I cannot say much about Easy-Rob but here's a link. http://www.easy-rob.com/indexx.htm Robert

Ok. Is there a way by looking at the NC, to see if the misc reals I am setting via the SDK are considered in the NC? I'm using MPFAN.PST. Does the operation need to be rewritten to the database after the misc reals are set, before using postOps() for them to take effect? Thanks. Robert

I guess what I am asking is, I see them listed in the PST file. If I set these values through the sdk, are the values I set reflected in the post?

Hello again. Another CHOOK related question regarding misc reals. I don't understand how they are used. I'd like to set the Misc Real values that are used in a post. Is editing a PST file the only means to do this or can one modify the misc reals in an operation and expect to see these used in the post? I guess what I want to do is override the ones in the PST file with ones that my chook comes up with. Thanks again, Robert

Is there a way to use the import_operations() function in a CHOOK so that it keeps the NCI filenames of the library operations that you're importing? When I use this function, my operation's NCI filenames which are unique for each operation, seem to all change from their unique names to D:program filesmcam9millnciT.NCI. Has anyone seen this? Thanks in advance! Robert

V9 C-Hooks with VC.NET.

I made an observation. If you get the link error complaining that DLLMain is already defined then remove the 2 chook dev OBJ files from your project, click build (you will get errors), then readd the OBJ files and build again (you will not get errors), save your project and solution. It's because of the order in which things are linked. This is a workaround. Robert

9.1 but it actually does work when you use the correct file attributes. I mistakenlyused "r" when it should have been "r+b". I wish I could delete this post. Also, in the m_db.h for get_db() it says: boolean *succf); /* O: TRUE = error storing in the database */ I mistakenly thought when succf was true there was an error because of my literal translation of the comment. When succf is true the function has succeeded, otherwise it is false. Thank you though.TGIF. Robert

Up until now I've been importing parasolids, and iges files into mastercam. Now I need to open an MC9 file but I can find no function to do so in the SDK examples or documentation. Would I use open_file() and get_db() to do this? I can see there is a VB Script method for doing so, but I'd like to know how to do it in C. Does anyone know of a sample for this? Thanks, Robert

To post each operation one at a time with postOps() using a WHILE exactly what i am doing. I am in fact using the same code you pasted in above to do that and what I am saying is that for all 4 different operations, the resulting 4 NCI files are identical. maybe mastercam just doesnt see the differences in the operations that I have made. i am for example for operation one cutting a slot with a slot cutter along a chained series of splines and arcs. I am doing this by turning the vertical tool onto its side via CPlane, and in the copies of the original toolpath i am adding an offset by adding half the width of my tool to the DEPTH parameter. backplot looks sweet, but the NCI files are no different from on another. Robert "mastercam hates me"

No, one operation, the first... every time, even though as in your code, we're going to the next op before we loop. I guess I must be getting confused as to how to combine postOps() with run_post_exe_dll() to avoid all the file dialogs, etc.

I don't understand. If all of the operations use the same NCI and NC filename, and I postOps() on each of them one at a time, and after I postOps() I copy the NCI file to another location and rename it, then I wind up with 4 identical NCI files. Why is postOps() creating the same exact NCI file for 4 different operations? Sure, the original filesnames are the same, but i am copying them off and renaming them. The sequence works like this: count = 1 while not done get operation postOps() copy myfile.NCI to myfile.count.nci increment operation count ++ end while In the end, the contents are the same. and this is the problem.

Yes they are, but in that loop, I am copying each file to another location and renaming it before looping back for another postOps(), e.g. MYFILE_OPERATION_1.NCI, MYFILE_OPERATION_2.NCI, etc. It is these NCI files that are identical for all 4 operations.

Bullines, I am using the code snippet you pasted here but I am finding that for all 3 operations that I loop over, the NCI files are identical. This results in identical NC files also. I imported operation 1. Then I chained it, and copied it to operation 2. I changed the tool of operation 2. I copied operation 1 to operation 3 and I changed the tool on that one too. Do you know why I might be getting identical NCI files for 3 different operations in that loop? Thanks a lot. Robert

If only all things in life were that easy

Bryan, That sounds like it. it seems to make no difference how I post. the editor always appears. Bug1 eh? Perty interesting. Thank you. ah btw, when i come back inside from this cig, if Bug1 doesn't cut it, then my new 5 minute invisible text editor will do the trick. I'll just config mc to use invisoedit pro. Kludge at best... but solves this sillyness. Thanks men [EDIT] Thanks Bryan! That was indeed the reason. I would have ~never~ thought to look there. [ 12-14-2004, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: Robert Brower ]

no, now post_run_exe_dll() is causing the programmer's editor to open. good grief. I went in a full circle. great to be alive!

