Refer to entities from code

dacastror

Hello, I want to make a code that gives a name or a mark to groups (or components) that are selected, so that I can then refer to this object from code without being selected at that time and then apply for example a transformation
t = Geom::Transformation.scaling 10 entity.transform!

for now the only thing I've accomplished is to name the group, but I do not believe this will serve for my purpose

modelo = Sketchup.active_model

if Sketchup.active_model.selection.empty?
   UI.messagebox "seleccione un grupo o un componente"
   return
end

i=0
entidades=[]
modelo.selection.each { |entity| 
 if entity.is_a?(Sketchup;;Group)||
    entity.is_a?(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance)
    i=i+1
    entidades[i-1]=entity 
    entidades[i-1].make_unique
    entidades[i-1].name = "Entidad #{i-1}"
 end
 }

I thought about using entityID but do not quite understand how you could use this, besides not persistent between sessions.

(google translator)

TIG

You have already made an array of the groups/instances called ' entidades'
You have also named theses in turn as 'Entidad 0' 'Entidad 1' etc.
This is what you see in the 'Entity Info' window.

You don't need to [re]name them unless you want to.
You can access them through the array during the current use of the script.
To find the first one it's entidades[0] etc.
Later on you can find by name, by iterating the model's definitions' instances...
name="Entidad 666" hit=nil modelo.definitions.each{|d| next if d.image? d.instances.each{|i| if i.name==name hit=i break end break if hit } }
This finds the entity with that 'name', or 'nil' if not found...

If you want to access them by name in another session you could use the 'name' as above, or via an attribute...
Attributes are attached to the object and endure from session to session, provided that the SKP is saved...
Instead of renaming the object add an attribute:
entidades[i-1].set_attribute("dacastor", "id", "Entidad #{i-1}")
Then later to get an instance's 'id' use.
entidade.get_attribute("dacastor", "id", nil)
In an iteration it's be:
idd="Entidad 666" hit=nil modelo.definitions.each{|d| next if d.image? d.instances.each{|i| if i.get_attribute("dacastor", "id", nil)==idd hit=i break end break if hit } }
etc etc...

dacastror

wow! thank you very much TIG is exactly what I needed, just some things I do not understand, that is .image?, break and break if hit

and one more question, is there anything I can use instead of .make_unique? is that the documentation say it is an outdated method

TIG

The API docs are sometimes wrong, .make_unique IS needed if you want to change only one instance of a component, AND it's quite possible to have more than one instance of a group too...
However you only need to do it if there's more than one instance, so I suggest you change the code to:
if entity.is_a?(Sketchup::Group) && entity.entities.parent.instances[1] entidades[i-1].make_unique elsif entity.definition.instances[1] ### it's a component-instance entidades[i-1].make_unique end
Note we have to have two ways to access the object's definition and thereby its instances.
The instance.definition works for a component-instance, but there's no equivalent for a group, for that we get the group's entities-object's parent - which is actually the definition.

There is a 'collection' called model.definitions which contains all of the definitions in the model.
A definition can be a Component, or a Group, or an Image.
Groups and Images just being special kinds of 'components' if you will...
There are two tests - d.image? and d.group? - which return true if the 'type' matches; because we aren't looking for an image when we iterate through the definitions I added
next if d.image? which stops processing the current definition and goes on to the next one.
Similarly when we iterate the instances and get a match on the 'idd' we set 'hit' to refer to that instance and we break - to stop iterating the instances because we have got match. Also after that the line break if hit stops iterating the definitions, when we have found a match.
We don't actually need to skip an iteration, or stop it - because it'll carry on to the end of the lists; however, when we get a match we will waste time continuing to look because we won't find it, so it's best to learn how to use next and break to exit 'loops' ans streamline the code to do just what it needs, and no more.

jolran

Hi, just want to jump in and doublecheck a little.

So group.make_unique in the case for a group is safe to use then?

Made a clone(instance) of the userselection group and the group was affected by transformations made (not surprisingly) if not made uniq on the original. But that anoying warning freaks me out in the ruby consol.

TIG

The deprecated warning IS a mistake in the API.
You CAN safely make a group unique, indeed sometimes you MUST.

However, you can side step it, by making an empty new-group in the intended entities context and adding an instance of the copy-group into it and explode that inside it, the new-group is then equivalent to the original BUT not connected...
new_group = some_entities.add_group() new_copy = new_group.entities.add_instance(original_group.entities.parent, original_group.transformation) new_copy.explode
The 'new_copy' replicates 'original_group' with no 'connections'...

dacastror

I'm reading carefully the lines of code and I'm learning TIG proposes several things, another question arises me, suppose that I assign a different name to each dictionary of each entity and I want to find the entity using the name of the dictionary. How can I modify the condition
" if i.get_attribute("dacastor 666", "id", nil)==idd "?
(google translator)

TIG

If you have say three different dictionaries you can use something like:
` nlist=["dacastor123", "dacastor666", "dacastor999"]###***
###... etc
d.instances.each{|i|
###... etc
nlist.each{|dict|
if i.get_attribute(dict, "id", nil)==idd
###.... etc ### do stuff here
end
}

} ###... etc`

***### 'nlist' is an array of possible dictionary names... set up before you start iterating collections of things...
'dict' refers to each "string" name, inside the 'nlist' [array]...

