Instructor content

thomthom

Full path on my computer:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Google SketchUp 8\Resources\en-US\helpcontent

What I'm wondering is if the folders after en-US, the locale folder, might change. That maybe one needs to query the LangHandler for helpcontent ?

Just like to get it confirmed by a non-English user that the helpcontent folder remains as it is across locales.

Dan Rathbun

@thomthom said:

@dan rathbun said:

@ThomThom: The base of the help content is:
Sketchup.get_resource_path( 'helpcontent/tool' )

The base for which Tool.getInstructorContentDirectory base that paths on is:
Sketchup.get_resource_path( 'helpcontent' )

See my earlier snippet: http://forums.sketchucation.com/posting.php?mode=quote&f=180&p=314120#pr314106
Tried and tested under Windows, English SketchUp locale.

Hmmm. why are Chris and the B'frog reporting 4 parent dirs up to the Sketchup dir ?

bentleykfrog

This returns the eraser tool on my system.

def getInstructorContentDirectory
  return "\\21019\\"
end

Its a long way around but I'm thinking that it would be possible to write the required files and folders to the /temp/ folder on the C:/ drive before the tool loads, then use a relative path to the /temp/instructor/ directory in getInstructorContentDirectory. This would avoid the volume traversal problem but I think it would be a bit of a headache.

Chris Fullmer

My understanding is that it ia looking in the "tool" folder for content, so it 4 steps back to the base SU directory. This is the path on the machine I am on right now:

C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\Resources\en-US\helpcontent\tool

That worked for me, are you guys seeing differently?

Dan Rathbun

Man.. I hate these crappy UI.inputboxes in the SU API !!

This is ridiculous !

thomthom

@chris fullmer said:

That worked for me, are you guys seeing differently?

The snippet I posted work for me when I added it to Bezier Tools as a working example. I generate a relative path from Sketchup.get_resource_path( 'helpcontent' )

bentleykfrog

@dan rathbun said:

PC:
VER = Sketchup.version.to_i USER_PLUGINS = File.expand_path("#{ENV['APPDATA']}\Google\Google SketchUp #{VER}\SketchUp\Plugins")

Sorry for the late reply Dan, but on my Windows 7 machine there's no Sketchup Folder, ie. USER_PLUGINS = File.expand_path("#{ENV['APPDATA']}\Google\Google SketchUp #{VER}\Plugins") would work.

Chris Fullmer

That is also what I have Niall. What is that extra folder you have there Dan?

Dan Rathbun

@chris fullmer said:

That is also what I have Niall. What is that extra folder you have there Dan?

This is the APPDATA path guys, not the Program Files path (or Program Files(x86) if your on Windows 6+.)

In the APPDATA path, below the "Sketchup #{VER}" folder, for PRO, there are 3 applet folders:
"Sketchup" (where the session.dat file is kept,) "Layout" and "StyleBuilder" folders. Each one of these folders holds user settings and preference files.

On Win7, the path should be:
" C:\Users\#{ENV['USERNAME']\AppData\Roaming\Google\Google SketchUp #{VER}\SketchUp\Plugins"

As I said, on the Mac the User's APPDATA "Plugins" folder is created by Sketchup, but on PC you need to create it yourself, and push the path onto the $LOAD_PATH array to use it for require() or load() calls.

If you wish (on PC,) to have user scripts load from the APPDATA path on Sketchup startup, you need to have a script in the "Shared" Plugins folder (the one in the Program Files path,) that has a call using the require_all() method from the sketchup.rb file.
Ex:

<span class="syntaxdefault"></span><span class="syntaxcomment"># !appdata_load.rb<br /></span><span class="syntaxkeyword">require(</span><span class="syntaxstring">'sketchup.rb'</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">VER </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">version</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">to_i<br />USER_PLUGINS </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> File</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">expand_path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxstring">"#{ENV['APPDATA']}\Google\Google SketchUp #{VER}\SketchUp\Plugins"</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br /></span><span class="syntaxdefault">require_all</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> USER_PLUGINS </span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)</span><span class="syntaxdefault"> </span>

If you use it, the require_all() method will push the APPDATA plugins path onto the $LOAD_PATH array for you.

