API Unavailable dimension

I am working on this program that is part of a large in-house program here.
I bring up a form that looks at current config specific properties and fills
the form with the current values. If the user changes configs, I don't
totally update the form in order that those other values can be applied to
the then current config. However, there is one of the fields that deals
with the length of the part. If the user has grabbed the length value by
highlighting the dimension and clicking the button to grab that value, it's
pasted into the form. On a config change, that value stays there.

But, if the user clicks the button that says he wants the length Property,
such as "D1@Extrude1@@", then on a config change I
search that new config to see if that same dimension exists in the new
config. If so, update the property string so it has the correct config &
file name in it. This keeps the user from having to reselect that dimension
each time.

My problem is that I want to be able to distinguish whether or not that
dimension is even really available in the new config. I have tried the
Visible property, but it finds the dim even if the associated feature is
suppressed, and even if the associated sketch is also suppressed. I have
searched on visible, active , suppressed, etc to no avail. I wasted about 2
hours last night looking, and I'm not a happy camper at this time. Any
thoughts?

WT

 

After cooling off on this a bit, I think what I need to do is find the
parent sketch and/or feature of the dimension and check for suppression
there. More thoughts?

WT

 

Ok I am throwing unfounded ideas at you, because I don't have the time to
create an example.

First if you select the dimension by name in a config that it is not used in
will it ever return a true on the selection.

Second (You aren't going to like this because it may be alot of work)
You may have to get the children of the dimension (start with the sketch
since you know the name of that.) check the supression state of the sketch.
If it is supressed go no further the dimension is not used. If it isn't
supressed get the children of the sketch. If all of them are supressed (it
must be all of them because if shared sketches.) then the dimension isn't
used. If any of them are resolved the dim is definitely not used. Actually
I don't think it will be all that hard to write. But I am sure you will let
me know.

Corey

 

on a config change I search that new config to see if that same
Am I missing something? When one adds a dimension to a configuration, is not
that dimension (with possibly different values) now part of *every* configuration?

 

Ding, ding, ding - you win the prize, and hopefully it didn't take you as
long to realize it as it did me.

I started out with the search routine because of allowing the user to also
change files, not just configs, but then later decided it was too risky to
assume they would want the same dimension captured. Better to make them
pick it again to be sure. So then I wanted to see if the dimension was
active, that is not part of a suppressed feature. If part of something
suppressed, I clear the form field, thereby making them select another one.
As it is, the Length field can be tied to a dimension on a suppressed
feature.

That's where this message was heading.

WT

configuration?

 

I see what you're getting at... but dimensions for suppressed features
*are* available to the user, its just that modifying the dimension
will show no apparent change until the dimensions owning feature is
unsuppressed.

Im not sure which way you parsed down thru the code to get the dims,
but if you did it by recursing the feature tree, you can just check to
see if the feature is suppressed, and add a flag that any of the dims
associated with this feature are also suppressed...possibly show the
Dimension to the user as "greyed out' or something.. "Lock" the
textbox and change the background color...