Script to Rename Operation Comments to Add Tool Number?

[Jobnt]

Is there a script that will iterate through Operations and add the Tool Number to the end of the Comment? 

So going from this:

1. Rough Profile
2. Finish Profile
3. Deburr

To this:

1. Rough Profile T1
2. Finish Profile T2
3. Deburr T3

[Colin Gilchrist]

Is this for working "inside Mastercam" and seeing the operations, or do you want this in the NC Code output? Because that, would be easy to add to the Operation comment string output.

Or are you trying to "find operations which use a particular tool" in the Mastercam Operation Tree? If yes > use "Operation Selection" from the Right-Click menu. You can opt to "use on all operations", or "only on selected operations". (So, if you select say, an operations group, or multiple, because you only want to search in your "OP1" groups, you can do that.) You can filter by tool number, and when you press "ok", the dialog will close and Mastercam will have those operations "selected".

[Aaron Eberhard]

Do you need to do that in the operation itself, or would doing it in the NC be good enough?  That would be fairly trivial to do in the post.

Edit:  Colin beat me, dangit!

[Jobnt]

I want it in the Operation's Manager, inside Mastercam.

When I program a part with multiple holds I do all of 1 hold, then the next hold, then I organize the operations based on tool numbers/rotations to optimize the program before posting. I've had really bad results using Sort by Tools so I try to stay away from that. 

[Colin Gilchrist]

25 minutes ago, Jobnt said:

I want it in the Operation's Manager, inside Mastercam.

When I program a part with multiple holds I do all of 1 hold, then the next hold, then I organize the operations based on tool numbers/rotations to optimize the program before posting. I've had really bad results using Sort by Tools so I try to stay away from that. 

I do this with Operation Groups, and Sub-Groups, in the Ops Manager. Easy to track rotations/tools, when grouping the Operations. Then I can name my groups to convey information back to me, while programming and/or posting.

This sounds fairly trivial to do with a script of some sort, but there would be no way to do this "dynamically". If you changed a tool, from T3, to T8, then you run into a situation where the comment doesn't update. Do you want the script to be able to read if there is an existing "T3" appended, and be able to modify that to the current tool number? Now you are talking a script that requires more coding.

[Jobnt]

20 minutes ago, Colin Gilchrist said:

Do you want the script to be able to read if there is an existing "T3" appended, and be able to modify that to the current tool number? Now you are talking a script that requires more coding.

I had considered that a bit ago and you're right, that could cause a bit of an issue so it would be better to have it look at the last string and make sure it's not a T#. 

I opened the Sort function and it's considerably different than I remember so there may be a solution there. Will play with it a bit when I get time. 

[Aaron Eberhard]

Yeah, a custom hook would be the way to do it, and it definitely sounds like one of those "really easy to get 98% functionality, really bloody annoying and time consuming to get the last 2%" kinda things

Perhaps talk to @byte?

 

[Jobnt]

He's chasing tail in Cuba right now. Will hit him up when he gets back. 

I remember him saying something about VBScript going byebye in Mastercam. I wonder if now might be a good time to toss out the old and busted and learn teh new hotness. 

[#Rekd™]

39 minutes ago, Jobnt said:

He's chasing tail in Cuba right now.

Oh to be young and foolish again!!!!!

[JoshC]

If you struggle to get help with this question then i would suggest looking over this knowledge base article, https://my.mastercam.com/communities/3rd-party-developers/faq/, you could perhaps click the "where can i get help with mastercam c-hook and net-hook programming?" to get some more details on where to find help with those types of questions. 

[David Colin]

I just looked at documentation and it shouldn’t be difficult to make a NETscript:

Get 'operations' array using SearchManager.GetOperations Method

Iterate each operation in 'operations' array :

- to get its 'tool' object using Operation.OperationTool Property then its number using Tool.Number Property

- modify comment operation with T+number with Operation.Name Property

 

I know NETscripting is limited regarding toolpath type so I don't know if this would work with any toolpath though... Then a CHook would only be able to do it.

I will try on monday if I have free time.

 

[Newbeeee™]

On 7/6/2023 at 6:35 PM, Jobnt said:

He's chasing tail in Cuba right now. Will hit him up when he gets back. 

I remember him saying something about VBScript going byebye in Mastercam. I wonder if now might be a good time to toss out the old and busted and learn teh new hotness. 

New hotness - you talkin 'bout tail chasin in Cuba?

 

On 7/6/2023 at 7:15 PM, #Rekd™ said:

Oh to be young and foolish again!!!!!

Old n foolish is where it's at!

[byte]

10 hours ago, Newbeeee™ said:

New hotness - you talkin 'bout tail chasin in Cuba?

 

Old n foolish is where it's at!

Way to tell everyone I'm in cuba guys

If you are just after tool info, and even if u can't get the operation object you can always dump the nci and parse that for whatever info you need,

Here I am giving away all my secrets, I demonstrate some nci parsing in an old topic here somewhere using .net , although it is c++/cli, it's easy to translate to c#

[byte]

 

BTW if you see comments on the topic saying it would be slow, there is an easy way to do it fast by using mapped memory, which is always faster than using ram

[David Colin]

@Jobnt NET script seems to work.

