Search

pc:search

Find existing PartCAD parts and assemblies that match a query, using PartCAD's own pc search. The text after the command ($ARGUMENTS) is what to look for — a natural-language description or a set of keywords. Present the matches and, when the user points at one, act on it (inspect or render). This searches the existing catalog; it does not create anything — to generate a new object, use /pc:gen instead.

1. Understand the request

• $ARGUMENTS is the query. pc search matches a single keyword as a case-insensitive substring against each object's name, its configured fields (desc, type, path, …), and the contents of its source file. It does not parse natural language and does not rank by relevance.
• So distill the query into a few concrete terms — e.g. "M3 hex standoff" → standoff, hex, m3 — search each, then union the results yourself.
• Decide the scope. The default is the local/root package (//); the public PartCAD registry and other imported packages are only reached with -r.

2. Make sure PartCAD is available

Resolve a command as /pc:init does (pc, then partcad, then python -m partcad_cli.click.command). If none is found, stop and run /pc:setup executable first.

3. Search

Run one search per object kind you care about — parts and assemblies — for each keyword. The keyword is the required -k/--keyword option (quote multi-word terms):

pc search parts -k "<keyword>"          # search parts
pc search assemblies -k "<keyword>"     # search assemblies

Widen the scope when the local package has no match — -r walks every imported package (the public registry and any dependencies), which is where most catalog items live. Use -P to scope to one package subtree:

pc search parts -k "<keyword>" -r                 # all imported packages
pc search parts -k "<keyword>" -P //pub/std -r    # scope to one package subtree

Sibling commands share the same flags if the query is broader: pc search all (parts, sketches, interfaces, assemblies, and packages at once), plus pc search sketches, pc search interfaces, and pc search packages.

Each match prints as <package> <name> followed by its description, and the run ends with Matches: N (or <none>). Read both columns — the package tells you where the object lives, which you need in order to act on it.

4. Present the results

Collect the matches across all the keywords you tried, drop duplicates, and show the user a short list: the qualified name (<package> <name>) and its description, best-fit first (you judge fit from the description — the tool does not order results). If nothing matched, say so and suggest widening with -r, trying different terms, or generating it with /pc:gen.

5. Act on a chosen result (optional)

When the user picks a match, reference it by the two columns the search printed — -P <package> plus the object name; add -a when it is an assembly:

pc inspect -P <package> <name>                            # view a part; add -a for an assembly
mkdir -p /tmp/pc-render                                    # the -O directory must already exist
pc render -t png -O /tmp/pc-render -P <package> <name>     # writes a PNG under /tmp/pc-render; add -a for an assembly

Then follow up as the user asks — for example describe it with /pc:describe, or add it to their project.