New API doc - typos and questions

[thomthom]

The id for the anchor is invalid.

The correct format is:
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/types.html#type-name

@unknownuser said:

ID and NAME tokens must begin with a letter ([A-Za-z]) and may be followed by any number of letters, digits ([0-9]), hyphens ("-"), underscores ("_"), colons (":"), and periods (".").

There are a number of other HTML errors as well. They use a XHTML doctype, but empty elements is not closed with />. Looks like HTML is used - despite the doctype.

The HTTP header claims characterset ISO-8859-1 while the META tag claims UTF-8

Characters isn't escaped properly, such as the < character in the method list. (line 342)

Run it through the validator and see 67 errors. http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fcode.google.com%2Fintl%2Fnb%2Fapis%2Fsketchup%2Fdocs%2Fourdoc%2Fpoint3d.html&charset=%28detect+automatically%29&doctype=Inline&ss=1&group=0&user-agent=W3C_Validator%2F1.654#line-342

No wonder things isn't always working when there's so much invalid markup.

[scottlininger]

Thanks for all the feedback, Dan! Keep 'em coming.

[thomthom]

@unknownuser said:

Thanks for all the feedback, Dan! Keep 'em coming.

How is your to-do list compared to Santa's list?

[scottlininger]

Santa's got nothing on me.

[thomthom]

Edge.reversed_in?
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/edge.html#reversed_in ?

Why is the example using a begin rescue structure? Does it on occasion cause errors?

[Dan Rathbun]

The class Sketchup::HLR is undocumented in the API.

It's an Entity subclass.
It inherits all the Entity baseclass methods, and adds 2 of it's own:

• .calculate* .num_faces

If you create a HLR object at the console, and call .parent (when it has no parent) a BUG SPLAT! results. See post: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=24740#p212101

What is this class HLR used for? (.. as there is no .add_HLR method for the Entities collection object.)

[thomthom]

Tool.getExtents
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/tool.html#getExtents

The example given isn't a good one. From my observations, clipping occurs only when you draw outside the model boundary. So returning model.bounds is pointless.

[Dan Rathbun]

Sketchup.send_action
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup.html#send_action

You can toggle the StatusBar on/off in Ruby (PC only?) via:
Sketchup.send_action(59393)

The following have no effect on my PC in SU ver 7.1.x:
Sketchup.send_action(21019) hide Status bar and VCB
Sketchup.send_action(21020) show Status bar and VCB
Sketchup.send_action(21022) hide Status bar and VCB?
..whereas the above id 59393 does work for just the StatusBar.

[ NOTE: I've moved my VCB up to the 2nd line of the Top Toolbar Container in 2nd position after the Layers toolbar, so I'd not want the VCB turned off with the StatusBar anyhow. I see them as two different things. ]

[Dan Rathbun]

@dan rathbun said:

(An alternative... we might create tb_Name constantsunder the UI module that would be the same for both platforms.)

Here's an example, call it 'UI_tb_const.rb'

module UI

#
# Example ONLY
#

case Sketchup;;OS
when ;WIN
	#
  tb_CAM = 'Camera'.freeze
  tb_CONS = 'Construction'.freeze
  tb_DISP = 'DisplayMode'.freeze
  tb_DRAW = 'Drawing'.freeze
  tb_EDIT = 'Edit'.freeze
  tb_GETS = 'GettingStarted'.freeze
  tb_GOOG = 'Google'.freeze
  tb_LTS = 'LargeToolSet'.freeze
  tb_LAYR = 'Layers'.freeze
  tb_STD = 'Standard'.freeze
  tb_TABS = 'SceneTabs'.freeze
  tb_PRIN = 'Principle'.freeze # spelling!
  tb_SBAR = 'StatusBar'.freeze
  tb_SECT = 'Section'.freeze
  tb_SHAD = 'Shadows'.freeze
  tb_VIEW = 'StandardViews'.freeze
  tb_VCB = 'VCB'.freeze
  tb_WALK = 'Walk'.freeze
	#
when ;OSX
	#     what are the Mac Strings?
  tb_CAM = 'Camera'.freeze
  tb_CONS = 'Construction'.freeze
  tb_DISP = 'DisplayMode'.freeze
  tb_DRAW = 'Drawing'.freeze
  tb_EDIT = 'Edit'.freeze
  tb_GETS = 'GettingStarted'.freeze
  tb_GOOG = 'Google'.freeze
  tb_LTS = 'LargeToolSet'.freeze
  tb_LAYR = 'Layers'.freeze
  tb_STD = 'Standard'.freeze
  tb_TABS = 'SceneTabs'.freeze
  tb_PRIN = 'Principle'.freeze # spelling!
  tb_SBAR = 'StatusBar'.freeze
  tb_SECT = 'Section'.freeze
  tb_SHAD = 'Shadows'.freeze
  tb_VIEW = 'StandardViews'.freeze
  tb_VCB = 'VCB'.freeze
  tb_WALK = 'Walk'.freeze
	#
end # case

end # module UI extension

[Dan Rathbun]

UI.toolbar_names
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/ui.html#toolbar_names

@unknownuser said:

The toolbar_names method is used to returns the name of all the available toolbars (this differs between PC and Mac).

