Converting VBA script into Python (+comtypes) script

[Anonymous]

Dear community,

I want to convert this script:

Public Sub GetExtrudeFeature()
   Dim partDoc As PartDocument
   Set partDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
   
   Dim oSTLTranslator As TranslatorAddIn
   Set oSTLTranslator = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns _
        .ItemById("{533E9A98-FC3B-11D4-8E7E-0010B541CD80}")
   
    
  Dim oContext As TranslationContext
  Set oContext = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateTranslationContext
 
  Dim oOptions As NameValueMap
  Set oOptions = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap
 
'    Save Copy As Options:
'       Name Value Map:
'               ExportUnits = 4
'               Resolution = 1
'               AllowMoveMeshNode = False
'               SurfaceDeviation = 60
'               NormalDeviation = 14
'               MaxEdgeLength = 100
'               AspectRatio = 40
'               ExportFileStructure = 0
'               OutputFileType = 0
'               ExportColor = True
 
  If oSTLTranslator.HasSaveCopyAsOptions(partDoc, oContext, oOptions) Then
 
    ' Set accuracy.
    '   2 = High,  1 = Medium,  0 = Low
    oOptions.Value("Resolution") = 1
   
    ' Set output file type:
    '   0 - binary,  1 - ASCII
    oOptions.Value("OutputFileType") = 1
   
    oContext.Type = kFileBrowseIOMechanism
   
    Dim oData As DataMedium
    Set oData = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateDataMedium
    oData.FileName = "C:\Users\t.pietrowskie\Desktop\Plate.stl"
 
    Call oSTLTranslator.SaveCopyAs(partDoc, oContext, oOptions, oData)
  End If
  
  MsgBox oData.FileName
End Sub

into a Python script. So I found comtypes and began to write this code:

import comtypes.client

ThisApplication = comtypes.client.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")
partDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

But at the last line, it fails because the object has no ActiveDokument, but I have one open and the macro inside Inventor works.

(What comtypes does is connecting to the COM service of Inventor.)

Do you have an idea or at least an hint how to get this working?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Could it be that the missing API functions are due to the trial I'm using?

[MechMachineMan]

Are you sure that the ThisApplication call is actually returning an object of the valid type for the call to be made on?

Should you use an error loop/test such as "If ThisApplication = Nothing" to check that it's properly returned?

[Anonymous]

Well, what I'm getting back as a type is:

<class 'comtypes.POINTER(IUnknown)'>

What works correctly is:

ThisApplication = comtypes.client.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")

Whenever I have Inventor closed, the script fails and complains it couldn't connect. 

[MechMachineMan]

Sounds about right.

Try adding in the test as suggested and let us know if it does in fact return not empty so we can be 100% sure that the issue is beyond the function call.

Also, is the win32client an old/inappropriate method? because I see a lot of samples and discussions regarding such a way in my searching.

[Anonymous]

I already tried that, but it was not working.

Something I haven't tried is: win32client

Is is simply an alternative to comtypes. Both are 3rd-party modules.

Thank you for the hint, so I can investigate into this!

[Anonymous]

Hey Justin,

taking a look on win32com was worth it! We are not really close, but we have to find a way how to set options in a iProperty.

What Python does not understand is this:

Options.Value("OutputFileType") = 1

Using brackets Python expects a function to be called and you can't assign a value to a function that needs to be called. So I thought it might behave like a dictionary in Python:

Options.Value["OutputFileType"] = 1

.. , but this does not work.

I noticed that I can also get the value not only by:

Options.Value("OutputFileType")

but also by: 

Options.Item("OutputFileType")

So are there more members I can use on "Options"? A function, which allows to set values by keyword? Eg. "Options.Set("OutputFileType", "STL")"?

Here is the code I've got over here. 

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

'''
Created on 07.11.2017

@author: Thomas Pietrowski
@api: http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-AA811AF0-2494-4574-8C43-4C22E608252F
'''

import os

import ctypes

import win32com
win32com.__gen_path__ = os.path.join(os.path.split(__file__)[0], "gen_dir") 

import win32com.client
import pythoncom


#ThisApplication = win32com.client.gencache.EnsureDispatch("Inventor.Application")
try:
    ThisApplication = win32com.client.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")
except:
    ThisApplication = win32com.client.Dispatch("Inventor.Application")
    #ThisApplication.Visible=True

foreign_filename = "C:\\Users\\t.pietrowskie\\AppData\\Roaming\\cura\\3.0\\plugins\\CuraInventorPlugin\\CuraInventorPlugin\\test\\Inventor Professional 2018\\test_cube.ipt"

#Document = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

# Open files
open_documents = []
if ThisApplication.Documents.Count:
    for i in range(ThisApplication.Documents.Count):
        open_document = ThisApplication.Documents.Item(i+1)
        print(open_document.FullFileName)
        open_documents.append(open_document)

if foreign_filename not in open_documents:
    document = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(foreign_filename)
    document_opened = True
else:
    document_opened = False


