Mass editing G-code

[Levente Varga]

Hi!

I’m not a programmer, I use Notepad to edit my G-codes I send to my 3D printer, but I have a problem, that is easy to solve if you know what you are doing. (I guess)

So here it is: my code has a

;LAYER:72

line before every layer. It is not a G or M code, the printer ignores it, it is just a note. However, I would like to replace them whit an M code like

M117 Layer:72/x

x is the number of total layers, I give this number for every program, because I can see it in my slicer.
x can vary from 2 digits to 4

What this does is it displays on the screen of my printer what layer it is printing currently.

Please give me a tutorial-like description, I don’t really know Notepad.

[PeterJones]

What you describe sounds best suited to a programming language. Using PythonScript or LuaScript, you can embed the code in the Notepad++ application, but it still is best handled by programming.

If x were the same for every file, you could easily set up a regular expression (FIND = ^;LAYER:(\d+)$, REPLACE = M117 Layer:$1/x, MODE = regular expression, and Replace All in All Opened Documents, or switch over to Find In Files tab, and use Replace in Files after defining the file mask).

If you just have a handful of files with a different x per file, you could just do that once per file, using Replace All instead of the all-documents button.

If you have many files, that becomes unwieldy, at which point probably a PythonScript or LuaScript (or any programming language you want, if you don’t need it to have access to the contents of your Notepad++ editor window(s)), where it would be an algorithm of “populate an array or hash/map structure which will map filename to X value; for each file { x = map(file); search-and-replace using those regexes, with the appropriate X value }”

• PythonScript project and download page
  • PythonScript Install Instructions for recent Notepad++ versions
• LuaScript project and download page
  • I believe you can install LuaScript directly from Plugins > Plugins Admin without having to follow special directions.

If you are willing to put in some effort with muddling through a scripting language: give it a try, but if you need help, if you posted your attempt at the PythonScript or LuaScript code, and told us why it’s results didn’t match what you were hoping for, you’d probably get some good help here. If you just want us to write your code for you for free, good luck with that.

[PeterJones]

@PeterJones said

Good luck with that

Okay, I got interested enough to write it. Assuming you can figure out which Notepad++ menu to use to decode this encoded text, you get a freebie: Go buy a lottery ticket.

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This worked for me with the example map file, and using a bunch of files that have one or more ;LAYER:## lines in them… If it doesn’t work for you, and you want help tweaking / debugging, you’ll have to show some effort.

[Alan Kilborn]

It might be difficult for someone that says this to “show some effort”.

I’m not a programmer,

and

Please give me a tutorial-like description, I don’t really know Notepad(++).

Not impossible, but, just sayin’…

[PeterJones]

@Alan-Kilborn,

Not impossible, but, just sayin’…

Indeed.

Looks like the OP was last here soon after my first post, and I doubt he’ll be back. For the his sake, I hope my regex suggestions were sufficient for getting something.

[Levente Varga]

@PeterJones Hi, I really really appreciate your effort. I’m gonna try them out now (if I can find out how). I was last here last week because I was away for the weekend and was busy with school after.

[Levente Varga]

Okay, so I managed to install PythonScript. In theory I created the script (made the file, copy pasted your script and saved as you said (18297-gcode-layer-numbering.py))
I created a new file wich contains the directions for the folder I have my gcode files in, saved. But when I start the script, nothing happens. Literally. I click on the 18297-gcode-layer-numbering script and nothing.
I would show some effort, but I really don’t know how this works. I follow your instructions, but for example I have no idea what the script contains.

Thank you very much for this, i don’t know what’s wrong.

[Ekopalypse]

First let’s check if the plugin has been correctly installed.
Can you open the console?
Plugins->PythonScript->ShowConsole
If so, put the following into the run box in the console
notepad.getVersion() and press enter or click Run
What do you see?

[PeterJones]

@Levente-Varga ,

Thank you very much for this, i don’t know what’s wrong.

Welcome back.

Thanks for taking the effort to decode the script and install PythonScript; it shows you’re not just trying to get us to do your work for you.

First, start with @ekopalypse’s instructions, and tell us what you see.

After that, open your 18297-gcode-layer-numbering.py: if you go to Plugins > Python Script > Scripts, you can Ctrl+Click on 18297-gcode-layer-numbering.py to open it for editing.

You’ll notice there are a few lines that start with #console. – remove the # comment marker. Save.

Open your map file like I showed, making sure you are using the paths to your actual files, and whatever ID you want for each file. It needs to be in the active/top editor window.

Then use Plugins > Python Script > Scripts, and normal-click on 18297-gcode-layer-numbering.py to run the script. If the PythonScript console wasn’t showing before, it should now.
And you should see filename = '...', xid = '...' for each file as it’s processing.

If you see any red text in the PythonScript console window, you’ll have copy the whole console window, and paste the contents (especially the error) into your reply in the forum. Once you paste, hightlight that section you pasted and click the </> to mark that section as code, so we get the actual characters you see.

[Levente Varga]

@Ekopalypse

[PeterJones]

Sorry, I forgot that since you were decoding it, the forum wouldn’t gobble the indents.

In the script, Ctrl+A to select all, then Shift+TAB twice to un-indent twice. Save. Then go back to your map file and run the script again.

[Ekopalypse]

This post is deleted!

[PeterJones]

@PeterJones said in Mass editing G-code:

then go back to your map file

You’ll also want to make sure your map file isn’t indented. Again, select all and Shift+TAB until it’s no longer indented.

[Levente Varga]

Thank thanks thanks guys. I’ll test it on my printer soon, it is printing atm.
I really appreciate it!

[Levente Varga]

@PeterJones well I have good and bad news. The good is, your script works flawless, but turns out the gcode needs that line. Can you help me edit the script to insert the

M117 LayerX/sumX

line AFTER the

;Layer:X

line?

[PeterJones]

Good news and bad news:

edit the script

Change the lambda m:... line to:

lambda m: str(m.group(0)) + "\r\nM117 Layer:" + str(m.group(1)) + '/' + xid

The m.group(0) contains the whole original match. The \r\n add a windows CRLF newline between the original match and the new text. The rest is the same as before.

[Levente Varga]

Now it works like a charm. Thank you again!