AutoCAD 2017 ObjectARX and Managed .NET Documentation

As a developer, the one thing that is almost as important to me as my development environment is the documentation for the libraries I plan on using.  Documentation is broken up into two different pieces of information: reference and concepts.

  • Reference documentation is used to explain the namespaces, classes, and members that make up a library. Members might be methods, properties, or enumerators.
  • Concepts, often referred to as developer topics, explain how to implement various parts of a library in your program.

These two things aren't earth shattering by any means, but that is the general way I approach the organization of the AutoCAD developer documentation.  What is most important to you as a developer is where this documentation exists so you can do your job, and that is to write the programs that your customers or company expect.

The ObjectARX SDK is a set of not only library and header files that describe the AutoCAD ObjectARX and Managed .NET APIs, but also contains sample projects and most importantly the documentation for these two APIs (or most of it, more on that in a bit). The ObjectARX SDK, is essential, whether you are developing applications with C++ or VB.NET/C#. You can download the ObjectARX SDK from http://www.objectarx.com/. Once downloaded, execute the EXE file to install the ObjectARX SDK which wants to be installed to an Autodesk folder under root drive of your workstation.

The ObjectARX SDK contains 11 folders:

  • Classmap - Drawing file that outlines the hierarchy of the ObjectARX, Managed .NET, and ActiveX object models.
  • Docs - CHM files that make up most of the ObjectARX and Managed .NET documentation set, with the exception of the Managed .NET Developer's Guide.
  • Inc - Platform independent library and header files for developing ObjectARX and Managed .NET applications.
  • Inc-Win32 - Windows 32-bit (x86) library and header specific files for developing ObjectARX and Managed .NET applications.
  • Inc-x64 - Windows 64-bit (x64) library and header specific files for developing ObjectARX and Managed .NET applications.
  • Lib-Win32 - Windows 32-bit (x86) library specific files for developing ObjectARX applications.
  • Lib-x64 - Windows 64-bit (x64) library specific files for developing ObjectARX applications.
  • Redistrib-Win32 - Precompiled DBX files for the AecModeler and Hidden Line Representation libraries that can be distributed with your 32-bit applications.
  • Redistrib-x64 -Precompiled DBX files for the AecModeler and Hidden Line Representation libraries that can be distributed with your 64-bit applications.
  • Samples - Sample projects that demonstrate various aspects of the ObjectARX and Managed .NET APIs.
  • Utils - Additional libraries that are less frequently used; AModeler, Atil, BRep, and Hidden Line Representation.

My main focus is on the developer documentation, so that is what this article will be focusing on.  if you want additional information on the various other parts of the ObjectARX SDK, see the developer documentation. :)

Classmap

The Classmap provides a visual representation of how the objects in the ObjectARX, Managed .NET, and ActiveX libraries are related to each other. This can be helpful in understanding object inheritance or where an object is located within the object models.

Classmap Image

ObjectARX and Managed .NET Documentation

A majority of the ObjectARX and Managed .NET documentation is only available from the CHM files that are in the Docs folder of the ObjectARX SDK installation folder. The following provides a summary of each CHM file that is available:

  • arxdev.chm - ObjectARX Developer's Guide which contains concepts related to developing applications with the ObjectARX API.
  • arxdoc.chm - Main file that allows you to search and browse all of the available CHM files located in the folder from a single documentation file.
  • arxiop.chm - Interoperability Guide which outlines the best practices to use when developing and deploying your applications.
  • arxmgd.chm - Managed .NET Reference Guide which provides information about the classes and members exposed in the library files of the AutoCAD Managed .NET API.
  • arxmgr.chm - Migration Guide which contains information about updating applications to 64-bit, and handling the New Tab Page and changes to the graphics system.
  • arxref.chm - ObjectARX Reference Guide which provides information about the classes and members exposed in the header and library files of the ObjectARX API.
  • readarx.chm - ObjectARX Readme that contains last minute changes or important information on the changes in the latest release

The Managed .NET Developer's Guide until recently has only been available online (http://bit.ly/1RdYZ2L), but starting with the AutoCAD 2017 release it is now also available as a CHM file for offline viewing. The CHM file for the Managed .NET Developer's Guide is not part of the ObjectARX SDK and must be downloaded separately, a ZIP file containing the CHM file and a new version of the arxdoc.chm file can be downloaded directly from http://bit.ly/1pxfLz8. After downloading the file, copy the two CHM files into the Docs folder of the ObjectARX SDK installation folder.