I do have a Win7 machine in the other room, but have not yet installed Sketchup on it, so... I'm going by what "should be" according to published information. (May be that the Sketchup installer has a mind of it's own.)

Addendum: On Win7 (linix-like) you may see a symbolic link directly to AppData, in the My Computer tree that hides the "C:\Users#{ENV['USERNAME']}" prefix.

Chris Fullmer

Sorry Dan, you lost me at "APPDATA". I never knew there was an alternate folder schema somewhere. I'm really not sure what appdata is.

bentleykfrog

@chris fullmer said:

Sorry Dan, you lost me at "APPDATA". I never knew there was an alternate folder schema somewhere. I'm really not sure what appdata is.

+1 on this, sorry for the confusion dan

Time to make a fool out of myself for a second time:

@thomthom said:

@chris fullmer said:

That worked for me, are you guys seeing differently?

The snippet I posted work for me when I added it to Bezier Tools as a working example. I generate a relative path from Sketchup.get_resource_path( 'helpcontent' )

In the snippet you posted earlier, doesn't parts = origin.split( File::SEPERATOR ).size include the separator in the drive name (ie. C:/), so you get x+1 slashes to the root C:/ from helpcontent instead of x, which negates the /tool folder?

Also, just to double-check, is there meant to be an escaping character for w in /^w:/ (ie. /^\w:/) or is something weird going on?

sorry for the noob questions, I really appreciate the responses.

thomthom

@bentleykfrog said:

In the snippet you posted earlier, doesn't parts = origin.split( File::SEPERATOR ).size include the separator in the drive name (ie. C:/), so you get x+1 slashes to the root C:/ from helpcontent instead of x, which negates the /tool folder?

That is a possibility... I might very well be wrong about where it base the path from. But the positive side-effect of my little bug is that it works.

@bentleykfrog said:

Also, just to double-check, is there meant to be an escaping character for w in /^w:/ (ie. /^\w:/) or is something weird going on?

You're right. And it's there in my original code - it seems that the forum ate the escape character!

Lemme try again:

Without PHP formatting:


  # Get Instructor Path
  #
  # Tool.getInstructorContentDirectory expects a path relative to SketchUp's
  # Resource/<locale>/helpcontent/ folder, despite the documentations use an
  # absolute path.
  #
  # This method is a wrapper that generates a path to the actual help content
  # which SketchUp can use.
  #
  # The given path must be under the same drive as SketchUp's help content.
  #
  # This quick exist in all current SketchUp versions.
  # Current; SketchUp 8 M1
  def self.get_instructor_path( path )
    path = File.expand_path( path )
    origin = Sketchup.get_resource_path( 'helpcontent' )
    # Check if drive matches
    origin_drive = origin.match( /^(\w);/ )
    if origin_drive
      origin_drive = origin_drive[1].downcase
    end
    path_drive = path.match( /^(\w);/ )
    if path_drive
      path_drive = path_drive[1].downcase
      path = path[2...path.size] # Trim drive letter
    end
    if path_drive && origin_drive
      return nil unless origin_drive == path_drive
    end
    # Build relative path
    parts = origin.split( File;;SEPARATOR ).size
    path_to_root = "..#{File;;SEPARATOR}" * parts
    relative_path = File.join( path_to_root, path )
    return relative_path
  end

With PHP formatting:

