How to call custom scripts from other custom scripts the best way?

[zshorvat]

Hi there,

We have started to develop a number of custom scripts to perform different actions (they work brilliantly, btw), but after all changes we should update the to-be-modified-devices' config context, for which we have a separate custom script.

I know that it is possible to call the custom scripts via API, but is there a way to call a script directly or at least import classes/functions from them?

Thanks a lot,
Zsolt

[DanSheps]

You will want to look for the enqueue_job (I think it is that) in the netbox code. It is what handles sending the job to redis.

[jeremystretch]

While this may technically work, it calling one script from another certainly feels like an anti-pattern.

My recommendation would be to separate out whatever second phase logic you need into something that can be called by either this script or the other script directly.

[zshorvat]

Thanks for the superfast replies!

I was thinking about moving the class out completely, too, I think that makes most sense.

Is there a place where I should be placing my custom modules? I think I couldn't pick up files locally from the script folder.

Thanks again,
Zsolt

[DanSheps]

I have done this, class reuse is definitely the better way to go

[hendrikbl]

Did you find out where to put custom modules? They will not be loaded if I simply put them in the scripts folder next to my custom scripts.

[hendrikbl]

Okay, it's starting to make sense now.
I imported my scripts with import utils which following your explanation doesn't work.
With your suggestions from scripts import utils and the new volume mount ./scripts:/opt/netbox/netbox/scripts:z,ro it works like a charm. Thanks :)

[DanSheps]

By default netbox-docker mounts scripts like this: - ./scripts:/etc/netbox/scripts:z,ro

As that folder is not part of the path, it wont pick up files/folder in the same dir. You can add another mount in the override like so: ./scripts:/opt/netbox/netbox/scripts:z,ro

This doesn't make sense

How does this look in the file system? I suspect it is actually as a mount point. If that is the case, is it possible that it is missing init.py in the scripts folder?

[kkthxbye-code]

Not sure what you mean, could you elaborate on what doesn't make sense. Docker volumes are not mount points.

In the container the scripts are in /etc/netbox/scripts and the SCRIPTS_ROOT setting is set to that folder. __init__.py doesn't make any differences and has been present in all my testing.

This is the path printed from a script run from /etc/netbox/scripts:

['/opt/netbox/netbox', '/usr/lib/python39.zip', '/usr/lib/python3.9', '/usr/lib/python3.9/lib-dynload', '/opt/netbox/venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages']

/opt/netbox/netbox is of course the netbox source, which is why from scripts import util works. To do relative imports from /etc/netbox/scripts one would have to add it to the path.

[DanSheps]

Sounds like the easiest way would be to add /etc/netbox/scripts to the path.

[zshorvat]

That was indeed the solution for me as well - adding the scripts folder to path.