Modify Inventor dialogs & context-menus

[Anonymous]

I have two questions: 

(1) May I modify Inventor provided dialogs and how? For example, add an item and icon "Cut & New Solid" as below, which not only cuts the existing solids but also keeps the tool shape (which is sphere here) as a new solid.

(2) May I add a menu item to Inventor provided context menu and how? The menu item "EM Properties" is used to show the solid's electromagnetic properties like refractive index.

[Owner2229]

Hi, can you please post the images again? They won't load for us from your GMail.

[Anonymous]

Images here also

[rjay75 · Accepted solution]

No you can't modify the existing Inventor dialogs. But yes you can add custom items to the Context Menu. The Inventor API help has a sample program demonstrating adding a Button to the Context Menu.

[Anonymous]

rjay75, I'm having trouble finding the sample you're referring to. Would you have any tips on how to find it? Thank you.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

You need to install the ASK kit first in your programfiles folder / bin/ SDK

[rjay75]

Had to dig back to old versions of the API help. But from the 2013 help here is the example code. I've test this and the code still works in 2017.

Add a button to the context menu API Sample

' Copy the following into a Module.

Option Explicit

Public oClass1 As Class1

Sub AddToMenu()
    Set oClass1 = New Class1
    oClass1.Initialize
End Sub

'*************************************************************
' The declarations and functions below need to be copied into
' a class module whose name is "Class1".  The name 
' can be changed but you'll need to change the declaration in
' the calling function "AddToMenu" to use the new name.


Option Explicit
Private WithEvents oUserInputEvents As UserInputEvents

Public Sub Initialize()
    Set oUserInputEvents = ThisApplication.CommandManager.UserInputEvents
End Sub

Private Sub oUserInputEvents_OnContextMenu(ByVal SelectionDevice As SelectionDeviceEnum, ByVal AdditionalInfo As NameValueMap, ByVal CommandBar As CommandBar)

    On Error Resume Next
    
    ' Check if the context menu has the 'Home View' (formerly 'Isometric View') command
    Dim oCmdBarControl As CommandBarControl
    Set oCmdBarControl = CommandBar.Controls.Item("AppIsometricViewCmd")
    
    If Not oCmdBarControl Is Nothing Then
        
        Dim oCtrlDef As ControlDefinition
        Set oCtrlDef = ThisApplication.CommandManager.ControlDefinitions.Item("AppZoomAllCmd")
        
        ' Add the "Zoom All" command before the home view command
        Call CommandBar.Controls.AddButton(oCtrlDef, oCmdBarControl.index)
        
    End If
    
End Sub

I still use this code in software using C#.

Summarizing what it does.

Create a button definition. Add it to the ControlDefinitions of the Application.CommandManager object. Add a event handler on the button class as normal. Add an event handler to the CommandManager.UserInputs.OnContextMenu event. In that event handler determine if it's the appropriate context to show your command. IE... look at any selected objects etc... If so add your button to the list if it's not there. If not and it's present remove your button. The definition still exists.

Some C# code I use to achieve this. I create the command definition as normal, but use the event to conditionally add it to the context menu.

Snippet

void UserInputEvents_OnContextMenu(SelectionDeviceEnum SelectionDevice, NameValueMap AdditionalInfo, CommandBar CommandBar)
{
    if (appInventor.ActiveDocument == null)
        return;
    CommandBarControl cmdCtrl = null;
    foreach (CommandBarControl tCtrl in CommandBar.Controls)
    {
        if (tCtrl.InternalName.Equals("btnNewBtnName"))
        {
            cmdCtrl = tCtrl;
            break;
        }
    }
    bool hasItems = appInventor.ActiveDocument.SelectSet.Count > 0;
    if ((cmdCtrl == null) && hasItems)
    {
        cmdCtrl = CommandBar.Controls.AddButton(btnNewBtn);
    }
    else if ((cmdCtrl != null) && !hasItems)
    {
        cmdCtrl.Delete();
    }
}

[Anonymous]

Thank you. Now I'm looking to find out which component instance was hovered over when the user did the right click which triggers this event handler. The AdditionalInfo NameValueMap is always null from what I'm seeing. 

The part in an assembly does get highlighted when I right click on it but my document.HighlightSets.Count = 0 

Is there another way to find out what the user intended context was when they did the right click?

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

Hope this piece of code will help you!

 Dim oselectionSet As SelectSet = m_inventorApplication.ActiveDocument.SelectSet
                            Dim oSelectedCompOcc As ComponentOccurrence = oselectionSet.Item(1)
                            
dim oDoc as document = oSelectedCompOcc.Definition.Document

MsgBox(oDoc.fullfilename)

                           

[Anonymous]

Thanks. That's what I went with yes but it's not always what they right clicked on to open the menu. If you already had somethings selected and you then right click on another part in the assembly the selection set has the previously selected parts, not the one that was just right clicked on. This is why UI context is usually passed to this sort of event... to give specific context for the user interaction. 

[bradeneuropeArthur]

Hi,

Would the mouse click event bring something?

Or mousehover?

[Anonymous]

Good question. I don't see those on CommandManager.UserInputEvents

I'll play around with OnPreSelect and OnStopPreselect. That looks like the same concept. 

Thank you for sharing that suggestion.

[rjay75]

Hello, the event that would supply that information is the UserInputEvents.OnPreSelect event.

[bradeneuropeArthur]

I will take a look at this soon ok?

[Anonymous]

Yep, that's working for me. I just capture the info and then clear it when the OnStopPreselect fires. If the context menu opens up before OnStopPreselect then I have what I need so that works good.

Thanks to all.