import bpy

class MPFB_PT_ImportPanel(bpy.types.Panel):
    bl_label = "Import"
    bl_category = UiService.get_value("IMPORTERCATEGORY")

    def draw(self, context):
        layout = self.layout

        # Get preset list for enum property
        presets = UiService.get_importer_panel_list()

        # ... use presets in UI ...

Creating Valid Identifiers

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService

# Convert user-friendly names to valid identifiers
preset_name = "My Custom Preset!"
identifier = UiService.as_valid_identifier(preset_name)
print(identifier)  # "My_Custom_Preset_"

# Use in property creation
prop_name = f"preset_{identifier}"

Storing Custom State

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService

# Store a custom value
UiService.set_value("last_import_path", "/path/to/file.mhm")

# Retrieve it later
last_path = UiService.get_value("last_import_path")
if last_path:
    print(f"Last import: {last_path}")

Creating Dynamic Preset Lists

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService
from mpfb.services.locationservice import LocationService
import os, json

def load_preset(preset_name):
    """Load a specific importer preset."""
    config_dir = LocationService.get_user_config()

    if preset_name == "default":
        # Return default settings
        return get_default_settings()

    preset_file = os.path.join(
        config_dir,
        f"importer_presets.{preset_name}.json"
    )

    if os.path.exists(preset_file):
        with open(preset_file, 'r') as f:
            return json.load(f)

    return None

# In your panel
selected_preset = context.scene.mpfb_selected_preset
settings = load_preset(selected_preset)

Refreshing Presets After Changes

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService

def after_preset_saved():
    """Call this after saving a new preset."""
    # Rebuild all preset lists to include the new one
    UiService.rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_importer_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_enhanced_settings_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_importer_enhanced_settings_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_eye_settings_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_importer_eye_settings_panel_list()

    # Force UI redraw
    for area in bpy.context.screen.areas:
        area.tag_redraw()

Complete Preset Management Example

from mpfb.services.uiservice import UiService
from mpfb.services.locationservice import LocationService
import os, json

def save_current_settings_as_preset(preset_name, settings_dict):
    """Save current settings as a named preset."""

    # Sanitize the name
    safe_name = UiService.as_valid_identifier(preset_name).lower()

    # Build file path
    config_dir = LocationService.get_user_config()
    preset_path = os.path.join(
        config_dir,
        f"importer_presets.{safe_name}.json"
    )

    # Save the preset
    with open(preset_path, 'w') as f:
        json.dump(settings_dict, f, indent=2)

    # Refresh the preset lists
    UiService.rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list()
    UiService.rebuild_importer_panel_list()

    return safe_name

def delete_preset(preset_name):
    """Delete a user preset."""
    if preset_name == "default":
        return False  # Can't delete default

    config_dir = LocationService.get_user_config()
    preset_path = os.path.join(
        config_dir,
        f"importer_presets.{preset_name}.json"
    )

    if os.path.exists(preset_path):
        os.remove(preset_path)
        UiService.rebuild_importer_presets_panel_list()
        UiService.rebuild_importer_panel_list()
        return True

    return False