Working with ItemType EC Expression using Managed, Native and COM API’s [Upcoming feature in MicroStation CONNECT Edition Update 14]

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This blog provides code snippets that demonstrate how to use EC Expression with properties:

Expressions currently work with Primitive properties. They do not support Struct or Array type of properties.Below steps explain how to use Managed and Native EC Expression API’s with EC Property:

1. Set EC Expression in item type property definition.
2. Set EC Expression Failure value in item type property definition.
3. Get EC Expression from item type property definition.
4. Get EC Expression Failure value from item type property definition.
5. Verify input EC Expression is valid or not.

Sample EC Schema

Following is the EC Schema used to perform set/get EC Expression operations onto EC Properties:

<?xml version=”1.0" encoding=”utf-8"?>
<ECSchema schemaName=”PropertyTypes” nameSpacePrefix=”pt” version=”1.0" description=”For testing properties” xmlns=”http://www.bentley.com/schemas/Bentley.ECXML.2.0">
 <ECClass typeName=”PropertiesClass” isDomainClass=”True”>
 <ECProperty propertyName=”StringProperty” typeName=”string” readOnly=”True”>
 <ECCustomAttributes>
 <CalculatedECPropertySpecification xmlns=”Bentley_Standard_CustomAttributes.01.13">
 <ECExpression>this.GetElement().ElementDescription</ECExpression>
 <FailureValue>Failed String Expression</FailureValue>
 <IsDefaultValueOnly>False</IsDefaultValueOnly>
 <RequiredSymbolSets>
 <string>System.Math</string>
 <string>System.Path</string>
 <string>System.String</string>
 <string>Items</string>
 <string>LookUp</string>
 </RequiredSymbolSets>
 <EnforceUnits>False</EnforceUnits>
 </CalculatedECPropertySpecification>
 </ECCustomAttributes>
 </ECProperty>
 </ECClass>
</ECSchema>

API’s to work with EC Expression

Following are the APIs used to set EC Expression in item type property definition:

• Native API to set EC Expression

auto& dgnfile = *GetDgnModelP()->GetDgnFileP();
ItemTypeLibraryPtr lib = ItemTypeLibrary::Create(L”PropertyTypes”, dgnfile);
ItemTypeP itp1 = lib->AddItemType(L”PropertiesClass”);
CustomPropertyP prop1 = itp1->AddProperty(L”StringProperty”);
prop1->SetType(CustomProperty::Type::String);
prop1->SetExpression(L”this.GetElement().ElementDescription”);
lib->Write();

• Managed API to set EC Expression

ItemTypeLibrary itLibrary = ItemTypeLibrary.Create(“PropertyTypes”, GetDgnFile());
 ItemType itp = itLibrary.AddItemType (“PropertiesClass”);
 CustomProperty property = itp.AddProperty(“StringProperty”);
 property.Type = CustomProperty.TypeKind.String; 
 property.SetExpression(“this.GetElement().ElementDescription”);
 itLibrary.Write();

• VBA COM API to set EC Expression,Failure Value

Function CreateItemTypeLibrary(sLibName As String) As ItemTypeLibrary
 Dim oItem As ItemType
 Dim oItemProp As ItemTypeProperty
 Dim oItemLibs As ItemTypeLibraries
 Dim sMessage As String
 
 ‘Create ItemType Library
 Set oItemLibs = New ItemTypeLibraries
 
 Set CreateItemTypeLibrary = oItemLibs.CreateLib(sLibName, False)
 If CreateItemTypeLibrary Is Nothing Then
 MsgBox(“ItemTypeLibrary with name TestLibrary already exist”)
 Else 
 ‘Create first ItemType
 Set oItem = CreateItemTypeLibrary.AddItemType(“FirstItemType”)
 
 ‘Calculated property
 Set oItemProp = oItem.AddProperty(“StringProperty”, ItemPropertyTypeString)
 Success = oItemProp.SetExpression(“10+20”, “Failed String Expression”, sMessage)
 If Not sMessage = “” Then
 MsgBox(sMessage)
 End If
 CreateItemTypeLibrary.Write
 End If
End Function

Following are the APIs used to set EC Expression Failure value in item type property definition:

• Native API to set EC Expression Failure value

auto& dgnfile = *GetDgnModelP()->GetDgnFileP();
ItemTypeLibraryPtr lib = ItemTypeLibrary::Create(L”PropertyTypes”, dgnfile);
ItemTypeP itp1 = lib->AddItemType(L”PropertiesClass”);
CustomPropertyP prop1 = itp1->AddProperty(L”StringProperty”);
prop1->SetType(CustomProperty::Type::String);
prop1->SetExpression(L”this.GetElement().ElementDescription”,L”Failed String Expression”);
lib->Write();

• Managed API to set EC Expression Failure value

ItemTypeLibrary itLibrary = ItemTypeLibrary.Create(“PropertyTypes”, GetDgnFile());
ItemType itp = itLibrary.AddItemType (“PropertiesClass”);
CustomProperty property = itp.AddProperty(“StringProperty”);
property.Type = CustomProperty.TypeKind.String; 
property.SetExpression(“this.GetElement().ElementDescription”, “Failed String Expression”);
itLibrary.Write();

Following are the APIs used to get EC Expression from item type property definition:

