# Can I load dicom data using slicelets while disabling the main slicer window (--no-main-window)?

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/can-i-load-dicom-data-using-slicelets-while-disabling-the-main-slicer-window-no-main-window/13070>\
**Category:** Support\
**Tags:** dicom, python\
**Created:** [August 18, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/can-i-load-dicom-data-using-slicelets-while-disabling-the-main-slicer-window-no-main-window/13070 "2020-08-18T13:08:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rak\_shrma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@rak\_shrma](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/rak_shrma)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/can-i-load-dicom-data-using-slicelets-while-disabling-the-main-slicer-window-no-main-window/13070/1 "2020-08-18T13:08:54Z")

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Operating system: Ubuntu 18.04  
Slicer version: 4.10.2  
Expected behavior: Dicom loader window should open  
Actual behavior: Dicom loader does not open and slicer exits with error

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**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/can-i-load-dicom-data-using-slicelets-while-disabling-the-main-slicer-window-no-main-window/13070/2 "2020-08-18T13:18:55Z")

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In Slicer-4.10, DICOM import implementation was not clearly separated from the GUI. If you want to load or convert DICOM images without any GUI then you need to use a recent Slicer-4.11 release, where DICOM processing does not rely on any GUI classes.

Note: A few years ago we thought it could be a good idea to create custom user interfaces by replacing the main window, but we learned that this is not a good approach. Do not use `--main-window` if you want to display any kind of GUI. Instead you can keep the main window and customize its content (e.g., hide what you don’t need). See more information here: [https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/Nightly/Developers/Slicelets](https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/Nightly/Developers/Slicelets)