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bpy-compass: Blender Python Answers That Run on the Version You Actually Have

Blender Python code depends on the release it was written for. Learn how to read bpy.app.version, pick the matching API reference, and report your build when asking for help.
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A Blender Python snippet is only as reliable as the Blender release it was written for. Before you copy code or ask for help, find the exact version you are running, open the API reference for that version, and check the change log for differences. Many failures that look like bugs are simply version mismatches: a member that was renamed, removed, or never existed in your build.

Step 1: Identify the Blender runtime you actually have

Do not assume the version from a tutorial, a forum post, or the documentation page you are reading matches the software on your machine. Ask Blender directly.

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  1. Open Blender and switch to the Scripting workspace using the workspace tab at the top of the window.
  2. In the Python Console at the bottom of that workspace, enter the following lines one at a time and press Enter after each.
import bpy
print(bpy.app.version)
print(bpy.app.version_string)
  1. Read the output. bpy.app.version is a three-number tuple suitable for comparisons in code. bpy.app.version_string is a formatted string meant for people, and it is the value to paste into a help request.
  2. Note whether the build is a development build. A development build can differ from the released version with the same number line, so say so when you report it.

The two properties above are documented on Blender’s bpy.app page, but the copy linked in this guide is the Blender 2.62.2 reference. That is far older than most current installs, so confirm both property names in the reference for your own release before relying on the snippet.

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Also record how the code will run. Code typed into Blender’s Python Console or run from Blender’s Text Editor uses Blender’s embedded interpreter. Code run with a separate Python installation that imports the bpy module is a different environment, and a version check in one does not tell you about the other.

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Why the release number decides the answer

Blender’s Python API is documented by release, and the documentation includes a change log that describes changes between releases. The change log is the most direct place to check whether a member your code uses was added, removed, or altered.

Not every part of the API carries the same risk. Treat the following as release-sensitive by default and check them against your reference:

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  • Any member the change log lists as added, removed, or renamed between your release and the one the code was written for.
  • Code that depends on context such as the active object, the current selection, or the active mode. These conditions are set by the session, not by the API version, but the same snippet can behave differently when they are not met.
  • Examples and snippets that were written against an older reference and never updated. Their presence in search results does not make them current.

Find the reference that matches your version

The following resources were checked for this guide. Their labels are what the pages show at the time of checking, and none of them proves what your installed build contains.

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Resource Address What it provides Limit to keep in mind
Blender 5.3 Python API Documentation https://docs.blender.org/api/main/index.html Quickstart, overview, best practices, gotchas, reference, and offline docs Labeled Blender 5.3 when checked. That label is not your installed version.
Change Log, Blender Python API https://docs.blender.org/api/current/change_log.html Additions and removals between releases Uses the “current” alias, so confirm which release line it reflects before reading it as your version’s history.
Application Data (bpy.app), Blender 2.62.2 https://docs.blender.org/api/blender_python_api_2_62_2/bpy.app.html Definitions of version and version_string Very old release. Use it only to understand the properties, then check the current reference.
Python API Overview, archived https://docs.blender.org/api/blender_python_api_master/info_overview.html Explanation of the embedded interpreter and the bpy module The archived page is labeled Blender 2.78.4 documentation. Use it for background, not for current member names.

To choose a reference, match the major and minor numbers from bpy.app.version to the version label on each reference. If no exact match exists, use the closest release that is not newer than your build, then read the change log entries between that release and yours.

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Check a snippet before you trust it

A snippet is only usable for your build when each of the following checks passes:

  • Every module, class, function, and property it uses appears in the reference for your release.
  • The change log has no entry that removes, renames, or changes the behavior of those members between your release and the one the snippet was written for.
  • The context the code assumes is present when it runs: the expected active object, selection, and mode. If the code expects a particular object, it should check for that object and fail with a clear message rather than raising an error deep inside an operator.
  • It runs in the same environment you will use, either Blender’s embedded interpreter or the separate interpreter you have configured.
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Tested compatibility and reasoned compatibility are different claims

When you describe a snippet, use the label that matches what you actually did. The checks behind this guide were documentation checks. No snippet in this article was run on a Blender build as part of preparing it, so none of them should be read as verified on any particular release.

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Tested The code was run on the stated Blender build, in the stated environment “Ran on Blender 4.x.y in the embedded Python Console without errors.”
Reasoned The members were checked against the reference and change log for the stated release, but the code was not run “Members checked against the reference for the stated release; not executed.”
Unverified No release has been stated and no check has been done Do not describe the snippet as compatible with any Blender version.

Use placeholder version numbers like the one above only in your own notes. In a help request, state the exact build you ran.

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What to include when you ask for help

These are practical recommendations for getting a useful answer. They are not requirements from Blender’s documentation.

  • The Blender version, as printed by bpy.app.version_string, plus the tuple from bpy.app.version, and whether the build is a development build.
  • The smallest script that reproduces the problem, pasted as text rather than as a screenshot.
  • The full traceback, copied exactly, including the final error line.
  • What the script was supposed to do and what it actually did.
  • Where it ran: Blender’s embedded Python, or a separate interpreter that imports bpy.
  • The reference page you checked for your version, and any change log entries you considered relevant.

A request with these details lets a helper check the exact members against the right reference instead of guessing which release you are using.

Blender’s Python API documentation is the reference to start from. The page at https://docs.blender.org/api/main/index.html includes the Quickstart and Gotchas sections, which are useful when a script fails for reasons unrelated to version.

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