Manufacturing DevBlog

Array of Fusion objects in C++

By Adam Nagy

In languages like JavaScript it's very easy to use an array:

var objects = [];
objects[1] = object1;
objects[2] = object2;
// etc.

In C++ it's not too difficult either but takes a bit more code to create and delete such an array:

app = Application::get();
if (!app)
  return false;

ui = app->userInterface();
if (!ui)
  return false;

// Get selected entities
Ptr<Selections> sel = ui->activeSelections();
int selCount = sel->count();

// Create array for storing objects
Ptr<Base> * objects = new Ptr<Base>[selCount];

// Store the objects in the array
for( int i = 0; i < selCount; i++)
{
  objects[i] = sel->item(i)->entity();
}

// Retrieve items from the array
for(int i = 0; i < selCount; i++)
{
  Ptr<ConstructionPoint> pt = objects[i];
  const char * ot = objects[i]->objectType();
  if (pt)
  {
    // Do something...
  }
}

// Delete array
for(int i = 0; i < selCount; i++)
  objects[i].detach();
delete objects;

An even nicer solution could be using a vector:

std::vector<Ptr<Base>> objects(selCount);

for(int i = 0; i < selCount; i++)
{
  Ptr<Base> obj = sel->item(i)->entity();
  if (obj)
    objects[i] = obj;
}

Cable & Harness or Tube & Pipe assembly?

By Adam Nagy

Add-Ins that provide extra functionality without which the document might not function properly, add a DocumentInterest object to the document. 
These also supposed to have the same ClientId that the Add-In that created the DocumentInterest has.

Here is a VBA sample showing how you could get all the interests from a given document and all its children:

Sub ListInterests(doc As Document)
  Debug.Print doc.FullDocumentName

  Dim aas As ApplicationAddIns
  Set aas = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns
  
  Dim di As DocumentInterest
  For Each di In doc.DocumentInterests
    If di.InterestType = kInterested Then
      Dim aa As ApplicationAddIn
      Set aa = aas.ItemById(di.ClientId)
      Debug.Print "  >> Interest: " _
        + di.name + " by add-in " + aa.DisplayName
    End If
  Next
  
  Dim rd As Document
  For Each rd In doc.ReferencedDocuments
    Call ListInterests(rd)
  Next
End Sub

Sub ListAllInterests()
  Dim doc As Document
  Set doc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
  
  Call ListInterests(doc)
End Sub

 

IPictureDisp.Handle might be negative

By Adam Nagy

As mentioned in this blog post as well, for some reason the Handle of the IPictureDisp returned by the Thumbnail property of ApprenticeServerDocument can sometimes be negative.

I tested this with my own app as well - the one referenced in this blog post.

Strangely, when my .NET app is compiled to 32 bit, it seems to cause no issue for the AxHostConverter.PictureDispToImage() converter method (see below) to turn the IPictureDisp into a System.Drawing.Image:

internal class AxHostConverter : AxHost
{
  private AxHostConverter() : base("") { }

  static public stdole.IPictureDisp ImageToPictureDisp(Image image)
  {
    return (stdole.IPictureDisp)GetIPictureDispFromPicture(image);
  }

  static public Image PictureDispToImage(stdole.IPictureDisp pictureDisp)
  {
    return GetPictureFromIPicture(pictureDisp);
  }
}

However, when my .NET app is 64 bit then it is a problem and causes an exception. In that case the solution pointed out in the other blog post, i.e. accessing the Thumbnail multiple times, until the Handle of  IPictureDisp is positive solves the problem:

stdole.IPictureDisp pic = null;
bool retry;
int retryCounter = 0;
do
{
  retry = false;
  pic = doc.Thumbnail;
  System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Handle = {0}", pic.Handle);
  if (pic.Handle <= 0)
  {
    retry = true;
    retryCounter++;
  }
} while (retry);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("retryCounter = {0}", retryCounter);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Got Thumbnail");

There is another way which seems even more reliable since it does not require accessing the Thumbnail multiple times. It's used in this blog post and inside my app it could be used like this:

stdole.IPictureDisp pic = doc.Thumbnail;
Metafile mf = new Metafile(
  new IntPtr(pic.Handle),
  new WmfPlaceableFileHeader());

Image.GetThumbnailImageAbort callback =
  new Image.GetThumbnailImageAbort(
    delegate (){ return false; });

Image img = mf.GetThumbnailImage(
  form1.pictureBox.Width,
  form1.pictureBox.Height,
  callback,
  IntPtr.Zero);

Apprentice leaves lockfile.lck files behind

By Adam Nagy

When using Apprentice, it creates lockfile.lck files in the folders where the files you open with it reside. These only disappear once the process using Apprentice exited.
However, as soon as you close the document the related lock file becomes deletable, so nothing prevents you from deleting them or the folders they are in.

