topic Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020 in .NET Forum

Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

gyanendra.gurung4NKYM — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 20:56:05 GMT

Dear Mentors @_gile ,

1. I am trying to create a viewport through C# and I was testing the code available on Autodesk
http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2016/ENU/?guid=GUID-61C22902-F63B-4204-86EC-FA37312D1B6E

2. When I run this program with AUTOCAD 2020, I get this error

3. I tried replacing "acad.exe" with "acdb23.dll" or "accoremgd.dll" and it did not work.

4. As a novice, the use of DLLIMPORT and ENTRYPOINT are both very new to me and I am really excited to learn more about it. But, at the same time I also want to know WHERE and HOW do I figure out the ENTRYPOINTs of acad.exe in my computer? Does AUTODESK have a reference on the website?

Many many thanks

Kenny

using System.Runtime.InteropServices; using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime; using Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices; using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices; using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry; [DllImport("acad.exe", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Cdecl, EntryPoint = "?acedSetCurrentVPort@@YA?AW4ErrorStatus@Acad@@PBVAcDbViewport@@@Z")] extern static private int acedSetCurrentVPort(IntPtr AcDbVport); [CommandMethod("CreateFloatingViewport")] public static void CreateFloatingViewport() { // Get the current document and database, and start a transaction Document acDoc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument; Database acCurDb = acDoc.Database; using (Transaction acTrans = acCurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()) { // Open the Block table for read BlockTable acBlkTbl; acBlkTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.BlockTableId, OpenMode.ForRead) as BlockTable; // Open the Block table record Paper space for write BlockTableRecord acBlkTblRec; acBlkTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acBlkTbl[BlockTableRecord.PaperSpace], OpenMode.ForWrite) as BlockTableRecord; // Switch to the previous Paper space layout Application.SetSystemVariable("TILEMODE", 0); acDoc.Editor.SwitchToPaperSpace(); // Create a Viewport using (Viewport acVport = new Viewport()) { acVport.CenterPoint = new Point3d(3.25, 3, 0); acVport.Width = 6; acVport.Height = 5; // Add the new object to the block table record and the transaction acBlkTblRec.AppendEntity(acVport); acTrans.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(acVport, true); // Change the view direction acVport.ViewDirection = new Vector3d(1, 1, 1); // Enable the viewport acVport.On = true; // Activate model space in the viewport acDoc.Editor.SwitchToModelSpace(); // Set the new viewport current via an imported ObjectARX function acedSetCurrentVPort(acVport.UnmanagedObject); } // Save the new objects to the database acTrans.Commit(); } }

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

_gile — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 05:40:26 GMT

Hi,

Since A2013, the first argument should be "accore.dll", but the EntryPoint might change at each major version.

You should be able to avoid P/Invoking acedSetCurrentVPort by changing the CVPORT system variable with the ViewPort.Number:

Application.SetSystemVariable("CVPORT", acVPort.Number);

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

gyanendra.gurung4NKYM — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 21:14:26 GMT

Dear @_gile

1. I wanted to take some time to read more about DLLIMPORT and try out your solution (and also understand it). But, I could not resolve my issue. However, the only workaround my issues was to run a short lisp script inside the .net code. However, you have written several times to many members on this forum about the problems/dangers of running lisp code with .net. But, I just could not find any other solution to convert my lisp code to a .net code.

2. This is what I want to do in .net. It is part of an alignment sheet program that I originally wrote in Autolisp. At the moment, I am trying to convert everything into C#.

