NewLISP-interpreter in SketchUp-Ruby

HPW

As a longtime supporter of the newLISP-project (http://www.newlisp.org/) I was interested in running the interpreter in SketchUp.
Looking at the various sample of the ruby-Win32API here in the forum and my previous experiences with embedding newLISP in other enviroments let me try it out.

So I copied Win32API.so and the newlisp.dll into the plugin folder.

Here is the console view:


require 'Win32API'
true
newLISP = Win32API.new("C;\\Program Files\\Google\\Google SketchUp 7\\Plugins\\newlisp.dll", "newlispEvalStr", ['P'], 'P')
#<Win32API;0x836c938>
newLISP.Call("(sys-info)")
(363 268435456 360 1 0 2048 6064 10003 70)
newLISP.Call("(setq a(+ 10 10))")
20
newLISP.Call("(setq b(+ a 10))")
30

You see that you can pass a lisp-string from ruby to newlisp and get back a result-string.
Variables preserve their state between calls.
Reading Lisp-Data gets a lot easier with access to an lisp-interpreter!! )

Note: newLISP is GPL so you may install it seperatly and load it from:
"C:\Program Files\newlisp\newlisp.dll"

For question on newLISP take a look to the exelent doc or visit the forum:

http://www.alh.net/newlisp/phpbb/index.php

Chris Fullmer

Sounds neat! PC onl then I'm guessing? do they have a Mac friendly version? (not that I need it, but there are lots of Mac people around).

Chris

HPW

newLISP runs on the MAC and on a lot other plattforms.
I am not sure about the DLL/SO-calling from ruby to modules on the MAC.
I posted a related question to the OSX section in the newLISP forum.

AdamB

Am I missing something here? If it has no bindings to the underlying SU objects, whats the point?

HPW

@unknownuser said:

If it has no bindings to the underlying SU objects, whats the point?

First it can be usefull for someone who wants to import lisp-base data into SU.

And when there would be any DLL which would export such command for accessing the SU objects newlISP could '(import ....)' this command.

Are there other extensions with bindings to SU?

AdamB

I should explain. The Ruby in SU isn't just a Ruby interpreter included in the package - in the same way as newLISP is an interpreter. The Ruby you get in SU is integrated into SU, so SU data structures appear as first class objects in Ruby. Without this, there is just not a lot you can do with newLISP. Sure, you can create some strings that you can pass to Ruby but you get no advantage to running newLISP in the SU environment compared to running outside and writing to a file.

But ultimately, you're right, if you find it useful for your work, knock yourself out.

Adam

HPW

@unknownuser said:

do they have a Mac friendly version?

Lutz (creator of newLISP) wrote on the newLISP-forum:

@unknownuser said:

Should be possible, the newLISP library behaves like a normal C library on Mac OS X with cdecl calling conventions.

So can Ruby on the MAC import C librarys?

@unknownuser said:

But ultimately, you're right, if you find it useful for your work, knock yourself out.

That was my point here, I see it as an addition to ruby and not an replacement.
Of cource some kind of callback-possibilitys would be even better.
I have done this in enviroments like delphi and neobook.
So still room for improvments.

HPW

Making slow progress with ruby calling after inspecting the exported functions from msvcrt-ruby18.dll:


require 'Win32API'
true
newLISP = Win32API.new("C;\\Program Files\\Google\\Google SketchUp 7\\Plugins\\newlisp.dll", "newlispEvalStr", ['P'], 'P')
#<Win32API;0x813bb48>
newLISP.Call("(import {C;\\Program Files\\Google\\Google SketchUp 7\\msvcrt-ruby18.dll} {rb_eval_string})")
rb_eval_string <1CF2F30>
newLISPret = newLISP.Call("(rb_eval_string {puts \"Ruby called from Lisp\"})")
Ruby called from Lisp
4
newLISP.Call("(rb_eval_string {VERSION})")
47157480

Not sure what the return-value 4 or 47157480 from rb_eval_string means.
What is the return-type of ruby's VERSION?
Still searching to get values from ruby-calls back to newLISP.

HPW

After making a helper-DLL RubyCall.dll I get further progress:

@unknownuser said:

require 'Win32API'
true
newLISP = Win32API.new("C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\Plugins\newlisp.dll", "newlispEvalStr", ['P'], 'P')
#Win32API:0x8d26ef8
newLISP.Call("(import {C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\RubyCall.dll} {CreateRuby})")
CreateRuby <499C1B4>

newLISP.Call("(import {C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\RubyCall.dll} {EvalRuby})")
EvalRuby <499C23C>

newLISP.Call("(get-string(CreateRuby ""))")
"Ruby interpreter loaded!"

newLISP.Call("(get-string(EvalRuby {name = Sketchup.app_name}))")
"Google SketchUp"

newLISP.Call("(import {C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\RubyCall.dll} {GetRubyOutput})")
GetRubyOutput <499C338>

newLISP.Call("(get-string(EvalRuby {puts "Hello World!";test = 2+2}))")
"4"

newLISP.Call("(get-string(GetRubyOutput ""))")
"Hello World!\r\n"

So now I get back all kind (types) of return-values and the accumulated consol-output form ruby's puts commands.

HPW

Hello,

After even more help from Dan with the pdScript-extension I ported the same module and language support to the newLISP extension and make a version 1.01
Still under the link above to download.

Hans-Peter

Dan Rathbun

@hpw said:

After even more help from Dan with the pdScript-extension I ported the same module and language support to the newLISP extension ...

I suppose we should make a Mixin Library module from that, so it can be mixed into any module, without "porting" (which is tweaking module wrapper name and file info in the doc header, [which still refers to PdScript in the NewLisp langLoad.rb file, BTW.])

That way there is only one copy of the code (in memory.)

Dan Rathbun

NewLip_ext.rb

line 19, is like this (symbolic args.):
@@extension = SketchupExtension.new ( *arg1*, *arg2* )

Ruby 1.8.6 does not like a space between the method name and the ( of the argument list. The interpreter will often spit out a warning, and sometimes refuse to load the file (causing a LoadError exception to be raised.)

Should be:
@@extension = SketchupExtension.new( *arg1*, *arg2* )

You should also get in the habit of wrapping all argument lists in ( ), as they will be required in later versions of Ruby.

HPW

Hello Dan,

Oops, typo on my side. Will correct it later.
Strange: It does work for me without errors.

I hopy that ruby does not get more formating aware like for example python.

Hans-Peter

HPW

Hello,

I updated the ZIP with the latest corrections.

Hans-Peter

HPW

Hello,

After some deeper insights with ruby module with the pdScript-extension here:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=42730

I make also the newLISP extension to a module.

Interested who want to try it can download here:

http://www.hpwsoft.de/anmeldung/html1/sketchup/sketchup2.html

The ZIP contains 1 file at the toplevel:
newLISP_ext.rb

The rb is the extension which must be activated in the preferences.
The subfolder contains the DLL's and samples. Preserve the folder when you unpack the ZIP.
The extension adds a menu to the plugins menu with some demo.

The Win32API extension is needed from here:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=42732#p380121

Regards

Hans-Peter

HPW

Hello,

I made a small page for the sketchup plugins on my website.
I updated the above link for the download.

Hans-Peter