Solidworks Macro - Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations

4 minute read

In this post, I tell you about how to Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations using Solidworks VBA Macros in a Sketch.

This post is extension to Sketch Transformation - Rotate/Copy Sketch Entities post.

Hence I will explained only Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations related code.

In this post, I explain about SetUserPreferenceToggle method from Solidworks’s ModelDoc2 object.

This method is NOT updated method, but it is easiest way to Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations.

Video of Code on YouTube

Please see below video on how to Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations from Solidworks VBA Macros.


Please note that there are no explaination in the video.

Explaination of each line and why we write code this way is given in this post.

Code Sample

Below is the code sample to Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations.

Option Explicit

' Create variable for Solidworks application
Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks

' Create variable for Solidworks document
Dim swDoc As SldWorks.ModelDoc2

' Boolean Variable
Dim BoolStatus As Boolean

' Create variable for Solidworks Sketch Manager
Dim swSketchManager As SldWorks.SketchManager

' Create Variable for Solidworks Sketch Segment
Dim swSketchSegment As SldWorks.SketchSegment

' Main function of our VBA program
Sub main()

  ' Set Solidworks variable to Solidworks application
  Set swApp = Application.SldWorks
  
  ' Create string type variable for storing default part location
  Dim defaultTemplate As String

  ' Set value of this string type variable to "Default part template"
  defaultTemplate = swApp.GetUserPreferenceStringValue(swUserPreferenceStringValue_e.swDefaultTemplatePart)

  ' Set Solidworks document to new part document
  Set swDoc = swApp.NewDocument(defaultTemplate, 0, 0, 0)
  
  '-----------------------UNIT CONVERSION----------------------------------------

  ' Local variables used as Conversion Factors
  Dim LengthConversionFactor As Double
  Dim AngleConversionFactor As Double
  
  ' Use a Select Case, to get the length of active Unit and set the different factors
  Select Case swDoc.GetUnits(0)       ' GetUnits function gives us, active unit
    
    Case swMETER    ' If length is in Meter
      LengthConversionFactor = 1
      AngleConversionFactor = 1
    
    Case swMM       ' If length is in MM
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 / 1000
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swCM       ' If length is in CM
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 / 100
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swINCHES   ' If length is in INCHES
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 * 0.0254
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swFEET     ' If length is in FEET
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 * (0.0254 * 12)
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swFEETINCHES     ' If length is in FEET & INCHES
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 * 0.0254  ' For length we use sama as Inch
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swANGSTROM        ' If length is in ANGSTROM
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 / 10000000000#
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swNANOMETER       ' If length is in NANOMETER
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 / 1000000000
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
    
    Case swMICRON       ' If length is in MICRON
      LengthConversionFactor = 1 / 1000000
      AngleConversionFactor = 1 * 0.01745329
  End Select

  '----------------------------------------------------------------

  ' Select Front Plane
  BoolStatus = swDoc.Extension.SelectByID2("Front Plane", "PLANE", 0, 0, 0, False, 0, Nothing, swSelectOption_e.swSelectOptionDefault)

  ' Set Sketch manager for our sketch
  Set swSketchManager = swDoc.SketchManager

  ' Insert a sketch into selected plane
  swSketchManager.InsertSketch True
  
  ' Create a local variable for CenterPoint ractangle
  Dim vSketch As Variant
  
  ' Create CenterPoint ractangle
  vSketch = swSketchManager.CreateCenterRectangle(0, 0, 0, 1 * LengthConversionFactor, 1 * LengthConversionFactor, 0)
    
  ' De-select the lines after creation
  swDoc.ClearSelection2 True
  
  ' Select all lines of CenterPoint Ractangle
  BoolStatus = swDoc.Extension.SelectByID2("Line1", "SKETCHSEGMENT", 0, 0, 0, True, 0, Nothing, swSelectOption_e.swSelectOptionDefault)
  BoolStatus = swDoc.Extension.SelectByID2("Line2", "SKETCHSEGMENT", 0, 0, 0, True, 0, Nothing, swSelectOption_e.swSelectOptionDefault)
  BoolStatus = swDoc.Extension.SelectByID2("Line3", "SKETCHSEGMENT", 0, 0, 0, True, 0, Nothing, swSelectOption_e.swSelectOptionDefault)
  BoolStatus = swDoc.Extension.SelectByID2("Line4", "SKETCHSEGMENT", 0, 0, 0, True, 0, Nothing, swSelectOption_e.swSelectOptionDefault)
  
  ' Rotate CenterPoint Ractangle by 45 degree only
  swDoc.Extension.RotateOrCopy True, 2, True, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 45 * AngleConversionFactor
  
  ' Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations
  BoolStatus = swDoc.SetUserPreferenceToggle(swUserPreferenceToggle_e.swViewSketchRelations, True)
  
  ' De-select all after creation
  swDoc.ClearSelection2 True
  
  ' Show Front View after Circular Sketch Pattern
  swDoc.ShowNamedView2 "", swStandardViews_e.swFrontView
  
  ' Zoom to fit screen in Solidworks Window
  swDoc.ViewZoomtofit2
  
End Sub

Understanding the Code

I have already discuss above code in previous Sketch Transformation - Rotate/Copy Sketch Entities post except below line of code.

' Toggle (Hide/Show) Sketch Relations
BoolStatus = swDoc.SetUserPreferenceToggle(swUserPreferenceToggle_e.swViewSketchRelations, True)

For “Toggle (Hide/Show)” Sketch Relations, we need SetUserPreferenceToggle method from Solidworks’s ModelDoc2 object.

This SetUserPreferenceToggle method takes following parameters as explained:

  • UserPreferenceValue : Use Preference Values to toggle as defined in swUserPreferenceToggle_e.

NOTE: swUserPreferenceToggle_e has many values!!! Hence it is not possible to list all of them here. If you want to check full list, please visit this page of Solidworks API Help.

  • OnFlag : True to toggle the value on, false to toggle the value off.

In our code, we used following values:

  • UserPreferenceValue : swUserPreferenceToggle_e.swViewSketchRelations

  • OnFlag : True

Return Value:

  • True: If Toggle (Hide/Show) of Sketch Relations is Success.

  • False: If Toggle (Hide/Show) of Sketch Relations is Fail.

Before Toggle (Hide/Show) of Sketch Relations

before-toggle-sketch-relation

After Toggle (Hide/Show) of Sketch Relations

after-toggle-sketch-relation

This is it !!!

I hope my efforts will helpful to someone!

If you found anything to add or update, please let me know on my e-mail.

Hope this post helps you to Toggle (Hide/Show) of Sketch Relations with Solidworks VBA Macros.

For more such tutorials on Solidworks VBA Macro, do come to this blog after sometime.

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Do let me know by you like this post or not!

Till then, Happy learning!!!

Updated: