PME Treasure

Show a Blender custom property in a PME layout

2 min read

Outcome

Draw a custom property already stored on a Blender Object, Pose Bone, Scene, or another Blender data block as an editable PME control.

Use a Custom item and pass the real data owner plus the bracket-form property identifier to L.prop().

Object example

For a custom property named my_control on the active object:

obj = C.active_object; L.prop(obj, '["my_control"]', text="Control") if obj and "my_control" in obj else L.label(text="Control unavailable")

This draws the real Blender property, so there is no second PME-owned value to synchronize.

Pose Bone example

Suppose Copy Data Path gives you a path ending in:

pose.bones["hand.L"]["fingers_grasp"]

Separate the owner from the property identifier:

bone = C.object and C.object.pose and C.object.pose.bones.get("hand.L"); L.prop(bone, '["fingers_grasp"]', text="Fingers") if bone and "fingers_grasp" in bone else L.label(text="Fingers unavailable")

Steps

  1. Confirm the custom property exists on the intended Object, Bone, Scene, or other owner.
  2. Use Copy Data Path or the Python Console to identify that owner.
  3. Add a Custom item to the Pie Menu, Popup Dialog, or Panel Group.
  4. Call L.prop(owner, '["property_name"]').
  5. Guard both the owner and the property so the layout remains usable with another selection.
  6. Edit the value through PME and confirm the original Blender custom property changes.

Blender property or PME Property?

  • Use this direct L.prop() pattern when the value already belongs to Blender data, a rig, or another add-on.
  • Use PME’s Property Editor when PME should own a reusable preference or option for several menus and Macros.

Keeping that ownership clear prevents two controls from drifting apart.

Pitfalls

  • Split the copied data path into the owner and the '["name"]' identifier expected by L.prop().
  • A Pose Bone property requires the correct armature and bone. Guard the lookup before drawing it.
  • Guard multi-object layouts because selected objects may have different custom properties.
  • A property provided by another add-on can disappear when that add-on is disabled or changes its data model.
  • Complex logic belongs in an external script; keep a Custom layout item focused on drawing controls.

Sources

Graph View

Backlinks