Unexpected block reference counts?

[cadMeUp]

Hello All,

I am using AutoCAD 2005, building on VS .NET 2002 for ObjectARX. I am running into a confusing situation with block reference counts. Here is the scenario:

I create 2 new drawings. In drawing 1 I create a block and give it a name of, lets say 'TEST_BLOCK_1' and create the block as normal. (The blocks that I normally use have attributes but I am using just any kind of a simple block for example). So in this drawing 1 there is 1 block reference that I can see on screen. I inserted the block reference just 1 time. Now I select the block reference in drawing 1 and do a CTRL + C to copy it to the clipboard. I switch to drawing 2 that is a clean database with no block definitions. I paste the block reference from the clipboard into drawing 2 and there is the 1 block reference on the screen. Note that I only paste it only once and make no other copies of the block.

Now, in my ObjectARX routine, I am getting the blocktablerecord of 'TEST_BLOCK_1' and counting the number of references that are in the database for that blocktablerecord. In drawing 1 I get a count of 1, in drawing 2 I get a count of 2.

Seems very strange! I have also had some other issues when working with blockreferences, but did not keep track of them so I am unable to describe them here.

Has anyone had this kind of issue to deal with? Seems like a bug to me but I don't want to jump on that when I know I could be doing something wrong, but I am not doing anything out of ordinary.

Any help on this matter would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Larry

[Anonymous]

It is hard to know without seeing any code at all, how are you implementing
the usage of getBlockReferenceIds() ?

[cadMeUp]

Hello Luis,

Sorry I should have provided some:

int GetBlockObjectCount(const CString& name)
{
AcDbBlockTable* pBlockTab = NULL;
AcDbDatabase* pCurDB = acDocManager->curDocument()->database();
pCurDB->getBlockTable(pBlockTab, AcDb::kForRead);

AcDbBlockTableRecord* pTabRec = NULL;
if(pBlockTab->getAt(name, pTabRec, AcDb::kForRead) != Acad::eOk)
{
pBlockTab->close();
return -1;
}
pBlockTab->close();

//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AcDbObjectIdArray idArray;
pTabRec->getBlockReferenceIds(idArray);
pTabRec->close();

if(idArray.length() == 0)
return -1;

//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

for(int index = 0; index < idArray.length(); index++)
{
AcDbObjectId id = idArray.at(index);

AcDbBlockReference* pBlockRef = NULL;
acdbOpenObject(pBlockRef, id, AcDb::kForRead);
if(pBlockRef->isErased() == Adesk::kTrue)
{
pBlockRef->close();
continue;
}

// Do some stuff with the block reference here.

pBlockRef->close();
}

return idArray.length();
}

[Anonymous]

Replace some portions of your code with the following:

...

int cnt = 0;
for(int index = 0; index < idArray.length(); index++)
{
////AcDbObjectId id = idArray.at(index);

////AcDbBlockReference* pBlockRef = NULL;
////acdbOpenObject(pBlockRef, id, AcDb::kForRead);
////if(pBlockRef->isErased() == Adesk::kTrue)
////{
//// pBlockRef->close();
//// continue;
////}

AcDbObjectPointer pRef(idArray[index],
AcDb::kForRead);
if (pRef.openStatus() == Acad::eOk)
{
AcDbBlockTableRecordPointer pBtr(pRef->blockId(), AcDb::kForRead);
if (pBtr.openStatus() == Acad::eOk && pBtr->isLayout())
cnt++;
}

// Do some stuff with the block reference here.

////pBlockRef->close();
}

return cnt; //idArray.length();
}

[cadMeUp]

Thanks Luis!

How would I get this to compile in VS .NET 2002? I am getting compile errors:

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error C2955: 'AcDbObjectPointer' : use of class template requires template argument list

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error C2514: 'AcDbObjectPointer' : class has no constructors
C:\Programs\ObjectARX2005\inc\dbobjptr.h(226) : see declaration of 'AcDbObjectPointer'

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error C2262: 'pRef' : cannot be destroyed

I have never used these objects before!

[Anonymous]

Your welcome;

Those are smart pointers... if you are not using the arx wizard, highlight
the name - right-click and select go to definition, it will tell you the
header name, just added that on the top of the file #include <....>

HTH


Thanks Luis!

How would I get this to compile in VS .NET 2002? I am getting compile
errors:

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error
C2955: 'AcDbObjectPointer' : use of class template requires template
argument list

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error
C2514: 'AcDbObjectPointer' : class has no constructors
C:\Programs\ObjectARX2005\inc\dbobjptr.h(226) : see declaration of
'AcDbObjectPointer'

c:\Projects\ProjectARX2005\PipeNumbers_Blocks\PnmBlocks.cpp(1008): error
C2262: 'pRef' : cannot be destroyed

I have never used these objects before!

[cadMeUp]

Thanks for your help Luis. I am not having any luck with it.
I cannot get it to compile with the 'AcDbObjectPointer' object line.

Anyway, the blocks that I have to use this routine on have attributes and the attribute values would have to be different, but with my routine it is finding 2 of each of those blocks, in other words there is a duplicate of what you see on the screen but you don't see the duplicate.

Have you tried my sample that I gave you? I can't see in my code where it is wrong, seems like it should work or maybe a bug. If you get the same results with the code that I wrote?

Thanks Luis!

Larry

[Anonymous]

Larry;

Yes I tested your code and was getting the same results, is strange that you
could not use smart pointers, but no problem, here is your routine using
normal calls... HTH. 🙂

int GetBlockObjectCount(const CString& name)
{
AcDbBlockTable* pBlockTab = NULL;
AcDbDatabase* pCurDB = acDocManager->curDocument()->database();
pCurDB->getBlockTable(pBlockTab, AcDb::kForRead);

AcDbBlockTableRecord* pTabRec = NULL;
if(pBlockTab->getAt(name, pTabRec, AcDb::kForRead) != Acad::eOk)
{
pBlockTab->close();
return -1;
}
pBlockTab->close();

//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AcDbObjectIdArray idArray;
pTabRec->getBlockReferenceIds(idArray);
pTabRec->close();

if(idArray.length() == 0)
return -1;

//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


int cnt = 0;
for(int index = 0; index < idArray.length(); index++)
{
AcDbObjectId id = idArray.at(index);
AcDbBlockReference *pRef = NULL;
AcDbBlockTableRecord *pBtr = NULL;
if ((acdbOpenObject(pRef, id, AcDb::kForRead) == Acad::eOk) &&
(acdbOpenObject(pBtr, pRef->blockId(), AcDb::kForRead) == Acad::eOk) &&
pBtr->isLayout())
{
cnt++;
pRef->close();
pBtr->close();
}

//if (pBlockRef == Acad::eOk && pBlockRef->isLayout())
// cnt++;
////if(pBlockRef->isErased() == Adesk::kTrue)
////{
//// pBlockRef->close();
//// continue;
////}

//AcDbObjectPointer pRef(idArray[index],
AcDb::kForRead);
//if (pRef.openStatus() == Acad::eOk)
//{
// AcDbBlockTableRecordPointer pBtr(pRef->blockId(), AcDb::kForRead);
// if (pBtr.openStatus() == Acad::eOk && pBtr->isLayout())
// cnt++;
//}

// Do some stuff with the block reference here.

////pBlockRef->close();
}

return cnt; //idArray.length();
}

[pkohut-og]

When you paste the block into another drawing a temparary BTR is created and then erased. This is why you see 2 references. If you open the parent blockId (block table
record) you will see it has a temporary block name (or eWasErased if the last param was not true).
Saving and then opening the second drawing eliminates the
temporary block table record.

Paul Kohut