Note that the attribute dictionary 'names' AND the 'keys' should not contain 'spaces' or other puncuation - it should start with a-z, then more or 0-9, but you can include an '_'

dacastror

TIG thank you very much, I will try that

I was trying something, but is a bit more complicated:


idd = "dic1"
hit = nil
mod.definitions.each{|d|
   next if d.image?  
   d.instances.each{|i|
      next if i.attribute_dictionaries.to_a.size<1
      dictio = i.attribute_dictionaries.to_a
      if dictio[0].name==idd
         hit=i           
         break
      end
   break if hit
   }
}

jolran

Hah , yes thats exactly just what I did.

I ran into trouble deleting the newly created definition, with something like :
gp=Sketchup.active_model.active_entities.add_instance(@su_gp.definition, ORIGIN)

Also since @su_gp (in my case) could be either a group or component I had to put in some ifs and nots as well. With entities.parent for groups just like you described.
Not a big deal to explode, performance-vise. Feels safer.

Thanks for reasuring about the group unique thing. Not gonna use it this time though .

BTW hope this issue was related to the topic.

Dan Rathbun

@dacastror said:

... suppose that I assign a different name to each dictionary of each entity and I want to find the entity using the name of the dictionary. How can I modify the condition
" if i.get_attribute("dacastor 666", "id", nil)==idd "?
(google translator)

if i.attribute_dictionary(idd)

or

unless i.attribute_dictionary(idd).nil?

Dan Rathbun

@dacastror said:

I was trying something, but is a bit more complicated:

you can simply do:

def find_inst_by_dict_name(dname)
  found = nil
  for d in definitions
     next if d.image? 
     found = d.instances.find{|i|
       i.attribute_dictionary(dname)
     }
     break if found
  end # for
  return found
end # def

TIG

You/we are starting to conflate the searching for an object that has a named attribute-dictionary attached to it [and which is uniquely named for one object, and is irrespective of any key/value pairs], and then the original code snippets which were about assigning, and then checking for, the 'value' of a specific 'key' in a named attribute-dictionary [where the key and dictionary are commonly named across several objects, and only vary by the key's 'value'].

I suggest you step back and decide what it is you are trying to do and how you do it best...

dacastror

Thanks Dan, I find it very nice your suggestion, I will give a chance to this

Thanks for replying TIG, I really needed to know the two things, I was lost without your help

(google translator)

dacastror

I did this and I get "error", I couldn't see what is wrong

mod = Sketchup.active_model
definitions = mod.definitions.to_a

def find_entity(dname)
  found = nil
  for d in definitions
     next if d.image? 
     found = d.instances.find{|i|
       i.attribute_dictionary(dname)
     }
     break if found
  end # for
  return found
end # def

entity = find_entity("dic1")

sdmitch

you need to move the

mod = Sketchup.active_model
definitions = mod.definitions.to_a

statements inside the def since they are not module variables starting with "@".

Dan Rathbun

@dacastror said:

I did this and I get "error", I couldn't see what is wrong

I CAN It is a stupid mistake on my part.

def self.find_entity(dname)
  found = nil
  for d in Sketchup.active_model.definitions
     next if d.image? 
     found = d.instances.find{|i|
       i.attribute_dictionary(dname)
     }
     break if found
  end # for
  return found
end # def


entity = find_entity("dic1")

Dan Rathbun

Assume you have a "DiegoCastro" folder:

And in it a "Lib.rb" file for your library methods:

module DiegoCastro

  module Lib

    def find_entity(model,dname)
      found = nil
      for d in model.definitions
        next if d.image? 
        found = d.instances.find{|i|
          i.attribute_dictionary(dname)
        }
        break if found
      end # for
      return found
    end # def

  end # Lib sub-module
  
end # Author toplevel namespace module

Then in SomePlugin you do this... (name it whatever.. "diegotest.rb" etc.)


module DiegoCastro

  module SomePlugin # <--<< change plugin sub-module name as needed

    class << self # proxy class

      require('DiegoCastro/Lib')
      include(DiegoCastro;;Lib)
    
      def find_inst_by_dict_name()
        if @last_dict.nil?
          @last_dict = "dynamic_attributes" # initial value
        end
        dname = UI.inputbox(['Dictionary Name........; '], [@last_dict], "Find by Dicto Name")
        if dname # user did not cancel the inputbox
          unless dname.empty? || dname[0].length==0
            @last_dict = dname[0]
            entity = find_entity(Sketchup.active_model,dname[0])
            if entity
              UI.messagebox("Found #{entity.inspect}     \nwith dictionary name '#{@last_dict}'     ")
              #
              return entity
              #
            else # nothing was found because find returned nil 
              UI.messagebox("No entity found with     \n dictionary name '#{@last_dict}'     ")
            end
          end
        end
        return nil
      end
    
    end # proxy class
    
    unless file_loaded?(File.basename(__FILE__))

      # create menus here;
      @@submenu = UI.menu('Plugins').add_submenu('Diego')
      @@submenu.add_item('Find entity by Dicto Name') {
        find_inst_by_dict_name()
      }

      file_loaded(File.basename(__FILE__))

    end

  end # plugin sub-module

end # Auhtor module

dacastror

wow thanks Dan, I will take some time to study this code, worth but me several questions arise, I will try to solve the most I can on my own, thank you very much
(google translator)