Making the Managed .NET Developer's Guide available offline has been an on going request for several years now, so let us know what you think and if there is anything we can improve.  As time goes along, additional index terms will be added to topics to improve the discoverability of topics.

Accessing Developer Documentation from Visual Studio

CHM files are the current backbone of the ObjectARX and Managed .NET developer documentation, but parts of the documentation can be accessed from within Microsoft Visual Studio.  Since AutoCAD 2012, a separate Help installer has allowed for the integration of the ObjectARX and Managed .NET Reference Guides into Microsoft Visual Studio.  This integration provides:

  • Contextual F1 support from a code editor window; highlight a member's name and press F1 to open the Microsoft Help Viewer to the specific topic.
  • Browse and search the reference topics from within Microsoft Visual Studio without needing to browse to and open the CHM files. The integrated help contains the same content as the CHM files.

Visual Studio Integrated Help

To utilize the integrated help within Microsoft Visual Studio, download one of the following ZIP files and run the installer:

Starting with AutoCAD 2017, some of the reference content can be accessed via tooltips with the Intellisense feature and Object Browser in Microsoft Visual Studio.  This is done by providing segments of the content as XML documentation for each of the public AutoCAD Managed .NET libraries.  Not all classes and members have documentation at this moment, but 85+% have some form of documentation at this time.  This is very much a work in progress yet.

To utilize the XML documentation, download one of the following ZIP files and extract its contents to the location in which you reference the AutoCAD Managed .NET DLLs from for you projects:

  Intellisense

  ObjectBrowser

While the XML documentation has only been created back to AutoCAD 2015, it is possible to use the XML documentation for AutoCAD 2015 with an earlier version of the AutoCAD Managed .NET libraries.  For example, simply download the ZIP file created for AutoCAD 2015 and extract the XML files into the location of the AutoCAD 2014 libraries. The XML documentation should be recognized by Microsoft Visual Studio and displayed in the environment.

Note: The XML documentation will also part of the official AutoCAD 2017 .NET NuGet packages (https://www.nuget.org/packages/AutoCAD.NET/) once they have been published.

I will expand on the in Microsoft Visual Studio integrated help and XML documentation in a future article.  These two features can be huge productivity gains as a developer. 

If you have any comments about the developer documentation please let me know.  I am always looking for ways to improve the content and access to the developer documentation.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 10:16 AM in .NET, AutoCAD 2017, C++, ObjectARX, Programming, VB.NET | | Comments (2)

| | | Pin It! | | |

What's New In the AutoCAD 2017 APIs and Developer Documentation

Wow, where did the year go!  Looking back, the last article I wrote was for the changes in the AutoCAD 2016 APIs and Developer Documentation... I will try to be more active this year.  I have been trying to blog more, but often find myself spending time working on the developer documentation or preparing for AU sessions.

There have been many small and large changes to the AutoCAD application programming interfaces (APIs) in the latest release along with many improvements to the developer documentation.  While I cannot cover them all in depth here, I will highlight the changes that were introduced.

The developer related documentation can be found at:
http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2017/ENU/?home=homepage_dev

The following outlines the changes that were made to the AutoCAD APIs:

General Updates

  • The CAD Management and Developer Home Page has been reorganized to provide a better flow. General compatibility information for the AutoLISP, ActiveX, Managed .NET, and ObjectARX APIs are not accessible from this page.
  • BMP images used in CUIx files no longer support the color 192,192,192 as a workaround for transparency. If custom images need to support transparency, they must be converted to PNG files and assigned the transparent color. (http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2017/ENU/?guid=GUID-94A0EA14-5165-4D84-A2F1-F44D33F80BCC)

AutoLISP

DCL

  • No new or changed functions/tiles this release.

ActiveX/COM

  • No new classes were added, but the following here changed:
    • AcadAcCmColor
    • AcadApplication
    • AcadLayerStateManager
    • AcadSecurityParams
  • The IAcadShadowDisplay class is now obsolete as a result of Mental Ray support being removed.
  • Four new constants were added to the AcInsertUnits enum.
  • The Transmittal Object Library documentation can be found in the product documentation and includes code samples. Change was made late in the AutoCAD 2016 release, so many people didn't know the change was made. (http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/AutoCAD-ActiveX/files/GUID-667D1179-3A76-437E-BBB7-12ADF3E614F7.htm)
  • The CAD Standards Plug-in documentation is now part of the product documentation and includes code samples. Change was made late in the AutoCAD 2016 release, so many people didn't know the change was made. (http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/AutoCAD-ActiveX/files/GUID-F126AABA-FE9E-4E26-B51D-88D3E54512B5.htm)
  • Documentation continues to be available online through the product help and offline as CHM files in the %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\en-US\ directory. The files are named acad_aag.chm and acadauto.chm.

