New API doc - typos and questions

[thomthom]

How about - when the issues from this thread has been addressed we lock and unstick it?

(I can move some posts around later on.)

[tobiaskordts]

TextureWriter.write_all
http://code.google.com/intl/nb/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/texturewriter.html#write_all

Arguments:
entity: A face, image, component instance, group, or layer to write.
dirname: The directory to write to.
side: If the entity is a face, the side is used to indicate the side of the face being written (true if front, false if back.)
Returns:

The third parameter is wrong. True activates the 8.3 file naming convention, false for extended filenames.

[Dan Rathbun]

How about - when the issues from this thread has been addressed we lock and unstick it?

(I can move some posts around later on.)

I can move my suggestions over to the 'API WishList' thread. It seemed easier to voice them at the time I noticed the errors (I always added them after stating the errors in a different color.)

But I can understand how all the extra 'noise' makes using the thread as a checklist difficult for the GSUPT (Google Sketchup Product Team.)

[scottlininger]

As soon as we close out the issues in this thread, I will remove it from the forums.

Don't you dare!

All great points, Dan. There is a valuable historical record here, and there are a lot of posts that aren't simple docs corrections. No reason to remove it. More what I'm getting at is to make it clear where different kind of posts are best shared, as you said. This is the community's site, not mine, so ultimately it's the community's decision!

Cheers,

[tomasz]

Model.select_tool
.....
Arguments:
tool - The Tool object you want to select.

Returns:
tool - A Tool object. False! It returns Sketchup::Model

[cjthompson]

http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/do ... sify_point

The classify_point method is used to determine if a given Point3d is on your face. The return value will be from this list:

0: PointUnknown,
1: PointInside,
2: PointOnVertex,
4: PointOnEdge,
8: PointOnFace,
16: PointOutside

the list should be:
0: PointUnknown,
1: PointInside,
2: PointOnEdge,
4: PointOnVertex,
8: PointOnPlane,
16: PointOutside

[thomthom]

http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/face.html#classify_point
the list should be:
0: PointUnknown,
1: PointInside,
2: PointOnEdge,
4: PointOnVertex,
8: PointOnPlane,
16: PointOutside

What?? ... I need to check some of my plugins...

[Dan Rathbun]

Model.get_product_family
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/ourdoc/model.html#get_product_family

This thread gives a second-hand indication that Model.get_product_family is deprecated and "might be removed from the API at any time."

So the question(s) I have is:

Is it ( Model.get_product_family ) really to be considered as deprecated ??

And if so, should not the API doc (link above,) mention this ( and perhaps direct coders to use Sketchup.is_pro? instead ) ??

[tomasz]

WebDialog.set_full_security=
The set_full_security= method is used to place the WebDialog into a higher security mode where remote URLs and plugins (such as Flash) are not allowed inside the browser. This defaults to false when a new WebDialog is created.

This method does not exist. There is set_full_security BUT It doesn't take arguments!! Also I am not sure if it defaults to false on MAC since it doesn't display Flash while under Windows it does.

[Dan Rathbun]

WebDialog.set_full_security

WebDialog.set_full_security=
The set_full_security= method is used to place the WebDialog into a higher security mode where remote URLs and plugins (such as Flash) are not allowed inside the browser. This defaults to false when a new WebDialog is created.

This method does not exist. There is set_full_security BUT It doesn't take arguments!! Also I am not sure if it defaults to false on MAC since it doesn't display Flash while under Windows it does.

Also the API code example has nothing to do with this method.

[Dan Rathbun]

REPOST: from Mon MAR 08, 2010
The web page has still not been fixed.
API - Release Notes webpage error
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/releases.html

The H2 Heading "What's new in SketchUp 7" is not displayed as a H2 heading.

The error is caused by a missing '>' (greaterthan character) on the end of the preceeding <P> element closing tag, which is now: '</P'
ie, snippit from current HTML source (line 378):

<p class="post">&nbsp;</p

<h2>What's new in SketchUp 7</h2>

---

"What's new in SketchUp 7" should be rendered the same as:
"What's new in SketchUp 7.0 M1"
Adding a screenshot:

Api_Page_Error.png

[Dan Rathbun]

The above error on the API Release Notes webpage no longer applies since the release of Sketchup v8.0 ...

... because all mention of Maintainance Releases have been scrubbed from the page, including the fixes, functionality and new methods that were introduced by the MR.

Example (see above,) Sketchup 7.0MR1 added the get_glued_instances instance method to the Sketchup::Face class, but now readers (especially those new to using the SUAPI,) will not know this by looking at this page. They'd need to notice the version on the right, of the method defintion, on the Face class page. [ie: SketchUp 7.0.10247 (M1)+]

Did anyone save an offline archive of the API Release Notes Page ?? ( Can you attach copy to this thread if so, please. )

[thomthom]

*sigh* ... I only hope this is because of some restructure of the API site. Better poke a Googler just in case to make sure that info will be available somewhere.

