Okay, sorry, let me explain the situation a little more in detail...

An user choose any "things" in the Sketchup Model. Things: Groups, faces, lines etc

My plugin should collect every face selected and give all the coordinates of these things. But important: the coordinates have to be based on the outside coordinate system.

So, there could be a possibility that the user choose a group with a lot of groups inside, with a lot of groups inside... ... with faces inside => thats my problem, to get easy the outside coordinates of these faces.

Oh, this sounds more complicated then expected...

I'm thinking about this way:

I take the outer group and explode them... Lets think about this situation:

- Group 1 ___- groupA ____- faces, points etc ___- groupB ____- faces, points etc ___- groupC ____- faces, points etc

What will happen, when I explode Group1? Will I get all the faces and points in the deepest groups? Or will I get the three groups (groupA, groupB, groupC)?
Means: When I explode an other group, will I explode all inner groups too? => that would be great!

Thanks for your help!!

I have the following situation:

an user can have a group with a lot of groups inside. Each inside group can have again several groups inside... the deepest group contains faces, points etc..

My function will get a face (for example), so at first, I don't know in how many layers of groups this face is.

However, I would like to transform the points in the deepest group to the outside Sketchup axis.

Do you know a elegant way to do that?

I hope, I could explain my problem understandable enough!

Thanks for all your help!

@thomthom said:

that adds that folder to the $LOAD_PATH array

I never stop learning! Thanks, I will try it...

Using Win 7, editing the files wasn't a big problem...

@aerilius said:

UI.openURL("/path/to/file.bat")

Ahh, I remember - you told me this method some month ago! Thanks for this hint! I will try it at home...

And in the bat file I will write just: java -jar Model2GCode.jar ?

So, if I can write the bat file with ruby, then I can insert very easily the arguments into it...

@tig said:

Have you tried
system(java -jar Model2GCode.jar)
Have you also tried this
pwd=Dir.pwd Dir.chdir(Model2GCodeJarsFolder) system(java -jar Model2GCode.jar) Dir.chdir(pwd)
to ensure it finds the .jar file ?

So, at first: thank you very much for your help!

I tried follow things:

odir=Dir.pwd Dir.chdir(File.dirname(__FILE__)) output = system("java -jar Model2GCode.jar")) Dir.chdir(odir)

odir=Dir.pwd Dir.chdir(File.dirname(__FILE__)) output = system('java -jar Model2GCode.jar')) Dir.chdir(odir)

odir=Dir.pwd Dir.chdir(File.dirname(__FILE__)) output = system('java -jar ' + File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'Model2GCode.jar')) Dir.chdir(odir)

@Thom: Should I send you this jar-File? It would be great, if you can test it on your machine!

One other idea:

• since Win 8, I'm not able to edit the plugin files with my editor, just in admin mode (arg)
• so I think, Win 8 increased the "security levels" => could it be: for the ruby application it is not allowed anymore to start the command line?

Thanks a lot!

Hey!

I have a strange problem again...

I switched from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Now, I would like to start my external Java application, but without success!

UI.messagebox "a" output = system("java -jar Model2GCode.jar") UI.messagebox "b"

"a" and "b" is shown normally in the UI.messagebox. But no command line!

When I started the jar-file manually in the command line, it works...

Do you have an idea, what's different in Windows 8?

I thank you very much for your help!

Hi Frank!

I don't know, but could it be, that get_attribute() is case sensitive? You are writing "test" but 'Test' in your UI.messagebox?!

Just an idea...

@dan rathbun said:

@niccah said:

@thomthom said:

Then attach an attribute to the model.
https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entity#set_attribute

This sounds perfect! Thanks Thom!!

punchbug! I said that also ...

I have to say sorry, Dan! At your post, I stopped to read at the horizontal line... I though it is not the topic of the post! ...

@thomthom said:

@niccah said:

the projects are connected to a single Sketchup file... so I don't like to "flood" the registry with lots of project names and their options... What do you think?

Then attach an attribute to the model.
https://developers.google.com/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/entity#set_attribute

This sounds perfect! Thanks Thom!!

@dan rathbun said:

[size=120]The NamedOptions Provider is bugged.
Please do not use it until it is fixed

Oh, I didn't expect, that the answer is so easy! Thanks Dan!

@dan rathbun said:

If you want this 'list' to be 'universal' and accessible to every SKP opened on that PC then use Sketchup.write_default() and Sketchup.read_default() to store a list of project names.

