question re sortents table and draw order

No one has responded to my missives concerning draw order and the sortents table. Is the sortents table new in 2005? Can anyone shed any light why the code below doesn't work? It is intended to list out the drawing entities in draw order, but it doesn't.

Dim e as AcadEntity
Dim b as AcadBlock
Dim eDictionary As Object
Dim sentityObj As AcadSortentsTable

Set eDictionary = _
ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.GetExtensionDictionary
Set sentityObj = eDictionary.GetObject("ACAD_SORTENTS")
Set b = ThisDrawing.ModelSpace

sentityObj.GetFullDrawOrder b, True
For Each e In sentityObj.Block
MsgBox e.ObjectName
Next e

Thanks for any help you can provide.

- ej

 

Well, I can answer I of your questions....No, the sortents table is not new
to 2005 BUT the access to it via VBA is new.
I don't have 2005 to test any code with, sorry.

 

Sortents in NOT new in 2005.
Don't really know if there have been changes made to it since acad2002
But if I recall correctly, this table has a list of entity handles plus a
long
indicating the position for each.

 

From Jeff's post I think it may be possible that the new methods have not been implemented correctly by Autodesk. This is purely a stab in the dark. Try manually cycling the sortents table checking the index as indicated by Jorge.
Regards - Nathan

 

Try iterating the array of entities returned in the variant "b".


» No one has responded to my missives concerning draw order and the sortents table. Is the sortents table new in 2005? Can anyone shed any light why the code below doesn't work? It is intended to list out the drawing entities in draw order, but it doesn't.
»
» Dim e as AcadEntity
» Dim b as AcadBlock
» Dim eDictionary As Object
» Dim sentityObj As AcadSortentsTable
»
» Set eDictionary = _
» ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.GetExtensionDictionary
» Set sentityObj = eDictionary.GetObject("ACAD_SORTENTS")
» Set b = ThisDrawing.ModelSpace
»
» sentityObj.GetFullDrawOrder b, True
» For Each e In sentityObj.Block
» MsgBox e.ObjectName
» Next e
»
» Thanks for any help you can provide.
»
» - ej

 

No, that doesn't work either. It lists them out in creation order (lowest handle or lowest objectid first), but if you have changed the draw order using the draworder commands (bring above, send below, et al) the order does not change in b.

 

Where, or in what structure or property is the long indicating the position?

 

This works for me:

Public Sub test()
Dim e As AcadEntity
Dim b As Variant 'AcadBlock
Dim eDictionary As Object
Dim sentityObj As AcadSortentsTable

Set eDictionary = _
ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.GetExtensionDictionary
Set sentityObj = eDictionary.GetObject("ACAD_SORTENTS")
Set b = ThisDrawing.ModelSpace

sentityObj.GetFullDrawOrder b, True
Dim x As Long
'For Each e In sentityObj.Block
For x = LBound(b) To UBound(b)
MsgBox b(x).ObjectName
'Next e
Next x

End Sub

 

Bullseye. Thank you >>very much<<, indeed.

- ej

 

A couple of things to be aware of. The ACAD_SORTENTS dictionary may not exist which would cause an error on the call to .GetObject. Also, you may not get what you want if the SORTENTS system variable is not 127 - depends on what it is you want in that case.

 

I am working in Acad2004 and I can't find the AcadSortents table. I can't find it in either the Main dictionary or the extension dictionary of the model space. Any suggestion on how to access this table in 2004? Thanks in advance.

 

I don't think the table gets added until the draworder is changed from the order it was drawn. The following is part of the only example in 2005.

Code:

'Gxet an extension dictionary and, if necessary, add a SortentsTable object
Dim eDictionary As Object
Set eDictionary = ThisDrawing.ModelSpace.GetExtensionDictionary
' Prevent failed GetObject calls from throwing an exception
On Error Resume Next
Dim sentityObj As Object
Set sentityObj = eDictionary.GetObject("ACAD_SORTENTS")
On Error GoTo 0
If sentityObj Is Nothing Then
' No SortentsTable object, so add one
Set sentityObj = eDictionary.AddObject("ACAD_SORTENTS", "AcDbSortentsTable")
End If