[Dan Rathbun]

... just in case to make sure that info will be available somewhere.

Isn't there an web archive kept by Google somewhere.. built by bots ??

[Dan Rathbun]

I only hope this is because of some restructure of the API site.

I also. I'd like to see the page remade like the SU Application Release Notes page, with expanding sections for each release.

[Dan Rathbun]

... just in case to make sure that info will be available somewhere.

Isn't there an web archive kept by Google somewhere.. built by bots ??

Yes, found it (Google caches their own pages): Release Notes - Google SketchUp Ruby API - v7

---

Not knowing when this cached page will be replaced (possibly the 1st of next month,) here's an offline snapshot:

Release Notes - Google SketchUp Ruby API - v7.zip

[snicolo]

Guys, thanks for the heads up, you can blame this one on ScottL but also he was the one that corrected it, so I guess he is even.

Should be fixed shortly.
Simone.

[thomthom]

Just saw the updates.
Scott even sneaked in a UTM class - which apparently has been there since SU6??

[tomot]

WOW! no replies for almost a year! Things must really have improved on the SketchUp API side of things .......just kidding!
I noticed Google is buying Motorola or 12.5 Billion today http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/g ... -deal.html

Looks like they ran out of money once again, still can't afford to hire someone to get rid of the typos in the API.

[scottlininger]

WOW! no replies for almost a year!

Hey Tomot,

I'm still listening.

We have been making incremental fixes now and then. I'll take this ping as a useful reminder to check the thread for things we still need to do...

[thomthom]

What would your preferred channel for API documentation issues be? This thread or the comment pages on the API pages?

[scottlininger]

What would your preferred channel for API documentation issues be? This thread or the comment pages on the API pages?

Reporting issues via the code.google.com comments tool (which you can find at the bottom of every documentation page) is better, because it warns other users right on the page.

[Dan Rathbun]

Yea.. but the formatting sucks!

[scottlininger]

Yea.. but the formatting sucks!

...of course if you prefer to post nicely formatted stuff to this thread, that's cool, too!

[thomthom]

Yea.. but the formatting sucks!

...of course if you prefer to post nicely formatted stuff to this thread, that's cool, too!

And there is some other wee issues, it quickly wraps the comments into pages, after 10 pages. And it's not always obvious.

The biggest problem is if you have your browser set to prefer a language over English, then you'll be presented with an empty comment page. (I think the comments are all gone.) Every time I have to install a new system, or use another computer here in Norway, and the preferred language is set to Norwegian I cannot see any of the comments.
I have to rearrange the preferred languages to English before I get the comments because the API doc pages forcefully redirect me to a so-called localised version for my language, even though everything is still in English.
So I can imagine there's many people not aware of the comments at the bottom of the API pages.

[Dan Rathbun]

It would be better to have INLINE (expandable) comment block beneath each method. I know you guys can do this because you did it on the Release notes pages.

Also expandable sample code block under each method.

Basically it needs to be more like a wiki page. Jim experimented a bit with this on his code site page.

[Dan Rathbun]

Yea.. but the formatting sucks!

...of course if you prefer to post nicely formatted stuff to this thread, that's cool, too!

HOW! ??

I don't think it takes markup... or does it?
If so. What kind? git markup? bbCode? what?

[Dan Rathbun]

@Scott.. on the subject of the API... see this thread:
http://groups.google.com/group/sketchup ... 2d2113a894

Wouldn't it be better to have a DC playsound() click function appended to the the DC class?

[thomthom]

It would be better to have INLINE (expandable) comment block beneath each method. I know you guys can do this because you did it on the Release notes pages.

? Inline comment on the release notes?

[Dan Rathbun]

It would be better to have INLINE (expandable) comment block beneath each method. I know you guys can do this because you did it on the Release notes pages.

? Inline comment on the release notes?

Yes, instead of random (newest first,) ordered comments at the page bottom...

... a poster would click an add note button WITHIN each method section. The note would be wrapped in a collapsed DIV or SPAN that is INLINE with the method section.

At the bottom of each method would be a "plus" button that has a title "Read Notes (current_num)"

If the user wished to get more info on that SPECIFIC method, they can click the "+" button, and the collapsed DIV would expand.

The same could be true for Community Contributed Sample Code Snippets. Each method could have a collapsed "snippets" section, that works in the same manner.

For an example of what I'm talking about.. see the Sketchup Release Notes page.