If you want to get rid of them as soon as possible then you could create a class that removes them automatically once you closed the Apprentice document. In .NET you could do something like this:

using System;
using Inv = Inventor;
using SysIO = System.IO;
using Inventor;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace ApprenticeConsoleCS
{
  class Program
  {
    class LckMonitor
    {
      ApprenticeServerComponent asc;
      Dictionary<string, int> map;

      public LckMonitor(ApprenticeServerComponent asc)
      {
        this.asc = asc;
        map = new Dictionary<string, int>();
      }

      public ApprenticeServerDocument Open(string fileName)
      {
        var folder = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(fileName);

        // Keep track of it
        if (map.ContainsKey(folder))
          map[folder]++;
        else
          map[folder] = 1;

        // Open it
        return asc.Open(fileName);
      }

      public void Close(ApprenticeServerDocument doc)
      {
        var folder = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(doc.FullFileName);

        // Close it
        doc.Close();

        // The folder should be in here already
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(map.ContainsKey(folder));

        map[folder]--;

        // If no one is referencing it now
        // then let's try to clean it up
        // It could be that another application will hold
        // on to it though
        if (map[folder] < 1)
        {
          map.Remove(folder);

          try
          {
            System.IO.File.Delete(folder + "\\lockfile.lck");
          }
          catch { }
        }
      }
    }

    [STAThread]
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      string filename = @"C:\temp\test.ipt";

      ApprenticeServerComponent asc = new ApprenticeServerComponent();
      LckMonitor lckMonitor = new LckMonitor(asc);

      ApprenticeServerDocument asd = lckMonitor.Open(filename);

      // Interact with the apprentice document

      lckMonitor.Close(asd);
    }
  }
}

Another thing you could do is migrate the Apprentice related functionality into a separate app. That way when the side process finishes the Apprentice component in it will finish too and will clean up those lock files. This blog post's solution includes that option as well.  

Use Apprentice from multi-threaded application

By Adam Nagy

I wrote about it already that you can use Apprentice in a side-thread, but that sample only showed a single instance doing it:
http://adndevblog.typepad.com/manufacturing/2014/09/apprentice-in-side-thread.html

Now here is a sample running multiple Apprentice instances in the same application on different threads. Each thread creates its own ApprenticeServerComponent - note that this object can only be used from the thread that created it, since it's not thread-safe.

Depending on how much calculation you're doing and how your app is structured, it could also be a good idea to migrate the Apprentice usage into a separate app which could be used from the main application.

This sample project shows both ways of doing things and allows you to switch between them through the "Use Apprentice in-process" check box.

Source: 
https://github.com/adamenagy/Apprentice-MultiThread

By the way, if you want to set the Output directory of a .NET project relative to the Solution directory, you can do that by editing the project file in a text editor:

C# project : setting output directory to solution dir

Include Sketch from a Part multi-level deep

By Adam Nagy

We already have a blog post on Include sketches from sub-assemblies in a DrawingView using a sketch proxy, but it does not cover the scenario where the Document the Sketch resides in is multi-level deep in the assembly hierarchy - i.e. it's a SubOccurrence of an Occurrence.

As I mentioned in this blog post you have to make sure that you are getting objects in the right context. You can either do that by reaching objects only through Occurrences and SubOccurrences collections (never using Definition) or if you have to use Definition then get the object back into the right context using CreateGeometryProxy().
If you do not follow that correctly, like the below code, then your program won't work:

Whenever you use the property "Definition" you leave the current context and move into a lower one. As you can see the code only brings the oPrtSketch entity into the context of the MidAssembly.iam document. However, the DrawingView is referencing TopAssembly.iam, so that is the context the objects you pass to it should be in.  

The quickest fix to the above code is taking note of the occurrence of MidAssembly.iam inside TopAssembly.iam (oMidAsmOcc) and doing an extra call to CreateGeometryProxy to bring the object into the context of TopAssembly.iam. New code highlighted in red: 

Sub IncludeSketchFromPart()
Dim oDwg As DrawingDocument
Set oDwg = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

Dim oView As DrawingView
Set oView = oDwg.ActiveSheet.DrawingViews(1)

Dim oTopAsm As AssemblyDocument
Set oTopAsm = oView.ReferencedDocumentDescriptor.ReferencedDocument

'Dim oMidAsmDef As AssemblyComponentDefinition
'Set oMidAsmDef = oAssy.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences.ItemByName("MidAssembly:1").Definition

