Topic: Definitive Plotting Guide ...

[David Hall]

chk email

[David Hall]

add this to what I sent, and you can get/set values

Code: [Select]

Function getRegVal(DataVal As String) As String
      Dim scrpt As New WshShell
      getRegVal = scrpt.RegRead(DataVal)
End Function
Function setRegVal(regKey As String, DataVal As String) As String
      Dim scrpt As New WshShell
      scrpt.RegWrite regKey, DataVal
End Function

[TimSpangler]

Man, late again.

We have about 50 user, and I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that our plotting process is antiquated, but it works.  I have kind of rewritten some thing for my personal use and abuse.  I plot most thing from one lisp that excepts vars: printer, paper size, etc. then it is called from pull downs that indicate which area of the building (we have 4 reference areas in which differant plotter are located.)  I am still however working on the whole batch plotting thing ( a whole different can of worms there).

I would be interested in any feedback anyone has there.  If you need more info on the subject I would be more than happy to give it.

[MP]

Man, late again ...

Never too late Tim. If you have some thing you want to ante up / toss in the hat it would be most welcomed -- and appreciated. I'm not placing a a cap on ideas.

add this to what I sent, and you can get/set values ...

More succinct than my api (ala Appleman / Birch) approach ; brevity is good (while recognizing WshShell is merely providing a wrapper for the winapi calls).

[TimSpangler]

Micheal,

 I highly doubt that you need any help from me, but here is how I do it here at work.  It works great for onse, twose plots but doesn't do batch work at all.  (I am in the process of gettig some batch stuff tested).  We have a lot of differant requirements here for differant plots which just adds complexity to plotting.  I could discuss this topic all day long (batch plotting that is) but I have got to get something done.

Code to follow.......

Code: [Select]

;;; Plots current plot tab
;;; 07/10/06 - Tim Spangler - combined all plot routines - added check for "Model" tab
;;; 08/7/06  - Tim Spangler - added check for page setup
;;; NVR.inc
;
(defun NVR_PLOT (Plot PC3 PaperSize PageSetup / OldCmdEcho OldExpert PC3 PageSetup PaperSize)

(setq OldCmdEcho (getvar "CMDECHO"))
(setq OldExpert (getvar "EXPERT"))
(setvar "CMDECHO" 0)
(setvar "EXPERT" 5)

;; Check for page setup
(if (not (CHECK_PS PageSetup))
(ADD_PS PageSetup)
)

;;; Check to see if you are in a plot tab
(if (= (getvar "CTAB") "Model")
(progn
(alert "You are currentley not in a plot tab \nChange to a plot tab and  try again")
(END nil)
)
(cond
;;; Letter
((= Plot "Letter_Ref1")(PLOT_LETTER PC3))
((= Plot "Letter_Ref2")(PLOT_LETTER PC3))
((= Plot "Letter_Ref3")(PLOT_LETTER PC3))
((= Plot "Letter_Ref4")(PLOT_LETTER PC3))
;;; 8.5x11
((= Plot "8.5x11_Ref1")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "8.5x11_Ref2")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "8.5x11_Ref3")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "8.5x11_Ref4")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
;;; 11x17
((= Plot "11x17_Ref1")(PLOT_11X17 PC3))
((= Plot "11x17_Ref2")(PLOT_11X17 PC3))
((= Plot "11x17_Ref3")(PLOT_11X17 PC3))
((= Plot "11x17_Ref4")(PLOT_11X17 PC3))
;;; 18x24
((= Plot "18x24_Ref1")(PLOT_18X24 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "18x24_Ref2")(PLOT_18X24 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "18x24_Ref3")(PLOT_18X24 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "18x24_Ref4")(PLOT_18X24 PC3 PaperSize))
;;; 24x36
((= Plot "24x36_Ref1")(PLOT_24X36 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "24x36_Ref2")(PLOT_24X36 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "24x36_Ref3")(PLOT_24X36 PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "24x36_Ref4")(PLOT_24X36 PC3 PaperSize))
;;; Fit to 18x24
((= Plot "CFit_Ref1")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "CFit_Ref2")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "CFit_Ref3")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
((= Plot "CFit_Ref4")(PLOT_FIT PC3 PaperSize))
);cond
)
 
);defun
(defun PLOT_LETTER (PC3 / )

(command "_.zoom" "_e")
(command "-plot"
"Yes" ; Detaied plot settings
"" ; Layout name
PC3 ; Output device
PaperSize ; Paper size
"Inches" ; Paper Units
"Portrait" ; Drawing orientation
"No" ; Plot upside down
"Layout" ; Plot area
"1:1" ; Plot scale
"0,0"    ; Plot offset
"Yes" ; Plot with plotstyle
"Letter5.ctb" ; Plot table name
"Yes" ; Plot with line weight
"No" ; Scale linewieghts
"No" ; Plot paperspace first
"No" ; Hide paperspace objects
"No" ; Write to plot file
"No" ; Save changes to page setup
"Yes" ; Proceed with plot
)
(END T)
)
(defun PLOT_11X17 (PC3 / )

(command "_.zoom" "_e")
(command "-plot"
"Yes" ; Detaied plot settings
"" ; Layout name
PC3 ; Output device
PaperSize ; Paper size
"Inches" ; Paper Units
"Landscape" ; Drawing orientation
"No" ; Plot upside down
"Extents" ; Plot area
"Fit" ; Plot scale
"Center" ; Plot offset
"Yes" ; Plot with plotstyle
"11x17.ctb" ; Plot table name
"Yes" ; Plot with line weight
"No" ; Scale linewieghts
"No" ; Plot paperspace first
"No" ; Hide paperspace objects
"No" ; Write to plot file
"No" ; Save changes to page setup
"Yes" ; Proceed with plot
)
(END T)
)
(defun PLOT_18X24 (PC3 PageSetup / )

(command "_.zoom" "_e")
(command "-plot"
"Yes" ; Detaied plot settings
"" ; Layout name
PC3 ; Output device
PaperSize ; Paper size
"Inches" ; Paper Units
"Landscape" ; Drawing orientation
"No" ; Plot upside down
"Layout" ; Plot area
"1:1" ; Plot scale
"0.0,0.0" ; Plot offset
"Yes" ; Plot with plotstyle
"DesignJet.ctb" ; Plot table name
"Yes" ; Plot with line weight
"No" ; Scale linewieghts
"No" ; Plot paperspace first
"No" ; Hide paperspace objects
"No" ; Write to plot file
"Yes" ; Save changes to page setup
"Yes" ; Proceed with plot
)
(END T)
)
(defun PLOT_24X36 (PC3 PaperSize / )

(command "-plot"
"Yes" ; Detaied plot settings
"" ; Layout name
PC3 ; Output device
PaperSize ; Paper size
"Inches" ; Paper Units
"Landscape" ; Drawing orientation
"No" ; Plot upside down
"Extents" ; Plot area
"1:1" ; Plot scale
"0,0" ; Plot offset
"Yes" ; Plot with plotstyle
"DesignJet.ctb" ; Plot table name
"Yes" ; Plot with line weight
"No" ; Scale linewieghts
"No" ; Plot paperspace first
"No" ; Hide paperspace objects
"No" ; Write to plot file
"Yes" ; Save changes to page setup
"Yes" ; Proceed with plot
)
(END T)
)
(defun PLOT_FIT (PC3 PaperSize / )

(command "-plot"
"Yes" ; Detaied plot settings
"" ; Layout name
PC3 ; Output device
PaperSize ; Paper size
"Inches" ; Paper Units
"Landscape" ; Drawing orientation
"No" ; Plot upside down
"Extents" ; Plot area
"1:1" ; Plot scale
"0,0" ; Plot offset
"Yes" ; Plot with plotstyle
"DesignJet.ctb" ; Plot table name
"Yes" ; Plot with line weight
"No" ; Scale linewieghts
"No" ; Plot paperspace first
"No" ; Hide paperspace objects
"No" ; Write to plot file
"No" ; Save changes to page setup
"Yes" ; Proceed with plot
)
(END T)
)
(defun END (Finished /)

(if (= Finished T)
(progn
(command "_.zoom" "_e")
(princ " Your drawing is being plotted.........Have A Nice Day!")
)
)
(setvar "EXPERT" OldExpert)
(setvar "CMDECHO" OldCmdEcho)
(princ)
)

There is some call the a pagesetup routine that deletes and adds correct PS's from a template dwg.  My goal is to create a script for batch plotting that just make a call to this lisp.     maybe someday I could get time.


These get called from a Ploting pulldown menu to the corect referance area.


Enjoy

[MP]

Tim, if I've given you or anyone else the impression I think I know it all I apologize. I don't. Your perspective, and your version of a solution is valued as much as anyone who posts to this great forum. You have my sincere thanks for your willingness to generously share what you have <nodding.mpg>.

I'm swamped at present, so I can't immediately review all the stuff I've received to date (which is a lot) but please do not mistake the economy of my feedback as infering my appreciation, it doesn't. Thanks to all of you.

[David Hall]

More succinct than my api (ala Appleman / Birch) approach ; brevity is good (while recognizing WshShell is merely providing a wrapper for the winapi calls).

I'm not sure what you just said, but I think thank you.

[MP]

It's all good David.

[TimSpangler]

Tim, if I've given you or anyone else the impression I think I know it all I apologize. I don't. Your perspective, and your version of a solution is valued as much as anyone who posts to this great forum. You have my sincere thanks for your willingness to generously share what you have <nodding.mpg>.

No offense taken Micheal. I am more than willing to offer any solution. (Your solutions and coding style, from my view, are more superior than mine.  I only hope that someday I can be that talented)

Thank you for all your contributions to the group.

[MP]

Very nice of you to say Tim, thank you for the kind words.

I consider it all just a massive relay race of staggered starts. No matter who appers to be in the lead at any point in time it's purely subjective and not that relavant. What's important is that we successively take turns passing the baton so that we all finish, and do so entirely of our collective team efforts.

Ok, maybe a reach, but the first analogy that came to me.

[David Hall]

Very well said!

[MP]

In the remote chance that others who automate plotting might find benefit ... here's a variable map I made for myself ...

More to come down the road when I've time, cheers.

(PS: Thanks David, you snuck your post in just as I was posting this).

[TimSpangler]

Thanks for the info, I actually do need it for the printer paths (I use one for work and one for plotting personal things, it would be nice to automate the change rather than manually changing them)


P.S.  I like the analogy

[CAB]

I have a Hodge-podge collection of plot info posted here in case anyone might find useful.
It's some lisp stuff I've collected.
http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=5964.msg73208#msg73208

[TimSpangler]

Thanks Alan!

Great resource for plotting.  I do have some of that stuff but a lot of it is spanking new.

<bookmarked>