Managed .NET

ObjectARX

  • Updates were made to include the new classes, interfaces, and functions introduced for this release.  The following provides an overview of the main changes to the API
    • Graphics system was modified and existing programs will need to be updated.
    • Class that provides information about the language and country name.
    • String class was expanded to include additional operators and functions.
  • Refer to the ObjectARX Reference Guide and the What's New topic for a list of changes made to the API.
  • API and documentation can be downloaded from the ADN or ObjectARX websites (http://www.objectarx.com/).
  • Reference documentation is accessible via a CHM file in the ObjectARX SDK or as part of a Visual Studio integration installer (http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/objectarx_2017_documentation_vs2015.zip).

JavaScript

In future blog postings, I hope to cover some of the various developer documentation components that can be used to become more efficient with the AutoCAD APIs.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 11:55 PM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD 2017, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, C++, Customization, ObjectARX, Programming, VB, VB.NET, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (17)

| | | Pin It! | | |

AutoCAD 2016 Developer Documentation Changes

Last month, Autodesk released the AutoCAD 2016 program and many other products in the 2016 family.  Every new release brings with it a variety of features and productivity enhancements, those I covered as a guest author on Ellen Finkelstein's AutoCAD blog.  While I enjoy writing and talking about the features that are introduced with each new release of the AutoCAD program, the stuff that most users never see is what I really enjoy digging into each year.

There have been many small and large changes to the AutoCAD application programming interfaces (APIs) in the latest release.  While I cannot cover them all in depth here, I will highlight the many changes that were introduced.

The developer related documentation can be found at:
http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2016/ENU/

The following outlines the changes that have were made:

General Updates

AutoLISP

  • No new or changed functions this release.
  • The getcfg and setcfg functions have been marked as obsolete.
  • Historical list of changes from AutoCAD 2009 through AutoCAD 2016 can be used to identify potential problems in existing programs.

DCL

 ActiveX

  • No new classes were added, but the following here changed:
    • IAcadDocument
    • IAcadPointCloudEx
    • IAcadSection
    • IAcadSecurityParams
    • IAcadShadowDisplay
  • Password protection of drawing files has been removed; if you need to secure a drawing file you will need to use a third-party library or utility. Digital signatures are still supported.
  • A full list of the changes can be found in the AutoCAD 2016 API History topic.
  • Clickable Object Model has been updated based on all of the classes that are part of the AutoCAD ActiveX/COM library.
  • ActiveX Reference topics continue to be accessible from the VBA IDE via the CHM file format.
  • ActiveX Developer's Guide continues to be available online as part of the AutoCAD Help system and offline as a CHM file (C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\acad_aag.chm)

Managed .NET

  • Developer's Guide is accessible from the AutoCAD Help system.
    • New topics were added to support the render presets related to the RapidRT rendering engine.
  • Updates were made to the Reference Guide to include the new classes, interfaces, and functions introduced for this release.
    • Refer to the Managed Class Reference Guide (part of the ObjectARX SDK) and the What's New topic for a list of changes made to the API.
  • API and documentation can be downloaded from the ADN or ObjectARX websites.
    • Documentation is accessible via CHM and a Visual Studio integration installer.

ObjectARX

  • Updates were made to include the new classes, interfaces, and functions introduced for this release.
    • Refer to the ObjectARX Reference Guide and the What's New topic for a list of changes made to the API.
  • API and documentation can be downloaded from the ADN or ObjectARX websites.
    • Documentation is accessible via CHM and a Visual Studio integration installer.

JavaScript

  • Version 3 of the API and the documentation are available. (Online only)

In a future blog posting, I plan to cover how custom programs can be digitally signed and loaded into the AutoCAD program.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 03:39 PM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD 2016, AutoCAD based products, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, C++, ObjectARX, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

AutoCAD 2015 Developer Documentation Changes

As you might have heard (or maybe not), Autodesk AutoCAD 2015 and many other Autodesk products in the 2015 family were announced last week. With the new release comes many new refinements to the program and a number of productivity enhancements but I am not going to cover those in this blog posting, I will discuss some of these changes in a future posting.

