Python 3 Integration Module - Testing Guide

This guide will help you test the Python 3 Integration module after installation in your Ignition 8.3 Gateway.

Script Console Usage

Use the Designer Script Console with a Gateway Scripting Project:

✅ Designer Script Console (with Gateway project):

Designer → Tools → Script Console
Make sure your project is set as a Gateway Scripting Project
Python execution happens on the Gateway server via the process pool

How it works: The module is available in Gateway, Client, and Designer scopes. When you run scripts from Designer with a Gateway Scripting Project, the system.python3.* functions execute on the Gateway where the Python process pool runs.

Module Overview

The Python 3 Integration module provides:

Python 3 scripting functions available under system.python3.*
Subprocess process pool for executing Python code
Gateway-side Python execution for server-side scripts
JSON-based communication between Ignition and Python

Prerequisites

Before testing, ensure:

✅ Module is installed in Gateway (Config → System → Modules)
✅ Gateway has restarted after module installation
✅ Python 3.8+ is installed on the Gateway server (or auto-download enabled)

Step 1: Verify Module Installation

Check Module Status

Open Gateway web interface: http://localhost:9088 (or your Gateway URL)
Navigate to: Config → System → Modules
Find Python 3 Integration module
Verify status shows "Running"

Expected Details:

Name: Python 3 Integration
Module ID: com.gaskony.python3
Vendor: Gaskony
Version: 1.6.1
Status: Running

Check Gateway Logs

Check the Gateway logs for module startup messages:

Docker:

docker logs <container-name> | grep -i python3

Expected Log Messages:

INFO  [GatewayHook] Python 3 Integration module setup
INFO  [GatewayHook] Python 3 Integration module startup
INFO  [GatewayHook] Using Python: /path/to/python3
INFO  [GatewayHook] Initializing Python 3 process pool (size: 3)
INFO  [GatewayHook] Python 3 Integration module started successfully
INFO  [GatewayHook] Registering Python 3 scripting functions
INFO  [GatewayHook] Python 3 scripting functions registered successfully

If Python 3 is NOT found, you'll see:

ERROR [GatewayHook] Failed to initialize Python 3 process pool
ERROR [GatewayHook] Options:
ERROR [GatewayHook]   1. Install Python 3.8+ on this server
ERROR [GatewayHook]   2. Enable auto-download: -Dignition.python3.autodownload=true
ERROR [GatewayHook]   3. Specify Python path: -Dignition.python3.path=/path/to/python3

Step 2: Test in Designer Script Console

Access Designer Script Console

Open Ignition Designer
Go to: Tools → Script Console
IMPORTANT: Make sure your project is configured as a Gateway Scripting Project
- Project Properties → General → Project Scope → Gateway

Test 1: Check Availability

Run this script to verify Python 3 is available:

# Check if Python 3 is available
available = system.python3.isAvailable()
print("Python 3 Available:", available)

if available:
    print("✅ Python 3 is ready!")
else:
    print("❌ Python 3 is not available")

Expected Output:

Python 3 Available: true
✅ Python 3 is ready!

Test 2: Get Python Version

Check what version of Python 3 is running:

# Get Python version information
versionInfo = system.python3.getVersion()
print("Version Info:", versionInfo)

Expected Output:

Version Info: {version=3.10.12 (main, ...), available=true}

Test 3: Run Example Function

Test the built-in example:

# Run the example function
result = system.python3.example()
print(result)

Expected Output:

Python 3 is working! 2^100 = 1267650600228229401496703205376

Test 4: Evaluate Simple Expression

Evaluate a Python expression:

# Evaluate a Python expression
result = system.python3.eval("2 + 2")
print("2 + 2 =", result)

# More complex expression
result = system.python3.eval("sum([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])")
print("Sum of [1,2,3,4,5] =", result)

Expected Output:

2 + 2 = 4
Sum of [1,2,3,4,5] = 15

Test 5: Execute Python Code

Execute multi-line Python code:

# Execute Python code
code = """
import math
x = math.pi
result = round(x, 2)
"""

result = system.python3.exec(code)
print("Value of pi (rounded):", result)

Expected Output:

Value of pi (rounded): 3.14

Test 6: Pass Variables to Python

Execute Python code with variables from Ignition:

# Pass variables to Python
variables = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "values": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
}

code = """
message = f"Hello {name}, you are {age} years old"
total = sum(values)
result = {"message": message, "total": total}
"""

result = system.python3.exec(code, variables)
print("Result:", result)

