Invalid call to "substring"

#1

Hello, i have been mushing around with MEL syntax problem that i just cant fix, so i will put it here on the internet and beg that a wild coder appears.

The problem lies in this code:


proc ExportSelectedObject(){
	$path = `file -q -sn`;
	$h = `file -q -sn -shn`;

	print $path;
	$nameLength = size($h);
	$fullPathLength = size($path);
	$SubstringValue = $fullPathLength - $nameLength;


	$RealPath = `substring $path 1 $SubstringValue`;
	$ExportPath = $RealPath + "Export/";

    
	$q = `ls -sl -o`;
	sysFile -makeDir $ExportPath;
	$FullExportPath = $ExportPath + $q[0] + ".fbx";
	file -force -options "v=0;" -typ "FBX export" -pr -es $FullExportPath;
	
}

ExportSelectedObject();

when i run it, it return the error: // Error: line 11: Invalid call to “substring”. Check number and types of arguments expected by the procedure. //

but if i don’t wrap the code in a function like this:


	$path = `file -q -sn`;
	$h = `file -q -sn -shn`;

	print $path;
	$nameLength = size($h);
	$fullPathLength = size($path);
	$SubstringValue = $fullPathLength - $nameLength;


	$RealPath = `substring $path 1 $SubstringValue`;
	$ExportPath = $RealPath + "Export/";

    
	$q = `ls -sl -o`;
	sysFile -makeDir $ExportPath;
	$FullExportPath = $ExportPath + $q[0] + ".fbx";
	file -force -options "v=0;" -typ "FBX export" -pr -es $FullExportPath;

Everything runs and no error is given.

Problem is i need to wrap it in a function as this have to be connected to a interface.

I hope someone can help with this.

#2

I had the same problem a couple days ago. Solution is: make sure your number variables are defined as ints. So that one variable you use to call on ‘size’ you’ve got to explicitly define that as an only or else the substring won’t work. Hope this helps.

#3

Thank you so much, works like a charm.