Can I do this without (or with) an event enabled object?

[Pat Stanford]

I know I can do the tests myself, but I am hoping for some guidance before I start beating my head against the wall.

 

I have an object that I need to convert to a bitmap. So far I have tested putting that object into an existing symbol definition and using CreateImgFromSymbolN and it works great for what I am doing.

 

What is not working so great is trying to create the symbol, put the object into it and then make the bitmap.  It appears that I am caught in the "objects don't exist until the script completes" trap. Redraw, RedrawAll, ResetObject don't seem to make any difference.

 

So could I create the Symbol in one of the object events, then add my object(s) to it and run the CreateImg in a different event? Or are Event Enable Objects also a single "script" and objects don't exist until the entire object regenerates? Is there a way to force a second regeneration of the object that could help?

 

@Sam Jones@MullinRJ@JBenghiat  Help??

[MullinRJ]

Hi Pat,

   I think I've done something similar recently, where I needed a Bitmap in a Symbol, to show in a WS. I was able to create the object, convert it to a Bitmap, then move the Bitmap into a newly created symbol – all in one script. No Event-Enabled anything. Is that close to what you are looking to do? If so, I'll dig up the code for you.

 

Raymond

 

 

[Pat Stanford]

Yes, that sounds good, but kind of the opposite of what I am trying to do. I am trying to put things into a symbol so I can make a bitmap from the symbol.  But I had no success on creating a new symbol.  When I started with a base symbol that already existed I could move the object into the symbol and make the bitmap. When I create a new symbol in the script I get a nil handle back from the CreateImgFromSymbolN function.

[MullinRJ]

Hi Pat, I found my code

 

 

	{ build object in a symbol }
	BeginSym(kImgSym);
		PushAttrs;

		{ create object here }

		PopAttrs;
	EndSym;		{ object symbol }

	{ make image from symbol }
	H := CreateImgFromSymbolN(kImgSym, 692, 792, 0, 0, 2, 1);	{ 692 & 792 are pixels of image}
	DelObject(GetObject(kImgSym));		{ delete object symbol }

	{ recreate the same symbol, now with dummy locus... }
	BeginSym(kImgSym);						{ create empty symbol }
		Locus(0, 0);						{ dummy locus }
	EndSym;

	{ ...then with image of the object }
	B := SetParent(H, LNewObj);		{ move image into symbol }
	GetBBox(H, P1.x, P1.y, P2.x, P2.y);	{ P1 & P2 are vectors }
	P1 := -(P1 + P2) / 2;
	hMove(H, P1.x, P1.y);			{ center image in symbol }
	DelObject(FIn3D(LNewObj));		{ remove dummy locus }
	ResetBBox(LNewObj);			{ reset symbol's BBox - very necessary }

 

   I use the same symbol name for the object and the image. After I create the bitmap, I delete the symbol then recreate it with a Locus as a place holder. Then I move the image into the symbol and remove the Locus. 

 

   If you already have the object before this point, you should be able to move it into the symbol instead of create it there, and proceed as outlined above. 

 

   If this works for you, meet me in Albuquerque and you can buy me a beer. 😉

 

Raymond

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by MullinRJ
finish writing

[Pat Stanford]

Thank you Raymond.  I will compare to my code and try again. I thought that was what I was doing, but if it worked for you I must have been trying something different.🤷‍♂️

 

 

[MullinRJ]

FWIW, my code runs in a Tool (.vst) and it's not Event Enabled.

[Pat Stanford]

Thank you Raymond. I got it working. Don't know exactly what I was doing wrong before.

[MullinRJ]

1 hour ago, Pat Stanford said:

Thank you Raymond. I got it working. Don't know exactly what I was doing wrong before.

 

Glad to hear. It's probably not worth the effort to figure that out.

[Elite Exhibits]

Pat

 

My question would be: How do you use this script ?

 

Peter

[Pat Stanford]

If I can get it to work as I think it can, there might be a way to be able to split worksheets that are too long into multiple columns.