#Clipper interface
3 messages in this thread
I was wondering…
I am new to this forum and AutoCAD, but I have a client that wants me to
interface AutoCAD to a Clipper application (Clipper is my expertise).
Basically it sounds like he wants to be able to display and look at
drawings from within the app, and he wants to be able to add/edit the
attributes of the items contained within the drawing (in a text format, I
think). BTW, Clipper uses .DBF files and can use Paradox files. Any help
would greatly appreciated. TIA.
-Mike Schinkel
Mike:
If "display and look at drawings from within the app" means from within the
Clipper application, that's going to be a bit tricky, since Autodesk doesn't
document the DWG file format. There are some "viewing libraries" you can
compile into another program, as well as stand-alone viewers you might
execute in a shell from your app, but in both cases you'll be dependent on
the company which cracked the DWG file format to keep you current as
Autodesk changes its format with each release.
Working with database files from within AutoCAD is an easier job, now that
there are several database toolkits available for AutoCAD. These toolkits
give you read-write links to DBF files, and in most cases, indices. With
most of them you do need some knowledge of AutoLISP, though.
There'll be a review of four of these toolkits in the January 92 issue of
CADalyst. Holler if you need names and phone numbers.
– Mark M.
Mike – You may want to investigate AutoTools from Robert McNeel &
Associates (206-545-7000). This is an ADS application toolkit with
dBASE-like commands and file structure. There is a demo in one of the
Libraries — 2, AutoLISP, I think.