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Building the UI

Import & export

PropUI can move setups, generated scripts, presets, and editor settings in and out of a .blend using JSON files, ZIP bundles, and the clipboard. These tools use the file and clipboard access the extension declares (see Installation) — there's nothing to turn on.

Import / export controls in the full Editor Settings panel

Single setup JSON

A full PropUI setup as one JSON file or clipboard payload:

  • Export Current Setup: write the current full setup to JSON.
  • Import As UI Variant: import one full setup JSON as a UI Variant.
  • Copy Current Setup JSON: copy the full setup JSON to the clipboard.
  • Paste As UI Variant: paste a full setup JSON from the clipboard as a variant.

Imports become variants

A full setup import creates a UI Variant rather than immediately overwriting the current editor. Nothing changes in your live editor until you load that variant.

Single setup JSON contains the generated-output setup, entries, Generated Layout, sub-panels, row boxes, and storage/generation settings. It does not contain Editor Settings or Editor Layout.

Cross-edition setup compatibility

Setup JSON can move between Full, Free, and Rigify wherever the receiving edition has an equivalent feature:

  • Full → Full, Rigify, or Free: Rigify keeps compatible entries, hierarchy, Generated Layout, sub-panels, row boxes, Display Links, dynamic labels, operators, and custom paths. Free keeps its five entry types and supported rows, flattens unsupported containers, and produces an import report.
  • Rigify → Full or Free: Full imports the host setup as a UI Variant and can translate pose-bone storage and Visible on Bones targets when a receiving armature is selected. Free retains its supported entries and rows and can map shared bone storage to the selected armature Object.
  • Free → Full or Rigify: Every shared entry, hierarchy relationship, and Generated Layout row is preserved.

Unsupported targets or layout features are reported rather than silently treated as successful. Standalone-only panel placement, branding, and object-only targets have no direct Rigify equivalent; Free cannot represent advanced entry types, sub-panels, row boxes, visibility targets, or per-entry bone storage overrides.

All-setups bundle ZIP

Move many setups at once:

  • Export Setups Only: export the current editor and UI variants as setup JSON files inside one zip.
  • Export + Generated UIs: export setups plus saved generated UI scripts/slot data.
  • Import Bundle: import a setup bundle zip as UI variants, optionally restoring generated panels from the bundle.

Generated script export

To get standalone .py files outside the .blend, use Export .py Files ZIP in Generated UIs. Importing generated scripts brings them in as fully managed rows — see Generated UIs concept.

Editor settings JSON

Your editor settings and Editor Layout, independent of any setup:

  • Export / Import Editor Settings: write/read editor settings and Editor Layout.
  • Copy / Paste Editor Settings: via the clipboard.

Entry presets

A single entry's compatible settings, found in Selected Entry → Tools:

  • Export / Import Onto Entry: move a selected-entry type preset as JSON.
  • Copy / Paste Onto Entry: via the clipboard.

An entry preset only affects the selected entry type's compatible settings.

Import modes

When importing entry presets or setup JSON, you choose how existing data is treated:

  • Keep Existing: preserve current settings where imported data does not need to replace them.
  • Overwrite: replace current compatible values with imported values.

Inspecting a blend

Audit Blend Data scans the current .blend for PropUI setup data, generated scripts, generated slots, and related records. It is also covered with the other cleanup and diagnostics tools.