topic Re: Adding external rule to event trigger in Inventor Programming Forum

Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 13:39:35 GMT

Hello,

Does someone know how to declare an external rule to be added to event triggers?

Below is a piece of the ilogic for a local ilogic rule.

EventPropSet.Add("RULE TO Trigger", "PartBodyChanged ", 1200)

This doesn't work with external rules...

Sub Events
On Error Resume Next
	Dim EventPropSet As Inventor.PropertySet
	EventPropSet = GetiLogicEventPropSet(ThisApplication.ActiveDocument)
	EventPropSet.Add("RULE TO Trigger", "PartBodyChanged ", 1200)

'After Open Document					: AfterDocOpen                 		: 400
'Close(Document)						: DocClose                     		: 500
'Before Save Document                   : BeforeDocSave           			: 700
'After Save Document               		: AfterDocSave               		: 800
'Any Model Parameter Change        		: AfterAnyParamChange   			: 1000
'Part Geometry Change**            		: PartBodyChanged         			: 1200
'Material Change**                  	: AfterMaterialChange     			: 1400
'Drawing View Change***               	: AfterDrawingViewsUpdate  			: 1500
'iProperty(Change)                  	: AfterAnyiPropertyChange           : 1600
'Feature Suppression Change**          	: AfterFeatureSuppressionChange   	: 2000
'Component Suppression Change*   		: AfterComponentSuppressionChange 	: 2200
'iPart / iAssembly Change Component* 	: AfterComponentReplace   			: 2400
'New Document                         	: AfterDocNew                  		: 2600

InventorVb.DocumentUpdate()

Thank you!

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 17:31:13 GMT

External rules are identified by the adding "file://" in front of the rule name. Here's a sample:

Sub Main()	
	Dim EventPropSet As Inventor.PropertySet
	EventPropSet = GetiLogicEventPropSet(ThisApplication.ActiveDocument)
	
	Call ListiProps(EventPropSet)
	
	' To make sure that the document has an iLogic DocumentInterest, add a temporary rule
	Dim tempRule = iLogicVb.Automation.AddRule(ThisDoc.Document, "TemporaryRule_392856A2", "")
	
	EventPropSet.Add("file://SampleExternalRule", "BeforeDocSave0", 700)
	iLogicVb.Automation.DeleteRule(ThisDoc.Document, tempRule.Name)
	
	Call ListiProps(EventPropSet)
End Sub

The temporary rule trick is required for documents that have no rules or event triggers.

Note: it's not a good idea to use absolute file paths for external rules. It's better to either put them in your project workspace, or set up a separate directory (using the iLogic Configuration command, which is on a dropdown under Tools > Options).

In Inventor 2018.1 and later, you can set event triggers to run external rules on all documents. This is often better than adding event triggers to each individual document.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 08:04:12 GMT

@MjDeck

hello,

Thank you for your help. But for the moment i don't get it to work. And i can't figuring out why.

My external rules are in one directory and i can access them from each part or drawing. But i can't get the rule to be placed in the event triggers.

Sub Events
On Error Resume Next
	Dim EventPropSet As Inventor.PropertySet
	EventPropSet = GetiLogicEventPropSet(ThisApplication.ActiveDocument)
		
	' To make sure that the document has an iLogic DocumentInterest, add a temporary rule
	Dim tempRule = iLogicVb.Automation.AddRule(ThisDoc.Document, "TemporaryRule_392856A2", "")
	EventPropSet.Add("file://Drawing - Auto_AUTOCAD_DWG", "BeforeDocSave0", 700)
	iLogicVb.Automation.DeleteRule(ThisDoc.Document, tempRule.Name)
	

'After Open Document					: AfterDocOpen                 		: 400
'Close(Document)						: DocClose                     		: 500
'Before Save Document                   : BeforeDocSave           			: 700
'After Save Document               		: AfterDocSave               		: 800
'Any Model Parameter Change        		: AfterAnyParamChange   			: 1000
'Part Geometry Change**            		: PartBodyChanged         			: 1200
'Material Change**                  	: AfterMaterialChange     			: 1400
'Drawing View Change***               	: AfterDrawingViewsUpdate  			: 1500
'iProperty(Change)                  	: AfterAnyiPropertyChange           : 1600
'Feature Suppression Change**          	: AfterFeatureSuppressionChange   	: 2000
'Component Suppression Change*   		: AfterComponentSuppressionChange 	: 2200
'iPart / iAssembly Change Component* 	: AfterComponentReplace   			: 2400
'New Document                         	: AfterDocNew                  		: 2600

iLogicVb.UpdateWhenDone = True
InventorVb.DocumentUpdate()


