Compositions Dialog

Michael Mayer

Has it always been like this that I can't duplicate a Composition ?

(Or like for Layers, when I create a new layer that it takes settings
from the last selected Layer ?)

I need several similar but slightly different Wall Styles.
Like a Brick Wall. Pure, with Plaster on one side, with Plaster on
both sides, one side exterior insulation Package, ....
Same for concrete Walls and and and ....

Do I really create each new Composition totally from scratch ?


Is this a V22/23 QT thing, or just another feature lost on the Mac side ?


BTW,
does it make sense that Drawing Manager countians "nearly" all Library
types in File - but not Compositions, Profiles, Components ?

OK, these have their own Tabs in left Dock Palettes.
But why not "Building Materials"- which is hard to reach/open ?

Usually most Tab Panels in left Dock are to assign objects and setups
in the drawing. But most of these Tab Panel are also available in
Drawing Manager - where you manage and edit the Libraries

Michael Mayer

BTW,
here on Mac,
Compositions Panel will collapse Composition Names with 3 ellipsis,
although there would be enough Space.

This way I can't even recognize the the different Compositions whe
applying.
which may start with the same Name prefix, when I can't read the
suffixes that differentiate the Compositions.

Looks like the text abbreviation space is hard coded/fixed.
Here it does not react to changing Panel Width at all.

Tom Foster

Generally, in CAD certainly (Microstation too), collapsing filenames, and it seems things like Composition names, retains most of the root/start of the string but collapses the really useful sub/sub detail end into elipsis (O for an English English localisation - brackets not elipsis, localise not localize! - ditto for non-American dub version of Studio Ghibli films - not movies!)

Michael Mayer

temporarily Collapsing file/object names isn't bad in general.
(Of course not ultimate hard and final DOS 8+3 way !)
At least if there is not enough space - which isn't the case here ....
Which makes no sense at all.




Or even worse,
Bricscad does not even dynamically collapse when there really is no space.
It is just a kind of "static" annoyance ....





macOS Finder does this great. It pust the collapsing part and the
ellipses into the middle of the text.
Which would be perfect for my Composition Naming Scheme.



This is one of millions of tiny examples features of macOS, that I will only
miss when I do not have them any more.
Like when trying to work with Windows.


Blender lately made a small but great UI change for collapsing texts in
smaller text boxes. :
If the text to collapse would still fit the box - without the ellipses - ellipses
will be suppressed.
Can't really remember but I think they maybe renounced of ellipses completely (?)

Michael Mayer

BTW,

I found that indeed I can "duplicate" Compositions.

It is just that it only works for the standard Compositions from standard library.
But I can't duplicate my own Compositions that I created in my File.

Unfortunately there is no content in BC's standard lib that would work
better as a template than just creating a Composition from scratch.


BTW,
therefore I took a look into German localized BC versions via the Web help,
in case there are any better suited Composition Examples for our region.

But if I get that correct,
not only is at least about 80% of the web help contains just the english help
version sites. It also looks that aren't any german adaptions to any library
files.
So localization only means about 20% of the help system translated and
BC's menu's and tool's names replaced by funny terms (?)

Piet

Hi Michael,
This seems a big, maybe it is better to create a support request.

Michael Mayer

Can you all confirm that it is not working on Windows or Linux too ?

ScottS

Duplicating compositions works in my v23 on Windows 10 English version, both "In project" and "In central database" (although the little icon next to "Duplicate" in the right-click menu is oddly grayed out in the former, but seems to work the same).

My panel list wraps the name if it fits in two lines, but not if it's longer. Pity. Hovering over a truncated name shows a pop up with the full name about half the time. Sometimes I have to click away and then hover again to make it appear. There are two empty columns to the right of the names column. I can't seem to resize the column widths or much else in the Qt dialogs. I wish the margins were narrower and item spacing was tighter so that more content is visible at once, as here with compositions and especially with layers, as we've previously complained.

Michael Mayer

OMG,
You helped a lot with your observations @ScottS !


> wraps the name if it fits in two lines, but not if it's longer.

It doesn't for me
(because you use blanks and I use "_" between my "words" !?)


> Hovering over a truncated name shows a pop up with the full name about half the time.
> Sometimes I have to click away and then hover again to make it appear.

Not at all for me on Mac
(But Maybe has to do with my naming scheme too ?)


>There are two empty columns to the right of the names column. I can't seem to resize the column widths or much else in the Qt dialogs.

WTH,
I would never have noticed these !
here on Mac in dark Mode, there are no vertical lines at all,
but very bright attention fishing horizontal lines between each
Composition. (As you can see in my Screenshots)
I also can't grab them to resize or do anything at all with these
Columns.


But you really saved my live with :

> Duplicating compositions works in my v23 on Windows 10 English version, both "In project" and "In central database" (although the little icon next to "Duplicate" in the right-click menu is oddly grayed out in the former, but seems to work the same).

>There are two empty columns to the right of the names column.

I right clicked in one of the empty Columns and finally got the RMB
option Menu !
As you do, I CAN NOW duplicate also my Compositions in file !

BTW 1
But I must select the Composition on the left Column first !
Otherwise no RMB option menu for me.

BTW 2
But can't delete the Duplicates anymore as
"they are assigned to one or more objects ...."
Same for the original Composition.
!?
(Hope BC did not corrupt or changed my Composition Assignments.
I had already some doubts about some some of my Comp Assignments
before. E.g. slim 145 mm Walls that i have not yet assigned had at some
point some of my most widest exterior Compositions assigned etc.)
!?


But could you please also take a look at the Composition (create/edit) Dialog ?
- can you duplicate "in file only" Compositions too from there ?
- does it sort "in file only" Compositions in top left window in any useful
order (by name ?) for you ?

Tom Foster

Michael Mayer said:

macOS Finder does this great. It pust the collapsing part and the ellipses into the middle of the text

Briliant!

ScottS

Michael Mayer said:

But could you please also take a look at the Composition (create/edit) Dialog ?
- can you duplicate "in file only" Compositions too from there ?
- does it sort "in file only" Compositions in top left window in any useful
order (by name ?) for you ?

- yes, I can duplicate in both the panel and the create/edit dialog.
- yes, alphabetically.

Would be nice to do custom sorting as with structure browser. A related little nuisance hasn't been fixed (feature request SR134495): Suppose I filter the composition panel to show walls only, and then go in to the edit dialog, the panel reverts back to showing All types of compositions, which often means having to filter and/or scroll again to find the one I just finished editing before I can apply it.

Tons of excellent improvements in v23. I'm thrilled over it all and have barely begun to try most of it out, so I can keep waiting on that one. Your duplicating bug is worth reporting, though. I've got some bimsections now that refuse to update... for another thread another day.

Michael Mayer

Thanks ScottS.

So there are still some specific extra Mac only issues on top.
Yes, I also noted that all Composition panel/dialog revert to
default view. Don't like it either.
I often go to Comp panel or dialog and filter, interrupt to go to
properties Panel to read e.g. the actual wall width and when I
come back to Comp I have to set/filter again each time.

For me it looks like Composition is not yet looking cute.
Maybe QT but not ready.