Download RBZ file

[TIG]

Out of interest I tried writing some methods that to my surprise worked effectively.
One that encodes the RBZ file as hex strings in a number of attribute keys in a dictionary attached to a SKP - it's an all but empty file otherwise [a guide-point is need so it's not seem as empty by the loader].
The others are as some connected methods used in any SKP later on - one that uses load_from_url to add a temporary-definition of the remote SKP into the current model.definitions without need for further user interaction [after a callback action from a webdialog button], the definitions attributes are got and recombined into the needed data, and the definition is deleted from the model.
The data is written out into a RBZ in the user's Temp folder and then auto-installed from that archive...
So to recap, you make a SKP containing the RBZ's data as a attribute key values, you temporarily load that SKP from a url and extract the RBZ's data, recombining it into a local file in a Temp folder, from where it can be auto-installed into Plugins...
The only downside I can see is that the SKP is considerably bigger than the RBZ as the data is 'hexed' ~3.7x, but a 2Mb RBZ would be quite unusual ?

[honkinberry]

Tig, that's brilliant, I wouldn't have thought of that.
That's very much the same approach, just a bit cleaner.
Yes of course there's a bit of loss in file file size, but it's all about the capability gain here.
Having an integrated update solution gives a much more professional and complete experience to the user.
Very nice. Would you care to share some of your code?

--J

[Dan Rathbun]

@honkinberry said:

Tig, that's brilliant, I wouldn't have thought of that.

I did.

to TIG for proving the concept.

@TIG: Do you need to hex encode it?

Would it help you, if you had Zip / Unzip methods in Ruby ? (I can PM them to you.)

[danielbowring]

@dan rathbun said:

Do you need to hex encode it?

Unless you're sure there is no null character, you'll have to hex encode it or Sketchup will only store up to the first null character. Binary files will probably have plenty of nulls in them.

Here's a sample of how SketchUp deals with the situation:
` nullstr = 'My Test ' + 0.chr + ' String'
puts nullstr.inspect

=> "My Test \000 String"

puts nullstr.length

=> 16

Sketchup.active_model.set_attribute('test', 'nullstr', nullstr)
nullstr2 = Sketchup.active_model.get_attribute('test', 'nullstr')
puts nullstr2.inspect

=> "My Test "

puts nullstr2.length

=> 8

puts 'My Test '.length

=> 8`

[TIG]

I already tested it, and I used:
data = open(path,"rb"){|io|io.read}.unpack('H*').to_s
The 'path' is the file path to the RBZ file.
Although an attribute value can be an array it is made into a string because it could need splitting into 'chunks', because there's an attribute value size limit [I use ~20,000 chars] - you will get Bugsplats if it's much bigger [test it to see] - these 'chunks' are written into sequentially named attribute keys/values attached to the current model...

Later after the 'attributed' model's SKP has been added to a new model's definition using the API's load_from_url() methods accessed via awebdialog etc. It's then easy to extract the sequentially named 'chunks' from that new definition's attribute keys/values, recombining those into a single string, here named 'data', and then to remake the binary code 'string' using:
datab = [data].pack('H*')
This 'string' is then written into a new temp RBZ file...
Finally the temp definition can be deleted, and the RBZ file auto-installed using the API methods added in v8M2, before it too is deleted from the user's Temp folder...

The only downside to this is that the 'empty' SKP that has been 'attributed' is ~3.7x bigger than the original RBZ file, simply because of the unpack of its data into hex... BUT on the upside you can use it to encrypt, download and install an RBZ [masquerading as a SKP] from a URL without any user dialogs intervening etc; simply from a single user button-click in a webdialog running a callback to do the load_from_url(), or less secure when the page opens and no user involvement at all...

[Dan Rathbun]

I guess my question should be more specific.

Can the file's data be escaped rather than hex encoded ?
Could the printable characters could remain as they are... but the non-printables (including null,) could be escaped ?

[honkinberry]

Thanks TIG for the clear direction!

It absolutely does work, with my quick and dirty (no error handling yet) version like so:

def encoderbz ()
	chunksize = 2**14 # attrib data doesn't like more than ~20kb, so we limit each chunk to 16k

	if ( file = UI.openpanel "Select RBZ file to encode" )
		data = open(file) {|io|io.read}.unpack('H*').to_s # hex encode, converted to string
		model = Sketchup.active_model
		i = 0
		while data and data != ""
			i = i + 1 # counter
			d = "d" + i.to_s # name of attribute
			chunk = data[0,chunksize] # chunk of data
			data = data[chunksize..-1] # trim master data
			model.set_attribute 'rbz',d,chunk
		end # while
		# and set the next one to nil in case user is updating with a smaller rbz
		i = i + 1
		d = "d" + i.to_s
		model.set_attribute 'rbz',d,nil

		UI.messagebox "The selected RBZ file has been successfully encoded into the current model."
	end # if
end # encoderbz

def decoderbz ()
	model = Sketchup.active_model
	i = 1 # counter
	d = "d" + i.to_s # name of attribute
	data = "" # to assemble the chunks
	while dx = model.get_attribute('rbz',d)
		data = data + dx

		i = i + 1
		d = "d" + i.to_s # name of attribute
	end # while

	if ( data != "" )
		datab = [data].pack('H*')
		if ( filename = UI.savepanel "Save RBZ As...","","*.rbz" )
			file = File.open(filename, "w")
			file.write(datab)
			file.close
			
			UI.messagebox "The enclosed RBZ has been successfully saved out as an RBZ file."
		end # if
	end # if
end # decoderbz

Yes, there is a size overhead of about 4x, but the hex encoding does feel a very bulletproof way of doing this.
Certainly a bit easier than my initial thought of encoding as an image, but same basic idea.

Thanks all for the help and patience! This definitely raises the quality of the plug-in to a more professional level.

--J

[TIG]

Since my last ideas I think the better way to ensure an 'empty' SKP.
It'll work in any SKP too...
In code...
Inside a model_start/commit block...
Make a new definition.
Set its name to RBZ.basename + '.skp'
Add a cpoint to definition.entities.
Add the attributes to the definition.
Do a 'save_as' on definition into the same folder as the RBZ file.
The new SKP has the RBZ attached as attribute key[s]...
Do a definition.entities.clear! so it's removed from the Browser...

Done.

The import is much as you outlined...

[honkinberry]

Well, snap, not working on the PC side.
Mac side is flawless.

Given my 106k RBZ file, and this line of code:

data = open(file) {|io|io.read}.unpack('H*').to_s

On the Mac, data.length is 207954
While on the PC, data.length is 18216

And then there's issue on the other end too.
I'll have to assume it's here:

datab = [data].pack('H*')

It's adding a bunch of 0D's in there, good ol' Chr(13), carriage returns.
At least it seems it is there, I suppose it could be in the actual file.write(datab) ?
But it's adding about 352 of them in that 106k file.

Soooooooooo close!
Any brilliant ideas?

(And in case you're wondering how it is on the Mac side where it works? Um, it's amazing, in a word.)

--J

[TIG]

Hint:
File.open(filename, "w")
writes binary OR strings on MAC/Unix BUT only strings on PC [messing up any binary-data]
BUT
File.open(filename, "w**b**")
writes binary-data properly on all platforms ? ...

[honkinberry]

That did it!
You're a genius!

It's probably a similar problem on the encoding side, but I'm okay with keeping the development station as a Mac.

Thanks as always.

--J

[xiseb]

Good day pple i downloaded plugins for sketchup 2016 but they came as .skp files how do i install them on wondows

[Dave R]

What plugins did you download? Plugins won't download as .skp files. That would indicate you've downloaded SketchUp models/components.