SelectionListBox Documentation

A custom IronPython control for selecting entities in Alibre Script using filtered ListBox UI.

Overview

SelectionListBox allows users to select entities (faces, edges, planes, etc.) from the Alibre 3D workspace. Each control is configured via a Tag to define the selection type. It supports single or multi-selection, filtering, and optional AutoNext navigation.

UI Features

• Clear Button: Removes all selections.
• Context Menu: Right-click to clear or remove selected items.
• Highlighting: Selected items are shown in the Alibre workspace.
• Threading: Forms using this control should run in an STA thread.

Usage Example

import clr
import os
clr.AddReference('System.Windows.Forms')
from System.Windows.Forms import Form, TableLayoutPanel, DockStyle, Label
from System.Threading import Thread, ThreadStart
sys.path.append(ScriptFolder)  # Ensure SelectionListBox is accessible
from SelectionListBox import SelectionListBox

class MyThreadVarsClass():
    started = 0
    form1 = None
MyThreadVars = MyThreadVarsClass()

class MySelectionForm(Form):
    def __init__(self):
        self.Text = "Selection Example"
        self.Width = 400
        self.Height = 200
        self.TopMost = 1
        self.FormClosed += self.onFormClosed

        layout = TableLayoutPanel()
        layout.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
        layout.RowCount = 3
        layout.ColumnCount = 2
        layout.AutoSize = True
        self.Controls.Add(layout)

        # — Edges —
        self._lbl_edges = Label()
        self._lbl_edges.Text = 'Edges'
        layout.Controls.Add(self._lbl_edges, 0, 0)

        self._SLB_edges = SelectionListBox()
        self._SLB_edges.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
        self._SLB_edges.Tag = 'Edges'
        layout.Controls.Add(self._SLB_edges, 1, 0)

        # — Face —
        self._lbl_face = Label()
        self._lbl_face.Text = 'Face'
        layout.Controls.Add(self._lbl_face, 0, 1)

        self._SLB_face = SelectionListBox()
        self._SLB_face.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
        self._SLB_face.Tag = 'Face'
        self._SLB_face.AutoNext = 1
        layout.Controls.Add(self._SLB_face, 1, 1)

        # — Planes —
        self._lbl_planes = Label()
        self._lbl_planes.Text = 'Planes'
        layout.Controls.Add(self._lbl_planes, 0, 2)

        self._SLB_planes = SelectionListBox()
        self._SLB_planes.Dock = DockStyle.Fill
        self._SLB_planes.Tag = 'Planes'
        layout.Controls.Add(self._SLB_planes, 1, 2)

    def onFormClosed(self, sender, e):
        if self._SLB_edges.PreviousSelection.Count >= 1:
            for i in range(0, self._SLB_edges.Items.Count):
                selectionName = str(self._SLB_edges.Items.Item[i])
                selectionProxy = self._SLB_edges.PreviousSelection.Item(i)
                print(selectionName, selectionProxy)
        self.Close()

def thread_form():
    global MyThreadVars
    MyThreadVars.form1 = MySelectionForm()
    MyThreadVars.started = 1
    MyThreadVars.form1.ShowDialog()
    MyThreadVars.started = 0

t = Thread(ThreadStart(thread_form))
t.ApartmentState = System.Threading.ApartmentState.STA
t.Start()

loop_count = 0
while not MyThreadVars.started and loop_count < 10:
    Thread.CurrentThread.Join(100)
    print('Waiting for form...')
    loop_count += 1
if MyThreadVars.started:
    while MyThreadVars.started:
        Thread.CurrentThread.Join(100)
print('closed')

Tags & Behavior

Tag	Selection Type	AutoNext Support	Description
‘Face’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single face
‘Faces’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple faces
‘Edge’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single edge
‘Edges’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple edges
‘Vertex’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single vertex
‘Vertices’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple vertices
‘Plane’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single reference plane
‘Planes’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple reference planes
‘Axis’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single axis
‘Axes’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple axes
‘Point’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single reference point
‘Points’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple reference points
‘Sketch2D’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single 2D sketch
‘Sketches2D’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple 2D sketches
‘Sketch3D’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single 3D sketch
‘Sketches3D’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple 3D sketches
‘Part’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single part
‘Parts’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple parts
‘Assembly’	Single	✅ Yes	Select a single assembly/component
‘Assemblies’	Multiple	❌ No	Select multiple assemblies/components

Developer Notes

Constructor

SelectionListBox()

Initializes layout, timer, clear button, context menu, and filtering logic.

Key Properties & Methods

Name	Description
Tag	Defines selection filter
AutoNext	Moves focus to next control (if singular)
PreviousSelection	Stores last valid selection set
ClearAll()	Clears all items
RemoveSelected()	Removes selected items
add_selection_item()	(Internal) Adds item to list
apply_filter_by_tag()	(Internal) Applies filter using Filters class

Filtering

• Uses Filters class to apply Alibre selection filters.
• Limited to types supported by Alibre API.
• Tag values map to methods like FacesOnly(), EdgesOnly(), etc.

Integration

• Use sys.path.append() to access the class.
• Run forms in STA threads for stability.
• AutoNext uses Parent.SelectNextControl().

Style

• Avoids str.format()
• Uses single quotes
• Clear naming and layout anchoring

Downloads