User Defined Properties in 2012 using COM/.net

[eadonan]

I've been using an existing post Getting user defined properties as a go by to try and set the values for the UDPs of Cogo Points using COM in VB.net. The example was great at getting started, but I'm stuck on the actual value being added to the point when the command is run. I'm not sure where the issue is - I'm getting an "Unspecified Error" on the ent.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue(udpProp, udpValue) line, but not sure what's causing. Maybe the value type "object" is passing as a string?

The first Sub creates the Class and the Property (appears to be working fine), The second Sub gets a user selected point and adds a udpValue to the udpProp that was jsut previously created.

- I've tried to create the udpClass and udpProp in the template and just add the udpValue, but I get the same error.

- I've checked the point entity and it appears to be getting the right information 

Public Sub TLUDPNew()

        Using trans As Transaction = _
            Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Database.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()

            'Testing code for User Defined Property for a point
            'Setup UDP Class
            Dim udpClass As AeccUserDefinedPropertyClassification = _
                oAeccDB.PointUserDefinedPropertyClassifications.Add("Drawing Label")

            'Setup UDP Property for "Drawing Label" Class
            Dim udpProp As AeccUserDefinedProperty = _
                udpClass.UserDefinedProperties.Add("UDPLabel", _
                                                   "Drawing Label", _
                                                   AeccUDPPropertyFieldType.aeccUDPPropertyFieldTypeString, _
                                                   False, False, 0, False, False, 0, False, Nothing, Nothing)

            trans.Commit()

        End Using

Public Sub TLUDPAdd()

        Using trans As Transaction = _
            Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Database.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()

            Dim udpClass As AeccUserDefinedPropertyClassification = oAeccDB.PointUserDefinedPropertyClassifications.Item("Drawing Label")

            Dim udpProp As AeccUserDefinedProperty = udpClass.UserDefinedProperties.Item("UDPLabel")

            Dim pmptEnt As PromptEntityOptions = New PromptEntityOptions("Select point")
            Dim entRes As PromptEntityResult = ed.GetEntity(pmptEnt)
            If entRes.Status = PromptStatus.OK Then
                If entRes.ObjectId.ObjectClass.DxfName.Equals("AECC_COGO_POINT") Then
                    Dim ent As AeccPoint = entRes.ObjectId.GetObject(OpenMode.ForRead).AcadObject

                    Dim udpValue As Object = "UDPValue Here"

                    ent.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue(udpProp, udpValue)

                End If
            End If

            trans.Commit()

        End Using

As always, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Eric

[Anonymous]

Hi Eric,

With a quick scanning through your code snippet, I find you are accessing the COGO point as Readonly mode in this line  >>>

Dim ent As AeccPoint = entRes.ObjectId.GetObject(OpenMode.ForRead).AcadObject

That could be a problem. Try with OpenMode.ForWrite

Also note that you can pass in the property name, or the property object for userDefinedProperty in SetUserDefinedPropertyValue() method.

From Jeff's earlier post, I think you will get the clue to resolve it.

Thanks,

Partha Sarkar

[Anonymous]

and here is another code snippet in C# .NET from our ADN IM Deblog -

http://adndevblog.typepad.com/infrastructure/2012/08/set-parcel-userdefined-property-from-api.html

Cheers,

[eadonan]

I had tried the following line of code, changing the ForRead to ForWrite and also adding TryCast to an AeccPoint to be completly consistant with the example code.

Dim ent As AeccPoint = TryCast(entRes.ObjectId.GetObject(OpenMode.ForWrite).AcadObject, AeccPoint)

Also tried changing the udpProp from Item("UDPLabel") to Item(0)

Dim udpProp As AeccUserDefinedProperty = udpClass.UserDefinedProperties.Item(0)

 But, Still no solution!

The example you provided in the Blog post shows how to set the name property, but doesn't show how to set the value. 

Please help. This functionality is important to our workflow we're developing.

I also asked a more experienced developer in our agency for help and he also submitted this issue to our ADN paid subscription, and I was told ADN didn't supply a solution either.  

[Jeff_M]

You don't pass the UDPProperty Object, you just pass the name of the property.

ent.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue("UDPLabel", "UDPValue Here")

[eadonan]

Hello Jeff,
Thanks for posting a reply. I tried your suggestion passing the name of the prop and the value, but I got the same "unspecified error".

ent.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue("UDPLabel", "UDPLabel Here")

Sense the UDP class and properties are working I believe their isn't an issue with references or something else at a higher level going on, but I'm surprised this is an issue.


BTW, I'm using VS2010 express and VS2010 Pro is having the same issues. We're compiling using 32bit references as well.

[RodWing]

Eric,

Have you found a solution to this yet?

I have a VS 2010 VB.NET app that updates Point UDP's. In this app for Wisconsin DOT point UDP's are popluated with station and offset information from the selected alignment.  

This application iterates through all selected points. For each point it finds the station and offset to the selected alignment. The code snippet below picks up after that information has been gathered. It iterates through the UDP classifcations and calls the SETUPD function (at the end of this snippet) to update the appropriate value.

HTH.

Rod

                    iStart = 0
                    iEnd = aeccDB.PointUserDefinedPropertyClassifications.Count - 1
                    For i = iStart To iEnd
                        udpClass = aeccDB.PointUserDefinedPropertyClassifications.Item(i)

                        If StrComp(udpClass.Name, WISDOT_UDP_CLASS, vbTextCompare) = 0 Then
                            For Each udpProp In udpClass.UserDefinedProperties
                                bReturn = True
                                If asALG1 Then
                                    Select Case LCase$(udpProp.Name)
                                        Case "sta1"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strStation, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "alignment1"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strAlgNameUDP, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "offset1"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strOffset, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "aligndesc1"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strAlgDescUDP, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "align_side1"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strSide, udpOverwrite)
                                    End Select
                                Else
                                    Select Case LCase$(udpProp.Name)
                                        Case "sta2"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strStation, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "alignment2"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strAlgNameUDP, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "offset2"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strOffset, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "aligndesc2"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strAlgDescUDP, udpOverwrite)
                                        Case "align_side2"
                                            bReturn = SetUDP(iPoint, udpProp, strSide, udpOverwrite)
                                    End Select
                                End If
                            Next    'udpProp In udpClass.UserDefinedProperties
                            Exit For
                        End If  'StrComp(udpClass.Name, WISDOT_UDP_CLASS, vbTextCompare) = 0
                    Next    'i = iStart To iEnd
                End If  'iPointG.ContainsPoint(iPoint.Number)
            Next    'iPoint In iPoints

            UpdatePointUDP = True
        Catch ex As Exception

        End Try
    End Function

Private Function SetUDP(ByRef iPoint As Autodesk.AECC.Interop.Land.AeccPoint, ByRef udpProp As Autodesk.AECC.Interop.Land.AeccUserDefinedProperty, ByVal udpValue As String, ByVal udpOverwrite As Boolean) As Boolean
        SetUDP = False

        Try
            If udpOverwrite Then
                iPoint.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue(udpProp, udpValue)
                SetUDP = True
            Else
                Try
                    iPoint.GetUserDefinedPropertyValue(udpProp).ToString()
                    SetUDP = True
                Catch
                    iPoint.SetUserDefinedPropertyValue(udpProp, udpValue)
                    SetUDP = True
                End Try
            End If
        Catch

        End Try

    End Function