IServerProcess interface

The IServerProcess interface returns information for commands (server processes) in a server installation file;

public interface IServerProcess

Namespace: DXP · Assembly: Altium.SDK.Interfaces

Remarks

the command name (GetOriginalID method)

the long summary the number of parameters if any parameter names if any

The IServerProcess interface is an aggregate interface used within the IServerRecord interface.

A typical installation file structure is as follows

ClientInsFile 1.0

Server

EditorName = 'AddOn'

EditorExePath = 'AddOn.DLL'

EditorDescription = 'A demonstratory AddOn module'

Version = 'Version 8.1.4.2763'

Date = '24-Dec-2004'

HelpAboutInfo = 'This software is protected by copyright law and international treaties.'

Copyright = 'Copyright © Altium Limited 2004'

Updates = 'ADVPCB'

Command Name = 'CountPads' LongSummary = 'Find how many pads on a PCB document' End

Command Name = 'RunAPCBProcess' LongSummary = 'Invoke a PCB process' End

All the methods in a server available to the user, such as placing a primitive, changing the zoom level and so on are performed by commands which are pre-packaged process launchers. The pre-packaged process launchers bundle together the process that runs when the command is selected, plus any parameters, bitmaps (icons), captions (the name of an item that displays on a resource), descriptions and associated shortcut keys.

When you select a menu item or click on a toolbar button, you are launching a process. Processes are launched by passing the process identifier to the appropriate server and the server then executes the process. Processes are defined and implemented in the Commands unit of a server source code project. The processes are declared in an Installation File (with an INS extension).

Each process has a process identifier. The process identifier is made up of two parts separated by a colon. The first part of the process identifier indicates the server that defines the process, and the second part is the process name.

For example, the process Sch:ZoomIn is provided by Schematic server. When this process is launched, either by selecting a menu item, pressing a hot key or activating a toolbar button (which are all defined as process launchers), it will perform the task of zooming in on the currently active schematic sheet.

When a server is started up for the first time, process methods or commands registered in the CommandLauncher object within the server modules.

Example

Report the processes of a server and their parameters.

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using DXP;

IClient client = DXP.GlobalVars.Client;
IServerRecord serverRecord = client.GetServerRecord(0);
var report = new List<string>();

string s = "";
int commandCount = serverRecord.GetCommandCount();
for (int j = 0; j < commandCount; j++)
{
    IServerProcess serverProcess = serverRecord.GetCommand(j);
    report.Add(" Process #" + (j + 1) + " Name = " +
        serverProcess.GetOriginalId() + " LongSummary = " + serverProcess.GetLongSummary());
    int parameterCount = serverProcess.GetParameterCount();
    for (int k = 0; k < parameterCount; k++)
        s = s + serverProcess.GetParameter(k) + ", ";
    report.Add(" Parameters = " + s);
}

string reportPath = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), "ServerProcesses.txt");
File.WriteAllLines(reportPath, report);
IServerDocument reportDocument = client.OpenDocument("Text", reportPath);
if (reportDocument != null)
    client.ShowDocument(reportDocument);

Methods

Method	Returns	Description
GetLongSummary	string	The GetLongSummary method returns the Long Summary identifier string.
GetOriginalId	string	The GetOriginalID method returns the Process Identifier string for the specified server process.
GetParameter	string	Returns the indexed parameter string.
GetParameterCount	int	The GetParameterCount method returns the number of parameters for the current Process Identifier (GetOriginalID).

GetLongSummary

The GetLongSummary method returns the Long Summary identifier string.

string GetLongSummary();

Returns: string

See also: IServerRecord

GetOriginalId

The GetOriginalID method returns the Process Identifier string for the specified server process.

string GetOriginalId();

Returns: string

See also: IClient

GetParameter

Returns the indexed parameter string. This is to be used in conjunction with the GetParameterCount method. A server process can be parametric, and thus can have a number of parameters.

string GetParameter(int argIndex);

Parameter	Type	Passing	Description
argIndex	int	value	The index of the parameter string.

Returns: string

See also: IClient, IServerProcess.GetParameterCount

GetParameterCount

The GetParameterCount method returns the number of parameters for the current Process Identifier (GetOriginalID).

int GetParameterCount();

Returns: int

This is to be used in conjunction with the GetParameter method.

See also: IClient, IServerProcess.GetParameter

Returned by

IServerRecord.GetCommand