VB Script ImportNCI

[Karl@CP PISTONS]

Anybody give me some pointers as to why this code fails:

If FSO.FileExists(NCIFileImport) Then ShowString("NCI file found" )bRet = ImportNCI(NCIFileImport)

If debug = true then ShowString("ImportNCI bRet = " & bRet)

 

The FSO returns true so I know the filename is good but the importnci  bret always returns false and of course no nci file is imported into the operation tree.

 

Machine is successfully added first.

 

Thanks for looking

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Karl,

 

Need a little more info to go on. What version of Mastercam? Is this a new script or has it worked fine in the past? Can you show the entire method that contains this code.

 

Thanks

[Karl@CP PISTONS]

This is a new script that I'm workiing on with MasterCAM 2017.

 

Here is more of the script. There is not much of it yet as it is still a work in progress. Everything works properly up to the importNCI, no error just returns false.

If FSO.FileExists(ImportDirectory & JobNumber & "_MB.X_T") Then ' File found								ImportFile(ImportDirectory & JobNumber & "_MB.X_T")							bRet = ChangeMachineType(DEF_MILL)									If GetActiveMachine() <> MachineDefinitionPath & MachineDefinition then				call SetActiveMachine(MachineDefinitionPath & MachineDefinition)			End if							Call RunMastercamCommand(Clear_Colors)		SetGViewNumber(7)		Call RunMastercamCommand(Screen_Fit)												bRet = ImportNCI(NCIFileImport)			If FSO.FileExists(NCIFileImport) Then ShowString("NCI file found" ) ' File found			If debug = true then ShowString("ImportNCI bRet = " & bRet)		bret = SaveMCAs(FilePath & JobNumber & "_MB.mcam",True)							Else							ShowString ("No job file found")			Exit sub							End If

Thanks for looking

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Karl,

 

I just ran this in 2017 and it worked fine ->

(Or course you must have an active Mill machine group to do the import into.)

 

Sub Main()

    Dim bRet

    Dim NCIFileImport

    ' This NCI is a simple 2D Contour toolpath

    NCIFileImport = "C:\Users\me\Documents\my mcam2017\Mill\NCI\T.nci"

    bRet = ImportNCI(NCIFileImport)

    if bRet then

        ShowString "ImportNCI -> True"

    else

        ShowString "ImportNCI -> False"

    end if

End Sub

Edited October 18, 2016 by Roger Martin from CNC Software

[Karl@CP PISTONS]

I think I found the error. Thanks to Roger for the pointer. I had the file name as a mastercam file NOT the actual NCI file.

Unfortunately this is not what I was hoping for. 

I'd really like to import the actual operations from a file. Is this possible in a script with out having to select geometry first?  

The MakeOperationFromID needs the user to select geometry before importing the operation, which will not always be in the file.

 

Here is what I had for my first attempt. Some of the operations fail to create because some of the operations need surfaces to be selected and not just chains

Dim objOverRidesDim NumOfOperationsDim OperationNameDim ReturnDim i 	Set objOverRides = New McOverride	If debug = True then ShowString("Inside of AddOperation sub")	NumOfOperations = GetOperationCount(NCIFileImport)		If debug = True then ShowString("Operation count = " & NumOfOperations)	OperationName = GetFirstOperationName(NCIFileImport)		If debug = True then ShowString("Operation number " & i & " name = " & OperationName)		GrabChain (OperationName)	Return = MakeOperationFromName(NCIFileImport,OperationName,OperationName,objOverRides)		If debug = True then ShowString("Make Op returns " & Return)	For i = 2 To NumOfOperations		OperationName = GetNextOperationName() 				If debug = True then ShowString("Operation number " & i & " name = " & OperationName)				GrabChain (OperationName)		Return = MakeOperationFromName(NCIFileImport,OperationName,OperationName,objOverRides)				If debug = True then ShowString("Make Op returns " & Return)	NextEnd Sub' ////////////////////' Sub Declaration' ////////////////////Sub GrabChain (OperationName)If debug = True then ShowString("Inside of GrabChain sub")      If  AskForChain("Select Chain for Operation " & OperationName) = False Then        ShowString("Bad Input Chain")    End If   End Sub

[Roger Martin from CNC Software]

Karl,

 

I'm not seeing anyway of importing an operation with VB Script from an external file without having "something" already Chained (for a Chain-based op) or Drill Points (for a Point-based op).

 

Dim OpID

Dim HaveChain

OpID = -1

HaveChain = ChainAll(False, False, 0, "") ' Chain anything and everything (only "something" is really needed)

if (HaveChain) then

      OpID = MakeOperationFromName ( ...)

 end if

 

' If OpID is NOT -1, we must have imported an operation from the specified file

[Karl@CP PISTONS]

Thanks Roger. That was what I thought also. I have used this( MakeOperationFrom () ) to bring in operations before, but in this case the toolpath operations are surfacing operations.

I will pursue having  the script open a dummy file with the operations and machine already included and then import the new geometry into it. 

Thanks again