Notification on change of active document

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 09:20, xxxxxxxx wrote:

GeDialog seems to receive a message with ID 1937337955, when the active document changes... at least it seems to do the trick here. This seems to be BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE.
Docs say: "Sync message"...
Now, I'm wondering, if I'm allowed to use this message? And in what other situations this message might occurr?

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 11:41, xxxxxxxx wrote:

I don't know what that message is for, but I had need to receive document messages in one of my plugins. The problem is that (AFAIK) GeDialog doesn't receive MSG_DOCUMENTINFO messages, which is what you want. The way I got round this was to write a SceneHookData plugin, which *will* receive MSG_DOCUMENTINFO.

When the scene hook receives MSG_DOCUMENTINFO with the type(s) you're interested in, you can use SpecialEventAdd() to send a core message. I was listening for MSG_DOCUMENTINFO_TYPE_LOAD but I guess you would want to listen for MSG_DOCUMENTINFO_TYPE_SETACTIVE. The message will require a unique ID that only your plugin will respond to. You get this as a plugin ID from here.

Have your CommandData plugin override CoreMessage() and listen for the message the scene hook sent. Then you can act on it.

Steve

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 11:53, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi Steve,
thanks for the information. For the moment I'll stay with BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE, as it seems to work exactly as I expect it... and is easier than registering another plugin just for one message... until somebody from Maxon disqualifies BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE.
But nevertheless, I'll keep your workaround in mind. Seems to be a viable solution in many ways.
Thanks,
Andreas

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 13:40, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hm, strange, I received an email notifying me about a post by spedler, which I'm not able to spot here... Anyway he expressed his concerns about an open dialog while swapping documents.
Perhaps somebody from Maxon can comment on this, because I certainly don't want to hurt Nono's mother
For me it seemed all natural to have a dialog open, mostly any time I'd like to. After all C4D itself has lots and lots of dialogs open virtually any time, hasn't it? And actually as I'm not able to detect the change of the active document (if BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE is not allowed to be used for my purpose), how would I close the dialog anyway?
And then I don't want to do anything dirty (at least I think) with BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE. It is forwarded unchanged to SUPER. But as the dialog displays data stored with the document, I'd like to trigger a ReLayout() (just like in SDK asynctest example, but called from Message()) of the dialog, when the active document is changed.
One more point: Take for example the Attribute Manager (which I hope is a GeDialog), it stays open and reacts on a document change. Therefore I'm sure, there's a direct way to be triggered on document change, be it BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE or anything else.

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 14:53, xxxxxxxx wrote:

That was me.
I cross posted with Steve. And he's a lot more experienced than I am. So I deleted my post.
Sorry for the confusion.

We've been told several times here from support about trying to do certain things from a dialog window is illegal. Since you weren't getting any replies. I just thought I'd throw that out there as maybe a possible area that might be causing you trouble.

For example: I have a resource based dialog window plugin that I use for RD purposes.
It uses the same GeDialog class and external .res file structure for the dialog window as the attribute method works on say: a tag or object type plugins.
If I launch my plugin and leave the dialog window open. Then I switch to another document. My plugin no longer works. But if I switch back to the document that was running when I launched the plugin. It works again.

I'm not sure if that relates to your problem though.

-ScottA

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 15:08, xxxxxxxx wrote:

@MighT42: Check out the cinema4dsdk example and the activeobject.cpp file. I guess you're looking for the EVMSG_CHANGE message.

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 15:09, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Hi Scott,
sorry for my part of the confusion.
As I'm in the early stages of C4D plugins, I'm thankful for any thought I can get hold on. I think my current situation is not that complicated and as everything's working smoothly at the moment, I hope to publish some source tomorrow. In that way anybody can have a look, if I'm messing with BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE.
Thanks for taking the time,
Andreas

Helper

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On 09/02/2012 at 15:34, xxxxxxxx wrote:

s_rath,
thanks, EVMSG_CHANGE seems to work. Actually I see no difference in behaviour using either EVMSG_CHANGE or BFM_SYNC_MESSAGE. Only one I've to implement in CoreMessage() and the other in Message(). So I'm still a bit curious, where's the difference (perhaps run context of Message() and CoreMessage()?). Will stick with EVMSG_CHANGE, though.
How did you come to know the behaviour of EVMSG_CHANGE, from the docs ("Sent by the EventAdd() function") and activeobject.c source, I guessed EVMSG_CHANGE would have to be sent manually via EventAdd().
Thanks a lot,
Andreas

Helper

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On 10/02/2012 at 03:55, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Thanks for your PM, I was very puzzled by it but I think Scott's post clears it up!

Whether or not I'm more experienced than Scott or not I don't know, but that doesn't mean what I did was the right way (or even if there is a 'right way'), just that it worked for me. In the end, whatever method you choose, if it's legal within the SDK context and it works, then it's good as far as I can see.

