It sounds more like you want to create a tool. See the UI::Tool class in the API. Then read through and understand the "linetool.rb" script in the "Plugins/Examples" directory. Keep in mind that scripting within a GUI application's process, is event-driven programming, not a linear sequential exercise. You write a class with callback methods, that the application calls, in response to UI input, mouse movements, key presses, etc., from the user.

@dan rathbun said: Can I use a selector path like in CSS? Exactly! @dan rathbun said: OK so what does it return if nothing found ?? null ? http://api.jquery.com/jQuery/ @unknownuser said: If no elements match the provided selector, the new jQuery object is "empty"; that is, it contains no elements and has .length property of 0. <span class="syntaxdefault"><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">if&nbsp;(&nbsp;$(</span><span class="syntaxstring">'body#someid'</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">length&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">>&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">0&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)&nbsp;{<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;}<br />&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault"></span>

I thot maybe a <![CDATA[ block, but the editor lexer does not indicate it will work.

<span class="syntaxdefault"><br />model </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">active_model<br /><br />modeltime </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> model</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">shadow_info</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxstring">'ShadowTime'</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">unless modeltime</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">utc</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">?<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">  time </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> model</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">shadow_info</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxstring">'ShadowTime'</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">getutc<br />  tz_offset </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> model</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">shadow_info</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxstring">'TZOffset'</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> 60 </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> 60&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">/&nbsp;-</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1<br />  modeltime </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Time</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">at</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> time</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">to_i </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">+</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> tz_offset </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">end<br /></span>

@driven said: @Jim, how about changing the topic title to just SFC_Forum_SyntaxHighlighter and include other browser versions in your top post. A one-stop shop ?

Thanks I will make use of that. Keith

Have you tried https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/image#path ?

Everyone wants this functionality. Some work has been done. ExtendSketchUp has this goal. Fredo6 created a web-based update checking feature. (Do a search.) Others have done it with a UI::WebDialog You will likely need to use the functionality in the SketchupExtension class for installed versioning. Unfortunately.. the community has not yet agreed upon a file manifest format to track installed file locations. (So an uninstaller can remove them.)

@unknownuser said: Is the “.rb” extension really necessary when using for example “require (“sketchup.rb”)? The answer is not very simple. You should read the method dictionary for Kernel.require(), Kernel.load(), Sketchup.require() and Sketchup.load(). These methods act differently: depending on the arguments (absolute or relative paths) depending upon the Ruby version depending whether a file extension is given The require() methods push successful paths into the $LOADED_FEATURES array, but may not add the actual extension of the file that was loaded. (This could cause confusion later.) The overridden methods in the Sketchup module do not act exactly the same as the global Kernel methods. (return values and filenames in Exception messages.) We almost need a complicated decision tree with all the permutations... to decide when to use a extension and when not to. It is recommended NOT to use a file extension with the Sketchup module overrides. (This also helps in development, as the same loader script can load both rb and rbs files, after scrambling.) Also be aware that the SketchupExtension class uses these overides. This is really an issue for it own topic thread (and perhaps there already is one?)

The native MoveTool can move the note.

Thanks everyone for the replies. @Dan using the draw in a tool's view method looks like a plausible option. Let me dig into it and get back. Thanks again.

@dan rathbun said: I'll see if I can cobble up a better example, perhaps I'll post it in a new [ Code ] topic (so it can be indexed with the Code Snippet indexer.) Done! [Code] AnimateSelection Example v1.0.0 .

Thanks! That should work for most cases. (But it still would be nice to have a second argument with the file path, since the model.path is not necessarily linked with the location where the file (a copy) was saved.)

To simulate typematics, it is preferable to use the animation API. Tricky, but works fine in the end (I used it in ThruPaint) Fredo

Note that there is component instance name and component name. Component instance name is the same as a group's name.

@tig said: mat=e2.material > if mat > cname=mat.name ### OR .display_name ? > else ### NO MATERIAL > cname="<Default>" > end#if test for the existence of the material and then get it's name if it exists, if the material is ' nil'then there's no ' name' to get. #display_name should only be used to output the name of a material to the UI - not as an id. http://www.thomthom.net/thoughts/2012/03/the-secrets-of-sketchups-materials/#speaking-of-names8230

@tig said: Let's assume model=Sketchup.active_model If you simply want to add an external SKP as a component use: defn = model.definitions.load(path_to_skp) where perhaps path_to_skp="C:/users/alecchyi/desktop/MyComponent.skp" This will ensure it's now loaded into the model. Then name=defn.name - just in case it's been given a different name from what you expected ? Then model.place_component(defn, repeat) If repeat=false then you get to add one instance of that component - just like the native tool, with 'move' built-in etc. If repeat=true then you get to place multiple instances... one after the other... If you want to place a component that's already loaded 'by name', then set name="MyComponentsName", then defn=model.definitions[name] before running the 'place_component' code... You can select an instance in code then run the Move tool on it, but that isn't what you asked?? i got it,谢谢

@brett mcallister said: I recommend you go read this PDF to get you started otherwise you will be tearing your hair out and nothing will make sense. http://www.autosketchup.com/ OK, I will. Thanks!

When you pushpull a face the number of extra faces made in the model can be found - as discussed. Since the 'new face' [which from a user perspective is the 'original face' relocated along the face's normal] has the same normal as the original [which you can already have remembered in a reference] and none of the other new faces share this normal. It gets messy unless your new geometry is being kept inside a group [even temporarily] because the pushpulled result might coincide with one or more preexisting faces that have the same [or reversed] normal as the original face and thereby several new faceS made could have matching normals but the preexisting ones now subsumed into the pushpulled form will be missed in any before/after ents comparisons. Therefore making the new geometry in a group is highly recommended... you can pushpull, get the new face by matching normals, then intersect the face with the model's entities and re-get all faces inside the group with matching normals. Thus what's in the group mimics what would have happened without any grouping BUT lets you collect all of the newly made faces, should any be split by [potential] merging with existing geometry...

For materials it's Material.alpha. If you are drawing polygons to the viewport using View.draw then you need Color.alpha. The Secrets of SketchUp’s Materials - There is a section there "Material.alpha vs Color.alpha"