topic How to add a WPF window to an Add-In in Inventor Programming Forum

How to add a WPF window to an Add-In

piotrekdoro94 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:20:23 GMT

Hi, I'm trying to convert my plugins to proper add-ins with limited success. I have problems trying to add a WPF window as a UI and attaching some code to it.

For example: I have a simple code snippet that creates a work point in the center of mass. It works while the code is executed by a click event of a button I've added to my ribbon, which is fine for a simple feature like this.

For more complex add-ins I want the click event of a button on the ribbon to open a WPF window which contains its own set of buttons and controls which will execute my code.

Here is a code snippet that shows what happens when a MyButton (that's the button added to the ribbon) is clicked. This implementation works

Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Try Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument Dim oPartCompDef As PartComponentDefinition oPartDoc = _inventor.ActiveDocument oPartCompDef = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition Dim oCenterOfMass As Point Dim oWorkPoint As WorkPoint oCenterOfMass = oPartCompDef.MassProperties.CenterOfMass oWorkPoint = oPartCompDef.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oCenterOfMass) Catch ex As Exception MsgBox("Center of mass property could not be found") End Try End Sub

Now I've changed MyButton so that clicking it shows a WPF window called Window1:

Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Dim window As New Window1 window.Show() End Sub

That window contains just one button which should put a work point in the center of mass. The Window1 code looks like this:

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices Imports Inventor Public Class Window1 Private Sub Button_Click(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs) Try Dim _inventor As Inventor.Application Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument Dim oPartCompDef As PartComponentDefinition oPartDoc = _inventor.ActiveDocument oPartCompDef = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition Dim oCenterOfMass As Point Dim oWorkPoint As WorkPoint oCenterOfMass = oPartCompDef.MassProperties.CenterOfMass oWorkPoint = oPartCompDef.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oCenterOfMass) Catch ex As Exception MsgBox("Center of mass property could not be found") End Try End Sub End Class

Now there is some bug on line 11. I can't get a reference to active document but I don't know how to fix it. I'm no developer and I already find add-in creation pretty arcane.

I've created my add-in following a tutorial at: Jelte de Jong (hjalte.nl).

The entire visual studio project in its broken state is in the attachments ("CenterOfMass - project files.zip")

I've also added a compiled, working version that doesn't use a WPF window. It should appear in Part environment in 3d model tab in work features panel ("CenterOfMass - compiled and working.zip").

The project contains:

- a CenterOfMass

Re: How to add a WPF window to an Add-In

JelteDeJong — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:28:30 GMT

in your file Window1.xaml.vb I'm missing the constructor. I guess that you need to add this:

Private ReadOnly _inventor As Inventor.Application Public Sub New(inventor As Inventor.Application) ' This call is required by the designer. InitializeComponent() _inventor = inventor End Sub

That will break your button class. You have to change the sub "MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap)" (in file MyButton.vb) to this:

Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Dim window As New Window1(_inventor) window.ShowDialog() End Sub

Re: How to add a WPF window to an Add-In

piotrekdoro94 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 21:40:54 GMT

Thank you for help, your tutorials were very useful.

Unfortunately, I can't get CenterOfMass add-in to work. It keeps throwing in the same place. After suggested modifications MyButton.vb looks like this:

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices Imports Inventor Public Class MyButton Private _inventor As Inventor.Application Private _settingsButton As ButtonDefinition Public Sub New(inventor As Inventor.Application) _inventor = inventor SetupButtonDefinition() AddButtonDefinitionToRibbon() End Sub Private Sub SetupButtonDefinition() Dim conDefs As ControlDefinitions = _inventor.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions _settingsButton = conDefs.AddButtonDefinition( "Center of Mass", "Center of Mass", CommandTypesEnum.kEditMaskCmdType, Guid.NewGuid().ToString(), "Command creates a work point in the center of mass coordinates. Works in Part environment and is part of CenterOfMass add-in", "Create point in center of mass") AddHandler _settingsButton.OnExecute, AddressOf MyButton_OnExecute End Sub Private Sub AddButtonDefinitionToRibbon() Dim ribbon As Ribbon = _inventor.UserInterfaceManager.Ribbons.Item("Part") Dim ribbonTab As RibbonTab = ribbon.RibbonTabs.Item("id_TabModel") Dim ribbonPanel As RibbonPanel = ribbonTab.RibbonPanels.Item("id_PanelA_ModelWorkFeatures") ribbonPanel.CommandControls.AddButton(_settingsButton) End Sub Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Dim window As New Window1(_inventor) window.ShowDialog() End Sub End Class

