[Plugin] Layers Panel 1.2.1

TIG · 13 Oct 2013, 10:30

On a PC all webdialogs use a modified version of the current OS's IE installation.
Not all webdialogs will include callbacks that are designed to be executed as soon as the page loads, therefore when you open them in a browser [rather than a webdialog] you will not get these errors - however, later on clicking on buttons etc that do activate a callback will then raise an error.
The fact that your Firefox presents an error with this code loading is irrelevant, you'll get the equivalent error in IE or Chrome.
There are several plugins that use webdialogs that run callbacks as they load, and these will all display errors when opened in a browser rather than a webdialog. However, they will open and run just fine when they open from within SketchUp, because the webdialog is constructed with the appropriate callback codes etc as it is initially created...

halroach · 14 Oct 2013, 09:15

I autoinstalled it through the the sketchucation plugin store 2.0.0 and sketchup immediately crashed. (I sent the crash report)
It says my internet Explorer version is outdated when the Microsoft website says it's the latest... hmmmmmm

(using sketchup 8.0.16846 on windows 7. have firefox installed and used as my default browser)

halroach · 14 Oct 2013, 09:41

I'm trying to figure what are the benefits of working with this layers system are over working without it. It looks nice... but not sure if it's good for me.

In my workflow on a model with various versions of a building, I save various scenes. In each of the scenes I have a set of layers that are on and off accordingly.
(Of course all geometry is on Layer0 while only groups and components are tagged with different layers).

Now if I try to implement this Layers Panel plugin I am basically losing the ability to save scenes with different layer visibilities...? unless I am not understanding something.

The groups are helpful in that I can turn on and off different groups of layers, but the Sketchup scenes do not save that information of what is on or off, right? So I have to manually select each layer or group of layers visibility for each of scene... It kind of defeats it's whole purpose in my opinion, unless again, I am not understanding something.

TIG · 14 Oct 2013, 09:50

@Hal
I think you are correct... in the current version of this tool changing the layer states messes with the current scene-tab's layer settings, without you having any control over this...
This is not good.
I know the author is striving to resolve this... so that once you have a set of layers setup as you want, then you choose which scene-tab[s] get[s] that current layer setup applied, as in an 'update', and not decided on by this tool !
I do think that this is single biggest issue with this tool... but once the user regains control over the application of the tool's layer-sets to his scene-tabs, then it will become so much more powerful and useful

jiminy-billy-bob · 14 Oct 2013, 09:59

@halroach said:

Now if I try to implement this Layers Panel plugin I am basically losing the ability to save scenes with different layer visibilities...? unless I am not understanding something.

TIG has it right. Although, the scenes still save layers visibilities, but it's an auto-save ! Every time you change the visibility of a layer, the layers state is updated for the current scene.
So it's like clicking on "update" every time you hide or show a layer, but you still can have different layers visibilities for different scenes.

But yeah, I'm working on this

jgb · 14 Oct 2013, 16:14

@jiminy-billy-bob said:

Every time you change the visibility of a layer, the layers state is updated for the current scene.
So it's like clicking on "update" every time you hide or show a layer, but you still can have different layers visibilities for different scenes.

But yeah, I'm working on this

Now that explains why my scenes keep screwing up every time I make a layer change while editing. That "current" scene takes on the editing only visible layers, in addition to the layers it is supposed to show. In effect I get the editing layers superimposed on the scenes defined layers.

In the particular model this was happening, I did not and was not using JBB's layers at all, although it is loaded in SU.

To get around this I had to create a "working scene" just to edit and change layers to do so. Then I had to remember to ensure the scene that was edited had all the required layers open and updated (through Scene Mgr) before turning on the actual scene tab. A real pain.

tt_su · 14 Oct 2013, 16:23

SketchUp makes use of the OS render engine - under Windows that means IE and under OSX that is WebKit. Many other applications also uses embedded web controls - which will mostly mean IE. So keeping IE up to date is important - because it affects not only the browser but IE as a development platform. Ensuring you have the latest IE also makes your system more secure as IE is deeply embedded into the OS.

jiminy-billy-bob · 14 Oct 2013, 17:58

@jgb said:

Now that explains why my scenes keep screwing up every time I make a layer change while editing.

There has always been a warning about this in the first post.

I'm working on a fix.

monmonred · 14 Oct 2013, 19:01

can you also make an evident distinction between a folder and a layer? perhaps bold the letters of the folder name or highlight the folder with a different color or something. it gets confusing when i have all folders un-collapsed.

thanks so much!

Bob James · 15 Oct 2013, 02:45

@monmonred said:

can you also make an evident distinction between a folder and a layer? perhaps bold the letters of the folder name or highlight the folder with a different color or something. it gets confusing when i have all folders un-collapsed.

thanks so much!

+1

jgb · 15 Oct 2013, 16:24

@bob james said:

@monmonred said:

can you also make an evident distinction between a folder and a layer? perhaps bold the letters of the folder name or highlight the folder with a different color or something. it gets confusing when i have all folders un-collapsed.

thanks so much!

+1

Me2

tomot · 20 Oct 2013, 18:53

@tt_su said:

SketchUp makes use of the OS render engine - under Windows that means IE and under OSX that is WebKit. Many other applications also uses embedded web controls - which will mostly mean IE. So keeping IE up to date is important - because it affects not only the browser but IE as a development platform. Ensuring you have the latest IE also makes your system more secure as IE is deeply embedded into the OS.

My computer runs Win7 64 and receives updates, from Microsoft and has done so automatically since I installed this OS several years ago. I would have thought it updates I.E. as well, even though I might not use I.E. as a browser.

Is my assumption right?

dancho · 24 Oct 2013, 12:09

After opening a second, third etc. sketchup windows I'm receiving a script error message.

IE 10, Sketchup 2013, Windows 7 Home Premium x64

jgb · 24 Oct 2013, 15:49

@tomot said:

I would have thought it updates I.E. as well, even though I might not use I.E. as a browser.

Is my assumption right?

Probably not.

IE was mandated as a standalone product long ago and receives its own updates somewhat independent from Win OS. Therefore, in theory, you don't need IE on your PC. Yeah, right!

That being said, IE functionality is INTEGRAL with the WIN OS in the way the OS handles IP processes, but not the actual browser application that we commonly refer to as IE.

So if an app, whether it be SU or a Ruby script or even Firefox, needs to get to the web or exploit some IP type functions, it must utilize IE type calls to the OS. And if the developer does not stick to exact protocol, by trying a shortcut or doing something really clever, problems will ensue.

Which is another way of saying what TT said.

Since IE and WIN OS share many DLL's that contain these calls, an update to an IE DLL will update an OS DLL, but not necessarily vice versa. The app developer WILL have the latest IE on his system, and may use an "updated" OS call, but if you have an older IE, that call may fail.