Today, I want to discuss the developer documentation.  Often overlooked by many, the developer documentation received a number of enhancements with this release.  A number of small and large changes have been made to the developer documentation to improve access, discoverability, and readability.

The developer related documentation can be found at:

http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2015/ENU/

The following outlines the changes that have were made:

General Updates

  • A flattened view into the CAD Administration and Customization documentation has been added. It is now easier to locate the most frequently accessed topics and discover those of interest. (Available online and offline) Main AutoCAD Landing page
  • Centralized resource for developer documentation. (Available online and offline)
    Developer Home page
  • Improved classification and documentation filtering.
    • ActiveX filter now shows the ActiveX Reference and Developer related topics.
      Developer Filters
    • Developer documentation topics have been updated to make it easier to identify associated language and technology.

AutoLISP

  • No new or changed functions this release.
  • Listing of functions by Alphabetic Name and Feature. (Available online and offline)
    • Improved related topic links.
    AutoLISP Reference
  • Topics of interest are easier to locate and discover now with a flattened topic list. AutoLISP Developer's
  • Reference topics have been reformatted and updated to include additional information.
    • Data types are now listed for arguments and return values.
    • Supported platforms is listed as part of each topic, giving you a better understand of which functions are available on both Windows and Mac OS for cross platform development.
    • Indication of which topics are related to AutoLISP, ActiveX, and/or DCL via title suffixes.

ActiveX/VBA

  • A number of new classes, methods, and properties were added to AutoCAD 2015 primarily around the Geolocation and Point Cloud features. These changes are listed as part of the AutoCAD 2015 API History topic. 
  • ActiveX/VBA topics are now accessible from the AutoCAD Help system. (Available online and offline)
    • Reference topics are available through an alphabetic listing.
      ActiveX Reference
    • Developer topics can be accessed from a flattened topic of interest page, just like the AutoLISP Developer topics.
    • Clickable Object Model has been implemented for the AutoCAD ActiveX/COM Library.
      AutoCAD Object Model
    • Sheet Set Object and Connectivity Automation Object Reference documentation is easier to find now.
  • ActiveX topics are still accessible from the VBA IDE via the CHM file format.
  • Reference topics have been reformatted and share a common look with the AutoLISP Reference documentation.
  • Reference topics now also include the following information:
    • Class name
    • Object inheritance
    • Example code (no longer a separate topic)
      ActiveX Reference Topic

Managed .NET

  • Developer's Guide is accessible from the AutoCAD Help system and now has a flattened topics of interest view like the AutoLISP and ActiveX documentation.
  • Updates were made to the Reference Guide to include the new classes, interfaces, and functions introduced for this release.
    • Refer to the Managed Class Reference Guide (part of the ObjectARX SDK) and the What's New topic for a list of changes made to the API.
  • Documentation is accessible via CHM and a Visual Studio integration installer.
  • API and reference documentation can be downloaded from the ADN or ObjectARX websites.

ObjectARX

  • Updates were made to include the new classes, interfaces, and functions introduced for this release.
    • Refer to the ObjectARX Reference Guide and the What's New topic for a list of changes made to the API.
  • Documentation is accessible via CHM and a Visual Studio integration installer.
  • API and documentation can be downloaded from the ADN or ObjectARX websites.

JavaScript

  • Version 2 of the API and the documentation are available. (Online only)

Let me know what your opinion is on the changes that have been made and what we can do to further improve the developer documentation.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 11:09 AM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, ObjectARX, Programming, VB, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

Drawing a Line in AutoCAD - Cross Section of API Samples

For many, AutoCAD is the tool that they use to create their designs and construction plans; whether you are doing 2D drafting or 3D modeling.  However, of the biggest benefits of AutoCAD is that it is a platform that can be extended through a variety of APIs and customization techniques.  If AutoCAD does not perform a task that you want it to, you can simply write the functionality yourself or find someone that can.  The way AutoCAD is designed; really it is limited only by your imagination as to the problems that it can solve and the types of industries it can be used in.

As I finalize my presentations for AU2013, I decided to write some sample code that demonstrates the same concept but with each of the five different APIs that AutoCAD supports.  The sample code shows how to draw a line in model space, of course there are always twists and differences to the way each programmer approaches a given problem.

