MaxScript: Outputting arrays to dotNet Textboxes

Tools 3ds Max
1

I’m trying to output a group of arrays to a dotNet Textbox, and I can only seem to output either a single entry in the array, or text in quotations. Put the below together to demonstrate the issue. Does anyone know of the correct way to do this, or a better way to output all the entries in an array without having my user open the Listener?

fn arrayPopulate =
(
selected = $selection
theArray
theArray = selected as array
return theArray
)

theArray = arrayPopulate()

try destroyDialog test catch()
rollout test " .NET Textbox" width:500 height:900
(
    dotNetControl dncText "System.Windows.Forms.Textbox" width:480 height:880 align:#center

    on test open do
    (
        dncText.Font = dotNetObject "System.Drawing.Font" "MS Sans Serif" 8 ((dotNetClass "System.Drawing.FontStyle").Regular)
            dncText.BorderStyle = (dotNetClass "System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle").FixedSingle
            dncText.BackColor = (dotNetClass "System.Drawing.Color").fromARGB (((colorMan.getColor #background) * 255)[1] as integer) (((colorMan.getColor #background) * 255)[2] as integer) (((colorMan.getColor #background) * 255)[3] as integer)
            dncText.ForeColor = (dotNetClass "System.Drawing.Color").fromARGB (((colorMan.getColor #text) * 255)[1] as integer) (((colorMan.getColor #text) * 255)[2] as integer) (((colorMan.getColor #text) * 255)[3] as integer)
            dncText.MultiLine = true
            dncText.WordWrap = false
            dncText.ScrollBars = (dotNetClass "System.Windows.Forms.ScrollBars").Vertical
            dncText.Text =
				(
					for i = 1 to theArray.count do
						(
							print theArray[i]
						)
				)
    )
)
createDialog test
2

I don’t have any experience with .Net forms (or .Net in general, really), so this might be a silly/ignorant suggestion, but wouldn’t you be able to use

dncText.Text +=    //instead of just =

I’ve been doing that with stock maxscript rollouts, but I’m not sure how applicable that would be to .Net textboxes.

3

It outputs the same error as if I used just a regular “=”

-- Error occurred in test.open(); filename: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2012\stdplugs\stdscripts\; position: 1337; line: 31
--  Frame:
>> MAXScript Rollout Handler Exception:
-- Unable to convert: OK to type: String <<
true
4

Using “dncText.Text = theArray as string” will output the array into the dotNet textbox, but it prints the whole array to one line.

5

Build up a stringStream with the proper formatting and then write it once to the .Text property.

Building a stringStream is something that is very helpful when write large amounts of text.

6

Ah, right, my bad. Yeah, building up the string first before assigning it to the .Text should work. I haven’t used much of stringStream, but I’ll typically build a temp variable with, for example, "
" appended to the end of each item. Then after that,

dncText.Text = theTempVariable
7

[QUOTE=LoTekK;12477]Ah, right, my bad. Yeah, building up the string first before assigning it to the .Text should work. I haven’t used much of stringStream, but I’ll typically build a temp variable with, for example, "
" appended to the end of each item. Then after that,

dncText.Text = theTempVariable

[/QUOTE]

When concatenating a large number of items into a single string you should always use a stringStream in MXS. It’s vastly more memory efficient to do so. I answered Matt’s question in IM. This was what I gave him:

fn format_output header in_array = (
   out_str = stringStream ""
   format "%
" header to:out_str

   for ln in in_array do (
      format "	%
" ln to:out_str
   )

   out_str = out_str as string
   trimRight out_str

   return out_str
)
8

Ah, I hadn’t realised that. Thanks for the clarification and code, Jeff! :slight_smile: