Topic: PlotPreview lockup

[mohnston]

Here is the next issue I'm dealing with on my plotting program.
I have a "Preview" button on my modal form.
Here is part of the code that executes when the button is clicked:

Code: [Select]

            PlotProgressDialog prog = new PlotProgressDialog(true, 1, true);
            this.Hide();
           
            PlotEngine pEng = PlotFactory.CreatePreviewEngine(0);
           
            prog.OnBeginPlot();
            prog.IsVisible = true;
            pEng.BeginPlot(prog, null);
            pEng.BeginDocument(pInf, currDwgName, null, 1, false, string.Empty);
            pEng.BeginPage(pPInfo, pInf, true, null);
            pEng.BeginGenerateGraphics(null);

            pEng.EndGenerateGraphics(null);
            pEng.EndPage(null);
            pEng.EndDocument(null);
            pEng.EndPlot(null);
            prog.IsVisible = false;
            prog.OnEndPlot();
            prog.Destroy();
            pEng.Destroy();
I've left out some of the code to help focus on what I think is the problem.

Everything works fine up until the line: "pEng.BeginGenerateGraphics(null);"
The program never comes out of that method. The preview shows in the AutoCAD window and everything looks as it should but that window is frozen. AutoCAD never gets control.

Any ideas?

[Kerry]

While this is obviously not the cause of your immediate issue ....
.. should you destroy the Engine before you destroy the Dialog ?

[Glenn R]

Not having Acad or anything else handy, I'm flying blind on this one, however, having said that, what is the function signature for BeginGenerateGraphics? I seem to vaguely remember in my code that I had an argument in there.......maybe the plot progress dialog..........??

Cheers,
Glenn.

[Kerry]

I think the  pEng.BeginGenerateGraphics(null); is correct ; the parameter is ( Object parameters) <Reserved for future use>

Mark, are you using a validator ? ?

[Kerry]

I 'spose you've had a look at this ..

[mohnston]

Kerry, I have not had a look at that . . . or the example it promises.
I destroyed the prog dialog last because I created it first. But I've tried it both ways. I've tried it 50 ways with more or less the same result.
For anyone trying this, when AutoCAD freezes do -NOT- kill the process using the task manager. Just stop the program from the VS IDE. Any open drawings will not get saved properly and AutoCAD will complain. But that is better than what happens if you kill the process. I'm still not emotionally ready to talk to anyone about it.

Maybe it has something to do with context. To Preview we have to turn focus and control over to AutoCAD until the preview is dismissed. Then we need to know how it was dismissed. (plot, cancel etc.)
In my case I don't want the user to be able to choose plot. I want focus to go back to my dialog.

If this was an .exe I would look at something like the vb "appactivate" function. But this is a .NET dll running in AutoCAD space. It should (and probably is) actually be easier to hand focus back and forth.