AutoLISP - Command Function

; Draw a line from 5,0 to 10,5
(defun c:DL_AutoLISP ( / )
  (command "._LINE" "5,0,0" "10,5,0" "")
 (princ)
)

AutoLISP - COM API

; Draw line from 10,0 to 15,5
(defun c:DL_AutoLISPCOM ( / acDoc acModelSpace pt1 pt2)
  ; Load the AutoCAD COM Library
  (vl-load-com)

  ; Get the current drawing
  (setq acDoc (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object)))

  ; Get model space for the current drawing
  (setq acModelSpace (vla-get-modelspace acDoc))

  ; define a start and end point for the line
  (setq pt1 (vlax-3D-point 10 0 0)
        pt2 (vlax-3D-point 15 5 0))

  ; Add the new line to model space
  (vla-addline acModelSpace pt1 pt2)
 (princ)
)

AutoLISP - Entmake Function

; Draw line from 15,0 to 20,5
(defun c:DL_AutoLISPENTMAKE ( / )
  (entmake '((0 . "LINE")          ; Define the type of object to create, a line
             (10 15.0 0.0 0.0)     ; Define start point 15,0,0
             (11 20.0 5.0 0.0)     ; Define end point 20,5,0
            )
  )
 (princ)
)

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

' Draw line from 20,0 to 25,5
Public Sub DrawLine()
  Dim pt1(0 To 2) As Double, pt2(0 To 2) As Double
  pt1(0) = 20: pt1(1) = 0: pt1(2) = 0
  pt2(0) = 25: pt2(1) = 5: pt2(2) = 0

  ' Add the line to model space
  ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.AddLine pt1, pt2
End Sub

JavaScript

// Function that executes the LINE command
function drawLine()
{
  try {
    Acad.Editor.executeCommandAsync(
      '_.Line ' +
      '0,0,0 ' +
      '5,5,0 '
    );
  }
  catch(e) {
    write(e.message);
  }
}

// Add a command to access the drawLine function
Acad.Editor.addCommand(
  "DrawLine_JS",
  "DL_JavaScript",
  "DL_JavaScript",
  Acad.CommandFlag.MODAL,
  drawLine );

Managed .NET - VB.NET

<CommandMethod("DL_VBNET")> _
Public Sub DrawLine()
    '' Get the current document and database
    Dim acDoc As Document = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument
    Dim acCurDb As Database = acDoc.Database

    '' Start a transaction
    Using acTrans As Transaction = acCurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()

        '' Open the Block table for read
        Dim acBlkTbl As BlockTable
        acBlkTbl = acTrans.GetObject(acCurDb.BlockTableId, OpenMode.ForRead)

        '' Open the Block table record Model space for write
        Dim acBlkTblRec As BlockTableRecord
        acBlkTblRec = acTrans.GetObject(acBlkTbl(BlockTableRecord.ModelSpace), _                                         OpenMode.ForWrite)

        '' Create a line that starts at 25,0 and ends at 30,5
        Dim acLine As Line = New Line(New Point3d(25, 0, 0), _
                                      New Point3d(30, 5, 0))

        '' Add the new object to the block table record and the transaction                
        acBlkTblRec.AppendEntity(acLine)
        acTrans.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(acLine, True)

        '' Save the new object to the database
        acTrans.Commit()
    End Using
End Sub

ObjectARX/C++

static void Drawline();

extern "C" AcRx::AppRetCode acrxEntryPoint(AcRx::AppMsgCode msg, void* pkt)
{
    switch(msg)
    {
        case AcRx::kInitAppMsg:
            acrxDynamicLinker->unlockApplication(pkt);
            acrxDynamicLinker->registerAppMDIAware(pkt);

            // Commands to add
            acedRegCmds->addCommand(_T("DrawLine_ARX"), _T("DL_ObjectARX"),                                     _T("DL_ObjectARX"), ACRX_CMD_MODAL, Drawline);

            break;
        case AcRx::kUnloadAppMsg:

            // Command Groups to remove
            acedRegCmds->removeGroup(_T("DrawLine_ARX"));

            break;
        default:
            break;
    }
    return AcRx::kRetOK;
}

static void Drawline()
{
    // Get the current database
    AcDbDatabase *pDb = acdbHostApplicationServices()->workingDatabase();

    // Open the Block Table for read-only
    AcDbBlockTable *pBlockTable;
    pDb->getSymbolTable(pBlockTable, AcDb::kForRead);

    // Get the Model Space block
    AcDbBlockTableRecord *pBlockTableRecord;
    pBlockTable->getAt(ACDB_MODEL_SPACE, pBlockTableRecord, AcDb::kForWrite);
    pBlockTable->close();

    // Define the points that will be used to define the Line object
    AcGePoint3d startPt(30.0, 0.0, 0.0);
    AcGePoint3d endPt(35.0, 5.0, 0.0);

    // Create the new Line object in memory
    AcDbLine *pLine = new AcDbLine(startPt, endPt);

    // Add the new Line object to Model space
    pBlockTableRecord->appendAcDbEntity(pLine);

    // Close the Model space block
    pBlockTableRecord->close();

    // Close the new line object
    pLine->close();
}

Sincerely,
  Lee

 

 

Posted at 12:10 PM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, C++, ObjectARX, Programming, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

What APIs and Developer Documentation are Available for AutoCAD?

