Class definition - make active on creation

[Keith Hadland]

Just noticed an inconsistency between the work flow for defining new classes & layers - when defining a new layer the new layer automatically becomes the active layer, but this isn't the case when defining a new class.

So how about adding another check box in the New Class dialogue under 'Edit after creation', something like 'Make Active on Creation'?

After all, most of the time the reason I need to create a new class is because I need to use it to draw something straight away and invariably do so in the wrong class before realising my mistake, changing the class of the new object in the OIP then changing the active class... don't tell me I'm the only one!

[grant_PD]

No, you're not the only one. And I've been asking for years that symbols created can have also a create new class option, much like the viewport option allows for creation of a new class.

Also, and I just noticed this....but if one can set a bunch of defaults when selecting a tool for the first time, why can't you set it to default to a particular class? I'm thinking of the drawing label tool, which I'd always like to default to a specific class.

[maarten.]

You can already put tools in a default class.

Go to the Vectorscript plugin module (or whatever it's called in English), select in the list the tool you want to edit and fill in the class in marked zone. When the class does not excist, it will be created in the document.

[mike m oz]

Good tip maarten. I've been using the program for 15+ years and I wasn't aware of that.

[grant_PD]

Wow....I think I owe you a beer. I never knew this.

[brudgers]

Unfortunately, it is not covered in the manual.

Some features apparently cant be set.

And many of the items are rather cryptic as well.

I think Vectorworks suffers from a lack of depth of documentation and explanitory exercises.

[maarten.]

well, not completly true, they speak about it in the VS Language Guide, in the chapter "Using VectorScript Plug-ins" -> "Plug-in Properties and Management" -> "Plug-in Options" - > " Plug-in Properties"

But you have to know what you're looking for, otherwise you'll never find it, as a matter of fact, if Gerrit wouldn't have told me this, i wouldn't have know it either...

So indeed, the manual could be better organised imo

[brudgers]

It's not just that one must know what they are looking for, one also must know what one is looking at.

And the real problem is that the information for each plug-in appears to be organized ad hoc.

Maybe the default class string is 3000, maybe there's a parameter, and maybe it's an autoclassed object.

There's a parameter defining the default window and door ID classses but they say not to change them.

And windows are set to class the ID as "none" and doors as "door-spec."

Not to mention that they are different parameter numbers.

However, spaces don't appear as PIO's so there's no way to save their settings.

There's no road map for the user, and apparently none for the programmer either.

I'd love to change the window id to come in on a class other than "none" but I don't know if it will make the application more unstable, and there's no reference material to tell me.

Arghhhhh!