TABLE OF CONTENTS In this chapter we will introduce and explore the AutoCAD object model as seen from the perspective of VBA. The object model is structured to allow a program to navigate easily through the entity objects and groupings of data. Starting at the topmost object level, this chapter examines the AutoCAD object system, looking at the important objects including their methods and properties along the way. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the complete AutoCAD object hierarchy in terms of how VBA sees it.
In VBA there are three aspects of any object that are of interest: methods, properties, and events. Learning a new object library can be somewhat daunting, especially one as robust as the AutoCAD object library. Online help files and the object browser are valuable tools for finding more information about objects and what they have in them. As the AutoCAD VBA object library evolves, new objects and new methods and properties for existing objects can be found in the object browser.
Let's start by getting some terminology straight regarding object libraries. As mentioned before, objects have methods, properties, and events. An understanding of these terms is important as we explore the library contents.
All objects will have some methods with which an application program can manipulate the object. Other words often associated with method are subroutine or function. Methods will accomplish a variety of tasks ranging from the extremely simple to the complex. Many of the methods are for manipulating...