I joined .csx file at the end of my post. You can export it with Mastercam script editor to add it to your QAT/Ribbon if you need it.

        // settings
		string prefix = "- T"; // String to add with tool number
		bool used = false;  // True will only modify selected toopath

		// Get all operations from toolpath manager
		Operation[] toolpaths = SearchManager.GetOperations(used);
		
		// Iterate operations
		foreach (Operation op in toolpaths)
				{
				try 
					{
					// Get tool number
					int toolNumber = op.OperationTool.Number;
					// Get operation comment					
					string comment = op.Name;
					// Look for an already added tool number comment and remove it
					int index = op.Name.LastIndexOf(prefix);
					if (index > 0)
							{
							comment = op.Name.Substring(0,index).TrimEnd();
							}
					// Modify comment
					op.Name = comment + " - T" + toolNumber;	
					op.Commit(false);
					}
				catch
					{
					}	
				}

AddToolNumberToolpathComment.csx

[So not a Guru]

On 7/6/2023 at 1:15 PM, #Rekd™ said:

Oh to be young and foolish again!!!!!

I still rock the foolish part.

[byte]

7 hours ago, David Colin said:

@Jobnt NET script seems to work.

I joined .csx file at the end of my post. You can export it with Mastercam script editor to add it to your QAT/Ribbon if you need it.

        // settings
		string prefix = "- T"; // String to add with tool number
		bool used = false;  // True will only modify selected toopath

		// Get all operations from toolpath manager
		Operation[] toolpaths = SearchManager.GetOperations(used);
		
		// Iterate operations
		foreach (Operation op in toolpaths)
				{
				try 
					{
					// Get tool number
					int toolNumber = op.OperationTool.Number;
					// Get operation comment					
					string comment = op.Name;
					// Look for an already added tool number comment and remove it
					int index = op.Name.LastIndexOf(prefix);
					if (index > 0)
							{
							comment = op.Name.Substring(0,index).TrimEnd();
							}
					// Modify comment
					op.Name = comment + " - T" + toolNumber;	
					op.Commit(false);
					}
				catch
					{
					}	
				}

AddToolNumberToolpathComment.csx 2 kB · 1 download

6 hours ago, So not a Guru said:

I still rock the foolish part.

It's funny cause I'm older to people in their 20's but young to people 40+ , hey my birthdays coming up, now where's my drink !

[Jobnt]

15 minutes ago, byte said:

hey my birthdays coming up, now where's my drink !

They're in San Diego. Waiting for you. Lots of them.  

[Jobnt]

8 hours ago, David Colin said:

@Jobnt NET script seems to work.

I joined .csx file at the end of my post. You can export it with Mastercam script editor to add it to your QAT/Ribbon if you need it.

 

This is prolly going to sound really stupid (because it sounded stupid in my head), how do I run this? I've only ever run VBS and CHooks. Never NetHooks. 

[David Colin]

@Jobnt You talked about script so i made it that way^^ 

In your ribbon (Home tab) you should find a command to launch NETscript editor. It looks like a notepad, just open file i sent then click execute. Editor can be used to export to a .dll file and .ft file if you want to execute this script with one click from your QAT/RMB/Ribbon.

Actually, this is a net-script which is replacing VBS now. If you struggle with it and feel more confortable with a .dll/.ft I will make them.

[Jobnt]

25 minutes ago, David Colin said:

@Jobnt You talked about script so i made it that way^^ 

In your ribbon (Home tab) you should find a command to launch NETscript editor. It looks like a notepad, just open file i sent then click execute. Editor can be used to export to a .dll file and .ft file if you want to execute this script with one click from your QAT/RMB/Ribbon.

Actually, this is a net-script which is replacing VBS now. If you struggle with it and feel more confortable with a .dll/.ft I will make them.

I'm ok with scripts, just never used the NET type. Lots of VBS though. 

I don't see the NETscript editor, just the VBS editor. I'm in 2020. I looked in All Commands and couldn't find it. 

[David Colin]

9 minutes ago, Jobnt said:

I'm ok with scripts, just never used the NET type. Lots of VBS though. 

I don't see the NETscript editor, just the VBS editor. I'm in 2020. I looked in All Commands and couldn't find it. 

Sorry i thought you were in 2023. NET-scripting wasn't probably available in 2020. I will compile it in a Nethook then.

[byte]

You can use my free netscripting add on for older versions it's a nethook

Gcode pinned it for me before but they unpinned it not sure why

 

Ther3 should be a you tube video showing how to use it on my channel

[byte]

It's possible if you copy pasted the new mastercam netscripting.dll and .ft file to an older version it would work, haven't tried I don't think it's a chook

[Newbeeee™]

1 hour ago, Jobnt said:

This is prolly going to sound really stupid (because it sounded stupid in my head), how do I run this? I've only ever run VBS and CHooks. Never NetHooks. 

If you're Dumb, I'm your Dumber