PTC Creo customization using VB API - Lecture 1 - Overview

PTC Creo customization using VB API
Lecture 1 - Overview

http://www.learncax.com/

Centre for Computational Technologies
CCTech Recruitment Brochure Simulation is The Future!

Outline
1. Introduction
2. VB Applications for Creo
3. Setup
4. Object Types
– Creo Parametric-Related Classes
– Compact Data Classes
– Union Classes
– Sequence Classes
– Array Classes
– Enumeration Classes
– Module-Level Classes
– ActionListener Classes

Creo customization using VB API Simulation is The Future!

Reference
• Creo™ Parametric VB API User’s Guide


Prerequisites
• This course assumes you have the following knowledge:
– Creo Parametric
– Visual Basic .NET 2010
• Other languages with the built-in capability to use COM
servers:
• JavaScript
• VB.Script
• C++
• C#


Basic goal
• Teach you the to customization of Creo using Visual
Basic API Toolkit to create your own applications

Images courtesy of Orphiro.

Introduction
• VB interface for Creo is free-of-cost interface
• However, it has limited functionality as compared to other
interfaces
It allows the development of VB.NET
programs to access the internal
components of a Creo session, to
customize models. With VB being a
object oriented programming tool, the
Creo user gains a powerful tool for
expanding, customizing and automating
the functionality of Creo and
Windchill.VB integrate with MS Office
tools very easily and is part of the PTC
Foundation Class (PFC) package.


Benefits
• No Separate or Additional Licensing
• Hardware Platform Independent
• Seamlessly embed process
• Asynchronous Application
• Object Reuse
• Create GUI easily
• Free VB.Net IDE
• Fully Supported


Asynchronous application
• VB API for Creo Parametric is an asynchronous application
• Can be used from COM-enable application such as :
– Visual Basic.NET (VB.NET)
– Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
– Even Internet Explorer instances using scripting


Typical Visual Basic.NET Applications 1

• You can use the VB
API for Creo Parametric
to:
– Create a VB.NET form
capable of starting or
connecting to Creo
Parametric non
graphically, accepting
user inputs and driving
model modifications or
deliverables


Typical Visual Basic.NET Applications 2

• You can use the VB • This could be user
API for Creo Parametric define feature code
to: • This could be a plugin
– Create a VB.NET
application that may or
may not have its own
User Interface (UI). The
application should be
able to establish one or
more Creo Parametric
UI or event listeners in
session, and process
those events using
VB.NET code Centre for Computational Technologies

Visual Basic for Applications
• Access to and from Creo to COM products such as
– Microsoft Excel
– Microsoft Word
– Microsoft Access
– The COM interface
• Limitations of the VB API
– The asynchronous COM server has the following limitations:
– API calls from single thread
– Internally application can have many threads
– Only one active connection to Creo


Set up
• PRO_COMM_MSG_EXE environment variable
– <creo_loadpoint>/Common Files/<Machine type>/obj/pro_comm_msg.exe
• Register the COM server
– vb_api_register.bat
• Unregister the COM server
– vb_api_unregister.bat


Project References for the VB API


Project References for the VB.NET environment


Object Types
• Creo Parametric-Related Classes
– Contain unique methods and properties that are directly related to the
functions in Creo Parametric
• Compact Data Classes
– Classes containing data needed as arguments to some VB methods.
• Union Classes
– Classes with a potential to contain multiple types of values
• Sequence Classes
– Expandable arrays of objects or primitive data types
• Array Classes
– Arrays that are limited to a certain size


Object Types
• Enumeration Classes
– Enumerated types, which list a restricted and valid set of options for
the property
• Module-Level Classes
– Contain static methods used to initialize certain VB objects
• ActionListener Classes
– Enable you to specify code that will run only if certain events in Creo
Parametric take place.


