How to store an Entity between sessions?

[draftomatic]

I would like to be able to store an entity or a reference to an entity between sessions, and retrieve the entity quickly (i.e. without iterating every entity in the model). Is there a way? Entity.entityID doesn't last between sessions, and placing entities in attribute dictionaries isn't working for me.

[Jim]

Using Attributes is about the only way - what isn't working about them?

[draftomatic]

@jim said:

Using Attributes is about the only way - what isn't working about them?

m = Sketchup.active_model
  #<Sketchup;;Model;0xdc02f80>
m.set_attribute("mydict", "mykey", m.selection[0])
  #<Sketchup;;Face;0xe286438>
m.get_attribute("mydict", "mykey")
  nil

[TIG]

You have to give the entity an enduring attribute like a 'guid' based on say Time.now.to_f+rand ...
As it's a group you can iterate all definitions using .group? and break once you have a match...

[draftomatic]

Hmm I suppose since I will be grouping the Entity, I could iterate all the groups in the model to find it... less intense than iterating entities, but still not ideal...

This seems like it must be a common problem. Plugins will inevitably have special geometry that they want to tag and keep track of. Some of the messier models I've worked with have been >100MB and iterating model.entities isn't acceptable.

[draftomatic]

@tig said:

You have to give the entity an enduring attribute like a 'guid' based on say Time.now.to_f+rand ...
As it's a group you can iterate all definitions using .group? and break once you have a match...

Yea, I've done this in the past... number of groups should be WAY less than number of entities. Sure there's no other way?

[TIG]

@draftomatic said:

@tig said:

You have to give the entity an enduring attribute like a 'guid' based on say Time.now.to_f+rand ...
As it's a group you can iterate all definitions using .group? and break once you have a match...

Yea, I've done this in the past... number of groups should be WAY less than number of entities. Sure there's no other way?

That's the way I do it, when I have to...
If you have to save a particular 'thing' across sessions it must have some sort of enduring 'handle' - so if you think about it... no matter what that is you'll have to sort through lists of 'similar things' to find it... be it 'naming', 'layer', 'guid-attribute', 'material' or whatever... you'll need to 'sift' the model's entities when you reopen it...

[draftomatic]

Thanks TIG