Insert a Legend

[Benny]

Hi,

I managed to insert a Legend in a Diagram with a Script

Code: [Select]

set legend = currentPackage.Elements.AddNew( "", "Text")
hyperLink.Subtype = 76
How can I fill these legend with values using a script.

I inserted a legend using the "normal" way in sparx and searched for any reference in the database.
But I just found the SubType 76 Statement and some values in the StyleEx Row.
But where are the values and colors of the Legend defined ?

Maby someone has hint for me?


/Benny

[qwerty]

That's a bit tricky. AFAIK there is no API for filling a legend (yes, we deal with EA). So what it does, is creating an entry in t_xref (where else). And it uses one of those coding that look like an armadillo has been rolled over the keyboard. Anyway, here's what they do. For the Legend a single entry in t_xref is created.

Name = CustomProperties
Type = element property
Visibility = public
Description = "the armadillo part, see below"
Client = <the ea-guid of the legend object>

So here's what a legend with "a" and "b" where "b" has a custom color and a 2-size line style produces:

Description;

@PROP=@NAME=a@ENDNAME;@TYPE=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE@ENDTYPE;@VALU=#Back_Ground_Color#=16777215;#Pen_Color#=0;#Pen_Size#=1;#Legend_Type#=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE;@ENDVALU;@PRMT=0@ENDPRMT;@ENDPROP;@PROP=@NAME=b@ENDNAME;@TYPE=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE@ENDTYPE;@VALU=#Back_Ground_Color#=2124031;#Pen_Color#=16711680;#Pen_Size#=2;#Legend_Type#=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE;@ENDVALU;@PRMT=1@ENDPRMT;@ENDPROP;@PROP=@NAME=Legend@ENDNAME;@TYPE=LEGEND_STYLE_SETTINGS@ENDTYPE;@VALU=#TITLE#=Legend;@ENDVALU;@PRMT=@ENDPRMT;@ENDPROP;;


I guess you can decode that without assistance. The best is to create an empty model with just one legend and inspect the t_xref entry on how it changes with different parameters.

Good luck (I might add that to my Inside book soon).

q.

[Benny]

Thank you very much. 

[philchudley]

Following on from QWERTY's post

I have done this for a client using a script (jscript) and yes it is very convoluted.

Once you have deciphered the t_xref entry you then have to:

a) create a legend element
b) insert this entry into the t_xref table, which includes the link to the element created in a)
c) add the legend to the diagram

You will also have to investigate the type of element a legend is and discover a way to generate a GUID for the t_xref entry.

As there is no API to add directly into t_xref, I used the undocumented function execute on a SQL INSERT statement for the t_xref

Oh, the colours in the t_xref entry do not appear to be standard integer values from RGB!

As QWERTY suggested, create yourself a little eap create a diagram and then add a legend, then inspect the underlying tables. This is what I did to work it all out.

Best of luck!

Phil

[KP]

Oh, the colours in the t_xref entry do not appear to be standard integer values from RGB!

They are decimal values of 6 character hexadecimals. Red is 255 (FF₁₆), Green is 65280 (FF00₁₆), Blue is 16711680 (FF0000₁₆) etc

[Benny]

Hi,

i managed to generate a full legend and everything is working fine... in my local test *.EAP 

Code: [Select]

dim legend as EA.Element
dim SQL
dim xrefGUID

set legend = currentPackage.Elements.AddNew( "", "Text")
legend.Subtype = 76
'legend.Notes = ""
legend.Update

xrefGUID = GUIDGenerateGUID()
SQL = "INSERT INTO `t_xref`" &_
  "(`XrefID`, `Name`, `Type`, `Visibility`, `Namespace`, `Requirement`, `Constraint`, `Behavior`, `Partition`, `Description`, `Client`, `Supplier`, `Link`)"&_
  "VALUES('" & xrefGUID & "', 'CustomProperties', 'element property', 'Public', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '0', '@PROP=@NAME=Test Eins@ENDNAME;@TYPE=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE@ENDTYPE;@VALU=#Back_Ground_Color#=55295; [cut]', '"& legend.ElementGUID &"', '<none>', NULL);"

Repository.Execute SQL
But in my productive Project *.EAP it does not work 
It seems there is an SQL Syntax failure or something ?
The productive Project runs on an MS OLEDB SQL Server

I tryed to get rid of the " ` " but it does not help.

Does anyone know what the Problem is?
It runs perfecly fine on the local EAP file.

/Benny

[qwerty]

You need to tinker with that. Mickeysoft's products prefer square brackets at all places. Look into %appdata%\...\dberror.txt. It might have a hint.

q.

[Benny]

THANKS 

Code: [Select]

xrefGUID = GUIDGenerateGUID()
SQL = "INSERT INTO [t_xref] " &_
  "([XrefID], [Name], [Type], [Visibility], [Namespace], [Requirement], [Constraint], [Behavior], [Partition], [Description], [Client], [Supplier], [Link])"&_
  " VALUES('" & xrefGUID & "', 'CustomProperties', 'element property', 'Public', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '0', '@PROP=@NAME=Eins@ENDNAME;@TYPE=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE@ENDTYPE;@VALU=#Back_Ground_Color#=55295;#Pen_Color#=0;#Pen_Size#=1;#Legend_Type#=LEGEND_OBJECTSTYLE;@ENDVALU;@PRMT=0@ENDPRM.....);"
msgbox(SQL)
Repository.Execute SQL
square brackets ....  I hate them 

[qwerty]

Mickeysoft has a hand for finding hateful things xD Latest that Tay AI...

q.

[Eve]

The square brackets are not from or for Microsoft products. They are interpreted by EA to escape keywords as needed for each database type, using the syntax of that database.