HTML plug-ins pack
Plug-ins:
HTML plug-ins SDK (Script Lab, samples)
Description
TurboCAD HTML plug-ins are additional modules, which expand the capabilities of creating and editing objects in TurboCAD. They are written on VBScript/Jscript, using TC SDK, and work with Internet Palette.
This version of HTML plug-in pack is experimental. Its aim is to estimate the capabilities of the new technology. Originally it was planned that the best of them would be included in new versions of TurboCAD.
All plug-ins were created with uniform UI style; they have common TC+ icon, as well as control buttons - "Start", "Stop", "About".
"Start" and "Stop" buttons allow switching plug-ins ON/OFF, without closing HTML page. "About" - shows the name and version number of the tool.
FAQ
Q.: Is Internet needed for plug-ins to work?
A.: No, Internet is not used during the work of plug-ins.
Q.: Are these plug-ins reliable?
A.: Plug-ins are written using TC SDK, so their reliability is no less than that of SDK Tools; but in fact it is much greater. This is related to the fact that plug-ins do not work within TurboCAD - they work under control of Explorer program. Plug-in malfunctions do not lead to TurboCAD malfunctions - the work of plug-in is just terminated and an error message is displayed.
Known problems
Lack of Undo/Redo support.
When Palette Page is switched from "Internet" to something else (e.g. "Block"), the loaded plug-in continues working. To switch it off, it is necessary to either press "Stop" button or close the plug-in page.
When Palette size is changed, plug-ins are not always correctly redrawn. If an error occurs, an appropriate message is displayed, and the work of the plug-in is stopped by the system. If you want to continue working, it is recommended that you reload the plug-in via the menu or by pressing "Refresh" button on Internet Palette.
"Drawing View" allows changing properties of graphics, vertices, and deleting them. In dangerous situations a warning is displayed. If a user ignores the warning, and immediate crash of TurboCAD is possible.
"Curve Lab" allows creating paths with a large number of vertices (< 10 E 15), which cannot be made using regular tools. However, Node Tool is not capable of working with such number of vertices. If an attempt is made to display a hundred thousand nodes, Windows NT will most likely hang up (under Windows 95/98 - TurboCAD will display a warning if the number of vertices exceeds 10 000).
Plug-ins provide expanded capabilities for editing objects, so it is necessary to exercise caution while using the plug-ins, and save your work in advance.
System requirements
TurboCAD 6.2 or higher, Internet Explorer 5.0
Installation
To install plug-ins, it is necessary to run ScriptsPack*.exe. After the installation all plug-ins will appear in Internet Palette menu.
License agreement
This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, excluding commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:
The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software.
This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
Plug-ins descriptions
Calculator
This is a calculator with extended capabilities:
Unit conversion (in, ft, mm, m)
History List
Calculations using formulas
Short information about VBScripts mathematical expressions
Complete
VBScript documentation
CurveLab
This tool allows building 2D, 3D graphics (Line, Curve, DblLine, MultiLine, Extrude, 3D polyline) using the formulas defined by user. The equations can be defined in explicit way y=y(x) as well as in parametric x=x(t), y(t), z(t).
There is a possibility to build parametric sets of curves.
The user can control the number of steps, raising of pen (PenUp), and also use if..else operators, etc., which in principle allows building any curve if there is an algorithm.
It has about 50 samples of curves - from the basic ones (sin, cos …) to fractal. It is assumed that it can be used for building exact profiles and forming lines for 3D objects (Loft, Revolve), defining trajectories for Extrusions, and also for computer design and education.
Short information about VBScripts mathematical expressions
Gallery of samples, created by means of CurveLab:
Drawing View
Explorer/Editor for structures of a drawing. It allows viewing graphics, vertices, matrices, blocks, properties in the form of a tree, and deleting/editing graphics, vertices. It has a built-in popup calculator (clicking on any numeric value copies it to the editing field of the calculator).
There are filters for graphic types, and also the possibility to change the number of decimal places.
There is a possibility to DblClick to visualize a vertex on the drawing, as well as select a graphic.
Selection Info
The same as DrawingView but for selected objects. The possibility of editing graphics is excluded.
SDK and samples, descriptions for advanced users
All samples are written in VBScript, JavaScript using the basic set of objects as Scriptlets, that can also be offered to the users as a separate product (educational examples of using these objects have been created as well.) VBScript 5.0, which is usually shipped with IE 5.0, was chosen because of new possibilities (classes, work with file system and high speed of work) that appeared in this version.
ScriptLab
Allows entering and executing VBScript. In fact, this is an IDE for using TurboCad SDK without VBA. It is very convenient for recording small macros. It has samples on VBScript/ languages.