Adding dynamic attributes to multiple objects

[thomthom]

Didn't realise one could set attributes like that.

[Jim]

Yeah, it wouldn't actually be too hard to create a DC editor for non-pro users.

I was considering doing a specialized one just for animating doors and windows.

[thomthom]

I meant the way you added items to AttributeDictionaries. I've always used the explicit set_attribute method.

[Jim]

set_attribute and get_attribute are probably better to use in the long run, if changes were ever made internally they would likely still work.

[thomthom]

heeeey? where was that comment of being able to remove attributs using set_attribute? mind trixies!

[Jim]

It was wrong! I was thinking of something else. There was what I thought an odd way to delete an attribute, but I think it was an odd way to delete the entire dictionary.

[thomthom]

set_attribute can potentially kill the whole dictionary??

[Jim]

Ok, this is what I was remembering:

delete_attribute can delete the entire dictionary if the value param is not used.

http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entity.html#delete_attribute

@unknownuser said:

Entity.delete_attributeSketchUp 6.0+

The delete_attribute method is used to delete an attribute from an entity.

If only the dictionary_name is given, then it deletes the entire AttributeDictionary. Otherwise, delete_attribute deletes the attribute with the given key from the given dictionary.

[Dan Rathbun]

@jim said:

Ok, this is what I was remembering:

Entity.delete_attribute can delete the entire dictionary if the value param is not used.

AGREED !

There should have been (should be,) an explicit Entity.delete_dictionary method (even if it calls the other one with 'secret' parameters. Of course the safest way is to rename and then override the delete_attribute method, so only a call to a delete_dictionary method would do the deletion.
Which may actually be how things work with delete_attribute, ie if num args == 1 then it calls the Entity.attribute_dictionaries.delete(arg) method. )

[NewGuy]

Guys,
Thanks for your help! Great insight.