Dim oMidAsmOcc As ComponentOccurrence
Set oMidAsmOcc = oTopAsm.ComponentDefinition.Occurrences.ItemByName("MidAssembly:1")

Dim oMidAsmDef As AssemblyComponentDefinition
Set oMidAsmDef = oMidAsmOcc.Definition

Dim oPrtOcc As ComponentOccurrence
Set oPrtOcc = oMidAsmDef.Occurrences.ItemByName("PartWithSketch:1")

Dim oSketch As PlanarSketch
Set oSketch = oPrtOcc.Definition.Sketches("PartSketch")

Dim oSketchProxy As PlanarSketchProxy
' This will get it into context of "MidAssembly.iam"
Call oPrtOcc.CreateGeometryProxy(oSketch, oSketchProxy)

' This will get it into context of "TopAssembly.iam"
Call oMidAsmOcc.CreateGeometryProxy(oSketchProxy, oSketchProxy)

Call oView.SetVisibility(oSketchProxy, True)
End Sub

Read Parameter values using Apprentice

By Adam Nagy

Unfortunately, Apprentice cannot access the Parameters of an Inventor document. You would need to use Inventor for that.
If firing up an Inventor instance would be too slow or not feasible for e.g. licensing reasons, a workaround could be setting those Parameters to export to iProperties:

In that case a corresponding iProperty will be automatically created and kept up-to-date in the "Inventor User Defined Properties" (Custom) section:

The good news is that iProperties can be read not only through Apprentice, but also using Structured Storage API, which is completely independent of Inventor. Here is a view of our Inventor part file in a program called Structured Storage Viewer:

Here is a sample using Structured Storage API to get information from an Inventor file: 
http://adndevblog.typepad.com/manufacturing/2013/03/save-extra-data-in-inventor-file-3.html

If setting the "Export Parameter" option for the Parameters you are interested in is not an option, then maybe you could run a batch process that stores those parameters somewhere else (e.g. in a CSV file named the same but with a ".csv" extension) next to the Inventor file, or create an Add-In which does the same but as part of the OnSaveDocument event of the ApplicationEvents object.

Change MembersToInclude of a PartsList

By Adam Nagy

In the UI you can change which member of an iPart or iAssembly is included by double clicking the parts list and then clicking the "Member Selection" button:

If you try to change the included member like this then you'll get an "Invalid procedure call or argument" error:

If something does not work then it's always good to try to do it through the UI and then check the results in the VBA Watches window:
http://adndevblog.typepad.com/manufacturing/2013/10/discover-object-model.html

If you did that then you'd find (as shown in the above image) that MembersToInclude stores an array of strings - so that's what you'd need to pass to it:

Sub ChangeMembersToInclude()
  ' The PartsList needs to be selected in the UI
  Dim oPL As PartsList
  Set oPL = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet(1)
  
  ' This works
  Dim members(0) As String
  members(0) = "iPart-02"
  oPL.MembersToInclude = members
End Sub

Modify "Create Tube & Pipe Run" dialog content

By Adam Nagy

When you switch to "Tube & Pipe" environment ...

... then before the "Create Tube & Pipe Run" dialog pops up, the OnPopulateFileMetadata event of the FileUIEvents object will be called, which we can handle. To handle events we need a class, so I created one called "clsEvents" in VBA: 

' Code of clsEvents Class
Dim WithEvents oFE As FileUIEvents

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
  Set oFE = ThisApplication.FileUIEvents
End Sub

Private Sub oFE_OnPopulateFileMetadata( _
ByVal FileMetadataObjects As ObjectsEnumerator, _
ByVal Formulae As String, _
ByVal Context As NameValueMap, _
HandlingCode As HandlingCodeEnum)
  
  ' Unfortunately the Context is not filled with info
  ' in case of the Tube & Pipe dialog
  ' so we can only figure out if this event was
  ' fired by it through checking the metadata
  
  ' If not the correct amount of data, we're done
  If FileMetadataObjects.Count <> 2 Then Exit Sub
  
  Dim fmd1 As FileMetadata
  Set fmd1 = FileMetadataObjects(1)
  
  ' If the suggested assembly file name does not
  ' contain "Tube and Pipe Runs", we're done
  If InStr(1, fmd1.FileName, "Tube and Pipe Runs") < 1 Then Exit Sub

  Dim fmd2 As FileMetadata
  Set fmd2 = FileMetadataObjects(2)

  fmd1.FullFileName = "C:\temp\myruns\runs.iam"
  fmd2.FullFileName = "C:\temp\myruns\myrun1\run1.iam"

