Ask to select file to place view from while opening the new drawing template.
Hi @ABHUT_9090. There are likely multiple ways to do what you want, but I have something that may work for you. This iLogic rule, when ran, should first check to make sure a DrawingDocument is 'active', then show a Open dialog, which will allow you to browse to a file and select it. Then, it will check to make sure something was returned from that dialog. Then it will copy the full file name of that chosen file to something similar to Inventor's clipboard. Then it will execute a command for creating a base drawing view. It should pick up on the file name we sent into Inventor's clipboard as which file/model to create the view for, so you won't have to re-specify something.
Sub Main
If ThisApplication.ActiveDocumentType <> DocumentTypeEnum.kDrawingDocumentObject Then
MsgBox("A Drawing Document must be active for this rule to work. Exiting.", vbCritical, "iLogic")
Exit Sub
End If
oFile = GetFile
If String.IsNullOrEmpty(oFile) Then Exit Sub 'or Return
'The following line sends the file name to Inventor's Clipboard, this can be used to automatically
'fill in a dialog that would normally pop-up asking for what model you want to place into your drawing.
ThisApplication.CommandManager.PostPrivateEvent(PrivateEventTypeEnum.kFileNameEvent, oFile)
ThisApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions.Item("DrawingBaseViewCmd").Execute
End Sub
Function GetFile() As String
Dim oFileName As String = ""
Dim oDoc As Inventor.Document
Dim oFileDialog As Inventor.FileDialog
ThisApplication.CreateFileDialog(oFileDialog)
oFileDialog.DialogTitle = "Select A File To Create A Drawing View For."
oFileDialog.InitialDirectory = ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath
oFileDialog.Filter = "Autodesk Inventor Files (*.iam;*.ipt:*.ipn;*.ide) | *.iam;*ipt;*.ipn;*.ide | All files (*.*)|*.*"
oFileDialog.MultiSelectEnabled = False
oFileDialog.OptionsEnabled = False
oFileDialog.CancelError = True
oFileDialog.InsertMode = False
On Error Resume Next
oFileDialog.ShowOpen
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
'something went wrong, return empty String, and exit Function
Return oFileName
Else
oFileName = oFileDialog.FileName
Return oFileName
End If
End Function
However, that is not everything needed. With your target Template drawing open, you will need to place the iLogic rule that you put this code into, within the Event Triggers dialog (make sure it is on the 'This Document' tab), under the After Open Document event. Then save the template file. Now, every time you 'open' (not click New) it will run that rule. However, if you want it to run when you are using the New command, then choosing this template, you will want this rule under the 'New Document' event instead.
Another simpler approach, that wouldn't require any code, would be to start from the model file you want to create the drawing of, then use this technique:
Right click on the top browser node (on the Model browser of the open model document), then choose 'Create Drawing View' from that right click menu. It will still want you to select a template, if you have more than one, but it will already know what model to place a view of.
Wesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
The alternative to executing those two commands (the command to copy the file name to the clipboard, and the command to create a base view), would be to have the rule go ahead and create the first view. But that would require hard coding the view's specific location/placement on the active sheet, and specifying the scale of the view, and specifying the camera/view cube orientation of the model in the view, and specifying view style (hidden lines, shaded, etc). Here is an example of that alternative, that fills in some random values for those needed inputs and creates a view at the center of the sheet.
Sub Main
If ThisApplication.ActiveDocumentType <> DocumentTypeEnum.kDrawingDocumentObject Then
MsgBox("A Drawing Document must be active for this rule to work. Exiting.", vbCritical, "iLogic")
Exit Sub
End If
Dim oDDoc As DrawingDocument = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
oSheet = oDDoc.ActiveSheet
oViews = oSheet.DrawingViews
oFile = GetFile
If String.IsNullOrEmpty(oFile) Then Exit Sub 'or Return
Dim oModel As Document = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(oFile, False)
oPosition = ThisApplication.TransientGeometry.CreatePoint2d((oSheet.Width / 2), (oSheet.Height / 2))
oOrientation = ViewOrientationTypeEnum.kFrontViewOrientation
oStyle = DrawingViewStyleEnum.kHiddenLineDrawingViewStyle
oView = oViews.AddBaseView(oModel, oPosition, .5, oOrientation, oStyle)
End Sub
Function GetFile() As String
Dim oFileName As String = ""
Dim oDoc As Inventor.Document
Dim oFileDialog As Inventor.FileDialog
ThisApplication.CreateFileDialog(oFileDialog)
oFileDialog.DialogTitle = "Select A File To Create A Drawing View For."
