VvierA

Yeah, thank you for the quick response. But if I use the worksheet criteria in my script, the script only works with this certain worksheet. Or is there a way to read out the criteria of a list? Maybe something like this? I click on the first row of the list and call the Script with the contextual menu (right mouse button). The script 'reads out' the criteria of the list and selects each item.

I totally agree with zoomer. Most of the users can't imagine the benefits of substantial changes once the got used to some piece of software. People are very anxious with changes. It's a general problem. That's why VW became overloaded with features over the years and why the user interface became overcrowded and confusing. The developers don't dare to streamline the software and to modernize it substantially. Instead they just add features every year. (Sorry if that sounds a little bit harsh but I can imagine how difficult it is to evolve a piece of software that has such a long time client base.)

Hi there, maybe someone has an idea..? I've created a worksheet list using some search criteria. Now I'd like to select all the objects at the same time, using a Vectorscript. I know that I can click an a worksheet list entry and chose to activate it in the drawing, but I'd need some script that activates or selects all the objects at the same time... Any idea? Thanks for help, VvierA

@Hippocode Wow, very cool. I don't know, if I can handle this, but I will try. Thank you very much.

I'd like the following usage: - select the tool - hover over the drawing with the cursor - VW should highlight the graphic elements while I hover (could be everything - not necessarily a custom object) - I click one one of the graphic elements while it is highlighted - my plugin object retrieves information of that element and my object is placed right there where I clicked - the plugin object shows information of the element like a stamp (for example the area of the element) And yes: maybe it's more like a custom tool than a custom plugin object. Do you think, I can succeed by making a tool rather than a plugin object? Thank you, I will have a look at it. Maybe it works.

Hi everybody, another day, another challenge... I'd like to make a custom point object with the following feature: When I hover with the cursor over drawing elements they should highlight in the standard Vectorworks manner. By clicking on one of the highlighted elements the plugin should retrieve information of the element (for example the area of that element). Does anybody know, how to do this? If I make a new custom point object and start it, there is no highlighting while hovering over the drawing. And in the next step I wouldn't know how to get a handle to the element I clicked on. Thanks for help VvierA

@Dieter @HIppocode Thank you both very much. I think I get it. I will do it separately.

I've done that before. I programmed a plug in object as a tool. Then I programmed a menu command, that called that plug in object to generate several instances of it in the drawing. Now I'd like to merge the two pieces of code into one. Why would I do that? Because I don't need the plug in object as a separate tool. I only need it in combination with that menu command that populates the drawing with instances of it. But maybe that is not possible and I have to do it separately.

Well, I am looking vor a custom object, that is generated by a menu command. I know that it is possible to program a custom object and to 'call' this object from within a menu command. But that is not what I want. I'd like to generate the custom object directly with the menu command. In this special case I'd like a symbol to be part of the newly generated custom object. What's the purpose? I'd like to program a stamp, that shows the area and perimeter of polygons. It is used by selecting polygons and applying a menu command to call a Vectorscript. The menu script reads the area an perimeter of each polygon and places a symbol with text showing the area and perimeter next to each polygon. I'd like the symbol to be part of a custom object. So I can access the object info palette for this 'stamp object' and make changes, for example select another symbol or scale the symbol and so on.

Hello Hippocode, thank you for the input. If I am right, my problem is: The 'CreateCustomObjekt' commands need the name of the object. So I have to create a custom plugin object tool with a certain name in the first place to use it within my Vectorscript menu command. I would be happy if there was another way. I'd like VW to create custom objects directly by only using the Vectorscript menu command. I'd like to call the menu command and than it should populate the drawing with symbols that are not only symbols but custom objects.

Hi there, I made a Vectorscript menu command that automatically places symbols in the drawing. Now I'd like the Vectorscript to 'convert' the symbols to custom plug-in objects. The purpose is to have access to the parameters defined within the Vectorscript menu command from within the object info palette. The Vectorscript command should 'transform' the symbols to custom plug-in objects before placing them in the drawing. Any ideas? Thank you VvierA

I totally agree with the concept of core modeling. The advanced parametric tools do not work for us ever since. The settings are either too complex or too simple. They never really fit. Even the 'wall'-tool is both too complicated and too limited. However there are huge improvements for 3d modeling. And there is still potential for further improvements to simplify the workflow and reduce the number of clicks for certain processes. I would love to see Nemetschek US to focus on improving the workflows and the user interface of core 3d modeling and to evolve the concept of 'marionette'. In combination with as strong database concept this would be a very powerful tool, that might be capable to make parametric tools completely redundant.

vectorlab.info was once a very good for all info and resources about Vectorscript. Now the site doesn't work anymore. Does anybody know if they're moved or closed down?

