Urgent!!! Autocad VBA copy to clipboard

ps, i didnt do any error trapping

I actually wanted something that will allow me to copy any system variable to clipboard. for example somethimes i need to use the DWGPREFIX or CTAB but as i understand it i can't get "paramerters" from the command line using pure vba.

what error message did you get?

I already have a function similar to yours but i wanted to make it a bit more flexible

i am just using ctrl-v to past the information


Rgards
Phill

sorry
"method `getstring' of object `IAcadUtility2' failed"

How are you going to tell your routine which var you want?
 Im not a vba guru by any means, I havent really gotten into parameterarrays and all.
If it was me I'd set up a CASE and have a button for each var you wanted or be able to key it in maybe. You could send the var name using a lisp variable maybe one of the "USER#" ones, I've got codes that do that like:

^C^C(setvar "USERI1" 1) -vbarun;mycode

then use a
dim whatever as string
whatever = thisdrawing.getvariable("user1")
select case whatever

case 1
and so on.

But I'm not sure if thats what you are after.
Be interesting to see how you get it.
I wish autodesk would just suck it up and make pdf's easier to do, dont you?
good luck

After *much* experirmation,  it seems that this problem is isolated to pdf995 for some reason

I might have to change pdf wirters

Do you mind if i  have this question deleted?

Phill

I dont care if you delete the question, but if you do have a solution, post it and you could ask for a  PAQ just in case anyone else has the same issues, instead of deleting it.

But why do you think the problem is isolated to pdf995? acad hung up on me when I ran that code and I dont even have it on that machine. Your code did put the text in the clipboard though so it worked part of the way.

Does the ctrl-v not work after getting  the dwg name after running that code that I posted, or is acad still hanging up on you?

Just so I understand what you are trying to do:
run routine to get dwgname in clipboard (with code able to get other vars)
run macro to plot using pdf995, then paste(ctrl-v) the name when it asks you for filename/location
create file

am I right or am I missing someting?

LIke I said I dont care about the points or if you delete the question or not. But with the popularity of pdf995 you might want to consider the other option.

radd

Hi radd

Yes you have it right

i tried a few other printer drivers and all accepted ctrl-v and correctly pasted the file name. With pdf995, i had to kill the save file dialogue box to gain control of autocad.

I already have code similar to yours to get the drawings name. However sometimes i need to include the drawing "PREFIX" variable.

So that is why i used the command line lisp so that i can use a command within autocad to determine which i need at the time. Also by doing this way the function is extensible and can be used by other vba code to do other things.

I am open to other ideas but i thought from "playing around" that the problem was a pdf995 problem that is all

Quite frankly if there is another solution i would be much happier as it is quite a hassal finding other software to replace what i am used to.

phill

so if you just copy a string of text using ctrl-c and try pasting it in the pdf save dialog(ctrl-v) pdf995 doesnt like that?

are you typing that command line lisp in everytime?

As far as passing a variable (or parameters, I was missunderstading) from lisp to vba you are right it cant be done at the command line. The easiest way that I have found was to set one of the "useri" variables to what you want and then get that variable in vba and use it in a function like I mentioned above.

If you havent already you might look at using the "thisdrawing.utility.getinput" in vba, you might can use that instead of the lisp command line to get which ever variable that you want at the time, but I'm not sure I havent checked it out all the way. there is an example in the help file.

pdf995 still hangs.

no other app seems to

Though your tip actually helped to redefine how i'm getting the user input - thanks!!

My revised code:....

Sub VTC() 'short for SystemVariableToClipboard
Dim parameterArray() As String
    Dim keywordList As String
    Dim ui As String
    keywordList = "Keyword1 Keyword2"


    ThisDrawing.Utility.InitializeUserInput 128, keywordList
    ui = ThisDrawing.Utility.GetString(False, "test: ")

   
     toClipboard (ui)
   
End Sub

Sub toClipboard(ui As String) 'short for SystemVariableToClipboard
   
    Dim objectList As New DataObject
    Dim param As String
    Dim parameterArray() As String
    Dim ref As String
   

    parameterArray() = Split(ui, " ")
    For i = 0 To UBound(parameterArray)
        ref = ref & getSysVar(parameterArray(i))
        If UBound(parameterArray) > 0 Then ref = ref & vbNewLine
    Next i
   
    objectList.SetText ref
    objectList.PutInClipboard
   
End Sub

Private Function getSysVar(varName As String) As String
Dim SysVar As String
Dim i As Integer

ThisDrawing.Utility.GetInput
On Error Resume Next
SysVar = ThisDrawing.GetVariable(varName)
If Err <> 0 Then
    Err.Clear
    SysVar = varName
ElseIf varName = "DWGNAME" Then 'REMOVE DRAWING FILE EXTENSIOIN IE '.dwg'
    Do
    If Mid(SysVar, Len(SysVar) - i, 1) = "." Then
        SysVar = Left(SysVar, Len(SysVar) - i - 1)
        i = Len(SysVar)
    Else
        i = i + 1
    End If
    Loop While i < Len(SysVar)
End If

getSysVar = SysVar

End Function


Is there anything a bit wrong with it

hey Phill,
I used you code here at work late yesterday, and it worked with acrobat and anything else (I dont have pdf995 here), as long as I used all caps when typing in the var I wanted.
 IMHO, I would set up some other way to get the var, like a dropdown box populated with the vars or maybe some 2-3 stroke hot keys, but if you like typing in the whole var name thats up to you, diff strokes for diff folks, you know what I mean? ;)

At home I do have pdf995. I hope you bought the keys that disable that popup crap becuase I didnt and its a royal pain.
Anyway, I found some very interesting things.
If I just ctrl-c something, like highlight some text on this webpage, and ctrl-v in the save dialog it didnt have any problems. If I ran that code and ctrl-v in there, it'd hang, go figure.
But once I restarted acad and tried ctrl-v(without running the code) it would work, pasting what the code putinclipboard the last time.
So that tells me that the pdf995 dialog must not like the way(format maybe?) that the dataobject puts the data in the clipboard at runtime?
But it hangs on you if you just ctrl-v some highlighted text right?
I dont know, if you purchased the keys with support options I'd give them a buzz.
IMO, Something is wrong with there stuff.

I was going to test something last night but ran out of time. I was going to create some text and see if I could get vba to copy it to the clipboard using ctrl-c instead of the databobject somehow, not sure if that is possibe, but it would be a way to test it.

Hello once again

I had a bit of a fiddle and it seems to be that the problem is that the code is part of an existing project.

I removed it and put it in a project of its own and it seemed to work as it should

The existing project runs continuously until it is explicitly stopped

So i am guessing that some how a running VBA program must be holding on to a "resource" that is required by pdf995. other printer dirvers must not operate the same????

See what you think.

must be something like that. one thing Im not sure I tried was to run a vba routine that does something else, then just try to copy/paste something non programmically. try that.

Hi Norrin

I have been madly looking at different pdf programs but none seem to be as good as acrobat for editing. But i certainly will have a further look at this one. it *looks* interesing but you never know until its tested.

I think that the problem lies in the clash i stated above. thats the best i've figured out.

In any case, i will accept your last entry as the "correct" response because i am greatful for you help and thru this discourse i have identified the problems and realised that i have to get a new pdf printer or use my vba program does its job and then terminates.

Sorry. I hope this makes sense it is 3am here and i rarely make sense at this time of the morning

Once again thanks. I am downloading this blue beam to check it out

Phill