New API doc - typos and questions

[thomthom]

@tig said:

But strangely not with add_arc which returns an ArcCurve ?

Nope, also returns an array.

@tig said:

It would be unadvisable to change what the API does with these add_ methods

Agree.

[TIG]

@thomthom said:

@tig said:

But strangely not with add_arc which returns an ArcCurve ?

Nope, also returns an array.

@tig said:

It would be unadvisable to change what the API does with these add_ methods

Agree.

Perhaps I meant to say, "... add_arc which says it returns an ArcCurve wrongly!"

[thomthom]

Sketchup.write_default
Sketchup.read_default
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup.html#write_default
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup.html#read_default

@unknownuser said:

[..] the string associated with a value within the specified sub-section section of a .INI file or registry (within the Software > @Last Software > SketchUp section).

Is it really stored under @Last any more?

[TIG]

@thomthom said:

Sketchup.write_default
Sketchup.read_default
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup.html#write_default
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup.html#read_default

@unknownuser said:

[..] the string associated with a value within the specified sub-section section of a .INI file or registry (within the Software > @Last Software > SketchUp section).

Is it really stored under @Last any more?

No, / Google / Sketchup 7 / etc...

[thomthom]

Group.move!
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/group.html#move !

.move! moves to an absolute point. Worth noting in the manual.

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Point3d.+
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/point3d.html#+

@unknownuser said:

The '+' operator is a fast way to add to the current x, y and z values of a point, or to set the values of a point by adding to other points together.
The end of the sentence should read, "...by adding **two** other points together."

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
vector a Vector object
There is no defined object named 'vector'. If we follow the example the class of the result is given as Geom::Point3d.

pt2 = Geom;;Point3d.new(100,200,300)
pt3 = pt2 + [1,1,1]
>> Point3d(101, 201, 301)
pt3.class
>> Geom;;Point3d

@unknownuser said:

Arguments:
point2 A Point3d object.
An ArugemtError exception is raised if point2 is a Point3d object.
Valid argument classes are: Array or Vector3d. This means to use a Point3d as an argument, you must convert to Array. Example:

pt3 = pt1 + pt2.to_a

This method needs to be fixed to take a Point3d object and internally convert it to an Array...

# internal to + method
if arg[0].is_a? Point3d { arg[0]=arg[0].to_a }

...or a Vector3d:

# internal to + method
if arg[0].is_a? Point3d { arg[0]=[0,0,0].vector_to(arg[0]) }

either way. The current implementation is clumsy.

[Dan Rathbun]

**Geom::Point3d.-**
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/point3d.html#-

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
vector a Vector object
There is no defined object named 'vector', but there IS one named ' Vector3d'. If we follow the example the class of the result is given as Geom::Vector3d.

pt2 = Geom;;Point3d.new(100,200,300)
pt3 = pt2 - [1,1,1]
>> Vector3d(99, 199, 299)
pt3.class
>> Geom;;Vector3d

It seems a bit strange that + returns Point3d, but - returns Vector3d.

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Point3d.offset
Code example has errors:
[line1]replace"point ="with"point1 ="
[line1]use parameter delimiters both lines
[line3]replace".offset**!**"with".offset"
add comments
Corrected code:

point1 = Geom;;Point3d.new(10,10,10)
vector = Geom;;Vector3d.new(0,0,1)
point2 = point1.offset vector
# point1 is unchanged
# point2 is Point3d(10, 10, 11)

Geom::Point3d.offset!
Code example has errors:
[line1]replace"point ="with"point1 ="
[line1]use parameter delimiters both lines
add comments

point1 = Geom;;Point3d.new(10,10,10)
vector = Geom;;Vector3d.new(0,0,1)
point2 = point1.offset! vector
# point1 now equals point2
# point2 is Point3d(10, 10, 11)

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Vector3d.x=
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/vector3d.html#x=
Geom::Vector3d.y=
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/vector3d.html#y=
Geom::Vector3d.z=
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/vector3d.html#z=

#Anchors: '=' char should be replaced with 'equals' in links.

All 3 methods suffer from the same return class anomoly as the Vector3d.[]= method, in that they return the class of the argument (which may not always be Float.) In contrast, the .x, .y and .z methods always return class Float.
Propose that the .x=, .y= and .z= methods should be modified to return Float as the .x, .y and .z methods do.

