---
title: "Functions"
slug: "functions"
updated: 2026-01-21T12:17:37Z
published: 2026-01-21T12:17:37Z
canonical: "docs.sightmachine.com/functions"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sightmachine.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Functions

There are various functions available in the pre-installed `sm_udf` library for common use cases.

### Data Access

#### Database

`sm_udf.app_builder.odbc.get_sql_engine()`

Returns a `sqlalchemy.engine.Engine` that is set up to connect to the database.

Usage:

```python
from sm_udf.app_builder.odbc import get_sql_engine()

engine = get_sql_engine()

with engine.connect() as conn:
    conn.execute(sqlalchemy_query)
```

#### Sight Machine SDK

`sm_udf.app_builder.smsdk.get_smsdk_client()`

Returns an `smsdk.client.Client` that is set up to connect to the Sight Machine API.

Usage:

```python
from sm_udf.app_builder.smsdk import get_smsdk_client

client = get_smsdk_client()
```

### Output Formatting

#### Graphs & Charts

`sm_udf.app_builder.util.setup_plotly_theme()`

Sets up a custom theme for [Plotly](https://plotly.com/python/) that matches the look and feel of other Sight Machine applications and dashboards.

Usage:

```python
from sm_udf.app_builder.util import setup_plotly_theme

setup_plotly_theme()
```

#### Final Output

`sm_udf.app_builder.util.return_app_builder_results(results)`

Formats your results for final output. This is required to be the final line of the final cell in your notebook, and `results` must be a Python dictionary containing only JSON-serializable values.

Usage:

```python
from sm_udf.app_builder.util import return_app_builder_results

return_app_builder_results(response)
```

#### Encode Page Linking for Markdown Panels

`sm_udf.app_builder.util.create_markdown_encoded_data_link()`

Help encode the `link_mapping` to pass to data-link for creating a link element in a markdown panel.

Usage:

```python
from sm_udf.app_builder.util import create_markdown_encoded_data_link

link_encoded = create_markdown_encoded_data_link(link_mapping)
markdown = f"""
<span data-link="{link_encoded}">View Chart</span>
"""

markdown_panel = {
    "id": "markdown-panel",
    "viz_type": "markdown",
    "viz_props": {
        "markdown": markdown
    }
}
```