QuickVarSet

QuickVarSet is a standalone FreeCAD macro for creating and updating quantity properties in App::VarSet objects.

It does not install or activate a workbench. Run it from any workbench, including while a sketch is being edited.

The macro provides the following behavior:

• errors are printed with a [QuickVarSet] prefix and a full traceback in the FreeCAD console;
• GUI errors also show a dialog with expandable details;
• every created property and assigned value is verified;
• each mutation is checked because FreeCAD 1.1.1 can terminate when a dynamic VarSet property is added inside an open document transaction;
• ExpressionEngine, Label, Label2, and Visibility are treated as built-in VarSet properties, not user variables;
• unit expressions such as 10 m/s are parsed correctly;
• type changes preserve the existing group unless a group is explicit.

Install with Addon Manager

This repository contains package.xml with a macro content item. Use the Addon Manager to install the repository as a custom package, or add the repository to the FreeCAD Addon Index before publishing it for general use.

The package installs the self-contained QuickVarSet.FCMacro in FreeCAD's macro directory.

Install from a local checkout

For direct local use, copy the macro to FreeCAD's macro directory:

~/.local/share/FreeCAD/v1-1/Macro/

Copy this file:

QuickVarSet.FCMacro

The exact user data directory can vary by FreeCAD version and operating system. Restart FreeCAD after copying the files.

Open Macro > Macros, select QuickVarSet, and press Execute. To use a keyboard shortcut, open Tools > Customize > Macros, add QuickVarSet, and assign an available shortcut such as Ctrl+Alt+V. F1 is configurable, but FreeCAD commonly uses it for Help.

The macro creates a VarSet when the active document has none. When the document has multiple VarSets, it asks you to choose one. Enter values in one of these forms:

Width = 10 mm
Speed = 10 m/s
Common/Width = 10 mm

The selected group is remembered for the next run.

Run the tests

The tests use FreeCAD's Python runtime because the FreeCAD module is not available in the system Python:

cd /path/to/QuickVarSet
./tests/run_tests.sh

The test script searches ~/apps for the newest FreeCAD AppImage, extracts it into the ignored project-local .test/freecad/ directory, and runs the core tests with its freecadcmd. Copy .env.example to .env to override the AppImage directory, matching pattern, extraction directory, or exact binary. To remove all extracted FreeCAD runtimes, run ./tests/extract_freecad.sh --cleanup.

The FreeCAD console is the diagnostic log. Look for lines beginning with [QuickVarSet] when an operation does not complete.

Formula editor names

FreeCAD 1.1.1 creates these properties on every new App::VarSet: ExpressionEngine, Label, Label2, and Visibility. QuickVarSet does not create them and does not treat them as user variables. The formula editor may still list them because they are built-in object properties. Removing those suggestions would require a FreeCAD expression-editor change, not a macro change.

License

QuickVarSet is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1 or any later version. See LICENSE for the full license text.