New API doc - typos and questions

TIG

To clarify the issue on group1.split(group2) [translated a little] in the Group API notes... there are equally confusing notes for ComponentInstance instance1.split(instance2)[again translated a little]...

In fact a manifold ['solid'] group can 'split' with another manifold group OR a manifold component-instance - therefore the notes are plan wrong!
The 'argument' can be a group OR an instance.

The result is always three*** new groups - one is the intersected 'volume' and the other two are the remains of the group and the 'argument' [group or instance], the originals all deleted. The intersected volume is named 'Intersection', what's left of the group is named 'Difference1' and the group of what's left or the 'argument' is called 'Difference2'. If successful the method returns an array of these groups, the API says they are listed in that order: HOWEVER, in testing the array is in reverse order! i.e. [Difference2, Difference1, Intersection].
***Somewhat perversely if the group is wholly inside the 'argument' group/instance then the result is exactly the same two volumes you started with, but they are now recast as the new groups called 'Difference1' and 'Difference2', and although there is an 'Intersection' group made and returned in the array it contains no geometry at all [i.e. (group1.split(group2))[2].entities[0]==nil] - so it might have been better to return 'nil' instead of an array [just as it does if there's a non-manifold object passed] as there was NO real 'split' at all and the originals would then be left unchanged ? If a valid 'Instance' isn't made in code [i.e. not ...entities[0]] then you could undo the 'split' if you don't want to change the two originals - however, be aware that the undo will change the references to the originals, and these will no longer be valid, so you'll need to dig further back again to re-get the references if you want to reuse them ??
These newly made groups do reuse the two original objects material[s] and apply them logically to the 'Intersection' group as its faces' materials; however, if an original object had default materials to some faces and a material applied to the group/instance itself, then the equivalent new group [like 'Difference1'] will not replicate this; rather, the equivalent faces that had the default material will now have the group.material, the new group will have the default material, and any new 'additional' faces made during the split-operation have the default material too...
These new groups also ignore the two originals' layers, with all three new groups being always on Layer0 - so if the originals are layered and you want to keep this you'll need to get references to those before they are deleted and apply the layer to.
Attributes belonging to the originals are also not replicated in the 'Difference' groups...

In a very similar way an instance can 'split' using a group OR other instance, and it returns the equivalent three groups array etc...

Other 'boolean' operations for group/component-instance have equal poor explanations and return relatively complicated results...

tomot

@dan rathbun said:

self_group.split( arg_group )

Dan you raise an interesting issue:

A good technical doc still needs to have a highlighted or underlined link, if the common English language idiom, or word, used could be taken out of context with respect to a specific computer language interpretation. Your self_group.split( arg_group ) example should qualify for such a link.

Dan Rathbun

I don't understand... I am saying it's a typographical eror, and should NOT say "this" at all, it should say "self" instead.

Anyway.. the current API documentation system stinks, and we've complained about it for years. It seems to be a low priority for Google. (Otherwise they would have hired someone who is a API documentation guru to clean up the mess.)

IMHO it is an embarrassment for Google (as a company,) knowing the quality that they can produce for other API documentation (from other Google divisions.)

Dan Rathbun

@tomot said:

A good technical doc still needs to have a highlighted or underlined link, if the common English language idiom, or word, used could be taken out of context with respect to a specific computer language interpretation.

OK, maybe I do understand.. it's like what we do here in the forum, when we use a Ruby keyword or classname, we highlight it using the "ruby" button on the edit message toolbar. (Just like I did in the post above, when I highlighted the keyword self.

Yes I think we agree with that... keyword higlites would make the API much more understandable.

brian_concannon

Can you please send me Win32API.rb? It is difficult to find a place to download it, believe it or not...

Thanks in advance.

TIG

Brian

Please learn to use the forum's search function [top right]...
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=380121#p380121

Dan Rathbun

Model.save_thumbnail

BUG: SU ver 7.1.6087 win32

Model.save_thumbnail (which only works for the current model,) but has a bug, in that if the model has never been saved, the method writes a blank thumbnail image to the %UserProfile% folder [actually to the current working directory,] instead of the Model folder specified in Preferences>Files>Model folderpath.

If the current model has been saved with a thumbnail, then the thumbnail image is properly saved to the Model path as set in Preferences>Files>Model.

UPDATE - the API should include aModel.refresh_thumbnailmethod, similar to (or perhaps using the same internal code as,) theComponentDefinition.refresh_thumbnailmethod.
_

rvs1977

Hi!

Under Quick References --> Method Index it will only load from "Symbol, A, B, C, D to E"... not any further.

I have the same problem in I.E. and Chrome... for more than a week now.

Dan Rathbun

All letter links (targets,) work fine for me using Chrome.

Try clearing your browser cache ??

rvs1977

Hmm... found a solution.

When I press Methods Index in the menu it opens "https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/methods?hl=da"

I tried to delete ?hl=da so it only said: "https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/methods"

Then it works.

Dan Rathbun

@rvs1977 said:

Hmm... found a solution.

I tried to delete ?hl=da so it only said: "https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/methods"

Then it works.

On the Google Developers site.. at the lower right, on the bottom (dark gray) toolbar, is a language change button.

Use it to switch to English ... then bookmark the page.

I also posted a API links menu that I exported out of Chrome, ...
Get it here: SUAPI_Links.zip

Dan Rathbun

"NamedOptions" OptionsProvider bugged?

I am not sure what the intended behavior of the "NamedOptions" OptionsProvider is... so...

I'll just describe the weirdness of it, that I see on the PC:

1) It is within the Model options scope, ie, accessed via: Sketchup.active_model.options["NamedOptions"]

2) It is saved with the model file.

