MullinRJ

Is the class you are creating the text in visible? If you have any invisible classes, try turning on all classes and see if the missing text returns. Raymond

Larry, ???You did what I always do - you changed the application name to reflect the version. And then I always forget to change it back until AFTER I run an updater at least once. ???Change the application name back to "VectorWorks" and run the updater again. Then to check the version, launch VW and look at the About VW splash screen. It should have 80532 as the build number. Ignore the man behind the curtain and the Get Info window in the Finder. It lies. ???Give it one more try. Raymond

It sounds as if you are on the verge of a sad realization, or about to enter a maze of twisty passageways, all alike.

Nah, Gerard is completing his sentences.

If a piece in B is needed in A, why not move the piece to A and it will always be there when A is used (with or without B). As long as B loads after A (when you $Include B) all should be well, which assumes A is always there when B is used. OR If you you use both A & B independently, sometimes A, sometimes B and sometimes A & B, then remove the common part of B used in A and make a third $Include file with the common part and place it before A and/or B as: {$Include 'CommonPart' } {$Include 'A' } or: {$Include 'CommonPart' } {$Include 'B' } or: {$Include 'CommonPart' } {$Include 'A' } {$Include 'B' } Yes, you can have $Include files nested in other $Include files (I do it at least 3 files deep in my Reshaper program) but for the most part you will get name conflicts if you $Include the same file twice. Remember, all $Include references are expanded before compiling begins. The result is one giant temporary text file with everything expanded. Any naming conflicts will kick an error. My advice is do not use $Includes twice in your program, even though it is technically possible if great care is taken to avoid naming conflicts. Structure your program in the simplest fashion to avoid future headaches. Raymond

IsNewCustomObject() - I've used it when I wanted to initialize internal variables that weren't user input. Your need would depend if you wanted to set up something on the first pass only, or perhaps query the drawing before you start.

Petri, ???PIO scripts for objects execute at least twice when they are placed, one to determine the ghost outline and one to finally draw the object when you click. Could one of the executions be more guilty than the other, or affecting the other? From what you've written I wouldn't think so, but it may be worth a look. ???On the first execution no objects within the PIO exist and there are no reference points: active layer, handle to your PIO, etc. Are you using IsNewCustomObject() to isolate setup issues? Raymond

Hi Pat, ???If people haven't kept copies of their old software around they will need old software disks and a machine with a floppy drive to install them. I can attest that a Mac G4 running Classic will run versions back to MC+2.0 (my oldest copy). Anyone on a Mac with old copies of MiniCad or VectorWorks on a hard drive can copy the application folder to a newer machine running Classic (on a G3, G4 or G5) and use them to access their older files. All you'll need is your Serial Number to get it going on the newer machine. If forgotten, the SN can be found in the preference file in the old system folder, which can also be copied to the preference folder in the Classic system folder. Not sure how the PC side will fare with legacy apps. Raymond

Special (high ordered ASCII) characters are font dependent. Different fonts display different glyphs (character outlines) for the same ASCII codes above 127. Unless you can control the font that is used in the listbox, you are at the mercy of only having available the glyphs within the font that is used. Off the top of my head I don't know what font is used on Windows or even if it can be user defined. I suspect not. I know that doesn't answer your question. Perhaps another will elaborate more. Raymond

Arguments similar to Benson's also apply to the drafting of circuit boards, which VW excels at, even given its heavy bias toward Architecture. Line widths drawn 1:1 represent the widths of electrical traces. Spacing is exceptionally critical, especially around filleted corners, and there's no easier way to draw than at 1:1 using the Line and Poly tools this way. Raymond

Make that twice, Se?or Petri. I also use 1:1 scale. And lately I've been using 1:0.03937 for my layer scale. Not all things need to be scaled down.

You're welcome, Ion. Had you looked in the VS Appendix you still wouldn't have found it, unless you looked at one of the "special" appendices maintained offline. Thank VCOR for publishing a more "special" list. Raymond

Ion, ???Try using: SetPrefReal(68, newXvalueOfPageCenter); SetPrefReal(69, newYvalueOfPageCenter); ???I've not used them before, but in a very cursory trial it appears you might really want to use: SetPrefReal(69, -YvalueOfPageCenter); ???Not sure why, but it appears positive values of X move the page right (as expected) but positive values of Y move it down. This may be a throwback to screen coordinates where (0, 0) is in the upper left corner and all values on the screen are positive (just guessing). ???Be careful if the page and the user origin were both moved. I think Pref68 & Pref69 reference absolute coordiantes, not User coordinates. Some subtractions may be required. Good luck, Raymond

Have you tried using SetOrigin() or SetOriginAbsolute()? I'd normally think longer on this before responding, but I have to run. Raymond

Hi Charles, ???I've never had any trouble with Str2Num(). Have you verified that your string has only numeric values in it when you try to convert it? Leading or trailing blanks seem to be OK, but any other alpha character will make it fail. ???I use ValidNumStr() to test values before proceeding with dialog entries. It has Str2Num built in. If it fails, I loop back to the dialog and make the user try again or cancel. A message window with a prompt, hint or result is always nice, and it gives you a chance to display the string that fails without having to enter debug mode. if not ValidNumStr(Str, XDiam) then RepeatSecondGrade else ContinueOn_or_DoGoodStuffHere; Raymond

