[Plugin] Wudworx Board Maker Plugin

PurpLev · 12 Aug 2010, 18:06

OK, so it all started when I was trying to write a blog to post here as a tutorial for people starting out with SketchUp. halfway into the blog, I decided that a video would probably be easier for me, and easier for others. so I stopped the blog, and started capturing the video. Halfway through the capture I figured that I probably will need to go a little more basic and a bit more in detail in order to be more clear about certain things that I do - so I stopped the video.

Then it hit me - why not automate the whole thing with a plugin and call it a day. so I did.

I wrote this plugin last night, and cleaned it up a bit more today. It is available for free on my website, and future versions which will offer some extra customization will be available for purchase as part of the wudworx library of woodworking plugins for sketchup.

So, what does this plugin do? what does it look like? you can see it right here:

[flash=640,385:3vpbdm7f]http://www.youtube.com/v/SOv2X_6kufU[/flash:3vpbdm7f]

FYI- the latency in the video as the plugin is doing it's thing are caused by the capturing software and not the plugin itself which works instantaneously.

Plugins Website: http://sites.google.com/site/wudworx/

Dave R · 12 Aug 2010, 20:33

utiler · 13 Aug 2010, 00:43

Hi Sharon, Well done on the plug-in! Looks like it could be used for many uses; not just woodwork.

Ive had a error come up when installing [see attached] any ideas?

[Yes, I've followed your install suggestions]

PurpLev · 13 Aug 2010, 13:17

@utiler said:

Hi Sharon, Well done on the plug-in! Looks like it could be used for many uses; not just woodwork.

Ive had a error come up when installing [see attached] any ideas?
[attachment=0:13wjfw3j]wwx-error.png[/attachment:13wjfw3j]
[Yes, I've followed your install suggestions]

hmm... you don't by any chance have extensions.rb file in your Plugins folder do you?

if you do - it shouldn't be there... it should only reside in the SketchUp\tools path (installed with SU - so you don't need to move it there).

TIG · 13 Aug 2010, 13:27

Utiler

Please look inside your 'Plugins' folder and find the 'wudwurx' folder and see if there's a file called 'wwxtool.rbs' in that - that file what the loader script 'wudwurx.rb' [in Plugins?] is failing to load - as it can't find it ? Suggesting that the files/folders are in the wrong place?

Sometimes un-zippers extract files incorrectly and ignore the necessary sub-folder structure...

Dave R · 13 Aug 2010, 13:36

I had this issue when I initially installed the Wudworx package. It turned out to be extensions.rb in the Plugins directory. I removed that and all was well.

TIG · 13 Aug 2010, 13:47

BUT please note that you should always have an extensions.rb file in the ../Tools/ folder!

Dave R · 13 Aug 2010, 13:51

Yes, indeed. It's having it in two places that causes the problem.

Curious thing is, how did it get into the Plugins directory to begin with. It wasn't in there with a new install but some plugin I installed put it there.

ken · 13 Aug 2010, 14:35

@tig said:

BUT please note that you should always have an extensions.rb file in the ../Tools/ folder!

Not, wishing to highjack this thread, after seeing this post, I looked into my plugin folder and darn if I didn't have the extensions.rb there also, plus also having it in the /toos/folder. I removed this plugin from the plugin in folder and left it in the /tools/ folders. I haven't notice that this caused me any problems. However after re-installing just selected plugins about 2 months ago, I am being careful about what I install. I haven't had any problems, such as gray-outs or errors since this new installs.

Note, I have not installed the Wudworx Board Maker Plugin, so it did not come this plugin's installation.

TIG, Dave R and Purplev thanks for the info.

Now back to regular programing.

Ken

PurpLev · 13 Aug 2010, 18:59

@unknownuser said:

@tig said:

BUT please note that you should always have an extensions.rb file in the ../Tools/ folder!

Not, wishing to highjack this thread, after seeing this post, I looked into my plugin folder and darn if I didn't have the extensions.rb there also, plus also having it in the /toos/folder. I removed this plugin from the plugin in folder and left it in the /tools/ folders. I haven't notice that this caused me any problems. However after re-installing just selected plugins about 2 months ago, I am being careful about what I install. I haven't had any problems, such as gray-outs or errors since this new installs.