Propose to add note: "See the **.set!** method to set all three coordinates in one statement." ( .. to the description sections, of each of the three methods.)

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Vector3d.set!
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/vector3d.html#set!

@unknownuser said:

This is a shortcut for writing:
Clarify: "This is a shortcut for setting all coordinates of the vector, instead of setting them individually in three statements."

@unknownuser said:

You may also call this method with an array or another vector:
Confusing. (I first took this mean that the SU extended Array class had an Array.set! method; which is NOT the case.)
Clarify: "You may also call this method with an Array or a Vector3d object as the first argument,(and any other arguments will then be ignored.)"

Add: "If only one Numeric argument is supplied, or if a one element Array is supplied, then only the x value will be changed. IF only 2 values are supplied, in the same way, then the z value will remain unchanged.
All coordinate values must be implicitly convertable to Float class.(If you pass a nil value, a TypeError exception is raised.)"

@unknownuser said:

Arguments:
x ____ The x value for the vector.
y ____ The y value for the vector.
z ____ The z value for the vector.
vector2 ____ A Vector3d object.
Remove 4th argument. (There is no valid fourth argument for this method. All args beyond 3 are ignored.)
Clarify: (suggested Argument list)
Arguments:
x ____ The x value for the vector, a Vector3d object, or an Array.
y ____ The y value for the vector. (optional)
z ____ The z value for the vector. (optional)

Better Code Example:

vector = Geom;;Vector3d.new 0,0,1
vector.set! 1,0,0  # three Numeric arguments
vector2 = Geom;;Vector3d.new 1,2,3
vector.set! vector2  # one Vector3d argument
# vector now is (1,2,3)
array1 = Array.new(4,5,6)
vector.set! array1[2]  # one Numeric argument
# vector now is (6,2,3)
vector2.set! array1  # one Array argument
# vector2 now is (4,5,6)
vector.set! [5,4]  # one Array with 2 values
# vector now is (5,4,3)
# change x and z in one statement, this way;
vector.set! 9, vector.y, 8
# vector now is (9,4,8)

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Vector3d.[=]
[="]http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/vector3d.html#[]=[/url]
Again the HTML anchor may cause problems in some browsers, suggest '#subscriptEquals'

Obviously the #[]= anchor tag in the url cannot even be displayed properly in this forum.All of the #anchor links to methods using special chars need to be changed to comply with the HTML spec, as ThomThom noted:
@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 ("."). [url:nfjuel6m]http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/types.html#type-name ]("http)

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
value _______ the newly set coordinate value

the Geom::Vector3d.[] method returns class Float
BUT, the Geom::Vector3d.[]= method returns the class of the argument.

The code example may be misleading to the unwary,
@unknownuser said:

value = vector[i] = coordinate

..if the class of the coordinate variable is Integer then the class of the value variable will also be Integer.
This causes a coder to do a two-step expression if they want a Float, ie:

coordinate = 2
vector[i] = coordinate # returns Integer 2
value = vector[i]  # value.class >> Float

%(#FF4000)[Two Issues:

1. Is 'coordinate' the correct term, or would 'component' be a better term when refering to vectors?1. If all the rest of the methods that return subscript values from a Vector3d object are Float, then perhaps this method should as well, regardless of the class of the argument.]

[Dan Rathbun]

Geom::Point3d.<
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/point3d.html#%3C

@unknownuser said:

Returns:
true if the point2 is closer to the origin.

Following the example, I get the opposite result.

TheReturns:should probably read,
" *true* if the point2 is **farther** from the origin; *false* if the point2 is closer to the origin (than the receiver.)

[TIG]

@thomthom said:

Group.move!
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/group.html#move !

.move! moves to an absolute point. Worth noting in the manual.

It doesn't seem to though - we've been testing it in another thread this afternoon and it seem that it moves relative to the transformation-origin NOT the model's ORIGIN - you first have to do a transformation by vector from where it is to the ORIGIN and then off again to the absolute point ?

