Variable for viewport will not recognize as a viewport

[Gorra]

Hello,

I am having trouble making an loop for user-selecting a viewport as a variable, and test to make sure it is a viewport before proceeding to the next one. I've had the problem before but the usual tweaks aren't working. Whether I use ssget and then ssname, or if I use entsel and then car, I'm still getting the target as an ename and not a viewport. If I convert to a vla it becomes a vla object and some methods can be applied, but its object type is a vla-object and not a viewport. I am using the (0 . "VIEWPORT") filter on ssget, but this doesn't give an error on selection to re-select, it just chokes on the resulting nil value farther down the lisp.

(alert "\nSelect viewports one at a time from top to bottom")

(setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT"))))

(setq VP1v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt1 0)))

(while (/= (type VP1v) "VIEWPORT")

  (progn

    (princ "Object must be a viewport")

(setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT"))))

  )

Thanks for any help

Gorra

[paullimapa]

perhaps the problem occurs when an object is selected as the vport?

share a sample dwg with the vports you're trying to select.

[paullimapa]

@Gorra updated

FYI: this line of code is incorrect:

(/= (type VP1v) "VIEWPORT")

Should be:

(/= (vla-get-objectname VP1v) "AcDbViewport")

[Gorra]

@paullimapa Thanks for the reply. That's probably the problem but testing it isn't going smoothly. I will try to extract what I'm allowed to post online but that will take a bit.

Gorra

[Sea-Haven]

Checking you have chosen a viewport, tone is an abrupt exit which is not really a clean way, you can use a (progn instead and wrap all the following code in it, oh yeah a while.

(if (setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT"))))
(progn (alert "You did not pick a viewport /n/nThe program will now Exit please run again")
(EXIT)
))

(if (setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT"))))
(progn
...... all your code
) ; progn
(alert "You did not pick a viewport /n/nThe program will now Exit please run again")
) ; if

setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT"))))
(while (/= VwPrt1 nil)
(setq ok "Yes")
...... all your code
(setq vwprt1 nil)
) ; while
(if (= ok "Yes")
  (princ)
  (alert "You did not pick a viewport /n/nThe program will now Exit please run again")
)

[komondormrex]

hey,

following your algorithm logic

(alert "\nSelect viewports one at a time from top to bottom")
(while (not (setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT")))))
    (princ "\rObject must be a viewport")
)
(setq VP1v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt1 0)))

[Gorra]

@komondormrex @Sea-Haven @paullimapa 

Tried all three solutions with no change: the selection accepts any object and moves along to the next selection (without setting it to nil). Do I have an error in my ssget strings? 

I can't think of any other reason it should be ignoring its restrictions. The sub function is this:

(defun GetLayout (CLName / VP1v VP2v VP3v)

  (if (< LytCnt 2) ;; If only 1 layout

    (progn

      (command-s "-layout" "D" "PL002") ;; delete sheet PL002

      (command-s "-layout" "S" "PL001")

      (GetViewports)

    )

    (progn

      (setq VwPrt1 nil) ;; Clearing any residual values

      (setq VwPrt2 nil)

      (setq VwPrt3 nil)

      (setq VP1v nil)

      (setq VP2v nil)

      (setq VP3v nil)

      (if (eq CLName "PL001")    ;; if more than one sheet and this is PL001 being processed

        (progn

          (alert "\nSelect viewports one at a time from top to bottom")

          (while (not (setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT")))))

            (princ "\nObject must be a viewport")

          )

          (setq VP1v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt1 0)))

          (vla-put-center VP1v (vlax-3D-point '(8.5 8.866396 0.0)))

          (alert "top vp placed")

          (while (not (setq VwPrt2 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT")))))

            (princ "\nSecond target must be a viewport")

          )

          (setq VP2v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt2 0)))

          (vla-put-center VP2v (vlax-3D-point '(8.5 6.316396 0.0)))

          (alert "\nsecond vport placed")

          (while (not (setq VwPrt3 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT")))))

            (princ "\nBottom target must be a viewport")

          )

          (setq VP3v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt3 0)))

          (vla-put-center VP3v (vlax-3D-point '(8.5 3.766396 0.0)))

          (alert "bottom vport placed")

          (setq VPCnt 3)

        ) ;;end PL001 true progn

        (progn

          (setq CrrntTb (+ TrLyt CrrntLyt))

          (CreateLayout CLName)

          (GetViewports)

        ) ;; end PL001 false progn

      )  ;; end if PL001

  )  ;; end single layout false 

 )  ;; end if single layout

(alert "viewports positioned")

) end GetLayout

VwPrt1/2/3 are global variables.

Thanks,

Gorra

[paullimapa]

could you share an example dwg?

[Gorra]

Attached is a sample dwg and the rest of the code. The rest of the code has other issues but the task in question is the first interaction it does with the user.

[paullimapa · Accepted solution]

Here's the tst.lsp code I'm using just on the first vport of your sample dwg:

(defun c:tst (/ vwprt1 vp1v)
 (setq vwprt1 nil vp1v nil)
 (while (not (setq VwPrt1 (ssget "_+.:E:S" '((0 . "VIEWPORT")))))
    (princ "\nObject must be a viewport")
 )
 (if vwprt1
  (progn
   (setq VP1v (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname VwPrt1 0)))
;   (vlax-dump-object VP1v)
    (vla-put-center VP1v (vlax-3D-point '(8.5 8.866396 0.0)))
    (alert "top vp placed")
  )
  (alert"not a valid object")
 )
 (princ)
)

I purposely moved the vports including the pline away before running tst.lsp

Here's a screenshot of the vports before:

After loading tst.lsp, I then enter at the command prompt tst and selected the top vport.

The AutoCAD message box would appear notifying "top vp placed" and after clicking ok here's the screenshot afterwards:

The vport moved as programmed.  Is this not what's happening for you?

Try my sample tst.lsp and see if at least this portion of the code works for you.

[Gorra]

@paullimapa 

It does indeed work in the stripped-down version dwg I posted, but not in the working drawing I was using. Looks like there's some layout name mis-matches that are making it fail rather than the code. Thanks for all the effort!

Gorra

[paullimapa]

you're welcome...cheers!!!

[Sea-Haven]

I may have an answer for you a completely different way of approaching this problem i have a couple of make viewport programs, in particular walk along a pline making rectangs that represent Viewports, part two of the code select all rectangs and new layouts are made with matching viewports. They include adding a twist as in your sample dwg you have not followed the shape where it bends what I have does that.

Look at the images and have a look at the movie. Rectangs can be added, rotated, moved or even deleted before making layouts. Pretty sure was asked before for a multi viewport answer. I don't think I finished but is possible to do,

Let me know if interested.