VB Script Editor and Mastercam X API

[Guest SAIPEM]

Is there any useable documentation on the Mastercam X object model?

 

The Help file is devoid of any useful information.

[Bullines]

If you have Visual Studio .NET, you can use the Object Explorer to look at nethook.dll - it shares a lot with the VBScript API although the use would (obviously) be different. Otherwise, what in particular are you looking for documentation on?

[Guest SAIPEM]

I'm looking for the complete documentation of the object model.

 

I'd like to be able to evaluate wether or not a project is best suited as a C-Hook or a Script.

 

As it stands right now, the documentation for creating useable scripts in Mastercam is nonexistent.

It doesn't truly support VBScript.

The MsgBox Method is a is a good example.

Totally unsupported.

Sure WSH is supported but there isn't any documentation about what is actually exposed and available.

 

A little documentation in a useable form would be helpful.

Without it, scripting in Mastercam is essentially worthless.

[Bullines]

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The MsgBox Method is a is a good example.

Totally unsupported.

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Indeed, and it is one of few VBScript-native functions not available to the Mastercam VBS API (another one that comes to mind is the Sleep() method of the Shell class...I have a workaround to that, though). However, there are subs like ShowString() and ShowValue() that accomplish the same thing as MsgBox().

 

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Sure WSH is supported but there isn't any documentation about what is actually exposed and available.

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Plenty is available. Actually, most of it is available. FileSystem, Dictionary, Shell, other DLLs with COM hooks...all of it is available for you to use. As far as WSH documentation, that's always been available here.

 

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A little documentation in a useable form would be helpful.

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That is true. Most of the documentation for the Mastercam APIs is fairly weak.

 

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Without it, scripting in Mastercam is essentially worthless.

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That is not true. Where the documentation leaves off, this forum takes over

[Guest SAIPEM]

Bullines-

 

 

quote:

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Plenty is available. Actually, most of it is available. FileSystem, Dictionary, Shell, other DLLs with COM hooks...all of it is available for you to use. As far as WSH documentation, that's always been available here.

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I'm not talking about documentation of WSH.

 

I'm talking about documentation of the Mastercam Object Model.

 

You say plenty is available but don't bother to say where.

 

Based on what I've been able to piece together on my own, it sure appears that any app of moderate complexity has to be done as a C-Hook.

 

I'm not a fan of .Net since the 2.0 Framework seems to break about 80% of .Net apps that run just fine with Framework 1.1.

(Framework - a fancy name for a bloated 25MB+ runtime)

 

Scripting in Mastercam seems to useful for only the most basic of projects.

The Editor doesn't even include a Basic Oject browser.

I've been using VBSEdit for script development

http://www.vbsedit.com/

[Pete Rimkus from CNC Software Inc.]

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"any app of moderate complexity has to be done as a C-Hook."

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I would have to agree, but only because there is more functionality available via the C-Hook API than through .NET & VBS. Our .NET layer is essentially a wrapper around the C-Hook API, but not everything is wrapped (reason: time and resources). But that doesn't mean that developers haven't done some very cool stuff with .NET and VBS...

[Guest SAIPEM]

Pete-

 

Thanks for your input.

 

I'm sure that there is plenty that can be done with Scripting.

My questions are really only so I can make the most efficient use of my time.

 

I must say that I think you guys have done an absolutely AWESOME job with Version X.

The problem is getting spoiled by the continuing improvement of the product.

One tends to expect more because you guys make it look so easy sometimes.