Expected Output:

Result: {message=Hello John, you are 30 years old, total=15}

Test 7: Call Python Module Functions

Call standard library functions:

# Call math.sqrt()
import java.util.ArrayList
args = java.util.ArrayList()
args.add(16)

result = system.python3.callModule("math", "sqrt", args)
print("sqrt(16) =", result)

# Call datetime.now()
args = java.util.ArrayList()  # Empty args list
result = system.python3.callModule("datetime", "datetime.now", args)
print("Current datetime:", result)

Expected Output:

sqrt(16) = 4.0
Current datetime: <datetime object>

Test 8: Get Process Pool Statistics

Check the health of the Python process pool:

# Get pool statistics
stats = system.python3.getPoolStats()
print("Pool Size:", stats['totalSize'])
print("Available:", stats['available'])
print("In Use:", stats['inUse'])
print("Healthy:", stats['healthy'])

Expected Output:

Pool Size: 3
Available: 3
In Use: 0
Healthy: true

Test 9: Get Distribution Info

Check Python distribution details:

# Get distribution information
info = system.python3.getDistributionInfo()
print("Distribution Info:")
for key in info.keySet():
    print("  %s: %s" % (key, info[key]))

Expected Output:

Distribution Info:
  pythonPath: /usr/bin/python3
  version: 3.10.12
  available: true

Step 3: Test in Gateway Scripts

Test in Timer Script

Go to: Config → System → Gateway Events → Timer Scripts
Create a new timer script:

# Gateway timer script - runs every 60 seconds
logger = system.util.getLogger("Python3.Test")

try:
    # Simple Python 3 calculation
    result = system.python3.eval("2 ** 10")
    logger.info("Python 3 result: 2^10 = " + str(result))

except Exception as e:
    logger.error("Python 3 error: " + str(e))

Set interval to 60000ms (60 seconds)
Save and enable the script
Check Gateway logs for output

Test in Tag Change Script

Create a test memory tag: Test/Python3Input (Integer type)
Add a Tag Change Script:

# Tag change script - runs when tag value changes
if currentValue.value is not None:
    try:
        # Calculate factorial in Python 3
        code = """
import math
result = math.factorial(n)
"""
        variables = {"n": currentValue.value}

        result = system.python3.exec(code, variables)

        # Write result to another tag
        system.tag.writeBlocking(["Test/Python3Output"], [result])

    except Exception as e:
        print("Error: " + str(e))

Create output tag: Test/Python3Output (Integer type)
Change Python3Input value to 5
Check Python3Output shows 120 (5! = 120)

Step 4: Test Error Handling

Test Invalid Python Code

# This should raise an error
try:
    result = system.python3.exec("this is invalid python")
    print("Result:", result)
except Exception as e:
    print("Caught expected error:", str(e))

Expected Output:

Caught expected error: Python error: invalid syntax (<string>, line 1)

Test Runtime Error

# This should raise a runtime error
try:
    result = system.python3.eval("1 / 0")
    print("Result:", result)
except Exception as e:
    print("Caught expected error:", str(e))

Expected Output:

Caught expected error: Python error: division by zero

Step 5: Performance Testing

Test Process Pool Reuse

# Execute multiple operations to test pool
import time

startTime = time.time()

for i in range(10):
    result = system.python3.eval("2 ** %d" % i)
    print("2^%d = %s" % (i, result))

elapsed = (time.time() - startTime) * 1000
print("\nCompleted 10 operations in %.2f ms" % elapsed)

This tests that the process pool correctly reuses Python interpreters.

Test Concurrent Execution

# Test multiple concurrent Python calls
def runPythonTask(taskNum):
    code = """
import time
time.sleep(0.1)  # Simulate work
result = taskNum * 2
"""
    variables = {"taskNum": taskNum}
    return system.python3.exec(code, variables)

# Run multiple tasks
import time
startTime = time.time()

results = []
for i in range(5):
    result = runPythonTask(i)
    results.append(result)

elapsed = (time.time() - startTime)
print("Results:", results)
print("Time: %.2f seconds" % elapsed)
print("(Should be ~0.2s with pool size 3, not 0.5s)")

Troubleshooting

Module Not Loading

Symptoms:

Module shows error status
Module not visible in modules list

Solutions:

Check Ignition version is 8.3.0+
Check Gateway logs for errors
Verify module is signed (or unsigned modules are allowed)

Python 3 Not Available

Symptoms:

system.python3.isAvailable() returns false
Error in logs: "Failed to initialize Python 3 process pool"