There are a wide range of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that are available for creating custom applications in AutoCAD.  Which API is right for you depends greatly on your experience and the time you can commit to learning, but for many the first API that they are ever exposed to is AutoLISP because of its ease of use and the sheer number of programs that are available for download from the Internet.

AutoLISP allows you to channel your knowledge of AutoCAD commands, and begin to combine them in ways that you might have never thought possible or maybe you have and that is what kick started your interest in programming.  Where you go from there is often different for many.  Many simply learn AutoLISP and that is enough for them to improve the tasks that they perform on a daily basis. For others, AutoLISP is simply a stepping stone towards Managed .NET or even ObjectARX.

The available AutoCAD APIs are:

  • AutoLISP
  • ActiveX/COM
    • AutoCAD
    • Transmittal (eTransmit/Archive)
    • Sheet Set Object (Sheet Set Manager)
    • CAD Standards Plug-in (CAD Standards and Batch Standards Checker)
    • Connectivity Automation Object (dbConnect)
  • JavaScript
  • ObjectARX
  • Managed .NET

The JavaScript API is the newest of all the AutoCAD APIs; it was introduced with AutoCAD 2014.

The documentation for all of the available AutoCAD APIs can be located under the AutoCAD Developer Center. Based on which API you want to work with, you might find that some of the documentation is available through the product's help, installed locally with the product, or available with the ObjectARX SDK.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 10:18 AM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, C++, ObjectARX, Programming, VB, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

AutoCAD 2014 API and Developer Documentation Changes

By now, there has been lots of information circulating about what is new in AutoCAD 2014 from an end user perspective but what about the API side of things. AutoCAD 2014 offers a number of API changes, updates to the documentation, and a new API.

First and foremost, AutoCAD 2014 is binary compatible with AutoCAD 2013; programs developed for AutoCAD 2013 should run in AutoCAD 2014 without needing to be recompiled.

JavaScript API

This new API is used to provide the core functionality of the DesignFeed and Live Maps features. What can be done with this new API at the moment is limited, but does open up many new possibilities though. For additional information see:

Trusted File Paths

Not just an API change but a security change to which files are automatically loaded and from where they can be loaded from. This change impacts all program file types. There are a few API level changes that you should be aware of, but if your programs are not trusted they do not matter much. So the first things you need to be aware of are the SECURELOAD system variable and the Trusted Locations node on the Files tab of the Options dialog box. For additional information see:

VBA 7.1

Microsoft has recently given new life to the once deprecated VBA technology. VBA 6.3 was the last supported release, which was still being used in AutoCAD 2013 as long as you downloaded the separate installer. VBA 6.3 was 32-bit only and is why there was performance issues when using it with AutoCAD 64-bit. VBA 7.1 resolves this issue by supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. If you have VBA programs from AutoCAD 2013 or earlier, and you are using Windows 64-bit you might encounter issues if you are using third-party libraries or form controls that do not support 64-bit.  Check with the third-party vendor and see if they offer a 64-bit version for you to use, if not you will need to rework your code and/or forms.

The ActiveX/VBA document has also been updated as well and can be found installed on your local drive at:

  • %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\acad_aag.chm - Developer's Guide
  • %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\acadauto.chm - Reference Guide

AutoLISP

There were no real notable changes to the API this release or the Visual LISP IDE, with the exception of two new functions.

  • showHTMLModalWindow - Displays a modal window with a HTML document; use in conjunction with the new JavaScript API.
  • findtrustedfile - Searches the AutoCAD trusted file paths for the specified file.

ObjectARX

Changes to the ObjectARX API are limited to new classes and functions.

