how do i create a single text string from three parameters?

[__archiben]

gdl knucklehead (me) looking for assistance:

i'm trying to create a single text string made from the values of multiple parameters....

the background: i'm modifying the steel section objects to display their profile sizes adjacent to the placed section. when this is a standard profile designation i can use use the 'Profile' parameter value in a TEXT2 command, so:

TEXT2 0, 0, Profile

the problem: when the section size is set to 'CUSTOM' i would like the TEXT2 command to display the custom section size. this involves creating a string (i think) to combine the three size parameters, each separated by an "x" character:

ws = width of section
ds = depth of section
massm = weight/meter

i need the string to read 'ds x ws x massm' . . . e.g. "406x178x60"

i've tried various separators and quotation marks, but keep getting errors.

additionally, i'd really like the 'massm' value to be rounded up to a whole number . . . i get the impression from the GDL manual that this can be done, but i just don't understand a bloody word of it . . .

thanks in advance!
~/archiben

[Anonymous]

Hello Ben,
I do not know of a way to make a single TEXT2 statement
containing five strings spaced out so it is readable.
You can do what you want using separate TEXT2 statements.
The following code with, I hope, understandable comments
(the text preceded by exclamation points) may help.





DEFINE STYLE "mystyle" "helvetica", 12,1,0

SET STYLE "mystyle"

!!!ws=ws*3.28084*12 !!conversion to imperial to test script
!!!ds=ds*3.28084*12 !!conversion to imperial to test script

massm=CEIL(massm) !!the CEIL() function rounds up
!!any decimal number
!!to the nearest whole number

!!NOTE: str() is a function that converts a number to a string


wx="x" !!defines the string "x"


wid=stw(wx)/1000*A_ !!wid=width of the string "x"
wid1=stw(str(ws,3,2))/1000*A_ !!wid1=width of the the number ws
!! converted to a string
wid2=stw(str(ds,3,2))/1000*A_ !!wid1=width of the the number ds converted to a string

text2 0,0,str(ws,3,2)
text2 wid1,0,"x"
text2 wid1+wid,0,str(ds,3,2)
text2 wid1+wid+wid2,0,"x"
text2 wid1+wid+wid2+wid,0,str(massm,3,2)



Peter Devlin

[__archiben]

Peter wrote:
I do not know of a way to make a single TEXT2 statement containing five strings spaced out so it is readable. You can do what you want using separate TEXT2 statements. The following code with, I hope, understandable comments (the text preceded by exclamation points) may help.

thanks peter

wow! i had in the back of my mind that this could be done by finding the string lengths and multiple text blocks, but i figured that there must be an easier way. such a lot of code for something so simple . . .

i pretty much followed your comments. i'll give it a whirl tonight and hopefully get it working!

thanks again!
ben

[Anonymous]

Hello Ben,
Yes, complicated for such a simple thing.
There may be a simpler way using TEXTBLOCK2 but
I have not studied this new command.

Let us know how it goes.
Thanks,
Peter Devlin

[Aussie John]

Just use the + sign to concatenate the strings. Then you dont need all of the width calculations.

aa=str(ws,3,2)
bb=str(ds,3,2)
cc=str(massm,3,2)
text2 0,0, aa+"x"+bb+"x"+cc

[LiHigh]

And to take care of the rounding & conv spec:

aa = STR("%.0mm",ws) !! whole no. in mm
bb = STR("%.0mm",ds) !! whole no. in mm
cc = STR("%.0",massm) !! whole no.

TEXT2 0, 0, aa + "x" + bb+ "x" + cc + "kg/m"

[Anonymous]

Hello John,
Right you are. I had forgotten that after converting
the numbers to strings you can concatenate the strings
with the plus sign.

Hello LiHigh,
Depending on the form Ben wants,
the second form of the str() works as well.

Peter Devlin

[__archiben]

hi and thanks to you all.

Peter - i got your solution working shortly before john posted, but ultimately his solution is cleaner.

LiHigh - as you correctly guessed, i would need to control the rounding on these values. i was able to decipher the GDL manual based on your examples and have been able to work out all of the various rounding requirements i needed for all of the other steel sections, not just universal columns.

the final (universal column) code:

if nz_label then
	add2 nz_labelPosX, nz_labelPosY
	rot2 nz_labelRotAng
	
	define style nz_labelFontStyle nz_labelFont, nz_labelFontSize, 4, nz_labelFontFaceCode
	set style nz_labelFontStyle
	pen nz_labelFontPen
	
	if Profile="CUSTOM" then
		stringDS=str("%.0mm",ds)
		stringWS=str("%.0mm",ws)
		stringMassm=str("%.0",massm)
		text2 0, 0, stringDS + "x" + stringWS + "UC " + stringMassm
	else
		text2 0, 0, Profile
	endif

	del 2
endif

the next step for me is to turn this into a label object (i actually loathe having textual information display with object itself as there is no control over the display of this text based on the drawing context) . . . but it will do for the next couple of weeks whilst i recharge my GDL batteries and consider how i'm going to tackle that one!

thanks again!
ben

[Anonymous]

Hello Ben,
I'm glad you got it working.
Yes, Johns solution is cleaner.
I'm sorry you didn't catch his
post before you started working.
Peter Devlin

[Anonymous]

Hello Ben,
You said, "i actually loathe having
textual information display with object itself
as there is no control over the display of this text
based on the drawing context".

Could you say a little more about what you mean by this ?
What "drawing context" are you referring to ?
What sort of control of the display do you need ?
Thanks,
Peter Devlin