<span class="syntaxdefault"><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxcomment">#&nbsp;Get&nbsp;Instructor&nbsp;Path<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;Tool.getInstructorContentDirectory&nbsp;expects&nbsp;a&nbsp;path&nbsp;relative&nbsp;to&nbsp;SketchUp's<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;Resource/<locale>/helpcontent/&nbsp;folder,&nbsp;despite&nbsp;the&nbsp;documentations&nbsp;use&nbsp;an<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;absolute&nbsp;path.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;This&nbsp;method&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;wrapper&nbsp;that&nbsp;generates&nbsp;a&nbsp;path&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;actual&nbsp;help&nbsp;content<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;which&nbsp;SketchUp&nbsp;can&nbsp;use.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;The&nbsp;given&nbsp;path&nbsp;must&nbsp;be&nbsp;under&nbsp;the&nbsp;same&nbsp;drive&nbsp;as&nbsp;SketchUp's&nbsp;help&nbsp;content.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;This&nbsp;quick&nbsp;exist&nbsp;in&nbsp;all&nbsp;current&nbsp;SketchUp&nbsp;versions.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;#&nbsp;Current;&nbsp;SketchUp&nbsp;8&nbsp;M1<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">def&nbsp;self</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">get_instructor_path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">File</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">expand_path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">Sketchup</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">get_resource_path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxstring">'helpcontent'&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxcomment">#&nbsp;Check&nbsp;if&nbsp;drive&nbsp;matches<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">match</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;/^(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">w</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">);/&nbsp;)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;if&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin_drive<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;origin_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin_drive</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">downcase<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;end<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;path_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">match</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;/^(</span><span class="syntaxdefault">w</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">);/&nbsp;)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;if&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path_drive<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;path_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path_drive</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">1</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">].</span><span class="syntaxdefault">downcase<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">[</span><span class="syntaxdefault">2.</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">..</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">size</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">]&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxcomment">#&nbsp;Trim&nbsp;drive&nbsp;letter<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">end<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">if&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">&&&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin_drive<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">return&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">nil&nbsp;unless&nbsp;origin_drive&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">==&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path_drive<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;end<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxcomment">#&nbsp;Build&nbsp;relative&nbsp;path<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">parts&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">origin</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">split</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">File</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">;;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">SEPARATOR&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">).</span><span class="syntaxdefault">size<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;path_to_root&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxstring">"..#{File;;SEPARATOR}"&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">*&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">parts<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;relative_path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">=&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">File</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">.</span><span class="syntaxdefault">join</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">(&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path_to_root</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">,&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">path&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxkeyword">)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;return&nbsp;</span><span class="syntaxdefault">relative_path<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;end<br /></span>

thomthom

grrr.... the PHP formatter broke the code!

bentleykfrog

@thomthom said:

@bentleykfrog said:

In the snippet you posted earlier, doesn't parts = origin.split( File::SEPERATOR ).size include the separator in the drive name (ie. C:/), so you get x+1 slashes to the root C:/ from helpcontent instead of x, which negates the /tool folder?

That is a possibility... I might very well be wrong about where it base the path from. But the positive side-effect of my little bug is that it works.

Its definitely a positive side effect, and consistent across OS's as macs start with '/' instead of 'C:/'

@thomthom said:

With PHP formatting:

PHP & escape characters == no love (not even with double escaping), which sucks with Regex. From my experience there's no telling how many processes a php string has been through on a forum post (ie. as written in your own code or copy-and-paste from another website/forum) so I think the php code goes on the singular escape and doesn't bother to check for doubles, which is wrong even if you're formatting php code. I suppose since sketchucation is in php, they've at least got to make the code mute to prevent some pretty easy hacking, by formatting php code as a string. (I'll stop here since its way off topic)

bentleykfrog

Initial testing on the mac works too, though there's no need to copy the instructor files to the temp directory on a mac

Dan Rathbun

@thomthom said:

grrr.... the PHP formatter broke the code!

Good catch!

We best be careful from now on using the [ code = php ] bbtag.

Dan Rathbun

@chris fullmer said:

Sorry Dan, you lost me at "APPDATA". I never knew there was an alternate folder schema somewhere. I'm really not sure what appdata is.

It's a path where applications keep user specific data files.

And there are two (2) AppData paths (on PC at least.)
One is "Local" AppData, that is used only on that specific computer.
The other is "Roaming" AppData, which is used for a specific user, no matter what workstation they log onto within a given network.

It looks like Sketchup does not use the Local AppData path at all (although GoogleEarth and GoogleUpdater do.)

Also.. if you have your system set to "hide system folders" you may not see either of the AppData folders at all. (They are defined as "hidden system" folders on XP.)