• Native API to get EC Expression

auto& dgnfile = *GetDgnModelP()->GetDgnFileP();
ItemTypeLibraryPtr lib = ItemTypeLibrary::Create(L”PropertyTypes”, dgnfile);
ItemTypeP itp1 = lib->AddItemType(L”PropertiesClass”);
CustomPropertyP prop1 = itp1->AddProperty(L”StringProperty”);
prop1->SetType(CustomProperty::Type::String);
prop1->SetExpression(L”this.GetElement().ElementDescription”);
lib->Write();ECValue value;
prop1->GetExpression(value);
wprintf (L”Expression=”, value.ToString().c_str());

• Managed API to get EC Expression

ItemTypeLibrary itLibrary = ItemTypeLibrary.Create(“PropertyTypes”, GetDgnFile());
ItemType itp = itLibrary.AddItemType (“PropertiesClass”);
CustomProperty property = itp.AddProperty(“StringProperty”);
property.Type = CustomProperty.TypeKind.String; 
property.SetExpression((“this.GetElement().ElementDescription”);
itLibrary.Write();
Console.WriteLine(“Expression=”, property.Expression);

• VBA COM API to get EC Expression

Set CreateItemTypeLibrary = oItemLibs.CreateLib(sLibName, False) 
Set oItem = CreateItemTypeLibrary.AddItemType(“FirstItemType”) 
Set oItemProp = oItem.AddProperty(“StringProperty”, ItemPropertyTypeString)
Success = oItemProp.SetExpression(“10+20”, “Failed String Expression”, sMessage)
CreateItemTypeLibrary.WriteDebug.Print “Expression= “ & itemTypeProp.GetExpression & vbNewLine;

Following are the APIs used to get EC Expression Failure value from item type property definition:

• Native API to get EC Expression Failure value

auto& dgnfile = *GetDgnModelP()->GetDgnFileP();
ItemTypeLibraryPtr lib = ItemTypeLibrary::Create(L”PropertyTypes”, dgnfile);
ItemTypeP itp1 = lib->AddItemType(L”PropertiesClass”);
CustomPropertyP prop1 = itp1->AddProperty(L”StringProperty”);
prop1->SetType(CustomProperty::Type::String);
prop1->SetExpression(L”this.GetElement().ElementDescription”,L”Failed String Expression”);
lib->Write();ECValue value;
prop1->GetExpressionFailureValue (value);
wprintf (L”ExpressionFaluireValue=”, value.ToString().c_str());

• Managed API to get EC Expression Failure value

ItemTypeLibrary itLibrary = ItemTypeLibrary.Create(“PropertyTypes”, GetDgnFile());
ItemType itp = itLibrary.AddItemType (“PropertiesClass”);
CustomProperty property = itp.AddProperty(“StringProperty”);
property.Type = CustomProperty.TypeKind.String; 
property.SetExpression(“this.GetElement().ElementDescription”, “Failed String Expression”);
itLibrary.Write();Console.WriteLine(“Expression=”, property.ExpressionFailureValue);

• VBA COM API to get EC Expression Failure value

Set CreateItemTypeLibrary = oItemLibs.CreateLib(sLibName, False)
Set oItem = CreateItemTypeLibrary.AddItemType(“FirstItemType”)
Set oItemProp = oItem.AddProperty(“StringProperty”, ItemPropertyTypeString)
Success = oItemProp.SetExpression(“10+20”, “Failed String Expression”, sMessage)
CreateItemTypeLibrary.Write
failureValue = itemTypeProp.GetExpressionFailureValue
Debug.Print “Calulated property failure value = “ & failureValue & vbNewLine;

Following are the APIs used to verify input EC Expression is valid or not:

• Native API to verify EC Expression is valid or not

auto& dgnfile = *GetDgnModelP()->GetDgnFileP();
ItemTypeLibraryPtr lib = ItemTypeLibrary::Create(L”PropertyTypes”, dgnfile);
ItemTypeP itp1 = lib->AddItemType(L”PropertiesClass”);
CustomPropertyP prop1 = itp1->AddProperty(L”StringProperty”);
prop1->SetType(CustomProperty::Type::String);
WCharCP message = L””;
WCharCP expression = L”1**2";
if (prop1->IsValidExpression (expression, message))
 prop1->SetExpression (expression, L”Failed String Expression”);
else
 wprintf (message);
lib->Write();

• Managed API to verify EC Expression is valid or not

ItemTypeLibrary itLibrary = ItemTypeLibrary.Create(“PropertyTypes”, GetDgnFile());
ItemType itp = itLibrary.AddItemType (“PropertiesClass”);
CustomProperty property = itp.AddProperty(“StringProperty”);
property.Type = CustomProperty.TypeKind.String; 
String expression = “1**2;
String message = “”;
if (property1.IsValidExpression(expression,message))
 property1.SetExpression(expression);
else
 Console.WriteLine(message);
itLibrary.Write();

• VBA COM API to verify EC Expression is valid or not

Set CreateItemTypeLibrary = oItemLibs.CreateLib(sLibName, False) 
 Set oItem = CreateItemTypeLibrary.AddItemType(“FirstItemType”) 
 Set oItemProp = oItem.AddProperty(“StringProperty”, ItemPropertyTypeString)
 Success = oItemProp.SetExpression(“10**20”, “Failed String Expression”, sMessage)
If Not sMessage = “” Then
 MsgBox(sMessage)
End IfCreateItemTypeLibrary.Write

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