End Sub

Function GetiLogicEventPropSet(cDocument As Document) As Inventor.PropertySet
	On Error Resume Next
		iLogicEventPropSet = cDocument.PropertySets.Item("iLogicEventsRules")
		
		If iLogicEventPropSet Is Nothing Then
			iLogicEventPropSet = cDocument.PropertySets.Item("_iLogicEventsRules")
		End If
		
		If iLogicEventPropSet.InternalName <> "{2C540830-0723-455E-A8E2-891722EB4C3E}" Then
			Call iLogicEventPropSet.Delete
			iLogicEventPropSet = cDocument.PropertySets.Add("iLogicEventsRules", "{2C540830-0723-455E-A8E2-891722EB4C3E}")
		End If
		
		If iLogicEventPropSet Is Nothing Then
			iLogicEventPropSet = cDocument.PropertySets.Add("iLogicEventsRules", "{2C540830-0723-455E-A8E2-891722EB4C3E}")
		End If
		
		If iLogicEventPropSet Is Nothing Then
			MsgBox ("Unable to create the Event Triggers property for this file!", , "Event Triggers Not Set")
			Err.Raise(1)
			Exit Function
		End If
	On Error GoTo 0
	
	Return iLogicEventPropSet
End Function

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:12:14 GMT

@Charlies_3D_T , are you using Inventor 2018.1 or later?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:45:56 GMT

@MjDeck

Yes i have 2019.3 at the moment...

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:49:56 GMT

In 2019, you can set an external rule to run on all drawings. That's an alternative to adding a trigger to individual drawing documents.
Does that meet your requirements?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:51:51 GMT

@MjDeck

No it doesn't. I really need to activate a rule after that all my drawings are made and then i need to activate it and past it in the event triggers so that when i make a change to a drawing it uses the rule again.

Thanks for your fast response.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:56:16 GMT

What does the rule do?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:57:22 GMT

@MjDeck

it's just a simple AUTOCAD DWG export.

But with specific naming.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 16:59:25 GMT

And you want it to run for all drawings?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:00:40 GMT

Yes thats also a question i asked on the forum. And someon from autodesk fixed that for me. But now i want to add the external rule to the triggers. But i want to use the add for external rules for other rules i use also.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:03:22 GMT

If you want it to run for all drawings, why not add it on the Drawings tab in the Event Triggers dialog? Then you don't need to add it to each document.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:04:42 GMT

@MjDeck

For the AUTOCAD it's an option. But i also have a flatpattern rule and that has to be activated en added to the event triggers in specific parts. So i would need to fix this issue that i have now.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:06:55 GMT

Do you have a rule or program that can find the parts that should have the flat pattern event trigger added to them?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:08:10 GMT

@MjDeck

No i do the flatpattern manual so i open the part activate the rule and at the same time i has to be placed in the event trigger so that when i change something to the part it does the rule again.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:13:03 GMT

Ok, so you just want to automate the process of adding an event trigger to a single document?
You will decide you want to run a rule in that document.
Then you run it.
Then you run a separate rule to add an event trigger to run it automatically.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:16:27 GMT

@MjDeck

Yes or I add the place rule to trigger in the rule I run. And This works with a local rule but the external rule is not place in the trigger and i don't know why.

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:18:31 GMT

The problem with putting it in the same rule is that it has to check if the trigger already exists before adding it again. You don't want the rule to run twice (or more) every time the event happens.
That makes the code more complicated.

A related question: is your External Rules directory set up in the Tools > Options > iLogic Configuration dialog?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

Charlies_3D_T — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:21:07 GMT

@MjDeck

YEs it is. I have 2 sub directories one for drawings and one for parts and ass.

SO if you say it's beter to use an second rule to place it in event triggers then I make a second one that is called when I run for example the flatpattern rule. And in the second rule can we add a check if it Already is in the event triggers? A'd if it is do not hing and otherwise place ut in the event trigger?

Is This something you can help me with?

Re: Adding external rule to event trigger

MjDeck — Fri, 10 May 2019 17:30:22 GMT

Yes, I think I can help.
iLogic won't search for external rules in subdirectories. Since you have drawing rules in a subdirectory, please include the subdirectory name in this line of code:

EventPropSet.Add("file://Drawing - Auto_AUTOCAD_DWG", "BeforeDocSave0", 700)

Change it to something like this:

EventPropSet.Add("file://Drawing Rules\Drawing - Auto_AUTOCAD_DWG", "BeforeDocSave0", 700)