;; Creates a viewport with input central coordinates and dimensions. ;; Then, it zooms into the center point of the modelspace object to ;; view in the viewport. Then, it scales the viewport assuming that ;; 1 unit in paperspace = 1 mm and 1 unit in modelspace = 1 meter. (defun c:create_zoom_and_rotate_viewport ( / input_as_string delim param_lst, midpt_x midpt_y planRotationAng planViewPortHeight planViewPortLength psBandCenterX psBandCenterY magnificationValue psMapScaleFactor) (setq acDoc (vla-get-activeDocument (vlax-get-acad-Object ))) ;; ---------- I N P U T P A R A M E T E R S ----------;; ;; Get input parameters as a long concatenated string ;; (setq input_as_string (getstring T "")) (setq input_as_string "1682,1227,200,50,140,115,10,-5,100") (setq param_lst (sparse_string input_as_string)) ;; string to list ;; Central coordinates (in modelspace units) of object to view ;; through viewport (setq midpt_x (atof (nth 0 param_lst))) (setq midpt_y (atof (nth 1 param_lst))) ;; Dimension of Viewport (in paperspace units) (setq planViewPortLength (atof (nth 2 param_lst))) (setq planViewPortHeight (atof (nth 3 param_lst))) ;; Central coordinates (in paperspace units) of viewport (setq psBandCenterX (atof (nth 4 param_lst))) (setq psBandCenterY (atof (nth 5 param_lst))) ;; Zoom level, rotation angle, and map scale value (setq magnificationValue (atof (nth 6 param_lst))) (setq planRotationAng (atof (nth 7 param_lst))) (setq psMapScaleFactor (atof (nth 8 param_lst))) ;; -----------------------------------------------------;; (foreach layout (layoutlist) (setvar "ctab" layout) ;; Center point of ViewPort ;; (setq centerPt (vlax-3d-point psBandCenterX psBandCenterY 0) ) ;; Set paperspace (vla-put-ActiveSpace acDoc acPaperSpace) (setq pspace (vla-get-PaperSpace acDoc)) ;; Prepare viewport object (setq planViewPort (vla-addPViewPort pspace centerPt planViewPortLength planViewPortHeight )) (vla-Display planViewPort :vlax-true) ;; Before making a paper space Viewport active, the mspace ;; property needs to be True (vla-put-MSpace acDoc :vlax-true) (vla-put-ActivePViewport acDoc planViewPort) ;; TEST OUTPUT ;; (print "Plan Viewport activated") (setq zcenter (vlax-3d-point midpt_x midpt_y 0)) (vla-ZoomCenter (vlax-get-acad-object) zcenter magnificationValue) ;; TEST OUTPUT ;; (print "Zoomed to Midpoint of Plan View") ;; Rotate model inside viewport as per the rotation of North Arrow (command "_.DVIEW" "" "_TW" planRotationAng "") ;; TEST OUTPUT ;; (print "Map rotated") ;; Calculate "Custom Scale" of viewport ;; for metric units, assuming 1 unit = 1 mm in paperspace ;; and 1 unit = 1 meter in modelspace (setq custom_Scale (/ 1000 psMapScaleFactor)) ;; Close and lock modelspace of viewport (vla-put-MSpace acDoc :vlax-false) (vla-put-CustomScale planViewPort custom_Scale) (vlax-put-property planViewPort 'DisplayLocked :vlax-true) ) ) ;; Function to sparse string into list (defun sparse_string (input_string ) (while (setq working_string (vl-string-search "," input_string)) (setq out_list (cons (substr input_string 1 working_string) out_list)) (setq input_string (substr input_string (+ working_string 2))) ) (reverse (cons input_string out_list)) )

3. To run this, I simply use:

AcAp.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.SendStringToExecute("._CREATE_ZOOM_AND_ROTATE_VIEWPORT ", true, false, false);

(*NOTE: I found the autolisp function is called LAST(AT-THE-END), i.e. after all of the C# code is executed)

4. If I avoid AutoLISP, then I can do it partially by defining the four corners of the viewport with this:

Editor ed = Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Editor; ed.Command("MVIEW", "P", "99,110", "99,195", "415,195", "415,110", "C");

5. Now, the help file on creating a viewport on Autodesk's website (which I included in my original post) seem to be the best option to use, but it does not work, mainly because
(a) I do not know what is the ENTRY POINT for Viewport is in AutoCad 2021

(b) I would like to find/search the ENTRY POINT on my own, but I cannot find any references on how I can accomplish this. How do I find the entry point name for the dlls in AutoCAD? I have seen so many other posts by others using DLLIMPORT for other functions, but no one says where and how to find the STRING NAME of the entry point.

Once again, thank you very much for your patience and answer.

Kenny

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

Alexander.Rivilis — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 21:48:36 GMT

@gyanendra.gurung4NKYM

(b) https://adndevblog.typepad.com/autocad/2012/07/decorated-names-with-dependency-walker-tool.html

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

gyanendra.gurung4NKYM — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:57:30 GMT

Hi Alexander,

Many thanks for your reply. I shall try this out and reply in this post later.

Kenny

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

Alexander.Rivilis — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 15:13:24 GMT

Other method is using dumpbin.exe (this file in Visual Studio) in order to get Export Table of lib-file from ObjectARX SDK or exe/dll from AutoCAD

For example, attached file with result of command line (from ObjectARX SDK 2021\lib-x64\accore.lib) :

dumpbin.exe /exports accore.lib > accore.lib.txt

Re: Using Dllimport for AutoCAD2020

gyanendra.gurung4NKYM — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 22:50:49 GMT

Hi @Alexander.Rivilis

Thank you very much for your prompt reply and additional suggestions. I finally found the correct ENTRYPOINT.

To use the AutoCAD example for AutoCAD 2021 to create a viewport with C#.NET, we should change the following code (in the example):

[DllImport("acad.exe", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Cdecl, EntryPoint = "?acedSetCurrentVPort@@YA?AW4ErrorStatus@Acad@@PBVAcDbViewport@@@Z")]

to the following:

[DllImport("accore.dll", CallingConvention = CallingConvention.Cdecl, EntryPoint = "?acedSetCurrentVPort@@YA?AW4ErrorStatus@Acad@@PEBVAcDbViewport@@@Z")]

By doing so, one can easily create viewports. This is so exciting !

Many many thanks to the mentors: @Alexander.Rivilis for the sending me the link to the Dependency Walker program, and to @_gile for showing me the correct the dll ("accore.dll") to use. .