Full Version: Ver 5 Notes Feature - Possible to write a note within a script?

Show messages:  1-7  8-22

Thanks for your response Michael.

One of the reasons for my original question is that I was wondering if the Notes feature could be a way to embed instructions for running a complex script.

For example, if instructions were in the script's JS file, they could be copied over to a Note. If the Note could be opened with a button in the script, then the user would have an easy way to read the instructions.

Currently script instructions are either in a forum posting, or in the JS code as remarks. Neither is easy to get to. We've seen recently with Max's scripts how forum postings and code can become deleted or decoupled, making it difficult to patch information back together.

So, just wondering if you think Notes are a viable way to give users easy access to script instructions, or is there a better way?

Ed Ferguson

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Hi Burr,

re:
> Would it be feasible to add a password protection/security mechanism to the extended data like notes and key/value pairs?

Not really - the notes and user text are part of the regular structure of .3dm files and there is not any provision for them to be encrypted.

- Michael

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Hi Ed, you don't need to try and funnel the text through file notes in order to show it, the script can just display an alert dialog or show its own custom dialog to display text.

Check out this thread for an example of setting up a help button in a script's UI and having the text displayed when the button is pushed:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=10768.1

The Notes function is a text field that's saved in the .3dm file where the user can record any information they want so it would not be good for a script to funnel its own text through there, that would mangle the user's note information.

- Michael

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See recent LogSpiral8 script for script blue help button example, as per Michael's link.

- Brian

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Notes can embed an image, or just put the image as imported image on the scene in the 3Dm itself ?

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These notes features are super cool Michael!

Although I did read the release notes, thanks Ed for asking about them as Notes had slipped my mind.

I like to keep notes on things I'm building (materials list, order of operations, etc.) and having these notes as embedded text objects within the .3dm file is wonderful as it seems that separate notes often get "separated" from the model in question (due to my own sloppiness).

The key/value pair idea seems apt for Teddy's ViewManager script to avoid the separate json file & would probably work well for the recent request to be able to save CPlane(s).

Christmas is all year long when you're in a beta cycle Michael!

--Larry

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@Pilou
> Notes can embed an image, or just put the image as imported image on the scene in the 3Dm itself ?

No, notes are plain text only, no images.


@Larry,
> The key/value pair idea seems apt for Teddy's ViewManager script to avoid the separate json file & would
> probably work well for the recent request to be able to save CPlane(s).

Yup, it should be good for that type of stuff.

- Michael

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Thanks Michael for explaining the intent of the MoI Notes feature.

Given that Notes is not a good fit for my script's large Help File, I decided to use a variant of Brian's (bemfarmer) & BurrMan's ideas:

Rather than use an HTML file or plain text, I'm using a PDF file. The PDF contains text, embedded images and links to websites (even YouTube videos).

If you have a MoI script named FooBar:

Write a help file in MS Word. Paste in images and links as needed. Save the Word document as PDF to your commands subdirectory.

Add this division to the script's FooBar.htm

      

<div>
            <!--  Help file is located at: 
            On Windows:  C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Moi/commands/FooBarHelp.pdf
            On Mac:  /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Moi/commands/FooBarHelp.pdf
            -->
           
            <moi:LabelButton onclick="moi.filesystem.shellExecute( moi.filesystem.getAppDataDir() + 'commands\\FooBarHelp.pdf' );">
            
            <img src="moi://ui/icons/HelpIcon.png" style="width:2em;"/>
            
            Help
</div>

When finished, C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Roaming/Moi/commands/ [ On a Mac: /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Moi/commands/
contains:

FooBar.js
FooBar.htm
FooBarHelp.pdf

When Help is clicked, your browser opens and displays the Help contents.

Note: Even though Microsoft Edge is not my default browser, Edge opens when I click Help. Microsoft Edge comes with a built-in PDF reader that lets you open your local pdf files, online pdf files, or pdf files embedded in web pages. Chrome should also view PDFs. Other browsers may require a PDF plugin.

