Edit APJ details (Autocad Arch.) in a new palette

[faugustom]

Hi all;

I'm new in programming; know only the very basics;

My goal is to edit the project details in AutoCAD Architecture using a tool palette;
Form my little knowledge, I have an empty palette set with this files;

- MyPaletteSet.cs;
- MyCommands.cs;

My questions are:
- How and where to load the apj file;
- How to show a especifique detail, like this:

	<Details Name="Obra">
		<Entry Name="Data" Value="01/01/2023"/>
	</Details>

in a textbox field, then change it and save back to APJ file;

@Ed__Jobe, I was asking in the AUGI forum (https://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?67326-ACA-2008-Project-Details&p=1354550#post1354550); It would be a similar program, but running on the palette;

Thanks'

[Ed__Jobe]

If i remember right, the apj file is just an xml file with the extension renamed. You would need an api for the project similar to the SheetSet api. I haven't used ACA for years, and I don't have it installed so I can't tell you if an api is available. But since it's an xml, you could create your own api to read/write the apj. I think that ACA installs some dll's and COM type libraries, so you could look there for an apj api.

[Gepaha]

Add reference to "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD xxxx\ACA\AecProjectBaseMgd.dll".
using Autodesk.Aec.Project;

Example in "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD xxxx\Sample\CS.NET\AecProjectBaseSampleMgd".

This is old so it may have changed:

• Autodesk.Aec.Project – The main project class.
• Autodesk.Aec.ProjectBaseManager – The system wide Project Manager. This contains many utility methods to manipulate projects.
• Autodesk.Aec.ProjectBaseServices – A helper class used to obtain the single ProjectBaseManager object.
• Autodesk.Aec.ProjectConfiguration – Contains information about the project (such as the name, description, and number).

UI Interaction from API requires the use of commands:

• _AecProjectNavigator – This a documented command that will display the project navigator palette. If there is no “current” project, the command will also run the Project Browser dialog.
• _AecRefreshProject – This refreshes mainly the palette. Note that the API has a different method to reload a project, but is different than this command. This command does the same as the refresh project button on the palette.
• _AecSetCurrentProject – This is currently the only way to properly set a project as current from the API.
• _AecCloseProjectNavigator – Closes the project navigator palette. Note it only closes the dialog and the same project is still open and current.
• _AecProjectNavigatorToggle – Simply toggles the project navigator palette on or off.

[faugustom]

Some progress...

Using this code from another thread, I can read the first details of the firt section:

        public static string GetDetailValue()
        {
            ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
            ProjectFileName projectFileName = projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName;
            Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);

            string returnValue = string.Empty;

            foreach (ProjectStringProperty stringProp in activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties)
            {
                string a = stringProp.Name;

                foreach (StringPair strpair in stringProp.StringPairs)
                {
                    string b = strpair.Left;
                    string c = strpair.Right;

                    returnValue = String.Concat(a, b, c);

                    return returnValue;
                }

                return returnValue;
            }

            return returnValue;
        }

The foreach functions weall, but I want to access each item individually;

Somehow, I have to access the ProjectStringProperty from activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties, an then strpair from stringPair... but I didn't discovered how it is indexed...

[Ed__Jobe]

Download Notepad++  and open the apj file and select xml as the format. Then you can read the sections.

[Gepaha]

Analyzing the code you go through only one loop. Use "return returnValue;" only at the end.

public static void ListProjectDetails()
{
    Editor ed = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Editor;
    ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
    Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);

    foreach (ProjectStringProperty stringProp in activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties)
    {
       foreach (StringPair strpair in stringProp.StringPairs)
       {                    
          ed.WriteMessage($"\nName: {stringProp.Name}, Left: {strpair.Left}, Right: {strpair.Right}");
       }                
    }           
}

[faugustom]

Ok, now I'm able to read the details contents by their index (inside []):

        public static string GetDetailValue()
        {
            ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
            ProjectFileName projectFileName = projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName;
            Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);
            ProjectStringProperty stringProp = (ProjectStringProperty)activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties[0];
            StringPair strpair = (StringPair)stringProp.StringPairs[1];
                string a = stringProp.Name;
                string b = strpair.Left;
                string c = strpair.Right;
                            
                return String.Concat(a, b, c);
        }

Next steps are: 
- put this values in a text field;
- save back the changes made in the palette;

[faugustom]

Ok, text box done; showing correct value:

* the label texts will be hardcoded, I don't need to edit then;

code for now, using only right side of the detail:

        public static string GetDetailValue(int _prop,int _pair)
        {
            ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
            ProjectFileName projectFileName = projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName;
            Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);
            ProjectStringProperty stringProp = (ProjectStringProperty)activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties[_prop];
            StringPair strpair = (StringPair)stringProp.StringPairs[_pair];
            return strpair.Right;
        }

Next step, save back changes in the text field 😅

[faugustom · Accepted solution]

Ok, it's done!

1. read the APJ file and print the result in a text box:

MyCommands.cs

        public static string GetDetailValue(int _prop, int _pair)
        {
            ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
            Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);

            ProjectStringProperty stringProp = (ProjectStringProperty)activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties[_prop];
            StringPair strPair = (StringPair)stringProp.StringPairs[_pair];
            return strPair.Right;
        }

Palette.Designer.cs

            // textBox_0_1
            ...
            this.textBox_0_1.Name = "textBox_0_1";
            this.textBox_0_1.Text = MyCommands.GetDetailValue(0,1);

2. Saving the changes to APJ file:

MyCommands.cs:

        public static void SetDetailValue(int _prop, int _pair, string _right)
        {
            ProjectBaseManager projectManager = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager;
            Project activeProj = projectManager.OpenProject(OpenMode.ForRead, projectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path);

            projectManager.UpgradeOpen(activeProj);

            ProjectStringProperty stringProp = (ProjectStringProperty)activeProj.Configuration.StringProperties[_prop];
            StringPair strPair = (StringPair)stringProp.StringPairs[_pair];

            string _left = strPair.Left;

            StringPair newPair = new StringPair(_left, _right);

            stringProp.StringPairs.RemoveAt(_pair);
            stringProp.StringPairs.Insert(_pair, newPair);
            if (activeProj.IsUpdateProjectFileNeeded)
            {
                ProjectFile prjFile = new ProjectFile(activeProj);
                prjFile.DrawingFullPath = ProjectBaseServices.Service.ProjectManager.CurrentProjectFileName.Path;
                bool b = activeProj.UpdateFile(prjFile);
                activeProj.UpdateProjectInformationInDwg(prjFile);
            }
            bool isGoodSave = projectManager.SaveProject(activeProj);
            projectManager.DowngradeOpen(activeProj);
        }

Palette.Designer.cs

            // textBox_0_1
            ...
            this.textBox_0_1.LostFocus += new System.EventHandler(this.textBox_0_1_TextLostFocus);

Palette.cs

        private void textBox_0_1_TextLostFocus(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
        {
            string _value = textBox_0_1.Text;
            MyCommands.SetDetailValue(0,1,_value);
        }