  • AcDb
    • AcDbExtents2d - New class
    • AcDbGeoDataReactor - New class
    • AcDbModelDocViewStyle - New methods added; existing class
    • AcDbXrecord - New method added; existing class
    • AcDbXrecordIterator - New methods added; existing class
  • AcAp
    • AcApDocument - New method added; existing class
  • Global functions
    • acedAddHTMLPalette - New
    • acedFindTrustedFile - New
    • acedLoadJSScript - New
    • acedShowHTMLModalWindow - New
    • acedShowHTMLModelessWindow - New
  • Miscellaneous class
    • IPointCloudFilter2 - New

Managed .NET

Changes to the Managed .NET API are limited to new classes and functions.

  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices
    • Application.ShowModalWindow Method
    • Application.ShowModelessWindow Method
    • Document.IsNamedDrawing Property
  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices
    • MLeader.Scale Property
    • Region.AreaProperties Method
    • RegionAreaProperties Structure 
    • RegionAreaProperties.Area Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.Centroid Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.Extents Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.MomentsOfInertia Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.Perimeter Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.PrincipalMoments Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.ProductOfInertia Property
    • RegionAreaProperties.RadiiOfGyration Property
    • Xrecord.Append Method
    • XrecordEnumerator.Current Property
    • XrecordEnumerator.InsertAtCurrent Method
    • XrecordEnumerator.RemoveCurrent Method
  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput
    • Editor.ApplyCurDwgLayerTableChanges Method
    • Editor.PostCommandPrompt Method
  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.GraphicsInterface
    • TextStyle.FromTextStyleTableRecord Method
    • TextStyle.ToTextStyleTableRecord Method
  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.Windows
    • Window.Focus Method
  • Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Core
    • Application.LoadJSScript Method

The Developer's Guide was updated in the following areas were changed:

  • Viewports and layouts
  • Plotting and publishing
  • Document events
  • Disposal of objects
  • Plot styles
  • Visual styles and render presets
  • Raster images and xrefs
  • Clipping blocks, xrefs, and raster images
  • Defining and inserting blocks, and working with attributes

The .NET Developer's Guide is part of the product help.

Hope this helps give you an understanding of the changes that you might or might not need to make with your custom programs.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 12:00 PM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD 2014, AutoCAD based products, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, ObjectARX, Programming, VB, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

ActiveX API Changes in AutoCAD 2013

While the ActiveX API typically does not see significant changes between releases like the Managed .NET and ObjectARX APIs do, it is still useful to know what changes were made.  There were really no major changes made to the AutoCAD 2013 ActiveX API, outside of the following three areas:

  • Drawing file format (AcSaveAsType Enum)
  • PointCloud property and enum additions
  • Checking the interference of a 3DSolid (CheckInterference method)

Note: The AutoCAD ActiveX API can be used with AutoLISP, VBA, .NET, and C++ but only on Windows and not on Mac OS.

A full list of the changes made to the AutoCAD 2013 ActiveX API are:

Changed Enums:
AcSaveAsType
        ac2013_dwg = 60 (New)
        ac2013_dxf = 61 (New)
        ac2013_Template = 62 (New)
        acNative = 60 (Changed)

New Enums:
AcPointCloudIntensityStyle
        acIntensityGrayscale = 0
        acIntensityRainbow = 1
        acIntensityRed = 2
        acIntensityGreen = 3
        acIntensityBlue = 4
        acIntensityEditableFlag = 5
AcPointCloudColorType
        acTrueColor = 0
        acByColor = 1

Changed Classes:
IAcad3DSolid
        CheckInterference - Method (Added solid interfere parameter)
IAcadDynamicBlockReferenceProperty (Changed)
        show - Property (Renamed, previously Show)
IAcadEntity
        EntityTransparency - Property (New)
IAcadHatch
        BackgroundColor - Property (New)
IAcadLoftedSurface
        EndSmoothContinuity - Property (New)
        EndSmoothMagnitude - Property (New)
        Periodic - Property
        StartSmoothContinuity - Property (New)
        StartSmoothMagnitude - Property (New)
IAcadPointCloud
        Height - Property (New)
        IntensityColorScheme - Property (New)
        Length - Property (New)
        Name - Property (New)
        Path - Property (New)
        ShowClipped - Property (New)
        ShowIntensity - Property (New)
        Width - Property (New)
IAcadPreferencesFiles
        ActiveInvProject - Property (New)
IAcadRasterImage
        transparency - Property (Renamed, previously Transparency)
IAcadSpline
        Closed2 - Property (New)
        Degree2 - Property (New)
        KnotParameterization - Property (New)
        SplineFrame - Property (New)
        SplineMethod - Property (New)
IAcadSurface
        EdgeExtensionDistances - Property (New)
        MaintainAssociativity - Property (New)
        ShowAssociativity - Property (New)
        SurfTrimAssociativity - Property (New)
        WireframeType - Property (New)