Solutions:

Option 1: Install Python 3.8+

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3

# RedHat/CentOS
sudo yum install python3

# Verify installation
python3 --version

Option 2: Enable Auto-Download

Add to ignition.conf:

wrapper.java.additional.999=-Dignition.python3.autodownload=true

Option 3: Specify Python Path

Add to ignition.conf:

wrapper.java.additional.999=-Dignition.python3.path=/usr/bin/python3

After changes, restart Gateway:

docker restart <container-name>
# or
sudo systemctl restart ignition

Scripting Functions Not Available

Symptoms:

system.python3 is undefined
AttributeError in scripts

Solutions:

Check module status is "Running"
Check logs for "Registering Python 3 scripting functions"
Restart Gateway
Restart Designer (close and reopen)

Performance Issues

Symptoms:

Python calls take a long time
Scripts timeout

Solutions:

Increase pool size in ignition.conf:

wrapper.java.additional.999=-Dignition.python3.poolsize=5

Check pool stats:

stats = system.python3.getPoolStats()
print("In Use:", stats['inUse'], "/ Total:", stats['totalSize'])

Configuration Options

Add these to ignition.conf under [wrapper.java.additional.N] section:

Property	Default	Description
`ignition.python3.poolsize`	`3`	Number of Python processes in pool
`ignition.python3.autodownload`	`true`	Auto-download Python if not found
`ignition.python3.path`	(auto)	Explicit path to python3 executable

Example ignition.conf:

wrapper.java.additional.998=-Dignition.python3.poolsize=5
wrapper.java.additional.999=-Dignition.python3.path=/usr/bin/python3

Advanced Testing

Test with External Libraries

If you need external Python packages:

Install packages where Python can find them:

python3 -m pip install requests pandas numpy

Test in Ignition:

# Test requests library
code = """
import requests
response = requests.get('http://httpbin.org/json')
result = response.status_code
"""

result = system.python3.exec(code)
print("HTTP Status:", result)  # Should be 200

Test Complex Data Structures

# Pass and return complex data
code = """
import json

# Process incoming data
data = inputData
processed = {
    'sum': sum(data['numbers']),
    'avg': sum(data['numbers']) / len(data['numbers']),
    'max': max(data['numbers']),
    'min': min(data['numbers'])
}

result = processed
"""

variables = {
    'inputData': {
        'numbers': [10, 20, 30, 40, 50],
        'name': 'Test Dataset'
    }
}

result = system.python3.exec(code, variables)
print("Statistics:", result)

Success Criteria

Your module is working correctly if:

✅ system.python3.isAvailable() returns true
✅ system.python3.example() returns expected result
✅ system.python3.eval() can evaluate expressions
✅ system.python3.exec() can execute code
✅ system.python3.callModule() can call Python functions
✅ Pool statistics show healthy processes
✅ Gateway logs show successful startup
✅ No errors in Gateway logs

Next Steps

Once testing is complete:

Use in Production Scripts: Integrate Python 3 calls into your Gateway scripts
Monitor Performance: Check pool statistics regularly
Install Python Packages: Add any required Python libraries
Scale Pool Size: Adjust pool size based on usage
Create Documentation: Document any custom Python functions

Support

For issues or questions:

Check Gateway logs: logs/wrapper.log
Review module documentation: SIGNING.md, README.md
GitHub: https://github.com/Gaskony-Ignition/ignition-module-python3

Developed by Gaskony

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Python 3 Integration Module - Testing Guide

Script Console Usage

Module Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Verify Module Installation

Check Module Status

Check Gateway Logs

Step 2: Test in Designer Script Console

Access Designer Script Console

Test 1: Check Availability

Test 2: Get Python Version

Test 3: Run Example Function

Test 4: Evaluate Simple Expression

Test 5: Execute Python Code

Test 6: Pass Variables to Python

Test 7: Call Python Module Functions

Test 8: Get Process Pool Statistics

Test 9: Get Distribution Info

Step 3: Test in Gateway Scripts

Test in Timer Script

Test in Tag Change Script

Step 4: Test Error Handling

Test Invalid Python Code

Test Runtime Error

Step 5: Performance Testing

Test Process Pool Reuse

Test Concurrent Execution

Troubleshooting

Module Not Loading

Python 3 Not Available

Scripting Functions Not Available

Performance Issues

Configuration Options

Advanced Testing

Test with External Libraries

Test Complex Data Structures

Success Criteria

Next Steps

Support