Create layer dialog box

[Lukijan]

Hi everybody!

I'm trying to create dialog box for creating new layer, I googled everything I could remember, but I can't find anything.

Set newLayer = ThisDrawing.Layers.Add("NameOfNewLayer")

should create new layer, but how to define color or weight or type of lines?

P.S. I'm using VB6...

[flowerrobot]

Lukijan,

Never using VB6 I am only guessing.

Set newLayer = ThisDrawing.Layers.Add("NameOfNewLayer")
newlayer.color = ...
newlayer.linetype =  ...

p.s. if your writing new code, Why not use VBA or vb.net?

[Lukijan]

Yeah, but how to make colour palette? I'm making dialog box where user can choose colour for layer, line type, etc.

Thanks, anyway!

[flowerrobot]

I recently looked into this, It is quite hard, When not using Arx.

I do have code to create a Custom ComboBox for colors, but could not get the linetype bitmaps to work. I can give you the code if you like.
The best solution I came up with was to use the AutoCAD Dialogue boxes. Linked to a datagrid form.

Color

    Public Function UserGetColor() As Autodesk.AutoCAD.Colors.Color
        Dim DiaLineWT As New Autodesk.AutoCAD.Windows.ColorDialog
        Dim Result As System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult = DiaLineWT.ShowModal()
        If Result = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            Return DiaLineWT.Color
        Else
            Return Nothing
        End If
    End Function

Line Weight

  Public Shared Function UserGetLineWeight() As LineWeight
        Dim DiaLineWT As New Autodesk.AutoCAD.Windows.LineWeightDialog
        Dim Result As System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult = DiaLineWT.ShowModal()
        If Result = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
            Return DiaLineWT.LineWeight
        Else
            Return Nothing
        End If
    End Function

Linetype

Shared Function UserGetLineType() As LinetypeTableRecord
        Dim doc As Document = Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument
        Dim db As Database = doc.Database
        Try
            Using tr As Transaction = db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction
                Dim ltt As LinetypeTable = tr.GetObject(db.LinetypeTableId, OpenMode.ForRead)
                Dim ltID As ObjectId = ShowLineTypeDialog()
                Dim ltr As LinetypeTableRecord = TryCast(tr.GetObject(ltID, OpenMode.ForRead, False), LinetypeTableRecord)
                If ltr IsNot Nothing Then
                    Return ltr
                Else
                    Return Nothing
                End If
            End Using
        Catch ex As Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime.Exception
            doc.Editor.WriteMessage(ex.Message)
            Return Nothing
        End Try
    End Function

[BlackBox]

FWIW -

Using Standard AutoCAD Dialogs to Select Colors, Linetypes, and Lineweights with .NET

[Lukijan]

I'm using VB6, not VB.NET :/

[BlackBox]

I'm using VB6, not VB.NET :/

FWIW -

Microsoft no longer supports VBA, and even Autodesk only provides access to VBAIDE via a separate download (it's no longer included with AutoCAD products).

Presumably at some point (in the far future? ), VBA is going to die off through attrition, unless a rumored 'VBA7' is released. Keep that in mind when deciding which platform on which to develop your initiatives. Were Autodesk to stop offering the VBAIDE separate install, you'd be in a pinch.

To that end, .NET & ObjectARX are quickly becoming Autodesk's development platforms of choice.

You'd do well to start looking into it for that reason, and for accessing many of the new API Features that are only being exposed to .NET and ObjectARX. For simpler routines that you'd normally do in VBA, consider Visual LISP, as it also uses the ActiveX API.

HTH

[BlackBox]

More on VBA support, from the Autodesk Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Module FAQ:

What is the status of VBA support in the most recent releases of the AutoCAD product line?

Microsoft made the decision to stop offering VBA distribution licenses to new customers as of July 1, 2007 and they have expressed that there are no plans to provide VBA product enhancements in the future. As a result of this, though Autodesk will continue to “unofficially” support VBA in its most recent releases of the products, software developers are strongly encouraged to base all future Microsoft Windows based development for AutoCAD based products on the Microsoft .NET Framework (VB .NET, C#, managed C++ etc).

As first introduced with AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD is not distributing VBA as part of the most recent AutoCAD installation disk. Rather, customers will need to download VBA here.


What do you mean “unofficial” support for VBA?

We will continue offering VBA as a download for customers, however, because Microsoft has discontinued support, we will only make a best efforts attempt to fix any defects and do not plan enhancements to VBA support in future product releases.


What do you recommend for non-programmers to create simple scripts? .NET looks significantly harder to use than VBA.

Though a little bit longer learning curve, we strongly recommend non-programmer’s get started customizing AutoCAD based on VB .NET using the free Microsoft VB Express. Developing .NET based applications with VB Express is a great no cost way to get started customizing AutoCAD that is easily extended if and when one wants to develop more powerful add-ons for AutoCAD.

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