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VLA-? statements future - after VBA is discontinued


MSasu

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Regarding the fact that Autodesk has discontinued VBA support for AutoCAD, I’m just wondering what will happen in the future with the "vla-?" statements currently offered by AutoLISP language? I mean those are probably using the VBA technology since their names and syntax (arguments) are matching similar. And those aren’t even documented in AutoLISP help – support is given in VBA help chapters.

Are those to be preserved and linked internally with .Net technology, will have names and/or syntax changed or will be simply dropped?!?

 

Does anyone have more information about this?

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I can't say for sure, but AutoCAD has kept a lot of outdated commands and functions, simply so that old programs will still work (backwards compatibility ftw). I cannot imagine that they would drop the vla-, vlax-, or vlr- extentions for any reason. They may not develop them further, but to be rid of them would take away a vast amount of functionality from AutoCAD, and to change them would force a vast number of its users to make major corrections to a lot of things.

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Hi,

 

Both VBA and Visual LISP use the COM/ActiveX interop, C# and VB.net can use it too.

IMO, the end of VBA/VB6 doesn't mean the end of the COM interop.

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I can't say for sure, but AutoCAD has kept a lot of outdated commands and functions, simply so that old programs will still work (backwards compatibility ftw). I cannot imagine that they would drop the vla-, vlax-, or vlr- extentions for any reason. They may not develop them further, but to be rid of them would take away a vast amount of functionality from AutoCAD, and to change them would force a vast number of its users to make major corrections to a lot of things.

 

Hi,

 

Both VBA and Visual LISP use the COM/ActiveX interop, C# and VB.net can use it too.

IMO, the end of VBA/VB6 doesn't mean the end of the COM interop.

If they are not develloping alisp or vlisp what are the developing? Anything that is a good idea for us to get into?

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If they are not develloping alisp or vlisp what are the developing?

 

A 2010 brings some new autoLISP functions :

But "what they are developing" is mostly .NET. The managed classes library grows with each new objectARX version.

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Thanks Gile. If you don't mind my asking you three more questions:

- when you say .NET, for us it means to learn either VB or C#?

- do you find you can do lots more with C#?

- Lastly, What's your personal preference do you prefer C# or lisp?

 

Are those layerstate's meant to be links? I get 'page not found'.

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Thanks Gile. If you don't mind my asking you three more questions:

- when you say .NET, for us it means to learn either VB or C#?

- do you find you can do lots more with C#?

- Lastly, What's your personal preference do you prefer C# or lisp?

 

Are those layerstate's meant to be links? I get 'page not found'.

I think he was just copying them out of Help. I actually posted a bit of information on them a while back.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39986

 

They were introduced in 09, btw.

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SteveK,

 

- when you say .NET, for us it means to learn either VB or C#?

- do you find you can do lots more with C#?

- Lastly, What's your personal preference do you prefer C# or lisp?

 

Yes, using .NET means to learn C#, VB.net or another .NET supported language as C++, F#, J#, IronPython...

 

I'm too newby at C# to see if .NET can do lots more, but I already think it does more and sometimes easier (as Visual LISP vs AutoLISP)

 

I really like LISP cause it's easier to learn, faster to write, more flexible, but almost because I know it a little now.

I like C# because powerfull but almost because it's new for me, and I like to learn new things.

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In terms of other programming, as I have said over at theSwamp, I have looked into C++, and am doing a bit of C programming currently, and, (it could just be that I am new to the language}, but no matter how much more I learn of C++/C, I still much prefer coding in LISP/VLISP... just because things seem a lot clearer, and with a more logical structure... but as I say, it may just be that I am very much an amateur in other languages, so don't really have a "global view" on things... but I am still enjoying LISP/VLISP more than any other language I have tried to learn... o:)

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Yes, using .NET means to learn C#, VB.net or another .NET supported language as C++, F#, J#, IronPython...

 

I'm too newby at C# to see if .NET can do lots more, but I already think it does more and sometimes easier (as Visual LISP vs AutoLISP)

 

I really like LISP cause it's easier to learn, faster to write, more flexible, but almost because I know it a little now.

I like C# because powerfull but almost because it's new for me, and I like to learn new things.

Ta Gile.

I'm sure newby is a relative term. If I started learning C# I'd be a newby, not able to do this.

steve :)

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  • 7 years later...

It all depends on the task at hand: that's why learning a combination of .net and lisp is good. some things are easy in lisp and others are much better handled in .net.

 

i know in .net you can utilize LINQ. huge benefit. can you do the same with lisp? Probably not.

 

overall i'd strongly recommend .net as a primary focus and then a general knowledge of lisp will be advantageous and personally I haven't bothered at all with VBA.

 

my two cents.

 

 

 

 

Ta Gile.

I'm sure newby is a relative term. If I started learning C# I'd be a newby, not able to do this.

steve :)

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