Release Information - Version 2.1

What's New In Version 2.1

  • clsPowerMILLInstance class added.  This is used similar to the clsPowerMILLOLE class, except you must create an instance of the class in order to use it.  This allows you to connect your VB application to multiple PowerMILL sessions, by creating multiple instances of this class.  If you are connecting to only one session of PowerMILL, you can continue using the clsPowerMILLOLE class.
  • The clsPowerMILLInstance class constructor allows you to specify the options to connect to PowerMILL, e.g. DoNotConnect, ConnectToExistingOnly, ConnectToNewOLEInstance, and ConnectToExistingOrRunNew.

What's New In Version 2.0

  • EvaluateMany method added to clsPowerSHAPEOLE class.  This allows you to extract an array of similar object information in a single OLE call.  This can significantly speed up extracting large lists of object information.

What's New In Version 1.9

  • Allow TriangleNode objects to be modified (previously read-only).

What's New In Version 1.8

  • Added  ApplicationProcess property to clsProcessAquisition object to allow parent applications to access information about the specific process that was aquired.
  • Changed clsCompositeCurve MagnitudeFree and DirectionFree properties to be read/write.

What's New In Version 1.7

  • Added pmLevel to the clsPowerMILLOLE.enumPowerMILLEntityType enumaration.  This allows you to extract information on the Level entities in the PowerMILL project (when using the GetEntityList method for example).

What's New In Version 1.6

  • Fixed problem in clsPowerMILLOLE.GetEntityList function where entities with ' in the name were not being returned correctly.

What's New In Version 1.5

  • Fix ActiveID parameter for clsPowerMILLOLE.GetEntityList function to return an Integer data type.
  • Addition of the clsProcessAquisition class to allow you to display another running process within a .NET application's interface.

What's New In Version 1.4

  • clsCompositeCurve class added for use with PowerSHAPE.  It allows fast extraction of composite curve information, and also to apply changes to a composite curve very quickly.
  • New Execute methods for the clsPowerSHAPEOLE, clsPowerMILLOLE, and clsCopyCAD classes.  This allows you to define a macro command using "tokens", and to simply give the list of values to replace them with.  This saves you having to format real values to strings while building the macro command, e.g.

    Instead of...

    clsPowerSHAPEOLE.Execute("CREATE LINE SINGLE " & a.ToString("0.######") & " " & b.ToString("0.######") & " " & c.ToString("0.######"))

    You can use...

    clsPowerSHAPEOLE.Execute("CREATE LINE SINGLE %d %d %d", a, b, c)

What's New In Version 1.3

  • clsPowerSHAPEOLE.ConnectAsPSSurfacer method added to allow you to connect to a PS-Surfacer application rather than PowerSHAPE.

What's New In Version 1.2

  • clsDMT class - useful for extracting node information from a DMT triangle file, or even for building your own triangle files from code and writing them to disk to be read into PowerMILL, PowerSHAPE or CopyCAD.
  • clsFileFunctions - contains a number of useful routines for working with files and directories (includes directory browser dialog).

Benefits of PowerSolutionDOTNetOLE

The PowerSolutionDOTNetOLE is a series of classes that can be implemented in your VB.NET or C#.NET applications.  It provides easy to use links via OLE to PowerSHAPE, PowerMILL and CopyCAD.

  • Mainstream support of VB6 by Microsoft will end March 31, 2005.  At Delcam all customised and automation applications are developed in VB.NET.  Therefore more effective training and support can be given in VB.NET, however we will continue to provide assistance for VB6.
  • The PowerSolutionOLE Active X control is not ideal to use with .NET applications.
  • You can use C#.NET.  The use of DLL and the .NET framework is identical in VB.NET and C#.NET, therefore the existing examples written in VB.NET should still give you some reference.
  • Better distribution and component handling.  With VB6 ensuring the correct OCX's and DLL's are installed, etc. can be very difficult.  .NET applications handle 3rd party components very well.  For example new versions of the PowerSolutionDOTNetOLE DLL will integrate easily any .NET applications using an older version of the DLL.
  • Enhanced functionality - the classes in the DLL are by far more powerful than in the PowerSolutionOLE ActiveX control, and helps to eliminate many of the tedious programming previously required

    There are also a number of classes included independant of the Delcam product you are automating, but which are common functions used in customised applications (e.g. 3D Point, Ini File Manipulation, Registry Manipulation)
  • And of course the benefits of upgrading to Visual Studio .NET.

Documentation

The class objects are documented you can view by clicking the short-cut in START->PROGRAMS->DELCAM PLC->POWERSOLUTIONDOTNETOLE->CLASS LIBRARY DOCUMENTATION

This is more of a developers style of documentation, similar to the MSDN library, however tutorials and examples will be made available as I write them.  Two simple examples for PowerMILL and PowerSHAPE are included and installed by default to c:\Program Files\Delcam PLC\PowerSolutionDOTNetOLE API Classes\Help\Examples Code