writing values in object variables

Hi Warren,

Thanks for your reply. I am not trying to modify a board or schematic. I

am writing a replacement of the brd_to_dsn.ulp, improving the design

(especially curve handling and keepout assignments), and adding

functionality like layer specific keepouts and locking individual line

segments before routing.

Queuing the objects (Pads, Via's, wire segments) before processing makes

the design more modular. At the moment I store these queues in many

object component arrays, but directly using objects would be much

cleaner. I can read them as objects from the Board of course, but

sometimes the conversion process itself must generate objects (default

Via's after decoding the layer structure for instance) to allow correct

routing.

It seems that the language cannot change object content in its

workspace. No showstopper, it just would improve clarity and reduce code

size).

Regards, Robert

On 22/01/2013 02:27, Warren Brayshaw wrote:

Hi Robert

 

I'll have a go at answering this. If I get it wrong I feel Alf will chime

in.

In short, you cannot write/modify the Schematic, Board and Library from

within a ULP. You effect changes upon exiting the ULP. Eagle runs the

commands in the exit() command directly or using a script, created in the

ULP, and called from within the commands in the exit() command.

There are a number of other actions that can be made within the ULP, like

cfgget and cfgset that affect settings and constants/variables created in

eagle.usr. You can create and read files. You can have the operating system

run apps and batch files. Alas you need to exit the ULP to make changes to

the Board etc.

 

The example you gave from the manual was interesting as I had not

considered using the objects that way and have not seen a ULP use it. It

offers a possiblity that may be useful. See later.

 

It don't feel it suggests you can write to the property of an object but in

the past I have been guilty of feeling I wanted to.

 

The example in the manual:

 

UL_SIGNAL signals[]; <Defines an array of type object  >

...

UL_SIGNAL s = signals[0]; <Defines an variable 's' of type object and makes

it equal to object signals[0]>

printf("%s", s.name); <..and uses the .name property>

 

So it's just passing stuff around.

You can write to signals[0].name but that is not the Board's object but a

copy of it and so it is not what you are after.

 

I see a possible use for these object arrays. Normally you loop through

UL_SIGNALS but if your ULP has to do this a few times in different places

it may be faster to identify which element of the object array is the one

of interest and just target that one which you can do without looping

through them all.

 

The attached ULP shows renaming the array copy of the first element's

properties within the ULP but the names on the board do not change,

naturally enough.

 

HTH

Warren

 

>

>

Hi Robert

I'll have a go at answering this. If I get it wrong I feel Alf will chime

in.

In short, you cannot write/modify the Schematic, Board and Library from

within a ULP. You effect changes upon exiting the ULP. Eagle runs the

commands in the exit() command directly or using a script, created in the

ULP, and called from within the commands in the exit() command.

There are a number of other actions that can be made within the ULP, like

cfgget and cfgset that affect settings and constants/variables created in

eagle.usr. You can create and read files. You can have the operating system

run apps and batch files. Alas you need to exit the ULP to make changes to

the Board etc.

The example you gave from the manual was interesting as I had not

considered using the objects that way and have not seen a ULP use it. It

offers a possiblity that may be useful. See later.

It don't feel it suggests you can write to the property of an object but in

the past I have been guilty of feeling I wanted to.

The example in the manual:

UL_SIGNAL signals[];

So it's just passing stuff around.

You can write to signals[0].name but that is not the Board's object but a

copy of it and so it is not what you are after.

I see a possible use for these object arrays. Normally you loop through

UL_SIGNALS but if your ULP has to do this a few times in different places

it may be faster to identify which element of the object array is the one

of interest and just target that one which you can do without looping

through them all.

The attached ULP shows renaming the array copy of the first element's

properties within the ULP but the names on the board do not change,

naturally enough.

HTH

Warren

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