@Miguel Very cool. Thank you so much for the work. I hope I can do the rest for myself and don't have to bother you anymore. All the best

Hi, did you solve the problem? I am interested too.

@hippothamus Thanks - a good trick to get the search string. Isn't it possible, to use such a search string in Vectorscript to get the handle to an object I am looking for globally in the drawing?

@hippothamus Thank you so much for the input. I just found this: and thought, that maybe there is some way to use the search criteria to simply get the handle to my object. Even if VW does the loop in the background I would be more convenient, because I wouldn't need to worry about how to program the loop and make it safe for any cases (for example: user abort or very large drawings with thousands of elements etc.).

Thank you hippothamus, but is the loop really the only way? I'm not so happy about it, because loops are rather slow - I was hoping that Vectorworks could identify directly the object with the record 'Billy'. I was hoping, that this is possible, because when you generate a list of records with a table in VW you can easily identify the referring object in the drawing by right-clicking the table entry. So Vectorworks seems to be able to 'find' objects with a record. Thanks for further help, VvierA

Hi there, with your help I have an idea, how to solve this problem... but now there is the next problem: Let's say I've an Object and the object is linked to a database. Let's say the object has a record, for example the text record 'Billy'. How do I get a handle to the object by using the record 'Billy'? Thanks for any help VvierA

@Miguel Thank you very very much. That sounds good. I'll try to attach a record with the ID to the rectangle and the same ID with as suffix to the symbol to bind them together. By selecting one of the two objects I hope I can get access to the other one using the ID.

@MullinRJ Thank you. I thought about using an ID to link two objects together. But the downside is, that I do not know how to build an algorithm to generate and maintain unique IDs within Vectorscript. So I'd prefer a built-in routine to link to elements - if such a routine exists.

@Vincent C I need a logic link. Just to get a handle for the other object. Grouping them means that, they 'stick' together which is not what I want. @hippothamus I already thought about using the name. But I don't want to do that, because of two issues: - I'd need to program an auto-name routine within my script. - I don't want to 'waste' the object name for my linking purposes. My aim is the following: I'd like to link symbol instances to polygons. The symbol instance would be part of a PIO and retrieves information from the linked polygon, for example the area or the perimeter. I already made something very similar: it's a PIO with a symbol that merges with the polygon. It works, but the downside is, that moving the symbol within the PIO is clumsy. So I'd like a symbol (or PIO with a symbol) that's geometrically independent from the linked polygon.

Hello, I'd like to write a script to link to objects to one another. For example associate a symbol to a rectangle. The purpose is to get a handle to the other object, when modifying the other. Is there a way? Thanks for any help, VvierA P.S. I already found 'AddAssociation' but this doesn't seem to give me a handle. It just links to objects so that one element is deleted/ reset if the other one is deleted/ reset.

I don't like scaling for design layers. I'd love to draw everything with scaling set to 1:1 and make everything else with viewports in layout layers. But that's not possible. Vectorworks urges you to set the design layer scale to the scale you might want to use for the viewports later on. It urges you, because many of the labeling and dimension tools don't work properly within viewports (for example associative dims). So you have to do the dims and labeling in the design layer and for proper scaling of the text you need to set specific design layer scale. I'd like to see some sort of preview for design layers to control line weight and hatch scaling for certain scales and I'd like to see all dim and labelling tools to work properly in sheet layer viewports.

Yeah, but why do you use separat scaling of layers? I assume, because it is currently the best way to get your work done. But probably there were other ways that were even more efficient. Nobody likes Nemetschek to disable design layer scaling without taking care of the need of customers who do use layer scaling. The weird thing about layer scaling is: you set a certain scale for a building model that is actually meant to be used for plans and drawings with a whole bunch of scales.