Hm, I thought about that, but....

the projects are connected to a single Sketchup file... so I don't like to "flood" the registry with lots of project names and their options... What do you think?

Can I produce an empty group or something like that and fill its "description"?

Okay, I have further problems... Let me explain, what I want to do....

I would like to do a list of "projects". So, when someone add a project, a new option key will insert. The name of the key: "M2GC_projects_" << projectName

So, at the end, I have a list of all projects by checking of the optionsProvider.

` optionsManager = Sketchup.active_model.options
optionsProvider = optionsManager["NamedOptions"]
optionsProviderKeys = optionsProvider.keys

	projectName = dlg.get_element_value("projectName").delete("^a-zA-Z0-9");

	if (projectName != "" && !optionsProviderKeys.include?("M2GC_projects_" << projectName))
		optionsProvider["M2GC_projects_" << projectName] = ""

		dlg.execute_script("addToProjectList('" + projectName + "')")
		dlg.execute_script("document.getElementById('projectName').value=\"\"")
	else
		UI.messagebox "Project name already in use"
	end`

It sounds very strange, but I am able to insert just ONE key each "session". So, I try to insert several keys => no error in the ruby console. Now I save the Sketchup file. Close Sketchup. Open Sketchup again... just the first inserted key is now available. Now, I can insert a second value... by reopen Sketchup, both are now available...

Guys - whats happening here?! I'm totally confused...

Thanks for your help!

I have to refresh this topic again!

I am able to add new key for the optionsProvider "NamedOptions". The problem is: When I insert a new key and the user close Sketchup, there will be no notice to save the Sketchup file.

Do you have an idea how I can handle this problem?

My idea: I have to ask the user to save the file when the WebDialog gets closed

What do you think?

Thanks!

Sometimes, it is so easy!

Thanks TIG!!

I'm wondering, that I can't find a nice solution, to allow to start a plugin just once.

So, with the help of my plugin, I start a WebDialog... How I can ask, if there is the same WebDialog already opened?

I think, this should be very easy, but, sorry...

I tried:

if (!defined? dlg) dlg = UI::WebDialog.... else dlg.bring_to_front

But with this version, I am able to start several WebDialogs...

Thanks for your help!

@dan rathbun said:

Try:

path = File.dirname(__FILE__)
> cmd = 'java -jar '<< File.join(path,'Model2GCode.jar').inspect << ' ' << File.join(path,fileForJava).inspect
> UI.openURL(cmd)
> 

P.S.: Use the << string append method, rather than the + concat method.

Hm, nothing hapens, when I tried this... no error from ruby, no opening window for the java... I'm a little bit confused?!

UI.openURL: "The openURL method is used to open the default Web browser to a URL." => are you sure, that I have to use UI.openURL?

@thomthom said:

@dan rathbun said:

There is another topic where you (TIG) describe how to write out a command file and execute it with UI.openURL.

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=48761

Puh, this sounds complicated!

I think, I will try Dans version and pass the arguments via temp. text file. This should be independent of the operation system...

Thanks for your ambitious help!!

@tig said:

I've found that running a jar with a full-file-path fails, but running it by name when already in its folder will work - not exactly sure why, but it works - presumably because '-jar' only expects a file name and not a full-file-path ?

Ah okay! Now, a further question... the java app starts fine. But Sketchup is waiting for the result... so, what can I do, to solve this?

Oh TIG, you are the best! Thanks a lot!

Why your version works, and my version not?

@tig said:

Try doing a temporary change to the jar's directory thus ?
odir=Dir.pwd Dir.chdir(File.dirname(__FILE__)) output = system("java -jar " + "Model2GCode.jar " + fileForJava) Dir.chdir(odir)
I've not tested it

Hi at all!

I'm trying to start a Java application from Ruby. I just want to start it. I'm not waiting for results and it doesn't matter how long the application takes.

So, I wrote

output = system("java -jar " + File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/Model2GCode.jar " + fileForJava)

It opens the cmd just for a half of a second. Nothing else happens.

When I write "java -jar " + File.dirname(FILE) + "/Model2GCode.jar " + fileForJava" in the command line, everything is fine.

Do you have an idea, what could be the problem? I though, system() just starts the cmd and write the content... ?!So, it should be same, as when I write it by myself in the cmd.

Thanks for your help!