While the poker is in the fire, I'd like to see the selection criteria "Active Layer" added to the layer selections list. When saving to a script this would make the script a whole lot more flexible. Raymond

That's the way it used to work for years. I'd like to have that mode back and selectable. There are times I need both functionalities. Raymond

If the view is NOT Top/Plan, then the OIP does not show info for Group objects. If this is important to the way you work, my Reshaper utility will show size and position info for Group objects in any view, plus a whole lot more. Raymond

Loci, IMO, should never show any line weight above the minimum needed to make them visible on the screen. In all versions before 12, Loci showed thin lines at all zoom levels. In v12, Loci begin to show a line weight at zoom levels around ~3000%, above which they appear as large blobs - fuzzy and indistinct. Only turning off the Zoom Line Thickness preference makes them appear as they should. Though this may not be considered a bug, I feel it was an ineffectual change to the program. I hope to see the Locus returned to its previous appearance someday. Is there any improvement in VW2008? Raymond

I try not to, but I don't believe changing software to accommodate the inept (even if it is transitory) is a sound reason for change. It seems other efforts should be employed to address such a problem. What's wrong with training? It isn't, so we'll never know. For whatever reason, I happen to like what exists. It works exceptionally well for me and in my opinion has distinct advantages over a unified window interface, which I consider to be clunky at the very least. I often use multiple applications simultaneously, and desire to have multiple windows open and visible, selectable with just a click. This may be old fashioned, but very powerful for the way I work. So cast my wish to negate your wish. Still, nothing personal.

Make a 32x32 pixel icon. Leave the top and bottom 7 rows of pixels white. Leave the left and right 4 columns of pixels white. The remaining pixels in the center make up the visible 18 rows by 24 columns. The unused pixels don't need to be white. Any color can be used, but they won't be seen. HTH, Raymond

I'm with Pat, and the Status Quo, and the Silent Majority, and the Peanut Gallery. Please don't mess up a good thing. Change for the sake of change is painful, at best, and at worst, mind numbing. Palettes need not clutter up the landscape. Most of mine are off most of the time and the screen is filled with a very large drawing area. Beauty to the eye of this beholder. Wish for the sky, but I for one wish your wish is never granted. Nothing personal. ;-) Raymond

You can place functions in an $Include file without wrapping them in a procedure. I do it extensively in my Reshaper program - hundreds of them. Try placing a blank line at the end of each included file. A little white space at the end of each makes sure the compiler won't join two keywords when it reassembles your code. Raymond

Somehow, I don't think so.... LOL

Gerard, ???Your replies are poignant, especially the "Pirates..." reference, but I fear your words fall distantly short of affecting their intended target. However, they are enjoyed by all others. ???Petri's ego has centered itself in a perfectly mirrored sphere, a place where he sees only himself while all others are conveniently reflected away - a white hole, analogous to the rectum of a cosmic black hole - a singularity where emanates but none can possibly enter. The problem isn't that it is forbidden to enter, but rather that it's completely full of itself. It has been asked, "If a Petrisphere emits crap, would that event not make room to receive external input?" The answer is, "No, due to the instantaneous creation of fecal matter from the entity within the Petrisphere." This insures that the Law of Conservation of Elliptical Thinking is never violated. Add to that, the radius of the perfectly reflective Petrisphere Event-Horizon is constantly maintained, which expands to precisely contain all sepsis and will do so as long as there is a positive flow of self absorbing admiration within. The net effect is a total repulsion of the universe around it. ???At one time it was theorized that the radius of a Petrisphere is monotonically increasing, that is, it is either static or growing but never shrinking, perfectly entrapping the ego within; but that theory has recently been challenged by some very abstruse individuals who hypothesize that under the rarest of conditions, the radius of a Petrisphere may indeed appear to shrink, and possibly disappear. It would be necessary for an ego trapped within a Petrisphere to self-consume, which would entail the total ingestion of the surrounding cesspool contained within the Petrisphere, including the ego itself. Since no input from outside a Petrisphere can affect the contents within, the idea of self consumption must originate from within and it is in realizing this extremely rare sequences of events that the authors of the Shrinking Petrisphere Hypothesis acknowledge the odds of this happening within the expected lifetime of the known universe are essentially zero. ???It is because of my understanding of Petrisphere mechanics that I have refrained from hurling anything at it. However I do believe many have taken pleasure in witnessing how anything and everything is perfectly deflected by the Petrisphere at its event-horizon. I have also noted that quite a few have continued their assault of the Petrisphere in such a way that it appears to give them pleasure. I fear that if this cycle of pleasure seeking stimulus is not abated, we may see a new form of addiction evolve, Petrisphere Poking. ???A Petrisphere Poker should be easily identified by his or her inability to look away from a Petrisphere whenever a piece of flotsam is emitted. Like moths to a flame, a Petrisphere Poker will habitually return and respond to such emanations, no matter how foul they be. I can only imagine a Petrisphere Poker receives great pleasure in seeing how his or her responses are reflected and/or distorted. Though I don't currently advocate discouraging anyone from staring into a Petrisphere, I think I may recommend at some not-too-future date that action be taken to avoid the inevitable negative consequences that will undoubtedly plague anyone who entertains themselves by persistent Petrisphere Poking. Until such time... Ain't life grand? Raymond