llines, No, it doesn't work. The post_dlg_settings structure is set exactly as you said. The programmer's editor is still popping up. I'll try the run_post_exe_dll() and see if that gives me what I want. Robert [EDIT]okay I think I know what is going on here. First I must postOps with save NC = false, one time for each operation. After I call postOps() I have to rename the NCI file it creates, then run_post_exe_dll() on that NCI file. either that or.. It's saving T.NCI by default. I must find out where "T" is set as the default NCI base filename and change it as needed for each postOps(). [ 12-14-2004, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: Robert Brower ]

Still making decent progress. I noticed with postOps() that I must re-specify the ~full~ path to the .PST file in the while loop, otherwise it's shortened automatically to just the filename and not the full path, and MC asks for the name of the post file in a popup on subsequent loops. I'm not sure about run_post_exe_dll(). Specifically not sure about what I would pass in as an exe or dll name. The advantage to using run_post_exe_dll(), I am guessing is that you get one NC file as opposed to one NC file per operation. I'm not completely opposed to getting an NC file per operation since we will be doing some special post processing of these files anyways. But it would be cool to at least see how that function works. I do not understand why if I have specified edit NC and edit NCI = FALSE why the silly text editor is ~still~ popping up. And if I can figure out why my op.tpln.view_n and op.cpln.view_n are not being updated when I rewrite the operation then we will be laughing. All good stuff. Thanks for your inputs! Robert

Thanks Bullines! Exactly what I was after. Any idea why the operation's tpln and cpln view_n member doesn't take when I rewrite the operation? Does the list manager supercede the operation manager function? Seems there is more than one way to skin this cat lol Thanks, Robert

So far so good. MC is closing when I tell it to, and i've eliminated a lot of user interactions. postOps() is delicious automation sweetness. I have initially one operation, a horizontal milling op. I make several copies and change the depth parameter for each copy to cut a slot to some width. In regards to postOps(). Does this function post one or all operations in the operation manager? In regards to setting the CPLANE and TPLANE of an operation, it seems that the operation is being rewritten, because I can see the comment I set in the operation structure taking effect, but setting the tpln and cpln view_n member does not want to stick. I am missing something here? When I created my op lib, I used CPLANE = TPLANE = named view #9. This is the what I would like my operation to use, before I copy it into new operations. Thanks again for your valuable time! Robert

Bryan, 'I can email you some code that might get you started if you're interested.' Oh yeah, thank you! [email protected] Thanks for the tip on postOps and run_post_exe_dll. I will have to look into this on monday. Robert

Excellent & thank you, I have a few more: 1. In the absence of automatic chaining via the SDK (don't have it working), I would like to be able to hide all entities of a given type, surfaces for example. This will make it easier for the user to click on the splines and arcs that I am turning different colors that comprise my chains. With all the surfaces visible it is extremely likely that mis-clicks will happen. I tried to call set_sel_bit_on() and set_sel_bit_off() using BLANK_BIT and rewriting the entity to the db, but it seems to have very strange behavior and doesn't work to show or hide anything. 2. I'm using nci_manager to post all the operations that I am creating dynamically. Even though I have my screen | configure settings such that it should overwrite and not ask, it still pops up bothersome dialog boxes for save, overwrite, and delete previous. I tried setting post_dlg_settings structure members but this structure has no impact on posting through nci_manager() function. Is there a way to suppress all these dialogs when usign nci_manager() function to post all operations? If not, is there a slick workaround? I appreciate your time and hope to return the favor. Robert

Thanks men. I appreciate it. I will probably have more questions later. Do either of you know of any forums, usergroups, or IRC where people who are developing chooks can network about chooks specifically? Robert

Bryan, you said: This is a rather abrupt way to close mastecam and may cause problems. For example: if there is a chook using m_open instead if m_main as the chook entry point This is the case for me bryan. My chook comes in 2 parts. 1. a modeless, invisible dialog CHook that is configured to start when mastercam starts. 2. an activex control for which my VB and c++ apps can speak to the chook via shmem. Would be slick if I can address all of my problems. Back to the grind. Thanks again. Robert