[Plugin] LaunchUp – A Quick Launcher for SketchUp

[Aerilius]

Isn't the purpose of validation proc to check for requirements like selection
Errors in other plugins don't (shouldn't) break LaunchUp, but maybe I make such messages only appear if $VERBOSE is true.

@tba said:

The preferences button (left button) is now called "option" like the other other option button (right button). ??!!

No panic, there was a minor issue that has been fixed while you posted.
I don't know what you mean by "options button" (I need clearer info, you can also send me a PM, or write in German ).
If the dialog appears still empty (which should not be possible to happen aynmore), then it's because the preferences were corrupted, then open the Ruby console and paste AE::LaunchUp.reset

[thomthom]

@aerilius said:

Isn't the purpose of validation proc to check for requirements like selection

Yes, but since the validation proc was only used in a context-menu and in those circumstances there would always be a selection I skipped that check.

[Pete]

This plugin is great! Couple it with this plugin:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=36467&p=321094&hilit=mylibrary#p321041

and you can have quick access to your favorite / most used components. I am using sketchup for cabinet design and having quick access to my cabinet library is a real time saver!!

[Aerilius]

I've been tinkering with the idea of making it extendible, ie. including more sources or actions. However for now I want to get the basic functionality right. The index is currently already about 500 functions (depending on how many plugins are installed), so we would better not want to flood it with more results, but we needed an efficient way to narrow down the search.

Wouldn't you find the components also in the components browser? To what extent would it be different or better?

[Pete]

@aerilius said:

Wouldn't you find the components also in the components browser? To what extent would it be different or better?

The results are in the component browser, just like all the tools / functions are in the menus and toolbars. The exciting thing, to me, about this plugin, is how much drawing space I recover from windows and toolbars. Instead of having the component window open and resizing the main SU window so they don't overlap and obscure parts of my model, I can now have the LaunchUp window open and have the whole screen for drawing. A quick shortcut key brings the LaunchUp window to focus, I type my cabinet code, down arrow and enter. Now I have my cabinet ready to insert at the cursor location. It's great!!

[TBA]

Hi Aerillus

The 1.0.6 version is working on mac now

Thanks for fast fix !

But the option button (right button) comes up in a white and empty window again, after clicking.
The left option button (older named preferences button) works fine.

However, your plugin is a very, very useful enhancement !!!

Best regards,
Thomas

[masterpaul]

I check this out when i get back to London, It seems to be exactly what Ive been looking for.

[ly871108]

Thanks for the Chinese version provided by 麦兜(miduee)&双鱼(shuangyu).It works very well.
Their Chinese Website of SketchUp,that named SketchUpBAR,like our sketchucation is also a professional forum with a lot of Plugins translated perfectly in Chinese.All in all,our friend,SketchUp working much better for us is the most important thing.
Thank You All,Awesome！

[Missy_X]

Love this tool but for some reason, when i use it to select the native Solid Tools, it finds them but clicking them doesn't do anything ?

[Aerilius]

Do you have a selection?
SketchUp does not expose the exact same solid tools via the API, the ones you see were implemented by me using API methods but require a selection. If a tool is not applicable in the current context, it should be displayed grayed out.

[Missy_X]

Yes i do, i select 2 sollid groups, open the launcher, search for Union, it finds it (says Tools > Sollid Tools), i click it and nothing happens, both groups stay selected too.

[Aerilius]

Thanks for reporting. Does it work with three groups selected? This is a bug, it should also work with two. I have fixed it and will soon upload a new version.

[Missy_X]

Oh wow, yes it works with 3 groups selected ! Strange lol

[glro]

@pete said:

@aerilius said:

Wouldn't you find the components also in the components browser? To what extent would it be different or better?

The results are in the component browser, just like all the tools / functions are in the menus and toolbars. ...

could you developp the idea?

when i type the name of a component in the launchup window, it doesn''t bring the component on the cursor with my computer....

[Pete]

@glro said:

could you developp the idea?

You need to install this plugin:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=36467&p=321094&hilit=mylibrary#p321041

to have access to components in the components folder in your SketchUp install directory.

[glro]

@pete said:

@glro said:

could you developp the idea?

You need to install this plugin:

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=36467&p=321094&hilit=mylibrary#p321041

to have access to components in the components folder in your SketchUp install directory.

OK

i downloaded and installed "CLibraries_Loader.rb"

and you are right: when i type the name of the component in the launchup windows, it appears magically at the cursor location

great idea
thank you!

[lionk]

Hi Aerillus
some minor issues and suggestions:
1.LaunchUpOption dialog cannot close in 1.0.6 still
2.I can only click the blank outside text(Type to search...) to active the search dialog
3.maybe this js can help it gains focus:
document.onmouseover = function(e) {if (document.all && !event.fromElement) window.focus();}
4.it 'll be better if the menu item can toggle, so we can use shortcut to open and close it
5.performance is not well in Windows XP could you improve it?

[Aerilius]

Hi lionk,
thanks for the suggestions! As I see you are (probably) using Internet Explorer 6? I have to admit, I didn't consider IE6. Microsoft doesn't provide any download for it and recommends not to use it because of its age, bugs and security issues. If you can update to a newer version that could improve it.
At the moment I am trying whether I can get it work well with Internet Explorer 6.

[thomthom]

Let IE6 die already. The amount of work to adjust to that engine is just... way too much.

[Aerilius]

A new version 1.0.7 is available.
• on OS X, sometimes the dialog didn't resize, giving the impression that the visibility of the History was not remembered.
• changing options in the options dialog did not always give visual feedback. Now it is also indicated if input was invalid.
• the dialog should now (better) focus when it starts
• the menu indicates now whether the dialog is visible
• it now supports IE7

I did not yet make the menu item a toggle, because at the moment you can use a shortcut to bring up the dialog immediately (focus the dialog or open it if it isn't open). A toggle would mean you accidentially close the dialog when you didn't see it was already open.

I couldn't make it work with IE6 (but maybe it's now better). There are issues that are not bugs of the plugin but of Internet Explorer, and that I can't work around. Microsoft has fixed most of them with IE7 and IE8.

There is a little issue on OS X: the resizing corner covers partly the History button. If I turned of the resizing corner, it wouldn't be possible to change the dialog's width on OS X.