3) But once this OptionsProvider is used within a session, all attributes remain loaded, regardless of whether the model is closed, another model opened, or just a new model opened.

An attribute of the same name, from the next file, will overwrite.
But existing attributes will remain unchanged.
If you save the second model, whether you add any attributes, or not, ALL the "NamedOptions" attributes are written into ALL subsequent model files saved during that session.

So.. if you happened to open a file, just to view it,... and it had any "NamedOptions" attributes saved,.. and then you started a new model, or re-opened another file for editing... the "NamedOptions" attributes from the "viewed" file, will propagate into your "edit" model (likely without you knowing it.)

It does not seem to be desirable behavior. I think there is a bug, in that Sketchup should clear and reset the "NamedOptions" provider when another file is loaded.

I wonder what the behavior is on the Mac when multiple files are open ??

Burkhard

I could not find a send_action value for Display or toggle the Measurement Toolbar. Just VCB hide / unhide with Statusbar.
Is there an undocumented Value?

TIG

There's a massive list of numerical PC only codes that do more than the PC/MAC Sketchup.send_action("text") versions... I've PM'd you it...

Burkhard

You refer to the API list? https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/sketchup#send_action
There I could not find what I`m looking for. So my question for undocumented numbers.

renderiza

@thomthom said:

Animation
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/animation.html

The first example on that page:


>      # This is an example of a simple animation that floats the camera up to
>      # a z position of 200". The only required method for an animation is
>      # nextFrame. It is called whenever you need to show the next frame of
>      # the animation. If nextFrame returns false, the animation will stop.
>      class FloatUpAnimation
>        def nextFrame(view)
>          new_eye = view.camera.eye
>          new_eye.z = new_eye.z + 1.0
>          view.camera.set(new_eye, view.camera.target, view.camera.up)
>          view.show_frame
>          return new_eye.z < 500.0
>        end
>      end
> 
>      # This adds an item to the Camera menu to activate our custom animation.
>      UI.menu("Camera").add_item("Run Float Up Animation") {
>        Sketchup.active_model.active_view.animation = FloatUpAnimation.new
>      } 
>

It makes a class named FloatUpAnimation, but no mention of Animation. A bit confusing.
Is it like the Observers?
Should it say class FloatUpAnimation < Animation

Hi,

Can someone post an example of using the "nextFrame(view)" definition for moving an entity object instead of a camara?

My objective is to create a game in SketchUp similar to the one I am making with ruby and gosu named "Resballiza" ... Here is a link for more info;

http://www.libgosu.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=815

So far I have studied JS Move Tool by Jan Sandstrom and changed the Keys for my game style but the "Typematic effects" bug in windows is giving me a hard time.
I have also tried to understand the scrip in the "Prince of IO" game but get lost with anything that has to do with Webdialog related scripts. Please any help in demonstrating a simple object animation that is as simple as the FloatUpAnimation scrip for the camera let me know.

Thanks

TIG

The menu item's code
Sketchup.active_model.active_view.animation = FloatUpAnimation.new
runs that class, making a new animation associated with the 'view', the class calls the lone special method nextFrame(view) - which affects the view's camera when it resets it with a new_eye position and uses show_frame to update the view...
The ' .animation' is a method applied to a view, no a 'separate' class in it's own right...
Your own class that you pass to the view.animation can do various things inside the nextFrame(view) method - changing the camera's eye position is just one example...

It is an awkwardly set up method/class - but it will work as the example...

renderiza

Hi,

Thanks TIG for explaining that

I found this topic and it solves animating an object like I wanted to but I can't make a file.rb for leading in the plugins menu. It shows me this error;

Load Errors
Undefined method ‘transform!’ for nil:NilClassError Loading File
jumper.rb
undefined method ‘transform!’ for nil: NilClass

If anyone nows how to solve this let me know

Thanks

Dan Rathbun

@burkhard said:

I could not find a send_action value for Display or toggle the Measurement Toolbar. Just VCB hide / unhide with Statusbar.

The VCB ("Measurements") toolbar is special. (It's really a ControlBar.) There are many native tools, and Ruby Tools that rely upon it. Therefore it cannot be hidden like other toolbars. (This is by design.)

However when you "toggle" it, instead of it being a hide/show toggle, it is actually a StatusBar dock/undock toggle.

@burkhard said:

Is there an undocumented Value?

Yes the dock/undock toggle is Sketchup.send_action(24157), but on PC only.

When you undock it from the StatusBar, it will take on the user's undocked setting, which is either floating (the default,) or docked to one of the Toolbar Containers (top, left, right or bottom.)

Be aware that the location of the VCB is a user preference. I myself have it undocked from the StatusBar, and docked in the top toolbar container, 2nd row, 2nd position (following the Layer ControlBar.)
If your plugin was to call Sketchup.send_action(24157), the VCB would be moved back onto the StatusBar (where I hate it.) So you risk upsetting users if you move the VCB somewhere the user does not want it.

Dan Rathbun

@unknownuser said:

If anyone nows how to solve this let me know

You really should have started a new topic for your issue. (This topic about errors in the online API Dictionary.)

You need to learn to read Exception messages. The full message will have a line number in your file where the error happen.
You are calling the instance method transform! upon an object that you think is a Sketchup::Group instance (guessing,) ... but something had gone wrong in a previous statement when you assigned the ref to the object identifier, and some other method returned nil (the singleton instance of the NilClass.)

It is standard in Ruby to first check for success, before continuing.

obj = ents.add_edge( pt1, p2 )
if obj # evals true if not false or nil
  obj.transform!(tr)
else
  UI.messagebox("Error created the Edge object!")
end