Hi Lukas,

In ZOS-API, you’ll find the following methods for the optical system (TheSystem) interface:

bool MakeSequential()
bool MakeNonSequential()

Please note that the Syntax Help File about MakeNonSeqeuntial reads:

Makes the system non-sequential if it is not already. Note that any sequential data will be lost.

You can call those methods in your interactive extension by simply typing:

TheSystem.MakeSequential()

From the optical system interface you can either load a new blank file with:

TheSystem.New(<save_if_needed>)

If <save_if_needed> is True the current system will be saved before opening the new blank system. Or you can load an existing file with:

TheSystem.LoadFile(<lens_file>, <save_if_needed>)

In both cases, the current system will be closed. This is the same as if you were to press File..New or File..Open in the user interface.

Alternatively, you can open multiple OpticStudio applications (up to what your licence allows), allowing you to have at least two concurrent files at the same time in your interactive extension. This is a bit more complicated and I’d have to do some research before I can show an example. Therefore, if you don’t need it and can use the methods above, then you are fine.

As far as I’ve used OpticStudio, there has never been a way to “record” a macro. However, there’s a wealth of information about ZPL in the Help File (F1, and search for KEYWORDS, numeric functions, and string functions), and about ZOS-API in the Syntax Help File (Programming..ZOS-API Help..ZOS-API Syntax Help.

I hope this helps.

Take care,

David