Hi,
I have been trying to write an Excel VBA macro which:
1. opens all .dgn files from selected location
2.scans for all cell elements in active model
3. builds an array with found cells
4. checks if cells have tags
5. if 4 true then builds arrays with tag elements for each cell
The code below works fine until I try to access any array with tag elements. Any operation like reading or writing of any tag element array causes Excel crash every time. Excel stops working and restarts with any other error message. The tag element arrays are created correctly because I can see them in watch window while I stop program before the "crashing" program line. There are some suspicious value in the tag element array like "Subtype- attempting to perform a non-graphical operation on graphical element". Any help would be appreciated.
Option Explicit Dim directory As String, fileName As String Sub ImportStart_Click() 'PROGRAM START ExportTexts End Sub Sub ExportTexts() 'On Error Resume Next directory = GetFolder("c:\") & "\" fileName = Dir(directory & "*.dgn") Do While fileName <> "" obslugaDGN (directory & fileName) fileName = Dir Loop MsgBox "Done", vbOKOnly End Sub Sub obslugaDGN(plik As String) Dim myDGN As DesignFile Dim oAL As ApplicationObjectConnector Set oAL = New MicroStationDGN.ApplicationObjectConnector Set myDGN = oAL.Application.OpenDesignFile(plik, False) Dim ee As ElementEnumerator Dim es As ElementScanCriteria Dim elArray() As element Dim i, j As Integer Set es = New ElementScanCriteria es.ExcludeAllTypes es.IncludeType msdElementTypeCellHeader es.IncludeType msdElementTypeSharedCell Set ee = ActiveModelReference.Scan(es) elArray = ee.BuildArrayFromContents For i = LBound(elArray) To UBound(elArray) If (elArray(i).HasAnyTags) Then Dim oTags() As TagElement oTags = elArray(i).GetTags() For j = LBound(oTags) To UBound(oTags) If oTags(j).TagDefinitionName = "TAG" Then 'here Excel stops working and restarts 'procedure.... End If Next j End If Next i myDGN.Close Set myDGN = Nothing Set ee = Nothing End Sub Function GetFolder(strPath As String) As String ' function gets folder picked by user Dim fldr As FileDialog Dim sItem As String Set fldr = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker) With fldr .Title = "Select a Folder" .AllowMultiSelect = False .InitialFileName = strPath If .Show <> -1 Then GoTo NextCode sItem = .SelectedItems(1) End With NextCode: GetFolder = sItem Set fldr = Nothing End Function
Thanks,
Darius
Try changing Dim oTags() As TagElement to Dim oTags() As Variant
Unknown said:Dim oTags() As TagElement to Dim oTags() As Variant
No! It makes the code worse and dirty. It's defined that GetTags method returns TagElement(), so if there is an error, it will be not caused by correctly declared variable.
To use Variant is (with a couple of exceptions) seriously bad practice and always lead to worse code.
Unknown said:I can't speak for others but I have never had success using GetTags().
I recall I used it several times in the past, both in VBA and C#, and it works fine.
Unknown said:Instead I prefer not to scan for specific host elements (in your case, Normal and shared cells) but instead target the tag elements themselves
It's different approach that provides different results (existing elements vs. existing tags) and it depends on a local conditions and requirements what is better.
Unknown said:Any help would be appreciated.
Are you sure the tag is attached to cell header? I assume it's attached to a graphics element inside the cell. Can you provide an example of the file?
One more question, not related to the discussed issue: Is there any reason to use .BuildArrayFromContents? It increases memory requirements a lot.
With regards,
Jan
Bentley Accredited Developer: iTwin Platform - AssociateLabyrinth Technology | dev.notes() | cad.point
>>I assume it's attached to a graphics element inside the cell
You are right. I found those criteria online and I am not sure they are correct.
>>Is there any reason to use .BuildArrayFromContents?
No there is no particular reason. As well I found it online. I tried also regular Do While oEnumerator.MoveNext with the same devastating result. As I said both arrays with cells and their tag elements are created correctly since I can look into them if I interrupt the program. I am an amateur programmer and all suggestions how to alter the program are appreciated
Thanks
Unknown said:You are right. I found those criteria online and I am not sure they are correct.
The criteria itself is correct, but the next step not. You have to iterate through elements inside cell to find element(s) with tag(s). The cell header is not graphical element, so GetTags returns I guess nothing, but
An example how your cells with tags look like would be helpful.
Is there always one element with tag inside cell or there can be more?
Unknown said:No there is no particular reason.
In such case don't use it. To build an array upfront requires substantial more memory, is slower and is necessary only when elements during the iteration are modified in such way they have to be rewritten to the end of file. Which I suppose is not this case.
Unknown said:As I said both arrays with cells and their tag elements are created correctly since
In such case there is a contradiction, because it means the tags are attached to cell headers. not inside the cell. But if you are sure this part of the code works, it's fine.
Unknown said:all suggestions how to alter the program are appreciated
You code highly depends on the data and its structure, but you have not shared any file example, so it's hard to provide any guess why it does not work.
