Recreating curves in VBA code

[Alex]

Sometimes when you write a VBA macro for CorelDRAW/Designer, you need to create some complicate curves in it. It could be rather slow and tedious to create the curves segment by segment. There is Document.CreateCurveFromArray method which helps create curves quickly but is still quite cumbersome to use (need to initialize each array element in the code one by one).

The following subroutine could do it quickly and it's easy to use:

Function ReCreateCurve(ByVal sDefinition As String) As Shape
    Dim ci() As CurveElement
    Dim nUBound As Long, n As Long
    Dim vArray As Variant, vData As Variant
    Dim nFlag As Integer
    
    vArray = Split(sDefinition, ":")
    nUBound = vArray(0)
    sDefinition = vArray(1)
    ReDim ci(0 To nUBound)
    
    vArray = Split(sDefinition, "|")
    For n = 0 To nUBound
        vData = Split(vArray(n), ",")
        ci(n).PositionX = ActiveDocument.ToUnits(HexVal(vData(0)), cdrTenthMicron)
        ci(n).PositionY = ActiveDocument.ToUnits(HexVal(vData(1)), cdrTenthMicron)
        nFlag = HexVal(vData(2))
        ci(n).ElementType = (nFlag \ 256) And 3
        ci(n).NodeType = (nFlag \ 1024) And 3
        ci(n).flags = nFlag And 255
    Next n
    Set ReCreateCurve = ActiveLayer.CreateCurve(ActiveDocument.CreateCurveFromArray(ci))
End Function

Private Function HexVal(ByVal strHex) As Long
    HexVal = Val("&h" & strHex)
End Function

This function takes a string which contains the curve information specially encoded. To get this string, use the following macro:

Sub CopyCurveToClipboard()
    Dim d As New DataObject
    d.SetText GetCurveDef(ActiveShape.Curve)
    d.PutInClipboard
End Sub

Private Function GetCurveDef(ByVal crv As Curve) As String
    Dim ci() As CurveElement
    Dim nCount As Long, n As Long
    Dim strDef As String
    Dim nFlag As Integer
    
    ci = crv.GetCurveInfo()
    nCount = UBound(ci) - LBound(ci)
    strDef = nCount & ":"
    For n = LBound(ci) To UBound(ci)
        strDef = strDef & Hex(ActiveDocument.FromUnits(ci(n).PositionX, cdrTenthMicron)) & ","
        strDef = strDef & Hex(ActiveDocument.FromUnits(ci(n).PositionY, cdrTenthMicron)) & ","
        nFlag = ci(n).ElementType * 256 + ci(n).NodeType * 1024 + ci(n).flags
        strDef = strDef & Hex(nFlag)
        If n <> UBound(ci) Then strDef = strDef & "|"
    Next n
    GetCurveDef = strDef
End Function

So, you just create whatever curve you want in CorelDRAW, then run CopyCurveToClipboard macro. It will get the curve information, encode it into a string and copy the string to clipboard. Now all you need to do is to create a VBA command to call ReCreateCurve function and pass in the string. Here is an example:

Sub Test()
    ReCreateCurve "3:A9B4C,1200C8,8C|10B354,1200C8,184|D93CC,192008,184|A9B4C,1200C8,188"
End Sub

Creates a nice triangle

I hope this is useful.

Originally Posted by Alex

I hope this is useful.

Hi Alex, wow, quite nice.

One small request: I get error due to VBA Editor wrapping on sub test 1 below.

When I break my shape into pieces as in test 2, code is less. This is ok, but I want the drawn results combined in that case. is there easy way to auto-combine results of the drawn shapes?

For example... some day we might need very complex shapes broken down into numerous ReCreateCurve sections. Then combined.

Thanks so much,

Sub Test1()
 ReCreateCurve "68:13C2C7,E401F,8C|133A30,DECC7,184|12F1C2,E186F,184|12E4DC,E3F21,380|12B88A,E632E,380|126CCE,E83EC,284|11B99C,ED1F0,380|10BF84,F213F,380|10BF84,FD348,684|10BF84,10F3A4,380|12B296,10B033,380|12B296,F82EA,684|12B296,EBEB4,380|12767C,EFDC6,380|13C2C7,E401F,288|12FB59,D89E4,8C|174210,1034D9,184|177AAE,10496C,380|1830BE,1023A6,380|187FE4,100391,284|17D998,FA30B,380|13ED76,D51B3,380|13947A,D3098,684|12D3CC,CE8E9,380|13CBB9,C56F5,380|12B78C,B711E,284|11CF2F,AAF5A,380|10BF84,AE113,380|10BF84,B8943,684|10BF84,C3A10,380|12FD00,CF622,380|12FD00,D7661,684|12FD00,D7A59,380|12FC57,D80A1,380|12FB59,D89E4,288|143634,D4CB5,8C|14CB5C,DA601,184|187FE4,B859F,184|1828C1,B620B,380|1780DF,B43A6,380|173E18,B5CF1,284|143634,D4CB5,188|118845,F3CCD,8C|11E056,F11B0,380|126CCE,EC7EC,380|126CCE,F7408,684|126CCE,100878,380|1197CF,108B4C,380|112EA4,1025A2,284|10E28F,FDBD5,380|110B0A,F7CE1,380|118845,F3CCD,288|124D0E,C824D,8C|11FA0F,C4E99,380|110945,BCF61,380|110945,B8899,684|110945,B1C7C,380|11DEAB,B1BBE,380|128051,B9EC2,684|132740,C260F,380|1336B5,D0DE3,380|124D0E,C824D,288|13F365,D937B,8C|14343A,D937B,380|14343B,DEEC3,380|13F365,DEEC3,684|13B36C,DEEC3,380|13B36D,D937B,380|13F365,D937B,288"
End Sub

