FAQ

Getting Started

Do I need to install CatiaMenuWin32? No. It is a portable .exe — download it, place it anywhere on your machine, and double-click to run. No installer, no admin rights required.

What Windows versions does it support? Windows 10 and Windows 11. Older versions are not supported.

Do I need Python installed? Yes. CatiaMenuWin32 launches your scripts — it does not include a Python runtime. Install Python 3.9 or later from python.org. The app auto-detects Python on your PATH; if it is not found, open Settings and click Browse next to Python Interpreter.

Does it work with CATIA V6, 3DEXPERIENCE, or other CAD software? The built-in scripts target CATIA V5 via PyCATIA. The app itself is a general-purpose Python script launcher — disable the built-in repository and point it at your own scripts to use it with any software.

Sync and Connectivity

Why does it say “Connect to internet to sync”? Three common causes:

  1. No internet connection
  2. The GitHub API rate limit has been reached — without a token, GitHub allows 60 requests per hour per IP address. Add a Personal Access Token in Settings to raise this to 5000 per hour (see GitHub Token)
  3. A corporate firewall is blocking api.github.com — contact your IT department, or add a token and try again

What happens if I use it offline? Scripts load from the local cache and the app works normally. You can run any script that was synced during a previous session. The status bar notes that sync was skipped.

Multiple people in my office share the same IP and we keep hitting the rate limit. GitHub’s 60 requests/hour limit is per public IP, so everyone on the same network shares the quota. Each user should add their own Personal Access Token in Settings → General → GitHub Token → Use token. This gives each user an individual limit of 5000 requests per hour.

Running Scripts

Why do I get “Python Not Found”? Open Settings (⚙ button or Menu → File → Settings), click Browse next to Python Interpreter, and locate python.exe. It is usually at: C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python3xx\python.exe

I clicked a script and nothing happened.

CATIA V5 is running but the script cannot connect to it.

What does the “SHA mismatch warning” mean? The locally cached copy of the script differs from what GitHub records. Click Yes when prompted to re-download the clean version. If it recurs, open Settings, clear the cache folder path, and re-sync.

A script has disappeared from the list. It may have been hidden. Go to Menu → File → Manage Hidden Scripts to review and restore hidden scripts. Also check that the filter bar below the toolbar is empty.

Configuration

Can I use the app without the built-in CATIA scripts? Yes. Go to Menu → File → Sources, uncheck Enable built-in repository (KaiUR/Pycatia_Scripts), click OK, then click ↺ Refresh. The built-in scripts are removed from view immediately. Re-check the box and refresh to restore them at any time.

Can I add a private GitHub repository? Yes. When adding the repository in the Sources dialog, paste a Personal Access Token with read access to that repository. The token is stored in settings.ini and sent only to GitHub over validated HTTPS.

How do I add my own scripts? Organise your .py files into subfolders — each subfolder becomes a tab. Host them in a GitHub repository or a local folder, then add that source in Menu → File → Sources. See Writing Your Own Scripts in the User Guide for the script header format.

Can the app start automatically with Windows? Yes. Enable Start with Windows in Settings → Window. Combine it with Start Minimized to have the app start silently in the system tray.

Can I run a script with custom arguments? Yes. Right-click any script button and select Run with Arguments… to pass command-line arguments before running.

Security

Is the app safe to use? Yes. Every HTTPS connection validates the server certificate (subject and issuer). Every script is verified against its GitHub blob SHA before execution — a script that has been modified locally or tampered with will be blocked until it is re-downloaded clean.

Where does the app store data? Everything is in %APPDATA%\CatiaMenuWin32\ — settings, cached scripts, favourites, and notes. Nothing is written outside this folder except an optional autorun registry entry when Start with Windows is enabled.

Is my GitHub token stored securely? Tokens are stored in plaintext in %APPDATA%\CatiaMenuWin32\settings.ini on your local machine. They are transmitted only to api.github.com and raw.githubusercontent.com over validated HTTPS. For maximum safety, create a fine-grained token scoped to Public Repositories (read-only) with no write permissions.

Still stuck? Open an issue on GitHub or check the Troubleshooting section of the User Guide.