topic Help with Global Variable from Edit_Box in Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization Forum

Help with Global Variable from Edit_Box

cbenner — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 14:42:54 GMT

Good morning,

At this point in my code, all I am trying to do is get user input in an edit_box in my dcl, and pass it to a global variable. That's it. Not trying to use that variable for anything yet... just capture it. No matter what I try I get some sort of an error, mostly ; error: bad argument type: stringp nil, when trying to view Alert the value.

Eventually I will be using this with a block attribute increment program. I found that code in these forums and it works great.... but I need to be able to use these global variables.

My dcl and lsp are attached, would someone have time to take a peek? TIA!!

Re: Help with Global Variable from Edit_Box

paullimapa — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:06:25 GMT

RE: pnum itinc etinc ltinc

To use these as global variables, don't localize them.

Change the first line of your code

from:

(defun C:setup ( pnum itinc etinc ltinc / )

to:

(defun C:setup ( )

Then load Dwg_Setup.lsp again

At the command prompt enter:

SETUP

Now the dialog should come up.

Go ahead & make some changes to the entries and click OK.

Now to see if the variables get set, at the command prompt precede each variable with an ! exclamation mark:

!pnum

!itinc

!etinc

!ltinc

PS: As a convention, I would match the new lisp command name to the same as the file name ie:

(defun C:Dwg_setup ( )

Re: Help with Global Variable from Edit_Box

_gile — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:12:37 GMT

Hi,

1. In the DCL the kay values should have been strings

DWG_Setup : dialog {				//dialog name
    label = "P&ID Drawing Setup" ;	        //give it a label

    : row {					//*define row

        : edit_box { label = "Process Number"; key = "prnum"; width = 7; value = "100"; }
	: edit_box { label = "Inst Tag Incr"; key = "ininc"; width = 7; value = "1"; }
	: edit_box { label = "Equip Tag Incr"; key = "eqinc"; width = 7; value = "5"; }
	: edit_box { label = "Line Tag Incr"; key = "liinc"; width = 7; value = "10"; }
    }
    ok_cancel ;				        //predifined OK/Cancel

}					        //end dialog

2. You're talking about assigning global variable, but you're using the same symbols as the arguments of the function (that you never use in the code)

3. You do not need the (set_tile ...) statements in the LISP if you used Value = ... in the DCL

4. You should not have any expression after (done_dialog), use the value returned by start_dialog instead of userclick)

(defun C:setup (/ p i e l status)

  (setq dcl_id (load_dialog "DWG_setup.dcl"))
  (if (not (new_dialog "DWG_Setup" dcl_id))
    (exit)
  )

  (action_tile "prnum" "(setq p $value)")
  (action_tile "ininc" "(setq i $value)")
  (action_tile "eqinc" "(setq e $value)")
  (action_tile "liinc" "(setq l $value)")
  (action_tile "cancel" "(done_dialog 0)")
  (action_tile "accept" "(done_dialog 1)")

  (setq status (start_dialog))
  (unload_dialog dcl_id)

  ;; if the user clicked OK (done_dialog 1)
  ;; set the global variables
  (if (= status 1)
    (setq pnum p
          itinc i
          etinq e
          ltinc l
          userclick T
    )
    (setq userclick nil)
  )
  (princ)
)

Re: Help with Global Variable from Edit_Box

cbenner — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:40:36 GMT

@_gile wrote:

Hi,

1. In the DCL the kay values should have been strings

Thanks for that, I knew that and looked right at it, and didn't see it. More coffee needed?

2. You're talking about assigning global variable, but you're using the same symbols as the arguments of the function (that you never use in the code)

That's because I don't know what I'm doing.

3. You do not need the (set_tile ...) statements in the LISP if you used Value = ... in the DCL

4. You should not have any expression after (done_dialog), use the value returned by start_dialog instead of userclick)

The code you modified works very nicely. Thank you for the help. I haven't done any kind of lisp in 25 years. I like to try what I can first, and then ask for help when I get very lost. I learn a lot from you guys who do this all the time. SO, thank you!