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PROGRAMMING TURBOCAD USING THE SDK (VBS) TESTED ON TURBOCAD PROFESSIONAL 11, 12, AND 14 TurboCAD, like DeltaCAD does offer a programming methodology. However, rather than use one simple system provided by another software vendor as does DeltaCAD, TurboCAD elected to use the set of languages available from Microsoft. Further, the interface is only available with the Professional version, not with the more affordable Deluxe installation. Thus, DeltaCAD is likely to remain the CAD system of choice for the average diallist. The TurboCAD VBS (Visual Basic Script) macros are to be stored in:c:\program files IMSI\TCWP11 (or whatever release.) SDK\Samples\VBS\WshScriptPack (Wsh means: GUI Windows Script Host ) In TurboCAD 11 and 12 Professional, folders are found for:C#, CPP, DELPHI, VB NET, VBASIC, VBS, vc, and finally vcnet Several problems come to light at this juncture. 1. MicroSoft languages come and go, and the languages themselves are not stable as they are enhanced, and some features dropped. Most have either involved build processes or collections of libraries that must go with the program, VBS (visual basic script) is the exception. While TurboCAD has an excellent book for the hands on CAD user, the two or three pages referring to their SDK are in no way enlightening. The computer readable documentation is at best descriptive and of use to someone already knowing the system. There is no obvious cross reference between simple functions and their calls, functions, or methods. Thus finding how to draw a line is not intuitively obvious.
While VBS is the slowest interface, it does not require a host of libraries, nor a complex build. Instead, a simple text editor (WordPad for example) can build the program and save it in the appropriate folder, and in TurboCAD Professional, clicking the MACRO tool allows the user to then click on FILE FOLDERS, and from thence the VBS program may be run. Macros (programs) are executed by loading TurboCAD Professional, clicking on the macro tool (if visible), or VIEW, MacroRecorderPalette (if not),
which brings up a sub panel, click on files (and set to VBS if needed)
www.illustratingshadows.com www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows Simon Wheaton-Smith this document may be copied provided this credit and the credits in this document are retained.

and then

click on the file you wish to run. NOTE: the drawing area must exist, so do a NEW when bringing up TurboCAD, otherwise the following Windows Script Host message appears.
Useful references sources are:http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms950396.aspx http://www.tyharness.co.uk/tcvbacrashcourse/tcvbacrashcourse.htm http://www.tyharness.co.uk/cad.htm and the file: tcsdk.chm in the Docs folder of the SDK, is not without merit. Cryptic at times, it can provide some clues. And the SEARCH function, once a function or method has been identified, is helpful. VBS IN TURBOCAD KEY POINTS TO KNOW This implementation is object oriented. Thus a graphics area is acquired, and things added to that area, or, object within that area. AddLineRectangle AddCircleCenterAndPoint AddLineSingle AddText adds a rectangle adds a circle adds a line adds text into the drawing

graphic elements built, such as a line, have methods that can be invoked Properties("Penstyle").Value = "DASHED" Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 255, 0) and human interaction comes from: InputBox get a line of input
Other functions exist including trigonometric functions, however ASN has to be programmed by the programmer, as does the "to" and "from" degrees/radians.
The pictorial below is the result of running the subsequent macro (program) for an h-dial There is also a vertical declining dial for TurboCAD which is somewhat different from the DeltaCAD version.

H DIAL

TurboCAD h-dial 32.75 108.-68.9 -47 -31.2 -19.5 -10.1 -1.8 6.4 15.2 25.8 39.5 58.7 84
The book ILLUSTRATING SHADOWS is available using PayPal on the web site www.illustratingshadows.com or www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows ' ****************************************************************************** ' *** Variables etc needed by "the system" do do its thing - June 2007 SWS *** ' ****************************************************************************** Option Explicit ' NOTE: ' ' ' ' ' NOTE: ' ' ' Host) ' ' NOTE: ' ' ' ' ' ' ' useful references are http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms950396.aspx http://www.tyharness.co.uk/tcvbacrashcourse/tcvbacrashcourse.htm http://www.tyharness.co.uk/cad.htm The TurboCAD VBS (Visual Basic Script) macros are to be stored in:c:\program files IMSI\TCWP11 SDK\Samples\VBS\WshScriptPack (Wsh means: GUI Windows Script The TurboCAD help file for the SDK and its functions is located in:SDK\Docs\tcsdk.chm (double click this file) CONTENTS (click this header) TurboCAD Object Reference (click this) (difficult to find functions) SEARCH (enter known function and do search) In essence, this help system assumes you already know the functions (methods) you desire, it is in no way a tutorial on how to build a VBScript using TurboCAD
' However, finding things takes some effort. In essence it is a help file written ' assuming you know the system, it is not a how to at all. ' ' NOTE: VBS (visual basic script) is the slowest but simplest TurboCAD programming system ' ' NOTE: Macros are executed by loading TurboCAD Professional, clicking on the macro tool ' which brings up a sub panel, click on files ' and then click on the file you wish to run ' NOTE: the drawing area must exist, so do a NEW when bringing up TurboCAD ' make tcApp an object so that this program can mess with stuff in TurboCAD Dim tcApp Set tcApp = CreateObject("TurboCAD.Application") ' get the active Drawing object, i.e. a current open TurboCAD drawing. Dim ActiveDrawing Set ActiveDrawing = tcApp.ActiveDrawing ' see: c:\Program Files\IMSI\TCWxxxxx\SDK\Docs\tcsdk.chm ' then: Exploring the SDK in Depth ' then: The Application Object ' then: What's in an Application ' invoke the main controlling sub routine below Sundial ' ************************************ ' *** MAIN CONTROLLING SUB ROUTINE *** ' ************************************ Sub Sundial() ' dial location parameters dim lat dim lng dim ref ' dial plate issues dim dvh dim hr dim hrlnangle Dim aline Dim gxGrs Dim gxGr Dim x Dim y x = 0 www.illustratingshadows.com www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows Simon Wheaton-Smith this document may be copied provided this credit and the credits in this document are retained.