Sub Test2()

ReCreateCurve "37:13A8E9,1068FF,8C|143E11,10C24B,184|17F299,EA1E9,184|179B76,E7E55,380|16F394,E5FF0,380|16B0CD,E793B,284|13A8E9,1068FF,188|126E0E,10A62E,8C|16B4C5,135123,184|16EE32,136602,380|17A36B,133FF3,380|17F299,131FDB,284|174C4D,12BF55,380|13602B,106DFD,380|13072F,104CE2,684|124681,100533,380|133E6E,F733F,380|122A41,E8D68,684|10E087,D7AFF,380|F4613,E666E,380|10D7EB,F61BC,684|116C14,FBE64,380|127932,103E33,380|126E0E,10A62E,288|13357C,115C69,8C|12ACE5,110911,184|11EE58,117BEB,380|12CC47,113885,380|111619,11F884,684|F9E3C,129D35,380|103A98,13AA6F,380|10FAFA,13AA6F,684|1193F8,13AA6F,380|12254B,133520,380|12254B,129F34,684|12254B,11DAFE,380|11E931,121A10,380|13357C,115C69,288"
 ReCreateCurve "26:13661A,10AFC5,8C|13A6EF,10AFC5,380|13A6F0,110B0D,380|13661A,110B0D,684|132621,110B0D,380|132622,10AFC5,380|13661A,10AFC5,288|10FAFA,125917,8C|11530B,122DFA,380|11DF83,11E436,380|11DF83,129052,684|11DF83,136C61,380|107BFA,13B5BB,380|107BFA,12EC98,684|107BFA,12B5B1,380|10A64F,12846A,380|10FAFA,125917,288|11BFC3,F9E97,8C|116CC4,F6AE3,380|107BFA,EEBAB,380|107BFA,EA4E3,684|107BFA,DEEF0,380|126E0E,E8B6C,380|126E0E,F8672,684|126E0E,FF2DD,380|12096D,FCA99,380|11BFC3,F9E97,288"
    
End Sub

[jemmyell]

Hi Jeff,

Each one of these curves is a shape. Just add them to a ShapeRange then use the Combine method when you are done. I do this in DragonCNC to recreate CorelDRAW shapes from LINE / ARC lists that I have done operations on with the computational geometry library I use.

-James

Originally Posted by jemmyell

Hi Jeff,

Each one of these curves is a shape. Just add them to a ShapeRange then use the Combine method when you are done. I do this in DragonCNC to recreate CorelDRAW shapes from LINE / ARC lists that I have done operations on with the computational geometry library I use.

-James

hi James,

This makes the most sense for this case. BTW, I've been sending some people your way for the DXF tool. We chatted about it in the very early at days of macromonster.com.. maybe the time is right for us to sell some for you from our site as well as your existing outlets?

[jemmyell]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harrison

hi James,

This makes the most sense for this case. BTW, I've been sending some people your way for the DXF tool. We chatted about it in the very early at days of macromonster.com.. maybe the time is right for us to sell some for you from our site as well as your existing outlets?

Jeff, I will contact you at MacroMonster.

-James

[aakkaarr]

While recreating curve (M-alphabet) i get error 9.
Can you suggest the workaround.

[shelbym]

I was successful in creating the M with the following code:

Sub CreateM()
    ReCreateCurve "56:13E452,C207F,8C|13E63A,C23F0,380|13EA5D,C263F,380|13EE46,C27A9,284|13F4C7," & _
                  "C2A6D,184|13F16C,C27A9,184|13EA5C,C217C,380|13E74B,C154A,380|13E891,C06A9,284" & _
                  "|13EAB1,BF5BE,380|13F4D6,BF7BC,380|13FC21,C0025,284|140629,C0E11,380|140FF5," & _
                  "C1C2D,380|141984,C2A6D,284|1428DF,C4155,380|1432FC,C51B9,380|143930,C5AC6,284|" & _
                  "143FE2,C6439,380|144192,C6579,380|144298,C5572,284|1443C5,C4281,380|144492,C1C46,380" & _
                  "|144705,C1C13,284|144A83,C1BCF,380|145AE6,C391A,380|146563,C4722,284|146A58,C4DC0,380" & _
                  "|14726C,C4CC6,380|147342,C4519,284|1475CA,C3241,380|1475A5,C1F07,380|147645,C0C24,284|" & _
                  "1472B1,C0A2E,380|146EB9,C08DF,380|146B25,C06EA,284|146B83,C1B9D,380|146C3E,C39C7,380|" & _
                  "146561,C3D66,284|145EC5,C40B8,380|1442F0,C0862,380|143D65,C070C,284|143A4C,C0903,380|" & _
                  "1439F8,C4884,380|14356E,C4C05,284|143154,C4E1A,380|141B95,C2A6D,380|1419D0,C27A9,284|" & _
                  "1411A1,C1ADD,380|140986,C0E02,380|1400FE,C0170,284|13F716,BF24C,380|13E7A1,BEDA5,380|" & _
                  "13E02C,BF571,284|13DAFD,BFADE,380|13DC25,C11BF,380|13E452,C207F,288"
End Sub

Best of luck,

-Shelby

[aakkaarr]

when i tried the code for M i get error 13 type mismatch.
The m i am trying is more complicated the M, the cdr file is attached

[shelbym]

I used the M in your attached CDR to create the code. It should recreate the exact M in your document.

-Shelby

[aakkaarr]

Thanx Shelby,
the code are working.
the fault, i trying to get the copied code of clipboard through INPUTBOX
which was not taking the whole string.