And the Window1.xaml.vb looks like this:

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices Imports Inventor Public Class Window1 Private ReadOnly _inventor As Inventor.Application Public Sub New(inventor As Inventor.Application) ' This call is required by the designer. InitializeComponent() _inventor = inventor End Sub Private Sub Button_Click(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs) Try Dim _inventor As Inventor.Application Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument Dim oPartCompDef As PartComponentDefinition oPartDoc = _inventor.ActiveDocument oPartCompDef = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition Dim oCenterOfMass As Point Dim oWorkPoint As WorkPoint oCenterOfMass = oPartCompDef.MassProperties.CenterOfMass oWorkPoint = oPartCompDef.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oCenterOfMass) Catch ex As Exception MsgBox("Center of mass property could not be found") End Try End Sub End Class

I don't think I understand what the code snippets you've provided do. As I understand it:

- in MyButton.vb

Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Dim window As New Window1(_inventor) 'Here I'm passing a field of a MyButton instace to the Window1 constructor. _inventor=inventor means that _inventor is an Inventor application object window.ShowDialog() 'Here I'm switching from modal Show() to non-modal Showdialog(). I'm not sure if it means something End Sub

In Window1.xlam.vb:

Private ReadOnly _inventor As Inventor.Application 'I'm declaring a field _inventor which is an Inventor application object Public Sub New(inventor As Inventor.Application) 'This is a constructor for Window one which is called from MyButton.vb ' This call is required by the designer. InitializeComponent() 'I'm not sure why this is necessary. From quick googling it seems that Visual Studio adds this to a Sub New automatically _inventor = inventor End Sub

Re: How to add a WPF window to an Add-In

piotrekdoro94 — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:28:48 GMT

I've managed to cobble together something resembling a solution but it's pretty ugly and I would gladly use something else.

I've deleted my WPF window (Window1) from my project folder. Then I've rewritten the "CenterOfMass" as a separate winforms app and compiled it. The winform has a button with an onClick event that looks like this:

Imports Inventor Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices Imports System.Text.RegularExpressions Imports System.Windows.Forms Imports System.IO Imports System.Xml.Serialization Imports System.Security.Cryptography Imports System.Diagnostics.Contracts Public Class Form1 Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Dim InventorApp As Inventor.Application Dim oPartDoc As PartDocument Dim oPartCompDef As PartComponentDefinition InventorApp = Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application") oPartDoc = InventorApp.ActiveDocument oPartCompDef = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition oPartDoc.Activate() Try InventorApp = Marshal.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application") MessageBox.Show("Connected To Inventor session") Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show("Failed to connect to inventor session") End Try Dim oCenterOfMass As Point Dim oWorkPoint As WorkPoint Try oCenterOfMass = oPartCompDef.MassProperties.CenterOfMass oWorkPoint = oPartCompDef.WorkPoints.AddFixed(oCenterOfMass) Catch MsgBox("No center of mass detected") End Try End Sub End Class

Now I use the ribbon button to run a compiled version of the winforms app shown above. The ribbbon button executes the following code when clicked:

Private Sub MyButton_OnExecute(Context As NameValueMap) Process.Start("C:\Users\Piotrekdoro\Desktop\InventorVBA\Center of mass 1\bin\Debug\WindowsApp1.exe") End Sub

There are two big downsides with this approach that might emerge as far as I can predict:

Problems with debugging - if there is a bug in the separate executable then debugger will not find it
Add-in as a process is lumped with the main Inventor process. When I use it to launch a separate executable I create a separate process, which means that the add-in can't directly talk with UI. It also means that the code in the separate program won't be able to use Inventor specific events. I don't need this functionality at the moment, but I think that both of these issues could be solved by handling events within the add-in and creating intermediary "input.txt" and "output.txt" files which would be used for the addin and UI to communicate with each other