The book ILLUSTRATING SHADOWS is available using PayPal on the web site www.illustratingshadows.com or www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows y = 0 dim toRad dim toDeg toDeg = 360/(2 * 3.1416) toRad = 2*3.1416/360 lat = InputBox("Latitude", "Enter location lng = InputBox("Longitude", "Enter location ref = InputBox("Legal meridian", "Enter standard dvh = InputBox("Hour divisions", "Enter hour line latitude", 32.75, 100,200) longitude", 108.2, 100,200) time legal longitude", 105, 100,200) precision 1,2,4", 1, 10,10)
' use 100 as the basic left/right/top/bottom of the boundary areas Set gxGrs = ActiveDrawing.Graphics gxGr gxGr gxGr gxGr = = = = gxGrs.AddText("TurboCAD h-dial", gxGrs.AddText(lat, 0, -20, gxGrs.AddText(lng, 30, -20, gxGrs.AddText(ref, 60, -20, -90, -20, 0, 10) 0, 10) 0, 10) 0, 10)
hr = -6 Do While hr < 6.25 ' ' Rad = (n * 2 * 3.1416) / 360 Deg = (360 * n) / (2 * 3.1416)
Set gxGr = gxGrs.AddText(12+hr, 60, -30-y, 0, 10) ' NOTE: this Set is required hrlnangle = atn(tan(((hr*15)+(ref-lng))*toRad)*sin(lat*toRad))*toDeg gxGr.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(255,0, 0) ' RED Set gxGr = gxGrs.AddText( sgn(hrlnangle)*abs(int(hrlnangle*10))/10, 90, -30-y, 0, 10) ' NOTE: this Set is required y = y + 10 drawhourline hr, hrlnangle gxGr.Draw hr = hr + (1/dvh) Loop ' **************************************************************************************** ' *** The logic for this horizontal dial is found in the DeltaCAD macro for the h-dial *** ' **************************************************************************************** Dim tcgrs Dim tcGr1 dim tcdwg Set tcDwg = tcApp.ActiveDrawing Set tcGrs = tcDwg.Graphics ' create the circle graphic ' x, y z Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddCircleCenterAndPoint(0, 0, 0, x y z 100, 0, 0)
' x, y x, y ' Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddLineSingle (0, 0, 0, 80, 20, 0) ' tcGr1.Properties("Penstyle").Value = "DASHED" ' tcGr1.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 0, 255) ' BLUE ' Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddLineRectangle Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddLineRectangle ActiveDrawing.ActiveView.ZoomToExtents correctly MsgBox "Done" End Sub x, y (-100, 0, 0, (-120, -15, 0, x, y 100, 100, 0) 120, 120, 0)
' also forces colors etc to display
' ********************************************* ' *** draw an hour line but use constraints *** ' ********************************************* www.illustratingshadows.com www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows Simon Wheaton-Smith this document may be copied provided this credit and the credits in this document are retained.
sub drawhourline (hour,angle) dim toRad toRad = 2*3.1416/360 ' use 100 as the basic left/right/top/bottom of the boundary areas dim xx, yy Dim Dim dim Set Set tcgrs tcGr1 tcdwg tcDwg = tcApp.ActiveDrawing tcGrs = tcDwg.Graphics

' correct angles such as 0600 for west of legal meridian locations if hour < 0 then if angle > 0 then angle = angle - 180 end if end if ' correct angles such as 1800 for east of legal meridian locations if hour > 0 then if angle < 0 then angle = 180 - angle end if end if ' hours close to noon if abs(angle) <= 45 then yy = 100 xx = yy*tan(toRad*angle) Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddLineSingle (0,0, 0, xx, yy, 0)
' noon is blue if hour = 0 then tcGr1.Properties("Penstyle").Value = "SOLID" tcGr1.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 0, 255) ' BLUE end if ' non full hours are green if hour - int(hour) <> 0 then tcGr1.Properties("Penstyle").Value = "DASHED" tcGr1.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 255, 0) ' GREEN end if ' say what hour is associated with this hour line if hour - int(hour) = 0 then Set tcGr1 = tcgrs.AddText(12+hour, xx-5,yy+10, 0, 10) is required end if end if ' hours close to sunrize and sunset if abs(angle) > 45 then if angle < 0 then xx = -100 else xx = 100 end if yy = xx*tan(toRad*(90-angle)) Set tcGr1 = tcGrs.AddLineSingle (0,0, 0, xx, yy, 0)

' NOTE: this Set

' noon is blue if hour = 0 then tcGr1.Properties("Penstyle").Value = "SOLID" tcGr1.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 0, 255) ' BLUE end if ' non full hours are green if hour - int(hour) <> 0 then tcGr1.Properties("Penstyle").Value = "DASHED" tcGr1.Properties("Pencolor").Value = RGB(0, 255, 0) ' GREEN end if
The book ILLUSTRATING SHADOWS is available using PayPal on the web site www.illustratingshadows.com or www.geocities.com/illustratingshadows ' say what hour is associated with this hour line if hour - int(hour) = 0 then if hour < 0 then Set tcGr1 = tcgrs.AddText(12+hour, xx-10,yy+5, 0, 10) Set is required else Set tcGr1 = tcgrs.AddText(12+hour, xx+5, yy+5, 0, 10) Set is required end if end if end if end sub ' ******* ' * END * ' *******
' NOTE: this ' NOTE: this