oFileDialog.InitialDirectory = ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath
oFileDialog.Filter = "Autodesk Inventor Files (*.iam;*.ipt:*.ipn;*.ide) | *.iam;*.ipt;*.ipn;*.ide | All files (*.*)|*.*"
oFileDialog.MultiSelectEnabled = False
oFileDialog.OptionsEnabled = False
oFileDialog.CancelError = True
oFileDialog.InsertMode = False
On Error Resume Next
oFileDialog.ShowOpen
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
'something went wrong, return empty String, and exit Function
Return oFileName
Else
oFileName = oFileDialog.FileName
Return oFileName
End If
End Function
Wesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
It did that to me in my tests too. I don't know why it goes ahead and places the view, without showing the dialog. The command I'm using is the same command that is fired when you click on the 'Base View' tool on the 'Place Views' tab of a drawing, which normally always shows the dialog, then allows you to make changes before finalizing and placing a view.
Since that process isn't going to work for you, the only other process I can think of, that I have tried before, is to basically simulate the process I showed in the image above, where you right click on the top model browser node of a model document, then choose 'Create Drawing View' from the right click menu. But that process always wants to start with a 'new' drawing document (from a chosen drawing template). It is also not ideal, because for me, since I have multiple drawing templates, it displays the dialog for me to choose a template to start the drawing from. But after that it is ready to place a view of the model, with the view dialog still open and awaiting further instructions. I believe though, that the model document must be 'visibly' opened to make it work, so I changed the line of code which opens the model, to open it visibly now, instead of invisibly. Either way, the model must be opened in order to make drawing views of it though.
Here is that version of the code:
Sub Main
If ThisApplication.ActiveDocumentType <> DocumentTypeEnum.kDrawingDocumentObject Then
MsgBox("A Drawing Document must be active for this rule to work. Exiting.", vbCritical, "iLogic")
Exit Sub
End If
Dim oDDoc As DrawingDocument = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
oSheet = oDDoc.ActiveSheet
oViews = oSheet.DrawingViews
oFile = GetFile
If String.IsNullOrEmpty(oFile) Then Exit Sub 'or Return
Dim oModel As Document = ThisApplication.Documents.Open(oFile, True)
'create new drawing view of model, on in new drawing document (might ask to choose a template)
'similar to right-clicking on top node of model, then choosing 'Create Drawing View'
'select top Model browser node of the Model document, then execute command
oModel.BrowserPanes.Item("Model").TopNode.DoSelect
ThisApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions.Item("UCxCreateDrawingViewCmd").Execute
End Sub
Function GetFile() As String
Dim oFileName As String = ""
Dim oDoc As Inventor.Document
Dim oFileDialog As Inventor.FileDialog
ThisApplication.CreateFileDialog(oFileDialog)
oFileDialog.DialogTitle = "Select A File To Create A Drawing View For."
oFileDialog.InitialDirectory = ThisApplication.DesignProjectManager.ActiveDesignProject.WorkspacePath
oFileDialog.Filter = "Autodesk Inventor Files (*.iam;*.ipt:*.ipn;*.ide) | *.iam;*.ipt;*.ipn;*.ide | All files (*.*)|*.*"
oFileDialog.MultiSelectEnabled = False
oFileDialog.OptionsEnabled = False
oFileDialog.CancelError = True
oFileDialog.InsertMode = False
On Error Resume Next
oFileDialog.ShowOpen
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
'something went wrong, return empty String, and exit Function
Return oFileName
Else
oFileName = oFileDialog.FileName
Return oFileName
End If
End FunctionWesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
The code I originally posted in 'Message 2' was supposed to do that, but it does not appear to be working as planned. I'm not sure why it is not leaving the view dialog open and waiting for further instructions, instead of going ahead and placing the view with no dialog. Seems to me like it used to work that way for me in the past, but is not working that way now. I'm using Inventor 2022.1.1 right now. That last command that is being executed should be simply simulating clicking that 'Base View' button. There is an alternative method to Execute, which is called Execute2, but I don't think they would make any difference, because I believe it just deals with process timing.
Wesley Crihfield
(Not an Autodesk Employee)
