Sam Jones

If you find the webinar daunting, feel free to just ask a question or 2. If you don't know the question, describe the workflow you are trying to achieve. Questions with no answers and unforeseen workflows drive tool development. Sam sjones@autoplotvw.com

This is the perfect case for "Data Visualization" that lets you color objects based on the values in attached records or parameters. You can apply attribute changes without having to change symbol definitions. Additionally you can have different criteria for different cases, a set of colors for Instrument Type, and different set of colors for wattage. This gives you a few more options than the Spotlight Preferences.

PS: I clicked on the cog in the Resource Manager and refreshed my libraries. Still no joy.

In a brand new file, I get the following error alert when I select the Lighting Pipe tool. Using SP3.1 build 535508 Can it be fixed?

Not necessarily. It depends on what you mean by "dimmer channels". If those are the numbers of the devices supplying power, it is quite conceivable that each would require a separate dimmer (depending on wattage and dimmer capacity) but be assigned the same control channel. If you would plug 6 1k PARS into a 6k dimmer, you would be willing to plug them into 6 1k dimmers or 3 2k dimmers and assign them to the same control channel. Not the way I would do it, but I have seen it done often. Doing so would give you less control, but could simplify. Anyway, 6 dimmers does not always mean 6 channels of control.

What we really want is a way to select the system and poll it for its parts.

Success !! I did not understand the explanation of the BeginFolderN() command. I do now. Thanks.

The truss labels collect most of the information (like the truss piece counts), but some truss assemblies are weird and report weird results, to me anyway, so all fields can be manually overridden. Circle trusses are an example of inconsistent data reporting. Weight is also a problem. The labels collect weight, but there are inconsistencies there also. For example, Hanging Positions which usually provide good info, have a problem with custom weights (I can't remember what they're called, but those thingies you attach to truss to represent objects that do not have weight data) The vast majority of data is reliably reported, but it assumes that the data attached to the truss objects is good. Garbage in, garbage out.

I didn't/don't see any code you posted.

CreateFolderN creates symbol folders in the operating system not in the Resource Manager.

When I made the Truss Label object I discovered that I could not find a way to determine that the truss symbols placed with the "Insert Truss" tool were all connected together. There must be a way, but I have yet to find it. As a result, my users need to group such inserted truss, and then the label can pool the truss symbols in the group to collect the data in the label. Maybe someone out there can tell us what the secret piece of data is that VS needs to read in order to know what symbol is connected to what symbol.

I'll end up just creating multiple folders with a similar prefix.

PS: Using Folder2Hdl := LNewObj instead of GetObject does not help.

The script below fails when the parent exists and when the parent cable does not exist. It also fails using InsertSymbolInFolder(). Putting a BeginFolder inside a BeginFolder also fails. PROCEDURE PutFolderInFolder; VAR FolderName : STRING; FolderHdl : HANDLE; Folder2Hdl : HANDLE; ok : BOOLEAN; BEGIN FolderHdl := GetObject('AP Cable Folder'); IF FolderHdl = NIL THEN BEGIN NameObject('AP Cable Folder'); BeginFolder; EndFolder; FolderHdl := LNewObj; END; NameObject('Inside AP Cable Folder'); BeginFolder; EndFolder; Folder2Hdl := GetObject('Inside AP Cable Folder'); ok := SetParent(Folder2Hdl, FolderHdl); IF (NOT ok) THEN AlrtDialog('ok set parent is false'); {InsertSymbolInFolder(FolderHdl, Folder2Hdl);} END; RUN(PutFolderInFolder);

Using VS can I create a resource folder inside another resource folder. Can I move a folder into another folder. SetParent() does not seem to work.

How would you want something to work with truss systems. I'm not a rigger; how would you define a system of trusses? VW is pretty much stuck with objects. You can group objects, but then the group becomes an object.

There are a bunch of ways to assemble truss 1. Truss Tool 2. Collection of truss symbols 3. Truss symbols placed with the Insert Truss tool 4. A hanging position of individual truss symbols 5. A hanging position of individual truss symbols grouped 6 A hanging position of truss symbols placed with the Insert Truss tool 7. A hanging position of truss symbols placed with the Insert Truss tool grouped. and maybe others. How data is reported by each of the above can be different. A tool and plug-in object in AutoPlot Tools for Spotlight tries to deal with some of this. It might be possible to create a worksheet of the labels that have collected data. Below is a screen shot of different truss constructions using different truss labels from that tool.

I did, and it didn't. There is the caveat that I did not rigorously investigate the failure. I ended up as I thought I might creating 2 lists with separate BuildResource command and then making an array of a structure containing the resource name and a pointer to the list LabelList = STRUCTURE Name : STRING; List : INTEGER; {1=my list, 2=user list} END; A little tedious to use, but it has the advantage of being able to be sorted with the compiled VS command SortArray(), which has a much better algorithm and resulting speed than my simple bubble sort.

Did that and got it to work, but it would be much nicer if I could AddResource to add one list's resources to another list.

I have 2 sources, folders with different paths, for symbols I want to list in a drop down of a PIO. I want to then select the symbol chosen from the list and import it into the document. All of the various BuildResourceList functions will build a list from a specified folder, but I would like to build a resource list from 2 different folders. I could make an array to hold the names from 2 different lists and display them, but I don't have a way to then specify the chosen symbol to be imported into the document. Is there a way to make one resource list from 2 different sources, such that a subsequent ImportResource function will go to the correct place and import the correct symbol? It might be possible to create a structure that holds the name of the symbol and indicator of which list to query, but I would really like to avoid that if I can. As always, TIA.

You guys are great ! Years you spent figuring out VS at my fingertips.

Thank you.

How can I get the rotation of an object that is not a symbol or a PIO? Is it possible?

The details needed to start, I think, are: 1. What do you want it to keep track of? 2. What do you want it to look like? 3. What task do you want it to do? Looking at something like ConnectCAD is always worthwhile. Even if it doesn't do what you need. Describing how it falls short will help creating the description of what it needs to do. ConnectCAD is a sophisticated and powerful program. If it does what you need, you should be happy with how it does it. Sam Samuel L. Jones Developer of AutoPlotVW, AutoPlotTools for SpotLight and AP Cable Tools. sjones@autoplotvw.com (310) 993-4172(cell) (310) 207-0392(office/home)

Change the line that says: IF (GetLVis(objLayer) = 0) THEN (I think it is 152) to: IF ((theLayer = ActLayer) | (GetLVis(objLayer) = 0)) THEN