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Subject: 
Re: File format for set inventories?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.cad.dev
Date: 
Mon, 20 Sep 1999 15:43:38 GMT
Viewed: 
432 times
  
On Sat, 18 Sep 1999 16:38:55 GMT, "Gary Williams" <graywolf@pcpros.net>
wrote:

Hello again,

For the Lego CAD program I'm developing, I got the idea for allowing users
to load a set inventory file.  Then the parts from that set would appear in
a part bin window.

This is a great idea, especially if you also give the user the ability to
easily build an inventory, for example by dragging parts from a parts list,
parts search or catalog view-window onto a parts bin window.

This "inventory building" function would allow people to graphically create
RL set inventories (or at least get a good start on them).  It would also
allow users to go through the process of locating and grabbing a bunch of
different parts all at once, and then go build without constantly looking
for parts one-by-one.

Anders Isaksson and I were discussing an inter-program communication
protocol (using the WM_COPYDATA message) for allowing parts to be dragged
from his LDList program into my LDAO program's editor.  It would be great
if we could agree on a standard for dragon drop between all LCAD programs
(at least, a standard for LCAD in Windows).

As the user dragged parts out of this bin to build their
model, the bin would become emptier, thus reducing the time required to find
the needed parts.

Please make the "limited-count parts" an option that can be turned on and
off.

So...I'd like to propose the development of some standard set inventory file
format that other developers would agree to support.  I'm sure other
programs could also benefit from this format (inventory tracking programs,
perhaps).

A standard format would be great, but it would almost have to be a subset
of a general inventory format, because you could only meaningfully support
parts which have been modeled in LDraw.

A line beginning with '0' would be a comment; for any other line, the first
number would be the quantity of that part, the second number would be the
DAT file name, the third number would be a color code.  Or something similar
to this.

Suggestion 1 (well, not really #1, I'd have to delete everything I've
written so far): Start with the format the way you want it, but be sure to
include the "inventory builder" tool.

Suggestion 2: support reading DAT/MPD files as inventory resources.

Suggestion 3: allow files to be deilimited with tabs and commas, as well as
spaces.

Suggestion 4: have a tagged import function, where the first line of the
file tells you the order of the fields on each line of the rest of the
file.  So something like:

Color, Quantity, Code
15, 1, 3001
1, 27, 3010

Could be parsed.

Steve



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: File format for set inventories?
 
Steve Bliss wrote in message <37e651b1.241662776@...et.com>... (...) in (...) Yup. :) Basically, parts, primitives, and subassemblies can be dragged from any part bin, edit/view window, step editor, set inventory window, or Explorer folder and (...) (25 years ago, 20-Sep-99, to lugnet.cad.dev)
  Limiting pieces (was: Re: File format for set inventories?)
 
(...) Wow, that would be neat-o. I could really use something like that when planning monorail layouts. I know exactly how many of each piece I have, and, unlike, say, red 2x4 bricks, I can't just go out and get more without extreme difficulty. So, (...) (25 years ago, 21-Sep-99, to lugnet.cad.dev)

Message is in Reply To:
  File format for set inventories?
 
Hello again, For the Lego CAD program I'm developing, I got the idea for allowing users to load a set inventory file. Then the parts from that set would appear in a part bin window. As the user dragged parts out of this bin to build their model, the (...) (25 years ago, 18-Sep-99, to lugnet.cad.dev)

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