Creo Parametric-Related Classes
• Contain methods that directly manipulate objects
– Examples of these objects include models, features, and parameters.
• Initialization
– Cannot construct one of these objects using the keyword New
– Obtain the handle to a Creo Parametric-related object by creating or
listing that object with a method on the parent object in the hierarchy
– For example, IpfcBaseSession.CurrentModel returns a IpfcModel object set
to the current model and IpfcParameterOwner.CreateParam returns a newly
created parameter object for manipulation

• Properties
– They are directly accessible
– Might be read-only


• Methods - Has to be invoked from initialized object
– Following is incorrect
Dim window as pfcls.IpfcWindow;
window.Activate(); ‘ The window has not yet been initialized.
Repaint(); ‘ There is no invoking object.
– The following calls are correct:
Dim window As Pfcls.IpfcWindow
Dim session as pfcls.IpfcSession
Dim asyncConnection as pfcls.IpfcAsyncConnection
Dim Casync as New pfcls.CCpfcAsyncConnection
asyncConnection = Casync.Connect (DBNull.Value, DBNull.Value,
DBNull.Value, DBNull.Value)
session = asyncConnection.Session;
window = session.CurrentWindow; ' You have initialized the window object.
window.Activate()
window.Repaint()


• Inheritance
– Many object inherit methods from other interfaces
– For example, an IpfcComponentFeat is derived from
– IpfcObject
– IpfcChild
– IpfcActionSource
– IpfcModelItem
– IpfcFeature
– IpfcComponentFeat
– You can call the method directly eg:
Dim componentFeat as pfcls.IpfcComponentFeat
MsgBox ("Feature number: " & componentFeat.Number);
– Or you can create object particular class and call eg:
Dim componentFeat as pfcls.IpfcComponentFeat
Dim feat as pfcls.IpfcFeature
feat = componentFeat
MsgBox ("Feature number: " & feat.Number);


Compact Data Classes
• Data-only classes
• Other than initialized, compact data classes are similar to
Creo Parametric-related classes
• Initialization
– You can create these compact data objects using a designated
Create method which resides on the CC version of the compact class
– Instantiate the CC class object with the keyword New
– For example,
'Class object, owns Create()
Dim tableCellCreate As New pfcls.CCpfcTableCell
Dim tableCell As pfcls.IpfcTableCell
Set tableCell = tableCellCreate.Create(1, 1)


Unions
• Can containing different value types
• Discriminator property with the predefined name, discr
– returns a value identifying the type of data
• Different properties for accessing the different data types


Sequences
• Expandable arrays of primitive data types
• Methods
– Append()—Adds a new item to the end of the array
– Clear()—Removes all items from the array
– Insert()—Inserts a new item at any location of the array
– InsertSeq()—Inserts the contents of a sequence of items at any
location of the array
– Set()—Assigns one item in the array to the input item
– Remove()—Removes a range of items from the array


Arrays
• Groups of primitive types or objects of a specified size
• Properties
– Access using the Item property or directly as an array:
Dim point as IpfcPoint3D
Dim matrix as IpfcMatrix3D
MsgBox (“Y value of point: “ & point.Item (1))
MsgBox (“(2, 2) value of matrix: “ & matrix (2, 2))


Enumeration Classes
• an enumeration class defines a limited number of values that
correspond to the members of the enumeration
• In the EpfcFeatureType enumeration class, the value
EpfcFEATTYPE_HOLE represents a Hole feature
• Enumeration classes generally have names of the form
EpfcXYZType or EpfcXYZStatus


Module-Level Classes
• Module classes have the naming convention, CM+ the name
of the module, for example CMpfcSelect
• Initialization
– create instances of these classes directly by instantiating the
appropriate class object:
Dim mSelect as New CMpfcSelect
• Methods
– Module-level classes contain only static methods used for initializing
certain VB API objects


Action Listeners
• Action Listeners notify you of events in Creo Parametric
• They are the basis for customization of the Creo GUI
• ActionListeners are not supported from VBA
• Initialization
– Create a class implementing the listener in question. It should define
all the inherited methods, even if you want to only execute code for a
few of the listener methods. Those other methods should be
implemented with an empty body.
– The class should also implement the interface IpfcActionListener,
which has no methods.
– The class should also implement ICIPClientObject. This method
defines the object type to the CIP code in the server.
– This method returns a String which is the name of the listener type
interface, for example, IpfcSessionActionListener.

Thank You

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Visit Us @ www.cctech.co.in
Call Us @ +91 20 4009 8381/82
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PTC Creo customization using VB API - Lecture 1 - Overview

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