SketchUp RUBY API Wishlist [way of coding wishes, please]

[Dan Rathbun]

Sketchup::load

The Sketchup::load method does NOT expose the wrap argument, so we can specify wrap=true for rbs scripts.

For some unknown reason, the Google team defeated, or just didn't pass the 2nd argument (wrap) on to the aliased standard load, when they overrode it to handle rbs decrypting.

Please fix this!_

Taking this a step further.

Since the rbs code blocks are eval'd, and Sketchup.load is an override (redefinition,) just pass the 2nd argument to Sketchup.load (if given,) on as the 2nd argument to the eval method.

That way developers can instantiate a binding() to their custom namespace(s), and have the code evaluated within that scope.

This can also give the GSUT the opportunity to protect some Google namespaces, within the argument validation block of the Sketchup.load method (ie: raise a custom "NotAllowedError" exception.)

[Dan Rathbun]

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EDITED: Get||Set Layer Material & Color

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Added missing "wish" statement to set Layer color in the example I gave (the last statement.)

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[kwalkerman]

Seconded on the Layers usability, also, it would be great to be able to do:

Layers.active_layer
Layers[layer] = active

A consistent entityID would be awesome. The entity should maintain the ID if it is deleted, and then undeleted as well.

Pages:

In addition to retaining information on which layers are on and off, should also be able to retain the active layer for each page.

--
Karen

[Dan Rathbun]

Seconded on the Layers usability, also, it would be great to be able to do:

Layers.active_layer

That can already be done:
Sketchup.active_model.active_layer
.. as it's a property of the model (Sketchup::Model class.)

see API: Model.active_layer

Layers[layer] = active

Will not work because there is no .= method defined for the Sketchup::Layer class. (You'd just be calling Ruby's internal hardcoded refererence assignment operator, which could set the layer reference on the left of the operator, to any kind of Ruby object. A bad idea, if it doesn't immediately cause an exception.)
This why the .new constructor is "hidden" (or made private,) and we create layers thru the collection class' .add method.

Sketchup.active_model.active_layer=layers['mylayername']
.. again, a property of the model (Sketchup::Model class.)

see API: Model.active_layer=

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You CAN get a SKP DOM object's parent by using the .parent method. The model is the layer collection's parent, in the SKP doucment heirarchy. Where layers is the model's Sketchup::Layers class instance:
this_layer = layers.parent.active_layer

But, since each model instance, has an instance of a Sketchup::Layers class object, you'd think it (the Layers collection,) should also know which one of it's elements was active.
A simple Ruby patch for the Layers class:

Code: Select all

class Sketchup::Layers
  unless method_defined?('active')
    def active
      self.parent.active_layer
    end # def active
  end
  unless method_defined?('current')
    alias_method('current','active')
  end
  unless method_defined?('active=')
    def active=(arg)
      if arg.class==String || arg.kind_of?Integer
        self.parent.active_layer=self[arg]
      elsif arg.class==Sketchup::Layer
        self.parent.active_layer=arg
      else
        raise(TypeError,'Sketchup::Layer, String, or Integer expected.')
      end
    end # def active=
  end
  unless method_defined?('current=')
    alias_method('current=','active=')
  end
end # class extension


EDIT:

• added aliases
• fixed method defintion tests

Note: The reason I do not call Sketchup.active_model.active_layer (in the patch,) is to accomodate multi-model environment on the Mac, where the active model may not be the one a script is working on.

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ADD: This can be extended to the Sketchup::Layer class, so that a layer can return (boolean) whether it is the active layer or not.

Code: Select all

class Sketchup::Layer
  unless method_defined?('active?')
    def active?
      # .equal? returns true ONLY if receiver and arg have same object_id
      self.equal?( self.parent.parent.active_layer )
    end # def active?
  end
  unless method_defined?('current?')
    alias_method('current?','active?')
  end
  #
  unless public_methods(false).include?('eql?')
    # only override if it hasn't yet been redefined
    def eql?(arg)
      if arg.class==Sketchup::Layer
        # we shall ignore the name attribute
        # use the == override to include name in test
        # use <=> to test only the names (match returns 0)
        same = true
        return (same = (self.page_behavior==arg.page_behavior)) if (not same)
        return (same = (self.visible?==arg.visible?)) if (not same)
        return same
      else
        raise(TypeError,'Sketchup::Layer expected.')
      end
    end # override eql?
  end
  #
end # class extension


[thomthom]

hm... never thought of that inconsistency before...
model.materials.current vs model.active_layer

[Dan Rathbun]

hm... never thought of that inconsistency before...
model.materials.current vs model.active_layer

"current and "active" should aliases for each other.

[kwalkerman]

Cool. Thanks again.

[Dan Rathbun]

Cool. Thanks again.

No problem.

(bumping the topic..)

• Made edits to the Layers code example
• Added a second code example for Layer class.

See previous post...

[Jim]

In addition to retaining information on which layers are on and off, should also be able to retain the active layer for each page.

I like this idea, particularly useful when adding text to Scenes. It seems quite possible using an Observer.

[Jim]

hm... never thought of that inconsistency before...
model.materials.current vs model.active_layer

"current and "active" should aliases for each other.

Well, don't leave out Pages.selected_page!

[Dan Rathbun]

hm... never thought of that inconsistency before...
model.materials.current vs model.active_layer

"current and "active" should aliases for each other.

Well, don't leave out Pages.selected_page!

I don't know about that one... Pages are special. Even though you "select" a Page, depending on transition time, Sketchup can be animating somewhere between the previous page and the selected one.
A FrameChangeObserver is needed to know when the animation is complete. Only at that point would I 'technically' say that a Page was the "active_page" or "current_page."

@Karen. You can get an array of the hidden layers for a Page:
mypage.layers
so the visible layers would be:
my_vis_layers = model.layers.to_a - mypage.layers
* why they didn't name the method Page.hidden_layers, I don't know.

[Dan Rathbun]

..., should also be able to retain the active layer for each page.

I like this idea, particularly useful when adding text to Scenes. It seems quite possible using an Observer.

But when you add text to Scenes (Pages,) are you drawing to the model, or drawing to the View ??

If it's the View, then the active layer does not matter.

The active layer is a property of the model. A Scene (Page,) is a View mechanism, which does not "have" layers; it only 'remembers' which of the model's layers to hide or show. A layer also has "new page behaviour" which it can tell new Scenes (Pages,) how to 'remember' their visibilty.

I can see some problems for other scripts, if the active layer was automatically changed when a Scene changed. There would need to be some kind of toggle to turn the "auto" feature on and off.
In addition, their would need to be scoping. What if an Observer was to be triggered while this "auto layer" feature was on? Outside the current script (or scope,) the Observer may want to "see" or "use" another layer as the active one.

It also occurs to me, that we are supposed to always be drawing primitives on "Layer 0", but still some modelers want to draw on other layers (construction lines especially.)

Anyway.. we'd need to consider this carefully. It could be a disaster.