INDEFINITE MOUSE SELECTION

I need to allow the user to select an undefined number of boundaries before a LISP can continue. I've used PAUSE but that only works if I can define the number of mouse clicks it will take to select all necessary boundaries which cannot be defined. How can I tell the LISP to allow the user to continue selecting boundaries until the user presses the enter key before continuing the routine? thanks.

 

(setvar "errno" 0)
(while (/= (getvar "errno") 52)
<do what you want.>
)

Tim

 

.. . .
(command "pline") ;make a closed pline
(while (= (logand (getvar "cmdactive") 1) 1) (command pause))
.. . .

rs

 

Use (ssget) to get the objects. It will continue until the user hits
enter......, if using in a (command) sequence, get the ss prior to running
the command such as:
(prompt "\nSelect boundaries: ")
(setq ss (ssget))
(command "your_command" ss ......)

 

Jeff, native commands will behave with selection sets. But many vertical addins
and express tool routines are not so gracious and demand points or windows.
Some, you can fool them by getting the sset and immediately calling the routine,
entering P, not the selection set variable name.

rs

 

I' having difficulty implementing your suggested method to my LISP. Could you please help?

Here is my code:

(DEFUN C:HP ()
(COMMAND "LAYER" "S" "RESIDENCE" "" "COLOR" "2" "HATCH" "SOLID" <need to allow indefinite selection here>)
(COMMAND "COLOR" "ByLayer")
(COMMAND "ERASE" "P" "" "REDRAW")
)

Thanks to anyone that can help with this.

 

I think you are packing too much into a single (command). If you break it up you
will have an opportunity to debug each separate command. Example:

(defun longpause( / ) ;wait for multiple user input.
(while (= (logand (getvar "cmdactive") 1) 1) (command pause))
)

(command "layer" "s" "Residence" "c" "2" "" "") ;note the closing ""s.
(princ "\nSelect items to hatch solid: ") ;need to prompt user
(command "hatch" "solid" (longpause))
.. . . .

This assumes that you are trying to set layer Residence AND change its color to
yellow. Your code is ambiguous, you might be trying to set the layer and then
set the operating color to yellow. In which case you would say:
(command "layer" "s" "Residence" "")
(command "color" "2")

Can't help a couple minor suggestions: 1. Use lower case in lisp code; it's much
easier on the eyes. 2. End every c: function with (princ) to suppress unwanted
command line output. 3. Make your "first cut" routine as elementary as
possible -- use a lot of setqs and break down (command) as I mentioned. Then
when it all works you can kill intermediate steps and variables.

rs

 

No, the code is not ambiguous about the layer and color stuff. The "" in
their original clearly ends the Layer command, and the "Color" is the
command, not the option in Layer. That's why there's a Color command again
later, to reset it. There are other ways to do this, of course (e.g., don't
use the Color command but use CHPROP or CHANGE on the object afterwards),
but there's nothing wrong with that part of their code.

[And for what it's worth, I don't object to upper case code; in fact I find
it easier to read -- you can more easily tell a 1 from an L, for example. I
happen to like using upper case for AutoCAD command names and system
variables, and lower case for most other things. To each his or her own.]

As for the indefinite object selection, the SELECT command might do what's
wanted, if you can select the hatch boundary object(s) prior to invoking the
Hatch command:

(command "select" pause "hatch" "s" "p" "")

lets you pick any number of objects by any selection means you like,
including the Remove and Multiple options, with just the one pause, before
going on to the hatch command. You could add a prompt line if you want to
"match" the way it looks within Hatch, but its prompt is on two lines, the
second of which is just "Select objects:" anyway, just like the one for
Select..

 

Thank you all,

I'm sure that I have enough information to rethink how I write commands now. Some great suggestions here! Thanks again.