Update entity by webdialog/excel

[Pout]

Just a question (before creating it myself):
Is there any plugin/script/... which updates an Entity/Component/Group when it's parameters are changed in an external 'interface' (can be a webdialog or an excell sheet)

Basically, when you update the parameters of the object by hand (type new values in a cell or input textfield) and hit a button in Sketchup the object is adapted.

Thx in advance!

[thomthom]

Parametric control?
Dynamic Components comes close - it uses WebDialog for the UI.

[Pout]

Indeed.
I'm looking into DC but there's not a lot of info.
So maybe someone already developed something like this, so I can learn from it.

On the other hand, when I have a model in which 1 DC definition has two instances and I update on of those instances:
framing_wall_instance = Sketchup.active_model.entities[0]
framing_wall_definition = framing_wall_instance.definition
ad = framing_wall_definition.attribute_dictionary "dynamic_attributes"
ad["_lenx_formula"] = '275.447'
$dc_observers.get_latest_class.redraw_with_undo(framing_wall_instance)

The other one does not seem to change.
Even more when I place an new instance in the model, it shows the 'original' component, but when placing it (click) it updates and is then equal to the edited instance.
Probably logical but I don't see why

[TIG]

When you place a DC each instance is automatically made unique, so subsequently editing it won't affect the other instances.

It IS possible to have multiple copies of DC instances [just make the copies from an instance that's already inside the SKP rather than inserting a fresh instance]: then editing one with affect all of its 'clones', but leave its [unique] siblings alone.

If you are doing it 'in code' it is possible to give the base DC an extra 'identifying attribute' [e.g. typeCode='framing_wall'] and then your Ruby code can iterate the selection [or entities collection?] and find all DC instances that are using that matching 'identifying attribute' and processes all of them to match - thus side stepping the issue of the 'uniqueness' of the instances' definitions...

[Dan Rathbun]

Just from memory.. I believe that the DC extension uses special dictionaries at both the definition and instance level... ie, (example,) to keep specific scaling factors for the instance.

[Pout]

a little bit more information:

Standard DC definition attributes (dynamic_attributes):
Retrieve with (for the selected instance):

xx=Sketchup.active_model.selection[0].definition.attribute_dictionaries['dynamic_attributes']
xx.each{|key,value| puts key.to_s+'-'+value.to_s}

Returns (app. depending on user set attributes of the selected instance-in this case LenX and LenY are 'user cannot see' and material is 'user can see'):
_formatversion-1.0
_has_movetool_behaviors-0.0
_hasbehaviors-1.0
_lastmodified-2012-02-21 10:13
_lengthunits-CENTIMETERS
_lenx_access-NONE
_lenx_formlabel-LenX
_lenx_label-LenX
_lenx_units-DEFAULT
_leny_access-NONE
_leny_formlabel-LenY
_leny_label-LenY
_leny_units-DEFAULT
_material_access-VIEW
_material_formlabel-Material
_material_label-Material
_material_units-STRING
_name-Huis1
lenx-393.700787401575
leny-393.700787401575
material-

When changing LenX and LenY to 'user can see':
_formatversion-1.0
_has_movetool_behaviors-0.0
_hasbehaviors-1.0
_lastmodified-2012-02-21 10:15
_lengthunits-CENTIMETERS
_lenx_access-VIEW
_lenx_formlabel-LenX
_lenx_label-LenX
_lenx_units-DEFAULT
_leny_access-VIEW
_leny_formlabel-LenY
_leny_label-LenY
_leny_units-DEFAULT
_material_access-VIEW
_material_formlabel-Material
_material_label-Material
_material_units-STRING
_name-Huis1
lenx-393.700787401575
leny-393.700787401575
material-

Standard instance attributes (dynamic_attributes):

xx=Sketchup.active_model.selection[0].attribute_dictionaries['dynamic_attributes']
xx.each{|key,value| puts key.to_s+'-'+value.to_s}

_has_movetool_behaviors-0.0
_hasbehaviors-1.0
lenx-393.700787401575
leny-393.700787401575

Now if you add an attribute on definition level eg. LenX this is accessible as lenx for both the comp. definition as the instance.
Important: to be able to access that value on instance level with _lenx_formula (eg. to change the value) the attribute must be set to at least 'users can see this attribute' . Otherwise it cannot be changed through ruby.

If I get out more information, I'll post it here.