STLTranslatorAddIn = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns.ItemById("{533E9A98-FC3B-11D4-8E7E-0010B541CD80}")
Context = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateTranslationContext()
Options = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap()
#    Save Copy As Options:
#       Name Value Map:
#               ExportUnits = 4
#               Resolution = 1
#               AllowMoveMeshNode = False
#               SurfaceDeviation = 60
#               NormalDeviation = 14
#               MaxEdgeLength = 100
#               AspectRatio = 40
#               ExportFileStructure = 0
#               OutputFileType = 0
#               ExportColor = True

if STLTranslatorAddIn.HasSaveCopyAsOptions(document, Context, Options):
    # Set accuracy.
    #   2 = High,  1 = Medium,  0 = Low
    # was 4
    
    res = Options.Value("Resolution")
    res = 2
    
    print(Options.Set)
    print(dir(Options.Value("Resolution")))
    
    print(Options.Value("Resolution"))

    # Set output file type:
    #   0 - binary,  1 - ASCII
    Options.Value["OutputFileType"] = 1

    Options.Type = ThisApplication.IOMechanismEnum.kFileBrowseIOMechanism

    Data = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateDataMedium
    filedir, filename = os.path.split(foreign_filename)
    # if "." in filename
    real_filename = os.path.splitext(filename)[0]
    stl_filename = real_filename + ".stl"
    stl_fullpath = os.path.join(filedir, stl_filename)
    Data.FileName = stl_fullpath
    print("saved as: {}".format(stl_fullpath))

    STLTranslatorAddIn.SaveCopyAs(document, Context, Options, Data)

if document_opened:
    document.Close(True)

PS: Here on Python I can't see any members. It is like coding in the dark..

[MechMachineMan]

Glad it's mostly working for you.

As far as the options, thing, here is all I can find:

http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-5FDFF606-1D15-4FA0-9ED1-1BF4A3BCEBF8

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Continued hacking around and now it works. Before using Insert, I had to remove the entry from the map, but now it works!

You can input .ipt or .iam files and get .stl files.

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

'''
Created on 07.11.2017

@author: Thomas Pietrowski
@api: http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-AA811AF0-2494-4574-8C43-4C22E608252F
'''

import os

import ctypes

import win32com
win32com.__gen_path__ = os.path.join(os.path.split(__file__)[0], "gen_dir") 

import win32com.client
import pythoncom


#ThisApplication = win32com.client.gencache.EnsureDispatch("Inventor.Application")
try:
    ThisApplication = win32com.client.GetActiveObject("Inventor.Application")
except:
    ThisApplication = win32com.client.Dispatch("Inventor.Application")
    #ThisApplication.Visible=True

#foreign_filename = ".\\test_cube.ipt"
foreign_filename = ".\\test_cube.iam"

#Document = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

# Open files
open_documents = []
if ThisApplication.Documents.Count:
    for i in range(ThisApplication.Documents.Count):
        open_document = ThisApplication.Documents.Item(i+1)
        print(open_document.FullFileName)
        open_documents.append(open_document)

if foreign_filename not in open_documents:
    document = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(foreign_filename)
    document_opened = True
else:
    document_opened = False


STLTranslatorAddIn = ThisApplication.ApplicationAddIns.ItemById("{533E9A98-FC3B-11D4-8E7E-0010B541CD80}")
Context = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateTranslationContext()
Options = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateNameValueMap()
#    Save Copy As Options:
#       Name Value Map:
#               ExportUnits = 4
#               Resolution = 1
#               AllowMoveMeshNode = False
#               SurfaceDeviation = 60
#               NormalDeviation = 14
#               MaxEdgeLength = 100
#               AspectRatio = 40
#               ExportFileStructure = 0
#               OutputFileType = 0
#               ExportColor = True

if STLTranslatorAddIn.HasSaveCopyAsOptions(document, Context, Options):
    # Set accuracy.
    #   2 = High,  1 = Medium,  0 = Low
    # was 4
    
    # http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-5FDFF606-1D15-4FA0-9ED1-1BF4A3BCEBF8
    Options.Remove("Resolution")
    Options.Insert("Resolution", 2)
    
    # Set output file type:
    #   0 - binary,  1 - ASCII
    Options.Remove("OutputFileType")
    Options.Insert("OutputFileType", 1)

    # IOMechanismEnum Enumerator - http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-A3660CD6-8B11-48CE-9FA5-E51DCC6F8DEB
    Context.Type = 13059 #kFileBrowseIOMechanism

    Data = ThisApplication.TransientObjects.CreateDataMedium()
    filedir, filename = os.path.split(foreign_filename)
    # if "." in filename
    real_filename = os.path.splitext(filename)[0]
    stl_filename = real_filename + ".stl"
    stl_fullpath = os.path.join(filedir, stl_filename)
    Data.FileName = stl_fullpath
    print("saved as: {}".format(stl_fullpath))

    STLTranslatorAddIn.SaveCopyAs(document, Context, Options, Data)

if document_opened:
    document.Close(True)

Also I found a typo in the VBA example code. However, now it works!

Thank you very much for leading me to the solution!