How to find Text Element overlap using VBA?

Hi Karthik,

the solution depends how fine or rough the overlap detection should be. The most simple solution is to test text element or text node range, which is usually enough for single line texts but sometimes is not good enough for text nodes.

The best way how to implement the code is up to you, conditions and your requirements (you did not write what is the second element you need to find text overlap with), but in general it is standard test every element in the element range using some intersection method.

With regards,

Jan

Hi jan,

            Thanks for your comments. i am get the text element range and create polygon shape using range coordinates for get overlapping elements.  but range coordinates exceed the text element. here i attached my vba code and sample dgn please find and give me the solution.

sub Test()
 dim ele as element
 Dim eleEnum As ElementEnumerator

 Set eleEnum = ActiveModelReference.GetSelectedElements
 
While eleEnum.MoveNext
    Set ele = eleEnum.Current
    If ele.IsTextElement Then
        CreateRange ele
    End If
Wend
end sub

private sub CreateRange(ele As Element)
Dim verts(0 To 4) As Point3d
Dim range As Range3d
Dim pt1 As Point3d
Dim pt2 As Point3d
Dim shpele As Element

range = ele.AsTextElement.range

pt1 = range.High
pt2 = range.Low

verts(0).X = pt1.X
verts(0).Y = pt1.Y
verts(1).X = pt1.X
verts(1).Y = pt2.Y
verts(2).X = pt2.X
verts(2).Y = pt2.Y
verts(3).X = pt2.X
verts(3).Y = pt1.Y
verts(4) = verts(0)

Set shpele = CreateShapeElement1(Nothing, verts, msdFillModeNotFilled)
ActiveModelReference.AddElement shpele

End Function

Testing.dgn

Unknown said:

but range coordinates exceed the text element.

Yes, I wrote it's the rough method ... and rotated texts (rotated elements in general) naturally produce bigger range, because it's how the range is defined (min and max xyz coordinates).

If you want to receive more tight text envelope, you have to implement own algorithm. I guess basic concept is quite easy: unrotate the element, obtain its range and create the text envelope, rotate the envelope back accordingly to the text original rotation and to use it for the overlap test.

With regards,

  Jan

Hi,

         unrotate the element, obtain its range and create the text envelope

How to Unrotate the Element  can you me the sample code for unrotate element.

with Regards,

Karthik M

Unknown said:

can you me the sample code for unrotate element.

Frankly ... no ... you want to be developer so act as developer and investigate own solution (despite of it takes a lot of time at the beginning) and don't compose pieces of code written by somebody else. Especially if it's about very basic topic, which can be treated as mandatory for MicroStation development. Try to turn your every question "I need ... how to...?" (which is very often just a dedication of thinking process to somebody else) to "Why this part of my code doesn't work?".

Unknown said:

How to Unrotate the Element

Elements like texts or cells have rotation property (Matrix3d), so it's easy to obtain rotation abouz Z and use inverse angle to rotate the element back. My current feeling is that is easier for you to write the question than to open MicroStation VBA help and search for "text rotation" and think about results.

I apologize for a bit negative answer, it seems I am in a severe mood today, but I prefer to spend my free time to thinking why some code doesn't work and how to make it better than explaining what is available on Internet already.

With regards,

  Jan

hi,
First of all sorry jan for my question and thanks for your advice i think i am in a basic level of microstation development and I don't know the microstation vba all methods/functions and how the methods/functions are using in the vba code.

So i want study the microstation vba development and already i search material in internet but i did't get exact reference material can you give me the Reference material Name or reference file path.

with Regards,
Karthik M

Unknown said:

but i did't get exact reference material

I don't understand what do you mean. Why do you expect there should be anything exactly related to a problem or issue you are solving?

There is MicroStation VBA help that provides pretty detail description of API including many examples. Thinking about topic "rotate element", there are plenty of sites (Wikipedia, Khan Academy, university webs etc.) explaining vector algebra and using matrices math for rotation, movement etc. This knowledge is absolutely mandatory and "must to know" before any piece of the code in any language for any CAD or GIS is written. And to be developer is to be able to merge general knowledge (vector, matrices...) with own investigation, apply it to to-be-solved problem and using knowledge of API to write a code.

Typically no "exact reference material" is available, but many quite close materials and discussions can be found. I tried to seach for "VBA rotate element" at this web and obtained long list of discussions, some even incuding MicroStation VBA code, about rotating different types of elements. This is where you have to start your learning (of course after learning vector and matrix math).

With regards,

  Jan

hi,

                        I don't understand what do you mean

Actually i am asking about Microstation vba reference book not only for the rotation of element . i want learn microstation vba that's why i am asking any reference book name or website.

with regards,

Karthik m.

Unknown said:

Actually i am asking about Microstation vba reference book not only for the rotation of element .

It's better formulated question ;-)

The only book I know is Learning MicroStation VBA book from Jerry Winter (available on Bentley Press or Amazon). This is not bad, especially because it covers both VBA basics and MicroStation VBA APIs and a lot of code snippets. Of course it does not cover everything and in my opinion it's pretty "user oriented" without information about details, concepts etc. ... but maybe because of that it's better for beginners.

If supplemented with information from MicroStation VBA help and discussions in this forum, you will be able to learn MicroStation VBA in details. Of course Jon Summers' articles have to be mentioned also!

In my opinion all these source missed important topic: How to write good and clean code, which is not about to use proper VBA functions and constructions, but about code structure, naming, styles etc. But it's the study and learning for the whole life, based on reading code from other people and think about it.

With regards,

  Jan

Unknown said:

Actually i am asking about Microstation vba reference book not only for the rotation of element .

It's better formulated question ;-)

The only book I know is Learning MicroStation VBA book from Jerry Winter (available on Bentley Press or Amazon). This is not bad, especially because it covers both VBA basics and MicroStation VBA APIs and a lot of code snippets. Of course it does not cover everything and in my opinion it's pretty "user oriented" without information about details, concepts etc. ... but maybe because of that it's better for beginners.

If supplemented with information from MicroStation VBA help and discussions in this forum, you will be able to learn MicroStation VBA in details. Of course Jon Summers' articles have to be mentioned also!

In my opinion all these source missed important topic: How to write good and clean code, which is not about to use proper VBA functions and constructions, but about code structure, naming, styles etc. But it's the study and learning for the whole life, based on reading code from other people and think about it.

With regards,

  Jan