  HandlingCode = kEventHandled
End Sub

In order to start listening to this event we need to instantiate our class and keep a global reference to it. This could be done e.g. inside a VBA module. If you also want your command to automatically start the Tube & Pipe environment then you can do it as shown in the below code, based on this blog post: http://modthemachine.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/running-commands-using-the-api.html

' Global reference to the event listener 
Dim oEvents As clsEvents

Sub StartListeningToEvents()
  Set oEvents = New clsEvents
  
  ' Uncomment below code if you want to start the
  ' Tube & Pipe environment
  'Dim oCDs As ControlDefinitions
  'Set oCDs = ThisApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions
  
  'Dim oCD As ControlDefinition
  'Set oCD = oCDs("HSL:Piping:CreatePipeRun")
  
  'Call oCD.Execute
End Sub

And this change will be reflected in the dialog:

If we click OK, we end up with a model like this:

You can also hook up your VBA macro to a button in the UI following this blog post:
http://modthemachine.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/03/buttons-for-vba-macros-in-the-ribbon-user-interface.html

Use Excel API to export PartsList content

By Adam Nagy

In case PartsList.Export() does not do exactly what you need, you can take full control of what gets exported and how by using the Excel API directly. 

The following sample exports the content of the first PartsList of the active sheet. 

VBA

Sub ExportPartsListContent()
  Dim oExcel As Object
  Set oExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
  
  ' For debugging
  'oExcel.Visible = True
    
  Dim oWB As Object
  Set oWB = oExcel.Workbooks.Open("C:\temp\test.xlsm")
  
  Dim oWS As Object
  Set oWS = oWB.ActiveSheet
  
  Dim oDoc As DrawingDocument
  Set oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
  
  Dim oSheet As Sheet
  Set oSheet = oDoc.ActiveSheet
  
  ' Export the first PartsList
  Dim oPL As PartsList
  Set oPL = oSheet.PartsLists(1)
  
  ' Starting cell position on the Excel sheet
  Dim iRowStart As Integer: iRowStart = 1
  Dim iColStart As Integer: iColStart = 1
  
  ' Export headers
  Dim iRow As Integer: iRow = iRowStart
  Dim iCol As Integer: iCol = iColStart
  Dim oCol As PartsListColumn
  For Each oCol In oPL.PartsListColumns
    oWS.Cells(iRow, iCol).Value = oCol.Title
    iCol = iCol + 1
  Next
  iRow = iRow + 1
  
  ' Export content
  Dim oRow As PartsListRow
  For Each oRow In oPL.PartsListRows
    iCol = iColStart
    Dim oCell As PartsListCell
    For Each oCell In oRow
      oWS.Cells(iRow, iCol).Value = oCell.Value
      iCol = iCol + 1
    Next
    iRow = iRow + 1
  Next
  
  ' Save it
  ' We disable the confirmation dialog
  ' in case the file already exists and
  ' needs to be overwritten
  oExcel.DisplayAlerts = False
  Call oWB.SaveAs("C:\temp\test2.xlsm")
  
  ' Close excel
  Call oExcel.Quit
End Sub

iLogic

AddReference "Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel"
Dim oExcel As New Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Application

' For debugging
'oExcel.Visible = True

Dim oWB As Object
oWB = oExcel.Workbooks.Open("C:\temp\test.xlsm")

Dim oWS As Object
oWS = oWB.ActiveSheet

Dim oDoc As DrawingDocument
oDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

Dim oSheet As Sheet
oSheet = oDoc.ActiveSheet

' Export the first PartsList
Dim oPL As PartsList
oPL = oSheet.PartsLists(1)

' Starting cell position on the Excel sheet
Dim iRowStart As Integer: iRowStart = 1
Dim iColStart As Integer: iColStart = 1

' Export headers
Dim iRow As Integer: iRow = iRowStart
Dim iCol As Integer: iCol = iColStart
Dim oCol As PartsListColumn
For Each oCol In oPL.PartsListColumns
  oWS.Cells(iRow, iCol).Value = oCol.Title
  iCol = iCol + 1
Next
iRow = iRow + 1

' Export content
Dim oRow As PartsListRow
For Each oRow In oPL.PartsListRows
  iCol = iColStart
  Dim oCell As PartsListCell
  For Each oCell In oRow
    oWS.Cells(iRow, iCol).Value = oCell.Value
    iCol = iCol + 1
  Next
  iRow = iRow + 1
Next

' Save it
' We disable the confirmation dialog
' in case the file already exists and
' needs to be overwritten
oExcel.DisplayAlerts = False
Call oWB.SaveAs("C:\temp\test2.xlsm")

' Close excel
Call oExcel.Quit