Note, I have not installed the Wudworx Board Maker Plugin, so it did not come this plugin's installation.

TIG, Dave R and Purplev thanks for the info.

Now back to regular programing.

Ken

extension.rb is only used by plugins that are setup as extensions (that you can enable/disable through the preferences-extensions tab). any plugin that automatically loads up (not setup as extension) does not utilize extension.rb and thus won't have any issues with it. Wudworx IS setup as an extension and when you have extension.rb in 2 places it is 'confusing' the code as it has 2 extensions.rb loaded up with duplicated functions from both.

As mentioned: extentions.rb should be in SketchUp\Tools. That is where SU installs it to. I believe there is some plugin out there that for some reason includes extensions.rb in the zip file that gets copied to SketchUp\Plugins.

Dave R · 13 Aug 2010, 19:45

I just figured out that CAD Father's SCF Toobars.zip file contains extensions.rb and would extract it to the Plugins folder.

PurpLev · 13 Aug 2010, 20:46

@dave r said:

I just figured out that CAD Father's SCF Toobars.zip file contains extensions.rb and would extract it to the Plugins folder.

Thanks Dave!

PurpLev · 13 Aug 2010, 20:48

FYI - new upgraded version of the plugin is available since a few moments ago which works much nicer - check it out let me know what you think:

wudworx

(sites.google.com)

If you already have a wudworx plugin installed, just copy (overwrite) wwxtool.rbs and wwxboardmaker.rbs into the Plugins/wudworx folder, and copy the icons to Plugins/wudworx/icons folder. make sure the rest of the files stay intact though.

utiler · 15 Aug 2010, 02:05

Thanks Guys.
The wudworx.rb file is in the plugins folder, as is the wudworx folder and contents [see attached]

No extensions.rb in the plugins folder, only in Plugins/Tools....

I can go to Preferences and activate the toolset but still getting the error after I restart SU. No toolbars available.....

Thanks to you all for chiming in and helping out.... I'm keen to give this tool a run!!!

Thanks Sharon

PurpLev · 16 Aug 2010, 14:40

@utiler said:

No extensions.rb in the plugins folder, only in Plugins/Tools....

I can go to Preferences and activate the toolset but still getting the error after I restart SU. No toolbars available.....

Thanks to you all for chiming in and helping out.... I'm keen to give this tool a run!!!

Thanks Sharon

Hmm... the error you are referring to makes me feel a 2nd extension.rb file is loaded from one of the plugins. If you don't mind trying it out - you could temporarily move out all the other plugins out of the plugins folder, leaving only Boardmaker files there, and see if it'll load. at least this will tell you if the clash is with another plugin - or with the SU install. if it works - start bringing back the plugins one at a time, until you find the one that makes the error reappear - I would be interested to see what's causing this.

PM me with Q, or what you find.

I guess I should have probably just forgo the 'extension' concept and just have the plugins automatically load up. food for thought for me.

Jim · 16 Aug 2010, 14:48

You can encrypt your library, but use an un-encrypted loader file where the extension is created. Maybe. I have a feeling the scrambler causes some weird namespace problems.

PurpLev · 16 Aug 2010, 16:36

yes, the scrambler does create very weird namespacing issues, which I have already addressed at this point. this however doesn't seem to be it. I have seen this before when extensions.rb was loaded twice. regardless, although it seems other plugins are giving mine a hard time, it may be easiest to just simplify mine and not have to deal with this.

for now I am more curious to see what is causing the error in this case.

utiler · 16 Aug 2010, 23:04

@purplev said:

Hmm... the error you are referring to makes me feel a 2nd extension.rb file is loaded from one of the plugins. If you don't mind trying it out - you could temporarily move out all the other plugins out of the plugins folder, leaving only Boardmaker files there, and see if it'll load. at least this will tell you if the clash is with another plugin - or with the SU install. if it works - start bringing back the plugins one at a time, until you find the one that makes the error reappear - I would be interested to see what's causing this.

PM me with Q, or what you find.

I guess I should have probably just forgo the 'extension' concept and just have the plugins automatically load up. food for thought for me.

Thanks Sharon, A big task for me to do so; bit busy right now so I might try when i get a chance....