(1) In the above sentence "returns" should be singular.

(2) I believe punctuation marks are supposed to go at the end of the words, ie: "Mac.)" not "Mac)." ...Language majors, confirm?

(3) It would nice if we are to do cross-platform scripts, that you list the names for PC and Mac in the API.

(4) UI.toolbar_names.sort on the PC, ver 7.1 returns:

["Camera", "Construction", "DisplayMode", "Drawing", "Edit", "GettingStarted", "Google", "Principle", "Section", "Standard", "StandardViews", "VCB", "Walk"]
.
On the [Win32] Sketchup Menu: View > Toolbars(and toolbar captions):

• Principle is Principal* Edit is Modification* VCB is Measurements* StandardViews is Views* Section is Sections* DisplayMode is FaceStyle* Walk is Walkthrough
  These are on the [Win32] Menu: View > Toolbars but, missing from the UI toolbar methods:

• LargeToolSet* Layers* SceneTabs (on View menu )* Shadows
  Missing from View Menu and toolbar methods:

• StatusBar
  (We can toggle it on/off [with send_action on PC], so might as well add it to the toolbar methods so we can test it's visiblilty, and use set_toolbar_visible for cross platform [if it can be toggled on MAC.])* If a user has the StatusBar off, a tool might want to instead display a messagebox if it must inform the user of some fact, so it needs to test whether it's on/off.

(5) This same Toolbar Name Identifier Set is used with the following methods, and have the same problems, missing Identifiers, etc.

• UI.set_toolbar_visible* UI.toolbar_visible?

So.. we don't mind variation in the toolbar names/symbols, so long as we know what that variation is.

(An alternative... we might create tb_Name constants under the UI module that would be the same for both platforms.)

[thomthom]

Entities.add_curve
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entities.html#add_curve

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
curve a Curve object if successful

SU7.1M1 PC returns an array of edges. Other versions untested. I'm submitting this as a bug.

[thomthom]

Curve.move_vertices
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/curve.html#move_vertices

@unknownuser said:

The vertices method retrieves a collection of all vertices in a curve.

Seem to have copied the text from Curve.vertices.
Description needs updating along with an example.

[TIG]

@thomthom said:

Entities.add_curve
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entities.html#add_curve

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
curve a Curve object if successful

SU7.1M1 PC returns an array of edges. Other versions untested. I'm submitting this as a bug.

It's always returned an array of edges - the curve is then array[0].curve

[Dan Rathbun]

_
Model.title

@unknownuser said:

The tile method retrieves the name of the model. If the model is saved on disk, returns the file name without extension. Otherwise returns an empty string.
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/model.html#title
Change 'tile' to 'title' in method description.

We could use Model.is_saved? and Model.is_unsaved? methods, as the Model.title method is the only way (that I can find) to determine if the model has yet been saved or not. We cannot rely upon the word 'Untitled' (in the caption bar) because that may actually be a valid filename.

Workaround:

class Sketchup;;Model
def is_saved?
  return not title.empty?
end
def is_unsaved?
  return title.empty?
end
end # class

_

[thomthom]

Camera.set
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/camera.html#set

The initialize method is deprecated. It essentially does the same thing as Camera.set.

Seems that's the description for Camera.new http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/camera.html#new
...and that Camera.new has the description for Camera.set

[thomthom]

View.pickray
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/view.html#pickray

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
ray
a ray

"a ray"? Without testing this I#m guessing either a vector or line.

[Dan Rathbun]

@thomthom said:

View.pickray
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/view.html#pickray

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
ray a ray

"a ray"? Without testing this I#m guessing either a vector or line.

see this...

@unknownuser said:

Model.raytest
A ray is a two element array containing a point and a vector [Geom::Point3d(), Geom::Vector3d()]. http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/model.html#raytest
_

[thomthom]

Yea - I tested it later that day. It's what the Geom module describes as a line.

[Dan Rathbun]

@thomthom said:

Yea - I tested it later that day. It's what the Geom module describes as a line.

Shouldn't the API have a definition for Line and/or Ray as a class (under the Geom module) ?

something like:

class Geom;;Ray < Array
  def new(*args)
    Array[Geom;;Point3d().new, Geom;;Vector3d().new]
    super()
  end
end

[thomthom]

Line and Plane? hm... maybe... thought of that myself. but never really felt the need for it to make a request. works fine as it is.

Dealing with them as Arrays works ok. They are simple structures.