Glossary

This glossary defines key terms and concepts used throughout the PACZ component plug-in SDK documentation.

There is also a useful public list of abbreviations and terms used in the PyAnsys community.

Component plug-in terms

Analysis

A synonym for "component."

Builder UI

The user interface portion of a component plug-in. It is responsible for allowing users to configure and edit a PACZ file within the host's graphical user interface.

Component

A workflow element that has inputs, performs some computation or external tool execution, and produces outputs. Often used interchangeably with "analysis" or "integration."

Component plug-in

A software extension that implements a Runner and optionally a Builder UI. It enables integration of external tools and custom computations into Ansys workflows.

Driver

A workflow element that controls or orchestrates other sub-workflows. Also called an algorithm. Drivers are used for optimization, design of experiments, and other computational steering tasks. Creating drivers is beyond the scope of this SDK.

PACZ

Parametric analysis component zip (PACZ) is the standard file format for a packaged component. A PACZ may be stored compressed as a ZIP file, or uncompressed as a set of files in a directory. The PACZ contains metadata (component.pacj) that describes the component instance, enabling it to be managed in an "app store" and enables some operations without needing to instantiate the plug-in.

Runner

The non-UI portion of a component plug-in. It is responsible for batch execution - running the actual computation or external tool integration when a design point evaluation is requested.

Workflow

An automated set of components, drivers, and control elements that together perform an engineering simulation or analysis. Workflows define the data flow and execution order of multiple analysis steps.

File and configuration terms

component.pacj

The metadata file contained within a PACZ that describes the component's inputs, outputs, and configuration.

Extraction folder

The temporary directory where a PACZ file's contents are unpacked for execution. Instance files and other resources are accessible from this location during plug-in execution.

Instance files

Files that are packaged within a PACZ and needed for component execution. These might include configuration files, template files, or data files specific to a particular component instance.

metadata.phxplugin

A metadata file in the plug-in's output DLL folder that contains plug-in configuration, including icon paths and other properties.

Programming and architecture terms

AbstractBuilderUI

The base class for creating builder UI implementations. Provides common functionality for variable management, file loading, and UI customization.

AbstractVariableBasedBuilderUI

A specialized base class that extends AbstractBuilderUI with built-in support for variable-based components, including a pre-built UI form for editing variables.

HarnessBuilderUIHost

An object provided to the Builder UI that facilitates communication with the host, including logging, saving, and invoking the Runner.

HarnessRunnerHost

An object provided to the Runner that facilitates communication with the host during execution.

IExtractedPacz

An interface providing access to the extracted PACZ contents, including configuration properties and instance files.

IHarnessRunner

The interface that all Runner classes must implement. Defines the contract for component execution.

IRuntimeVariable

An interface representing a variable (input or output) in a component, including its name, type, and value.

VariableBasedBuilderViewModel

A view model class that provides access to a component's input and output variables in the Builder UI context.

VariableState

Represents the current state of a variable, including its value and validity.

VariableValueScope

A dictionary-like interface for setting output variable values during component execution.

Tool and environment terms

NuGet

A package manager for .NET that is used to distribute the ComponentPlugInSDK libraries.

Phoenix.ComponentPlugInSDK

The NuGet package containing the SDK libraries needed to build component plug-ins.

TestUI

A non-production lightweight test application provided with the SDK for debugging plug-ins outside of the full ModelCenter environment.

VSIX

Visual Studio Extension Installer format. The Component Plug-In Wizard is distributed as a VSIX file.

Threading terms

For detailed information about threading in plug-in development, see the Threading guide.

Task asynchronous programming (TAP)

The .NET pattern using async and await keywords for asynchronous operations. Plug-ins can safely use TAP with the SDK's synchronization context.

Thread safety

The property of code that ensures correct operation when accessed from multiple threads simultaneously. The SDK provides thread safety guarantees for Runner and Builder UI contexts.

UI thread

The dedicated thread on which the Builder UI runs. All UI operations must occur on this thread.

Runner thread

The dedicated thread on which the Runner executes. All Runner method calls are marshaled to this thread by the SDK.