Regards,
Good Evening Jan
Unknown said: Barry Lothian Dim oTags() As TagElement to Dim oTags() As Variant No! It makes the code worse and dirty. It's defined that GetTags method returns TagElement(), so if there is an error, it will be not caused by correctly declared variable. To use Variant is (with a couple of exceptions) seriously bad practice and always lead to worse code. Barry Lothian I can't speak for others but I have never had success using GetTags(). I recall I used it several times in the past, both in VBA and C#, and it works fine.
Barry Lothian Dim oTags() As TagElement to Dim oTags() As Variant
Barry Lothian I can't speak for others but I have never had success using GetTags().
The earliest experience I had with VBA was extracting tag values from Excel so its a subject I'm quite familiar with. Its been a while since I encountered the problems I remember with Excel and tags so I've spent a little time this evening finding what the problem was. Using Jon's Tag Element Data Extraction example as a basis and tweaked slightly, I found the problem once again. Its not GetTags() that is the problem but it relates to the TagElement variable declaration in Excel in specific circumstances.
Whilst this works in MicroStation it does not work in Excel:
Set oHost = oEnumerator.Current If oHost.IsGraphical Then If oHost.HasAnyTags Then Dim oTags() As TagElement Dim oTag As TagElement Dim nTags As Integer Dim i As Integer Dim vtValue As Variant oTags = oHost.GetTags() For i = LBound(oTags) To UBound(oTags) Set oTag = oTags(i) vtValue = oTag.Value Debug.Print "Tag [" & CStr(i) & "] =" & CStr(vtValue) Next i End If End If
This minor variation is the only way I found to get it working in Excel:
Set oHost = oEnumerator.Current If oHost.IsGraphical Then If oHost.HasAnyTags Then Dim oTags() As TagElement Dim oTag As Variant Dim nTags As Integer Dim i As Integer Dim vtValue As Variant oTags = oHost.GetTags() For i = LBound(oTags) To UBound(oTags) Set oTag = oTags(i) vtValue = oTag.Value Debug.Print "Tag [" & CStr(i) & "] = " & CStr(vtValue) Next i End If End If
Try it yourself, the first example will freeze your Excel instance and cause it to crash and restart.
Apologies for being a dirty coder!
My VBA editor accepted oTags as Variant but unfortunatelly it didn't solve the problem.
Unknown said:Try it yourself, the first example will freeze your Excel instance and cause it to crash and restart.
Thanks for the code snippets! Will try to test them, because I am very sure whether the code in Excel does not work, the problem is somewhere else than in the variable declaration.
When accessing MicroStation from another application, the environment is not the same as when started from MicroStation,so in some situations an extra code or modifications can be necessary.
Hi Barry,
I tested it (with slightly modified code, see below) and I have to confirm the variant type has to be used, because it does not work othrwise. It seems to be a bug in VBA COM implementation that when more correct TagElement array is used, it's assigned, but cannot be accessed without the crash.
In such case, variant type is "necessary evil", because no other solution exist ;-)
For future reference, my testing code of Excel macro, working with already running MicroStation, is:
Option Explicit Sub TestAccessToMicroStation() Dim oAL As ApplicationObjectConnector Dim o As MicroStationDGN.Application Set oAL = GetObject(, "MicroStationDGN.ApplicationObjectConnector") Set o = oAL.Application ProcessActiveModel o End Sub Private Sub ProcessActiveModel(app As MicroStationDGN.Application) Dim esc As ElementScanCriteria Set esc = app.CreateObjectInMicroStation("MicroStationDGN.ElementScanCriteria") esc.ExcludeNonGraphical Dim ee As ElementEnumerator Set ee = ActiveModelReference.Scan(esc) Do While ee.MoveNext If (ee.Current.HasAnyTags) Then ProcessElementWithTag ee.Current End If Loop End Sub Private Sub ProcessElementWithTag(el As Element) ' Used because a declaration 'As TagElement' does not work Dim tagElems As Variant tagElems = el.GetTags() Dim index As Long For index = LBound(tagElems) To UBound(tagElems) Dim tagElem As TagElement Set tagElem = tagElems(index) Dim tagValue As Variant tagValue = tagElem.Value Debug.Print "Tag [" & CStr(index) & "] =" & CStr(tagValue) Next index End Sub
Hi Jan,
When I first started extracting tags from Excel (maybe 6-7 years ago) I had a project which successfully made use of OpenDesignFileForProgram and I'm almost certain that I had no crashes with TagElements either. I recall this was With Excel 2007 on Win XP 32-bit however when I tried the same XLS file (back then it was an XLS not an XLSM) on Win7 64-bit and Excel 2007, it would crash. Around that time, something must have changed in Excel VBA and to this day I have to use OpenDesignFile because OpenDesignFileForProgram will not work for this purpose and also and having to use variant types. I know for sure it did work back then because I had a Bentley Staffer assist with part of the code as a Service Request and to this day its still in my SR History.
At least we know there is an issue but also a workaround.