Nice explanation! if I continue for now to go down the registry path
How does or can values accept strings ? such as door open, or door closed?

Looks great Dan! Now unless I'm missing something, (which happens quite often), does the storing of last used dialog values in the registry not make for a more elegant solution then using the @@ approach?

@guanjin said:

Create a surface option is not valid, how the choices that are surface
Choose, or have surface

You do have a surface now, you can place a texture on the entire surface, unfortunately I would have preferred to see the use of individual tiles as we had previously. I inadvertently over wrote and did not save the last script. Perhaps if sdsmith is not getting tired of this yet he could introduce 3 choices: none, tiles, surface.

Dan thanks for your patience! I'm going to digest your changes...tomorrow.
After 12 hrs of sitting,... my ass is developing flat spots
In the next stage I will be tackling how the incorporating of therectangle.rb code
which is used in my doortool ruby works with the module & registry stuff I have learned to implement today.
ttyl!

@dan rathbun said:

You are confusing terms again.
They are input dialog boxes, NOT menus.

yes, menus my bad!... been a long day so far, could not sleep, I started coding at 3:30 am this morning, with good intentions trying your outline, finally had to sideline that effort, it in favor of a simpler older script of mine in need of a module. Regardless this small demonstration script, is a starting point, for going forward. using module & registry works!..........comments welcome!

tnt_bookshelf.rb

I've been digging through scripts, and while doing some module script incorporation, I'm of the opinion that using the Registry provides a cleaner less error prone way of dealing with this Subject: The following code is part of the 1st menu

 
reg_key = "TNT;;Bookshelf" 
prompts = ["Width", "Height", "Depth"]
values = [2.feet, 2.feet, 1.feet]
#---read registry values
v = Sketchup.read_default(reg_key, "values")  
  unless v.nil?
    values = eval(v)
    values[0] = values[0].to_l
    values[1] = values[1].to_l
    values[2] = values[2].to_l
  end        

Am I correct in assuming that a 2nd menu ALWAYS needs its own new Registry entry? (like the following which does work)

reg_key = "TNT;;Bookshelf1" 
prompts = [ "No. of shelves wide ", "No. of shelves high ", "shelf thickness"]
values = [ 5, 5, 1.inch ]
#---read registry values
v = Sketchup.read_default(reg_key, "values")  
  unless v.nil?
    values = eval(v)
    values[0] = values[0].to_i 
    values[1] = values[1].to_i 
    values[2] = values[2].to_l 
  end        

BTW: if I use only one registry entry for both menus and increment the values in the 2nd menu ie. values[4] etc. I get a console error

@sdmitch said:

tomat, check the case of the "x" in the options. It looks like lower case which will not match the "X" in the case statement.

YES! YES!...... I forgot to read my own Sticky note "Watch the use of case"

(if the SU API Ruby Console was more inclusive by incorporating the entire Ruby reference perhaps this error would have been properly flagged when a script is run)

that's too .... too funny, your in the wrong business, you should be writing one Liners for Leno!

FYI: In several previous version I was able to add tiles sizes, see attached pic, when I do the same with the current version I get a ruby console error Ceiling Grid.rb:95:in `max'

@jason_maranto said:

Let me ask you -- do you care if the Pro version disappears?
However you may be right, my wife thinks I'm pretty cold in general too...
Jason.

Very funny.....It seems this was never a problem, when we were all newly weds

@dan rathbun said:

So are you talking about menus or dialog boxes ???

I picture is still worth a 1000 words:

@mike lucey said:

Wow Tom! I bet you feel better after getting that off your chest

Yes I do Mike! ...but you know really deep down, I wont give up on SketchUP

@thomthom said:

I think we need to see some sample code here. Because all we know is the concept of what you want to do - which should be doable - but clearly there is something in the implementation that's not correct.

I want to avoid, attaching code because I know its asking to much and goes against the bounds of the help you guys are already willing to provide, I will chew through Dan's contribution, and get the module stuff in place first. I also ran across Housebuilder by: Steve Hurlbut which I had forgotten uses a settings menu, ....oy vey!... that code should be fun to look at.

It should be noted that not all ceiling tiles are designed to simply drop into the metal grid, some manufacturers also provide Ceiling tiles that do indeed project below the metal grid hence providing a nice rebated look to the entire ceiling.
Regardless its great to see the option of adding real tiles or using a texture map.

@unknownuser said:

Hi:
Dear sdmitch,your plugin nice,maybe have little need to change:

Please lets not get carried away here! whats ... next a request for the actual supporting hanger holes and hanger wires?

WOW! If true, that would capture the feelings of one of my favorite analogies: my mother-in-law driving off the pier in my Mercedes.

I was very happy when Google bought SketchUp, I thanked god.. that AutoDesk did not get their grubby hands on another takeover. Unfortunate, the Google SketchUp team has been a dismal failure, I don't think anyone of them after reading a user Wishlist, did anything about the wishes.

Since version 4:

1. I have not seen any performance increase in SU, on the other hand bugSplats have increased.
2. A long time pet peeve of mine: Why is the Settings menu titled Model info, never been integrated in an all encompassing Preference menu? and why is it stuck under View>Animation? Scene Transitions is the only title that deserves to be in that menu, because its related to Animation.
3. The List of Rubies has grown so long, its crying for a Plugins1 & Plugins2 Menu.
4. The Ruby API definitions contain priceless example of bad English grammar, often mixed with Ruby computer speak.
5. The Ruby console has only limited value, it can't evaluate expression, only $ values, it contains no connection to the standard Ruby reference. If you have ever been misfortune enough to cut and paste code but inadvertently forgot and "end" in a the pasting procedure, good luck in trying to find that error in the console.
6. Most other API languages can do a reset and reread the code from within the running program, Not SU.
7. And my favorite:.... All you have to do is learn another 2 languages to create a visual dialog box.

that being said, I don't relish another buyout either.

I hear your Module reference loud and clear Nevertheless this by itself will not provide a method for reading the information from the setting menu that ultimately needs to be read and replace the values of the constants in the main menu.... will it?

Working 8hrs on a laptop is not fun for any human wrist and hand. I had a 90 day return policy on an Acer i7 with Nvidia graphics
I returned it after test driving it for 60 days. .....My 2 cents

I find it annoying sometimes to fill out my own Dialog Boxes. I was thinking of splitting some of the more uncommon options highlighted in orange from this Left Hand Door Dialog and also from a similar Right Hand Door dialog, thus making these 2 Dialogs less confrontational. Moving these options to a common separate Settings Dialog, looks like a better alternative, since most of the times these options are OK by default.

I have added a Settings sub menu with the 5 listed options: successfully. However when I "#" comment out the original 5 listed options in the main script, the new Settings menu is unable to communicate the default values to the main script.

I have been looking unsuccessfully for a script of a similar nature from which I could emulate similar code. Anyone have any ideas on a script with this similar design ?
TIA!

I understand fully! and that's why your 1 of 3 of my favorite "SU Ruby API goto guys"
I also have to include TIG! & thomthom!