Selection sets- How to select objects on top of other objects?

Hi all, I'm trying to make a selection set of polylines that make an object. The problem I have is the objects randomly sit over other objects and I haven't been able to figure this out from what I'm reading in the help files about selection methods...

1. I obviously can't use a window, because anything else inside of it gets picked.

2. I tried fence, which has two problems: the fence line can "miss" the hidden lines by going thru the spaces, and the fence can still pick up something that's randomly under it.

3. So I tried using crossing using just a small window to get around the problem with the spaces in hidden lines, but even more of a chance of a random object being picked than the fence method.

4. Lastly, I tried using the point method, but I don't understand quite how that works.

If anyone's out there, bored on a Saturday night, can you help me with this? Thank you.

You posted this in the lisp forum, so not sure if this will help you or not,

are you familiar with SELECTION CYCLING, which can be turned on at the keyboard with CTRL+W, or by enabling the rightmost icon at the bottom center of your screen?

It is very helpful.

Use an appropriate filter list argument with the ssget function to exclude any objects which do not possess the properties you require.

I have written a complete reference for the ssget function here: ssget Function Reference

Thank you Dadgad- I looked into selection cycling, and while I found another solution, it's good information to know. I had never heard of it. Thanks again. Oh, and I love the bumper sticker!

Lee, Thank you for replying, your tutorial gave me what I needed to complete the job! I appreciate your giving me the direction I needed to learn the answer instead of just writing the code for me. I wonder if you can guide me with this: I have a dialog with some popup lists, edit boxes, and toggles. I'm trying to make one of the popup lists control what shows in one of the edit boxes. In other words, the selection you make in the popup list will auto fill in the edit box?

You're most welcome LosGirk - happy to help.

Regarding your second question:

Use a set_tile expression to control the edit_box tile value within the action_tile expression for the popup_list tile, e.g.:

(setq lst '("A" "B" "C" "D"))

(start_list "<popup_list_key>")
(foreach x lst (add_list x))
(end_list)

(action_tile "<popup_list_key>" "(set_tile \"<edit_box_key>\" (nth $value lst))")

I'm just wondering, wouldn't it be easier if using only window selection and using lisp which lists all the type of objects, with their layer and their number and just pick from there what to select. Something simmilar that appears in quick properties panel when selecting multiple different entities.

Grrr, I'll look that up tomorrow, I think it's a little different than what I'm doing, but you never know! Thanks for looking out. Where are you from? What do you do?

LosGirk, are you looking to select draw ordered entities that are in front or other entities, or you have them already separated with some Layer and you want to select everything that resides that Layer like shown on your example - red lines...?

If first option is the case, then you have to make that order by changing entities properties like color or similar, or just use DRAWORDER command... If you choose to set new color to them - like in your pictures - red lines, then you can use CDORDER command to set them in front or in desired order in comparison with other colors that exist inside drawing... If you already have Layer with entities you want to change order from front to lower order, use QSELECT command - choose working set - Entire drawing and from list choose select by Layer, below selecting box there is small selecting box for filtering with what filter function you want to process selecting - I usually put here (Select All)... Make sure include into selection is checked with marker and press OK... Your Layer selection will be gripped and selected - now just use DRAWORDER command on selected entities (ssget "_P") if you mistakenly hit ESC...

M.R.

Marko,

Thanks for you reply, that's good information to know! I'm creating a program that will automate drawing structural steel arms that you see on utility poles. What I have so far is a dialog that asks what type of connection, how many sides, the length of the shaft, the rise (angle upward), and the base and tip diameter. It then draws the part using that information, putting it on the right layers, etc. On hitting enter, the user is asked for an insertion point- I want the user to be able to draw the arm in place on the pole, which can sometimes be a very cluttered area.

In developing my program I've stepped through the process logically as best I know how. What I've done is having established the data from input, the program draws the arm at the insertion point, physically in place on the pole. First it draws the pole using polylines straight up and down, then writes a block of it and re-inserts it at the same point, at the correct rotation. Well, when the block was being written, it was taking whatever happened to be below the pole also.

Using Lee Mac's lead I was able to solve this by temporarily changing the color of the arm to an odd color we would never use, then creating a selection set of anything within a window that's a polyline and this odd color. The block writes and re-inserts at the given angle, then it explodes and is returned to it's original colors. I'm sure that's not the best way, but it works.

Thanks again for you interest Marko. I did research your lead, using ssget with draworder will be an interesting tool to have in my back pocket for future projects!