Outliner selection not in Order

[TIG]

Perhaps sel.to_a.sort might work ?
BUT, to sort the definition names [properly], I suggest you 'start at the other end' !
names = sel.grep(Sketchup::ComponentInstance).collect{|i| i.definition.name }.sort
that's a sorted list of selected instances' definition-names...

[driven]

mod = Sketchup.active_model # Open model
ent = mod.entities # All entities in model
sel = mod.selection # Current selection
 
names = []
sel.each { |e| names.push(e.definition.name)}
p names.sort

[ktkoh]

That is still not the result I am looking for. I need the sel entity list (all entities are comp instances) but the entities should be in order by their def name. I can't see a way to get back to the entities from the name list. Perhaps a better way would be to sort the pages after completion. I don't know if that is possible

thanks
Keith

[slbaumgartner]

How about this: you need to tell sort that you want to compare the names to determine order.

sorted = sel.grep(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance).sort {|a,b| a.name <=> b.name}

If you want to use the definition names, just insert .definition between a,b and .name

[TIG]

Once you have a list of ordered definitions 'names' you can then access them using something like this:
defns=[]; names.each{|name| defns << model.definitions[name] }
then you have ' defns' as an ordered list of definitions, arranged by their previously sorted names...

This is not, thus far, rocket-science...

[ktkoh]

TIG It may not be rocket science but so far none of the ideas has helped me get a list of instances sorted by the component name. Now if I temp add a instance name = definition name would that make the list easier sortable?? I came to programing late in life so it is not like a second language to me and I have appreciated the forum help. I hope I have not asked too often. I do look for examples and try several ideas before I ask here.

Thanks
Keith

[TIG]

@Keith

Let's start back at the beginning...
I now think I see what you want to do...
It wasn't obvious thus far...
Please don't be put off asking - just ask as clearly as you can.

You have a selected 'sub-set' of the current context's entities.
You want to list any instances in that selection, arranged in the order of their definition-names.

model=Sketchup.active_model
instances=model.selection.grep(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance)
### an array of instances, unsorted.
### Make a list of definition names
names=[]
instances.each{|i|
  names << i.definition.name unless names.include?(i.definition.name)
}
names.sort!
### an array of definition-names sorted alphabetically.
sorted_instances=[]
names.each{|name|
  instances.dup.each{|i|
    if i.definition.name==name
      sorted_instances << i
      instances.delete(i)
    end
  }
}
### we now have an array of instances sorted by their definition-names alphabetically.

To get all instances in the active context [no selection considered], then substitute:
instances=model.active_entities.grep(Sketchup::ComponentInstance)

[Dan Rathbun]

.
I need to point out again that Steve gave the correct answer

@slbaumgartner said:

How about this: you need to tell sort that you want to compare the names to determine order.

sorted = sel.grep(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance).sort {|a,b| a.name <=> b.name}

If you want to use the definition names, just insert .definition between a,b and .name

So following the last sentence (in Steve's post,) you insert the .definition into the block twice, thus:

sorted = sel.grep(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance).sort {|a,b|
  a.definition.name <=> b.definition.name
}

The block uses <=>, which is the Ruby comparison method.

This means that the expressions on each side of the <=> must be comparable, which means that at the least, their class must define a <=> method (and might also mixin in the Comparable module.)

[ktkoh]

Thanks Dan when I added definition where you suggested that code worked very well. I had been adding it in the wrong place after the instance. And I appreciated the English description of what the code was saying.
THANKS TO ALL THE FORUM CONTRIBUTORS THAT HAVE HELPED ME!! I seem to have the ability to imagine programs that would help speed up manual operations but using the API samples to write code is a crap shoot at best. Would have not bothered without the great help available here.

mod = Sketchup.active_model # Open model
ent = mod.entities # All entities in model
sel = mod.selection # Current selection

sorted = []
sorted = sel.grep(Sketchup::ComponentInstance).sort {|a,b| a.definition.name <=> b.definition.name}
sorted.each { |e| UI.messagebox(e.definition.name)}[/code]

[Dan Rathbun]

You do not need sorted = [], as grep makes a new array, then sort makes another new array.

Save yourself some grief. Use puts or pp output to the console, rather than UI.messagebox, for testing. ( UI.messagebox can fail silently if the C WinAPI functions do not like the string passed to them.)