Removed Classes:
Classes were merged with the class in which they were derived in most cases (ie. IAcadEntity2 -> IAcadEntity)
IAcad3DFace2
IAcad3DPolyline2
IAcad3DSolid2
IAcadArc2
IAcadAttribute2
IAcadBlockReference2
IAcadCircle2
IAcadDim3PointAngular2
IAcadDimAligned2
IAcadDimAngular2
IAcadDimArcLength2
IAcadDimDiametric2
IAcadDimOrdinate2
IAcadDimRadial2
IAcadDimRadialLarge2
IAcadDimRotated2
IAcadEllipse2
IAcadEntity2
IAcadExternalReference2
IAcadExtrudedSurface2
IAcadExtrudedSurface3
IAcadHatch2
IAcadHelix2
IAcadLine2
IAcadLeader2
IAcadLoftedSurface2
IAcadLoftedSurface3
IAcadLWPolyline2
IAcadMLeader2
IAcadMText2
IAcadNurbSurface2
IAcadOle2
IAcadPlaneSurface2
IAcadPlaneSurface3
IAcadPoint2
IAcadPolyfaceMesh2
IAcadPolygonMesh2
IAcadPolyline2
IAcadPViewport2
IAcadRay2
IAcadRasterImage2
IAcadRegion2
IAcadRevolvedSurface2
IAcadRevolvedSurface3
IAcadShape2
IAcadSolid2
IAcadSpline2
IAcadSurface2
IAcadSurface3
IAcadSweptSurface2
IAcadSweptSurface3
IAcadSubDMesh2
IAcadTable2
IAcadText2
IAcadTolerance2
IAcadTrace2
IAcadXline2
IAcadWipeout2

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 03:26 PM in .NET, ActiveX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD based products, AutoLISP/Visual LISP, C++, ObjectARX, Programming, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

Danger VBA Developers, VBA Will Be Offline

Okay not quite as catchy or timeless as "Danger Will Robinson!" or "Robot is online." (both from Lost in Space), but I hope you get where this is all heading.  However, it is the ugly truth that is coming towards all of us at sub-light speeds.  AutoCAD 2011 will be the last release of AutoCAD that will support the ability to install a VBA enabler and run DVB project files.  That means, if you do not migrate your VBA programs (DVB files) to AutoLISP, .NET, or ObjectARX you will not be able to use them in the next release of AutoCAD.

Here is the text from the AutoCAD Readme about VBA and its future in AutoCAD:

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

Microsoft Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) is available for free download at http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download. Autodesk is transitioning from VBA technology to .NET Framework. The VBA module is available for AutoCAD 2011-based products as an unsupported feature. It will not be available in future releases of AutoCAD. Autodesk will provide documentation and other assistance to help customers and developers migrate from VBA to .NET Framework.

To migrate your VBA projects, you will need to download the VBA enabler for AutoCAD 2011 (or AutoCAD 2010) from the following URL:

  http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download

With a bit of effort and a basic understanding of .NET you can migrate your code from VBA to VB.NET.  To help make the transition, we created several procedures on creating a .NET project and placed them in the AutoCAD .NET Developer's Guide which was posted last summer.  The AutoCAD .NET Developer's Guide also contains a large number of code samples that can be copy and pasted into a VB.NET or C# project and used with minimal effort.  The AutoCAD .NET Developer's Guide can be viewed from the following location:

http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-net-developers-guide

As the year goes along, I will post articles that focus on migrating from VBA to VB.NET and some of the basics of VB.NET as they might apply to you the VBA developer.  Until later, take some time to review the AutoCAD .NET Developer's Guide and let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 11:40 AM in .NET, AutoCAD 2011, Visual Basic/VBA | | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

VB.NET to C# Comparison

As some of you might know, I have been working with .NET more these days as I worked on the AutoCAD .NET Developer's Guide this year.  While on break the past week, I stumbled across a great comparison page for VB.NET and C#.  It shows some of the basic structures and syntaxes of the two languages.

http://www.harding.edu/fmccown/vbnet_csharp_comparison.html

Sincerely,
  Lee

Posted at 12:50 PM in .NET | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

| | | Pin It! | | |

My Photo

My Other Accounts

Subscribe to this blog's feed

Search

Twitter Updates

    follow me on Twitter

    Recent Posts

    Recent Comments