Cheers,

Steve

Helper

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On 10/02/2012 at 06:32, xxxxxxxx wrote:

EVMSG_CHANGE is the way to go. Then get the current active document with GetActiveDocument().

Btw. s_rath is one of our developers, so he usally knows what he's talking aboput

cheers,
Matthias

Helper

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On 10/02/2012 at 09:37, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Matthias,
thanks for clarification.
Is there a way for noobs like I am, to tell if a forum member is one of Maxon's developers? It would keep me from asking stupid "How did you come to know..." questions.

If I could place a wish, I'd like to have a bit more detailed information on messaging and run context in SDK docs. For example, I still feel a bit unsure, when to implement Message() or CoreMessage(). CoreMessage() sounded so fundamental, like here you can get _all_ messages, but then you _really_ need to know, what to do with them, like care for context and locking...
Now it sounds more like a second message queue.

Please don't mind, I know the problems of documenting APIs very well (and the "fun", that's provided, when doing so) and Maxon has done a pretty good job already.
Thanks,
Andreas

Helper

On 07/01/2013 at 15:15, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Originally posted by xxxxxxxx

EVMSG_CHANGE is the way to go. Then get the current active document with GetActiveDocument().

Btw. s_rath is one of our developers, so he usally knows what he's talking aboput

cheers,
Matthias

Could someone be so kind and explain that in 'stupid mode' for me ? I am currently also in the
situation, that i want know when the active docment has been changed. I would also like
to know when the user tries to merge a document with another one. I am listening for core
messages from a message plugin.

I am not sure how I am meant to use EVMSG_CHANGE, because it is being sent all the time,
as it is the message for 'something has changed'. Am I meant to do a boolean comparison of
the currently active document against the last known document, after I got EVMSG_CHANGE ?
That does not sound right to me and seems to be a rather extreme solution. Is there some
reading counterpart to BaseDocument.SendInfo() which I can use ?

My plugin is recieving the ID 1018490 on documented related actions (new, load, switch).
Does someone know the string identifier of that ID. I could not find it in the cinema4d folder.

just for clarification - I am still on python, as stated in my sig.

Helper

On 09/01/2013 at 04:56, xxxxxxxx wrote:

sorry for the rather impatient bump, but i still have not found a solution or this
on my own, but i would really like know an answer on that.

1. what is the string ID for 1018490 and is it reliable as an ID to indicate actions on the active basedocument ?
2. how am I meant to use EVMSG_CHANGE in this whole context ?

Helper

On 09/01/2013 at 15:11, xxxxxxxx wrote:

Since you aren't getting any replies. I'll just mention that the only way I personally know how to get a specific document event (load,merged,saved) rather than the generic event that EVMSG_CHANGE produces. Is to use a C++ SceneHookData plugin.

This section of the plugin is what gets the specific event that occurs:

Bool MySceneHook::Message(GeListNode *node, LONG type, void *data)  
{  
   switch(type)  
   {  
    case MSG_DOCUMENTINFO:  
       {  
         DocumentInfoData *info = (DocumentInfoData* )data;  
         if(info->type == MSG_DOCUMENTINFO_TYPE_LOAD)  
          {  
            GePrint("document loaded");  
          }  
  
         if(info->type == MSG_DOCUMENTINFO_TYPE_MERGE)  
          {  
            GePrint("document Merged");  
          }  
  
         if(info->type == MSG_DOCUMENTINFO_TYPE_SAVE_AFTER)  
          {  
            GePrint("document Saved");  
          }  
       }  
   }  
  
  return TRUE;  
}

I've never tried to make a SceneHookData plugin with python. But it looks like they split it up into two separate python plugins SceneLoaderData & SceneSaverData plugins.
If there's a short cut way to get merged, saved , loaded messages without using a scene plugin. I don't know it. But maybe someone else does.

-ScottA

Helper

On 09/01/2013 at 17:03, xxxxxxxx wrote:

hey scott,

thanks for your answer, unfortunately there is no way to implement a SceneHookData plugin in
python right now. Steve also mentioned this approach at the beginning of the thread. Also to
my understanding the python classes c4d.plugins.SceneLoaderData and SceneSaverData are
just the wrappers for the respective cpp classes SceneLoaderData and SceneSaverData.
There is the method c4d.documents.BaseDoucment.FindSceneHook() which takes one
ID as its parameter. This might be some kind of solution for my problem, but i have neither
an idea which ID i have to use, nor what i should do with the result, a Baselist2D. I also
still believe that there are message ids being send from what steve has written in the
beginning of the thread, it just seems to depend on the message method from which you
are listening from, wether you are able to recieve them or not.

this whole ID thing ( 'it is documented in the maxon folder, just search for the files' ) shows
its uly face again

Helper

On 14/01/2013 at 01:03, xxxxxxxx wrote:

i know it is rather impolite to constantly self-bump your own threads, but i would still
really like to know an answer on this.