Install Addons using FreeCAD console

[okesaku]

Hello,

I'm looking for the way to install addons with FreeCAD console, not GUI.
I found AddonManager package and AddonsInstaller python class in the console, but I don't know how to use them.

Can anyone help me?

FreeCAD ver. 0.18.4
Host OS: ubuntu 18.04

Thanks

[vocx]

...
I found AddonManager package and AddonsInstaller python class in the console, but I don't know how to use them....

The Addon Manager at the moment doesn't have a proper scripting interface, so its code is tightly integrated into the graphical interface.

There was a discussion to refactor it into simpler classes and methods so that it could be used without the interface, and a preliminary script was created, but it hasn't been merged into the master code. A developer needs look into this for a while.

[Feature Request] Ability to access FreeCAD Addons Manager from the CLI (w/o GUI)

How to run Addon Manager in Headless mode?

Other than that you can basically install everything manually by downloading the workbench that you want in a zip archive, and then unpacking it in your personal ~/.FreeCAD/Mod/ directory. That's basically what the Addon Manager does.

[okesaku]

Hello vocx,

Thank you for your reply.

Other than that you can basically install everything manually by downloading the workbench that you want in a zip archive, and then unpacking it in your personal ~/.FreeCAD/Mod/ directory. That's basically what the Addon Manager does.

Oh, this helps me a lot.
I want to make a docker container that has FreeCAD and some addons preinstalled, so Dockerfile with such instruction would work as I expected.

Thank you!

[Kunda1]

I was working on that feature and got too far into the weeds to finish it. But yes, the add-on manager is a glorified frontend for git-python .
All the add-ons are tracked using git AFAIR. There are some settings that get implemented in the user config files that are specific to each add-on/external workbench. And you may need to add those manually or just run FreeCAD GUI once to activate the workbenches (for that to happen).