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Changing fill via classes - it does not work


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I am trying to change fill colour via class attributes, I can get it to work for say one filled plant or a couple at best, but....

When I try to change a large group of plants or an expanse of road fill, or paving fill etc, this is what happens :

1. I change the default colour via class.

2. I click OK.

3. Program salt shaker hangs, quivers, shakes and generally looks very very scared

4. Drawing restores, cursor is active again.

Problem - colour has not changed !

Now I read about having to refresh the drawing.

Questions :

1. Should not the colours change without having to refresh ?

2. If I have to refresh what is the best way to do it ?

[ 11-01-2005, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Viper x ]

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You don't have to refresh. It happens immediately.

But class colors only apply to those objects which have "Class Color" as their color attribute.

So you select all the objects that are plants, you use the OIP to assign them to the "Plants" class, and use the Attributes palette to give them fill type "Class Style" and fill color "Class Color", and then regardless of whether they're selected or not you use the Classes window to assign a solid green fill to the "Plants" class, and Robert's your father's brother.

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OK I checked and all the plants and surfaces have colour assigned by class.

So I had a go at changing a group of plants from say green to red, minutes and minutes and at the same time the task bar showed the PF bar racing up to 2g [Eek!] next to VW application.

The colours changed, just.....

VW normally gives me a "run out of memory" message at around 1.6g.

Next I tried to change the same plants to a gradient I had created, the PF bar then raced to again towards 2g and then it just gave up and did not change the colour.

I tested it on a single plant and it work, not fast but it worked.

Clearly the software (well mine at least) can not handle this task.

Anyone else experienced similar ?

[ 11-02-2005, 12:39 AM: Message edited by: Viper x ]

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  • 1 month later...

Yes, indeed, this Class Attributes issue has been lurking around for years and there appears to be no end insight ( and for good ol' Boolean Logic reasons ). We just learn to program around it. And to avoid making too many global changes. It has a lot to do with groups and nestings and symbols and hybrids & locked objects and Layering attributes and in fact the boolean matrix is hugely complex for large datasets.

Also there's the fact that a single Global Class Attribute change can affect muliple relationships ..often unpredictably. It's a powerful although limited procedure and should be used judiciously. Because in re-writes ... as you've discovered... all the memory associated addresses. Resulting in the huge demands on the OS API Framework!

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For all those wondering, Armstrong took years of "greek" to be able to speak it so fluently. Perhaps someone else might try their hand, but I'd interpret the above into English as "class attributes aren't bullet-proof because of the complexities involved."

All kidding aside, in addition to the quirks described by Viper, we've learned that as a file gets more complex, Class Attributes become less reliable. I don't remember ever losing a previous class setting, but I can predictably create a situation where reassigning an object to a new class does NOT result in the object taking on the new class' attributes. Despite what appears on the Attributes pallet. (The pallet shows the new attributes, but the object doesn't!)

Guess that doesn't help you "solve" the problem, Viper, but at least you know you're not alone.

With any luck, we'll get someone from NNA to weigh in here.

Good luck,

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VW12 (Mac), I've noticed a very similiar thing. In a very simple small file, I have drawn bezier lines as circuit lines between light fixtures. I've attributed the lines to a class called 'circuits'. Then I've said to USE the class for all created items. Some, a few of the lines update as I make changes to the class atrributes but most do not. This worked perfectly in 11.51 and earlier. Any advice?

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1) Make sure the None class is marked Use at Creation as well as 2) the class in use (your 'circuits' class in your example). 3) Then make sure the Attributes Pallet shows that the object is referencing the class styles. It seems you're doing 2 & 3.

I should have mentioned the None class anomaly above. It's puzzled me since I discovered it (with Peter's help, I believe). . .but if it isn't marked Use at Creation, other classes will less reliably apply class attributes to both new and existing classes.

Good luck,

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Travis, your suggestion re 1) would likely work for a new file. Usually, I receive files, annotate, add, etc.. I had tried converting the class styles w/no success 2) & 3).

I 've exported the file as a vectorscript and imported it into a new file and the classes now reflect changes globally. Corruption???

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