Ed Ferguson

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Hi Ed,
I think that your technique is excellent.

Having the PDF help files in the appdata commands folder seems OK.
Should the PDF's be in a separate directory under appdata?

It seems to me that writing documentation is as hard as writing the script.
Need to improve skills in document writing.
Maybe the PDF could have sub sections?
Overview, with pictures.
Main text, and pictures.
Credits.
Links.
?

- Brian

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Thanks Brian,

Yes - the PDF Help File can have all those things and more :)

I like that images can be embedded, making additional subfolders & image files unnecessary.

Plus, it's easier to write a PDF in MS Word than make an HTML file and mess with all the formatting tags.

Also, you could have multiple Help files as MS Word can translate into another language before saving as PDF. That may be an option in cases where translating the script's controls would cause text labels, dropdowns, sliders, and inline check boxes to no longer fit the allotted space.

I chose to name and place the three related script files:

FooBar.js
FooBar.htm
FooBarHelp.pdf

together inside the commands subfolder because:

1) It keeps the files clustered together in the file manager list, thus easy to see everything related to a given script at once.

2) I hate hunting through subdirectories unless they are absolutely necessary to keep things organized.

- Ed Ferguson

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Hi Michael, I like the look of these "notes" feature in V5.
I might help me save some of the gems in this forum ;o)

Understand this is almost brand new, but do you think it
would it be soon be viable to be able to export (or import)
this note data into a .csv?

Can see some pretty good ways to use this for simple job
costing etc.

Kindest

Stefano

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Hi Stefano, for "Notes" you can get them in v5 under File > Notes.

That's just one piece of text, so I'm not sure how you would want that in .csv form?

Then there is also "Document user text" which scripts can use to store Key / Value pairs of text.

Is it the Document user text that you want to export to .csv ?

- Michael

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Hi Michael, I was looking at the user values behind the
The object properties “details” initially thinking this could be useful.

Maybe this is only for storing scripts or could any values be assigned under key/value

Example
Key = object name
Value = object name

Key=cost/sqm
value =100

Key = object m2
Value = 1

Export this to csv - you’d have a list of 3 columns
and 3 values. 4th column could be a calculation in excel.
Idea to bring in object data into key values would make this very interesting. Maybe we could quote from a drawing.

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Hi stefano, so the user data is primarily intended to be a way for scripts to store data on either the document or on individual objects.

The script can use a unique name for the "key" part to avoid having some other script trying to store data in the same spot.

Scripts can access document user text by using these functions:

moi.geometryDatabase.setUserText( key, value );
var text = moi.geometryDatabase.getUserText( key ); // returns undefined if no user text is there.
var list = moi.geometryDatabase.getAllUserText();
moi.geometryDatabase.removeUserText( key );
moi.geometryDatabase.clearAllUserText();

Document user text is stored inside .3dm files.

The user can see and add or modify document user text values in the UI under File > Notes > “Document user text”.


User text can also be set on individual objects. The UI for setting these is under Details… > Object user text.

The object level user text has the same functions that are on the document:

obj.setUserText( key, value );
var text = obj.getUserText( key );
var list = obj.getAllUserText();
obj.removeUserText( key );
obj.clearAllUserText();


MoI itself does not currently make use of any user text value, it’s there for scripts to use if the script wants to store some data on particular objects or for the document.

You wrote:
> Maybe this is only for storing scripts or could any values be assigned under key/value
>
> Example <...>

Sure, you can set these values on the user text. They will only be very useful though if you have set up a script that will access those values and do something with them.

re:
> Export this to csv - you’d have a list of 3 columns

Do you mean you want something like column A quantity, column B object name, column C cost/sqm ?

It is possible for a script to write to a text file. Some info here:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=9665.2

- Michael

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hi Michael - this MOI3D Notes V5 and the future looks very powerful!
Especially the object detail side of things...

I will work out a few more concise examples of how I might
use object data values - need some paint to dry 1st...

Stefano

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Show messages:  1-7  8-22