To see what the paths are, open a cmd shell, and type set to view all the Environment variables.
check the values for:
APPDATA
LOCALAPPDATA

To make the situation a bit more confusing.. there is also a generic APPDATA path for All Users on a PC computer, kept under the "All Users" profile. This is the profile that is normally considered to be the "Shared" profile. It's where the "Shared Documents", "Shared Music", "Shared Pictures" etc. are kept. (And also where the SU Pro license file is kept.)
So normally we would think it better to keep "Shared Plugins" under the "All Users" profile, instead of beneath the Program Files application folder. (In the past, there was not much difference, but on Windows versions 6+, there is a security hiccup when trying to use a Plugins folder beneath the Program Files path. It may be easier, if Google changes the Sketchup PC edition, to use the "All Users" profile for the "Shared Plugins" and "Shared Tools".)

Dan Rathbun

@bentleykfrog said:

@bentleykfrog said:

Its a long way around but I'm thinking that it would be possible to write the required files and folders to the /temp/ folder on the C:/ drive before the tool loads, ...

.... So far, it works quite well. I'm just rolling over testing on the mac and will update this if there needs to be changes.

First of all. ALWAYS copying files to the TEMP folder seems like extra work that may never be needed, if the user does not have the instructor toolwindow open. (Note that the SUAPI is lacking a UI.inspector_visible?() method, which we could write for PC, IF we know the window names for all language builds.)

Also.. there is no reason why the tool's getInstructorContentDirectory() callback could not be the 'trigger' that copies the files to TEMP, rather than doing it everytime. This is something to think about for the future.
(Issue) Does Sketchup always call the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback regardless of whether the Instructor window is open or closed?

Playing 'devil's advocate', let's say we get Google to provide a cross-platform, locale independant query method to return visibilty state for inspector window, likely named: UI.inspector_visible?('*caption*') (where caption is one of the strings returned by the existing UI.inspector_names() method.)
Then the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback would look like:


class MyTool

  def getInstructorContentDirectory() # callback
    if UI.inspector_visible?('Instructor')
      temp =( MAC ? "#{ENV['TMPDIR']}" ; "#{ENV['TEMP']}" )
      return copy_help_files( temp, @tool_help_subdir ) unless @help_files_copied
    else
      return ""
    end
  end

  def copy_help_files( temp, tool_help_subdir )

    # call Niall's library method here
    # passing args  temp and tool_help_subdir 
    # Niall's method should return path to temp folder
    # with the "path to root" prepended and the
    # tool_help_subdir appeneded
    
    @help_files_copied = true

  end

  def deactivate()
    @help_files_copied = false
    # other code here
  end

  def suspend()
    @help_files_copied = false
    # other code here
  end

end # class

This is just an idea, but actually Niall it would be better if your code was implemented as a Mixin Module (not a class,) and then people who need it actually "mix" it into their Tool class using include() (That likely means you need to rename the initialize method, as Tool coders often need to use that method to init their tool instance. how about help_setup() instead, and authors can insert a call to help_setup() within their initialize() method.)
This way all your methods become private methods of the Tool class instance.
Wrap your code in module Mixin::LoadInstructorContent then to mix it in:

class MyTool

  require('Mixin/load_instructor.rb')
  include( Mixin;;LoadInstructorContent )

  # now all Niall's methods are instance methods
  # of THIS specific tool class 'MyTool'
  # a coder need only insert the help_setup() call;
  def initialize()
    help_setup()
    # other tool instance init code
  end

end #class

SO.. and this is important your Mixin module, can actually define the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback method for the tool author, so he/she does not need to do it.

Chris Fullmer

@dan rathbun said:

(Issue) Does Sketchup always call the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback regardless of whether the Instructor window is open or closed?

I'm pretty sure it does not. If you put a UI.messagebox into the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback method, it does not pop up unless the instructor is actually open.

Dan Rathbun

@chris fullmer said:

@dan rathbun said:

(Issue) Does Sketchup always call the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback regardless of whether the Instructor window is open or closed?

I'm pretty sure it does not. If you put a UI.messagebox into the getInstructorContentDirectory() callback method, it does not pop up unless the instructor is actually open.

Well cool! That in and of itself can be a test, and perhaps a means of defining a query method via an empty tool. More testing required.