Named Expressions (IsMdlDialogOpen)

Hi Mike,

dialog IDs are an internal MicroStation thing. You can try to use key-in dmsg dialogdebug on | off | toggle and to catch the proper dialog id in debug list. But I am not sure if this approach is general, I think new NET dialog are not listed there (but have not tried it).

I am not sure what dialog are you interested in. Do you meanTool Settings windows that is opened when Element Selection tool is started (attached) or some other dialog?

Regards,

  Jan

Yes this is the dialog, looks like the name may be somewhat different in your version.  I used the dmsg dialogbug on, lots of numbers but nothing seemed to uniquely identify this dialog.  It appeared to be 79 but then I also see others that have that same numbers, this dialog seems to be one that changes according to selected tools so it may be difficult.

948 Dialog hook resize: Element Selection, "PSELECT" 'dBox'=-79
949 Dialog hook update: Element Selection, "PSELECT" 'dBox'=-79

932 Dialog hook resize: Place SmartLine, "SMRTLINE" 'dBox'=-79
933 Dialog hook update: Place SmartLine, "SMRTLINE" 'dBox'=-79

Hi Mike,

Unknown said:

It appeared to be 79 but then I also see others that have that same numbers

Yes, it's correct, because it's exactly how MicroStation GUI is designed from ... hmm ... version 4.0 :-)

With some level of simplification, it works in such way tools don't have own dialogs, but they have only defined set of GUI items. MicroStation maintains one common dialog called Tools Settings window, which has no own content, but active tool fills this window with a specific content. So from outside there is still one dialog, but its content is changed whenever another tool is started.

What do you want to achieve using this Named Expression?

With regards,

  Jan

I am attempting to add "Show/Hide Test" to  "Context Menus", the menu items I created should only show when MicroStation is in the tool setting "Element Selection" mode, but not necessarily having elements selected,  just in the element section mode.

key-ins:

• expression show toolboxes
• expression show dotnetdialogs

Will display the IDs you are looking for.

The existing named Expression 'Session.ActiveCommandKeyin()' will return the key-in command of the currently active tool, e.g. CHOOSE ELEMENT

Whether you can use these to show/hide when the selection tool is selected but without an active selection I'm not sure.

I thought this one might work but it just returns True, there may be a way of building on it...

Session.EvalCExprAsBool("Session.ActiveCommandKeyin()", "CHOOSE ELEMENT")=False

If you are willing to have an active selection, then 'Selection.IsActive()' works without further ado.

key-ins:

• expression show toolboxes
• expression show dotnetdialogs

Will display the IDs you are looking for.

The existing named Expression 'Session.ActiveCommandKeyin()' will return the key-in command of the currently active tool, e.g. CHOOSE ELEMENT

Whether you can use these to show/hide when the selection tool is selected but without an active selection I'm not sure.

I thought this one might work but it just returns True, there may be a way of building on it...

Session.EvalCExprAsBool("Session.ActiveCommandKeyin()", "CHOOSE ELEMENT")=False

If you are willing to have an active selection, then 'Selection.IsActive()' works without further ado.

I did get this to work after some testing with your seggested expression.  The one that worked for me seem to be

Expression = Session.ActiveCommandKeyin()="CHOOSE ELEMENT".  This is actually a delivered Named Expression named "IsSelectionTool"

I'm sure I tried just that expression, maybe I had a space after the = or some other syntax error. Glad to have helped you to find it!