[TIG]

@dan rathbun said:

Ruby code can no longer use the nil return value in a conditional boolean statement.
There is also no way now to determine how many Dictionary objects, there are within an AttributeDictionaries collection (No Methods: .size, .length, .count, or .empty?)
There are no methods but several easy combos to do it...
You make an array of it and than get its length ?
len = AttributeDictionaries.to_a.length
or use 'each' ?
len = 0;AttributeDictionaries.each{|d|len += 1}
Where len is the AttributeDictionaries length ?

[thomthom]

AttributeDictionaries.to_a.length works.

[thomthom]

ComponentInstance.explode
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/componentinstance.html#explode

Code example is irrelevant - doesn't show the use of .explode.

[thomthom]

RenderingOptions
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/renderingoptions.html

@unknownuser said:

FogColor

# FogDensity

FogEnd

FogStart

# FogType

FogUseBkColor

Bold entries returns nil.

The RenderingOptions I get when I iterate the collection is:

BackgroundColor
BandColor
ConstructionColor
DepthQueWidth
DisplayColorByLayer
DisplayDims
DisplayFog
DisplayInstanceAxes
DisplaySketchAxes
DisplayText
DisplayWatermarks
DrawDepthQue
DrawGround
DrawHidden
DrawHorizon
DrawLineEnds
DrawProfilesOnly
DrawSilhouettes
DrawUnderground
EdgeColorMode
EdgeDisplayMode
EdgeType
ExtendLines
FaceBackColor
FaceColorMode
FaceFrontColor
FogColor
FogEndDist
FogStartDist
FogUseBkColor
ForegroundColor
GroundColor
GroundTransparency
HideConstructionGeometry
HighlightColor
HorizonColor
InactiveHidden
InstanceHidden
JitterEdges
LineEndWidth
LineExtension
LockedColor
MaterialTransparency
ModelTransparency
RenderMode
SectionActiveColor
SectionCutWidth
SectionDefaultCutColor
SectionInactiveColor
ShowViewName
SilhouetteWidth
SkyColor
Texture
TransparencySort

If the differences is due to changes between SU version I hope the docs will say when they where removed instead of removing them from the manual. Good to know the history.

[chrisglasier]

Probably picked up before but I just noticed it. So just in case ...

@unknownuser said:

Drawingelement.visible=SketchUp 6.0+
The visible= method is used to set the visible status for an element. This method performs an opposite function to the hidden= method.
Arguments:
visibility true if you want to hide the element, false if not
Returns:
status true if the element has been hidden, false if the element has not been hidden.

[Dan Rathbun]

My previous post onSketchup::AttributeDictionarieshas been REVISED See the original post:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=180&t=17047#pr218516

[Dan Rathbun]

@unknownuser said:

AttributeDictionaries (Introduction )
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/attributedictionaries.html
You access this class not by performing an AttributeDictionaries.new but by grabbing a handle from an existing entity.
... which is refering to Sketchup::Entity.attribute_dictionaries
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entity.html#attribute_dictionaries

@dan rathbun said:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=17047&p=208352#p208352
This only works for model objects (seems the model has an empty dictionary list by default.) Other entities will return nil (as they do not have an AttributeDictionaries object created until after an AttributeDictionary has been attached.); the API should note that first a script needs to create an AttributeDictionary object, before the AttributeDictionaries object can be 'grabbed' (because it does not yet exist.)

UPDATE (2010JAN23-DanRathbun) PC ver 7.1.6860:
REVISED (2010JAN28-DanRathbun):In, SU ver 7.1, IF the Dynamic Components extension is turned OFF, the entity.attribute_dictionariesmethod will appear to always return aSketchup::AttributeDictionariesobject for the entity, regardless of whether there are any memberSketchup::AttributeDictionary%(#4040BF)[objects.

In addition, (if DCs are OFF,) all of the methods of the]Sketchup::AttributeDictionaryclass (except.name,) will no longer work!

Theentity.attribute_dictionariesmethod was NOT changed in the previous release, as I thought. The method works as the API says it does, returning "nil if there are none." BUT the Dynamic Components extension must be enabled."
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entity.html#attribute_dictionaries

There is also no way to determine how many Dictionary objects, there are within an AttributeDictionaries collection (NoMethods: .size, .length, .count, or .empty?)