Installing MEL Scripts

The first step in installing MEL script is to put the global procedure definition in either a .mel file in the Maya script path or in a script node in the scene. The script path is the list of directories that Maya searches for in an MEL script. By default, it points to a few standard places in home directory and to a few standard places in the Maya installation directory. A script node is similar to an expression node, except that the script it contains is triggered by an event taking place, rather than by the directed graph's recalculation. Putting a script in a script node is most useful if one needs the script to go wherever the scene goes. Putting a script in the Maya script path makes the most sense if it is a utility required in all the scenes. To make a script node, one has to open the Expression Editor by choosing Window > Animation Editors > Expression Editor. If someone wants the script itself to run when scene opens or closes, or when another event that can trigger a script node occurs (such as when a frame is about to be rendered), the script one types into the Expression Editor is a series of MEL commands that are not enclosed in a procedure.