AutoLISP Extended (ALx) Functions

[CodeDing]

Hello All,

If you've stumbled across this post, it's probably because you utilize the AutoLISP language to some extent, either beginner or expert. And I don't know about you but I thoroughly enjoy AutoLISP and the capabilities it brings to the AutoCAD program.

Ever since I picked up this functional language, I've never wanted to go back, but at some points I reach a wall. These walls are just hurdles and obstacles that the vanilla AutoLISP language cannot overcome, and sometimes Visual Lisp can't either.

I'll save you some back-story but once I discovered that we can create AutoLISP functions via the .NET API, this opened a whole new world of ideas about what can be accomplished via AutoLISP. So, that's when I decided to do something about it.

ALx Functions are my answer to doing my part for expanding AutoLISP. Let me be clear that these functions are NOT intended to replace Visual Lisp. But there is a gap that can be filled with these functions, and I want others to hear and know about them to promote the expansion and implementation of the .NET API for creating AutoLISP functions.

Let's get to the details:

Attached you will find a zip folder with only a single .dll file ("ALX.dll") inside. Feel free to open and review at your leisure (don't judge my C# code too harshly, I'm still learning). Also, be sure that the .dll is Unlocked by Right-clicking the .dll > Properties > General tab > Check the Unblock box.

I will post an image below of the current ALx Functions available. There are only a handful at the moment, but I want to grow this collection as much as possible to get the benefits of .NET abilities to my AutoLISP users.

You can load the file via the NETLOAD command. Once loaded, you can use the following function to open the help file which lists all of the available functions:

(alx-help)

If anybody would like to contribute, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I will gladly answer questions to the best of my abilities and consider newly recommended functions. I am working on getting a website up and running to store all of this information and track revisions / downloads / functions. But until then, I will post any updates here.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Denon Deterding

denon@alxfunctions.com

[Sea-Haven]

Thanks any ideas will email.

[john.uhden]

@Sea-Haven 

I tried LINEWORKSHRINKWRAP on a number of crossing lines, polylines, and a circle.  I was hoping to get one polyline around everything, but sorta like the boundary command it made separate polylines where intersections created triangles.  Wait... I have to try MTEXT <delay>  ... failure (in my mind) as it created only a rectangle around its bounding box.  It did much better with separate pieces of text, except if a line of text was more than standard spacing away from another line, in which case it wrapped that line separately.

So, my idea of a jagged boundingpoly is only somewhat plausible involving...

a) make a copy of the mtext.

b) explode the copy

c) shrinkwrap the text objects

d) join the separate wraps somehow, with slivers I guess

e) offset the wrap slightly (having to check for CW vs. CCW to know whether left or right)

f) wipeout the wrap

g) Draworder the wipeout under the original mtext

h) reactor the wipeout to the original mtext

i) delete the texts and the wraps

All of that would be in the callback function if the mtext were moved or edited.  But with multiple annotation scales I would be lost.  I have no idea where/how the multiple data is stored.

Autodesk should be providing polygonal background fills, and I don't mean a 4-sided figure.

[Sea-Haven]

Can you post say image of what you desire, I will try to find the other web site again that had the real elaborate boundary function.

Have you tried the Codeding excel stuff its good made some private suggestions. 

[john.uhden]

@Sea-Haven
As I had indicated, it's not worth the trouble only to come up short handed
with varied annotation scales. Autodesk needs to provide the functionality.