MathCAD Prime 10 - TextBox Advanced Controls - Output Type

[DBHM_Conc_Eng]

Hi all,

The advanced controls are a dream come true for me, but has probably opened up a rabbit hole of documentation.

I added a textbox with the intent that users could enter dimensional strings in a user-friendly format like:

10'-2 3/8"

and the output would be an inches value of

122.375

I'm having two issues, first being the output is a string "122.375" and not a numerical value, and ideally the value would actually be defined with MathCAD's units: 122.375*in

Any assistance on how to get this working would be appreciated

function TextBoxEvent_Start(Inputs, Outputs) {
    // TODO: Add your code here
};

function TextBoxEvent_Exec(Inputs, Outputs) {
    var input = TextBox.Text(); // Get the input value from the first input
    var inches = parseDimension(input); // Convert the dimensional string to inches
    Outputs[0].Value = inches.toFixed(3); // Output the value in decimal inches to 3 figures
};

function parseDimension(dim) {
    var parts = dim.split("-"); // Split the string by feet and inches parts
    var feet = parseFloat(parts[0]);
    var inches = 0;

    if (parts.length > 1) {
        var inchesParts = parts[1].split(" ");
        if (inchesParts.length > 1) {
            inches += parseFloat(inchesParts[0]); // Convert feet to inches
            var fraction = parseFraction(inchesParts[1]); // Convert fraction to inches
            inches += fraction;
        } else {
            inches += parseFloat(inchesParts[0]);
        }
    }

    return feet * 12 + inches;
}

function parseFraction(fractionStr) {
    var parts = fractionStr.split("/");
    if (parts.length === 2) {
        return parseFloat(parts[0]) / parseFloat(parts[1]);
    } else {
        return 0;
    }
}

function TextBoxEvent_Stop(Inputs, Outputs) {
    // TODO: Add your code here
};

.

[Werner_E · Accepted solution]

Documentation is certainly a major problem concerning the new controls. 

In JScript a bold method to convert the text to a number is to simply multiply it by 1:

Outputs[0].Value = 1*inches.toFixed(3); // Output the value in decimal inches to 3 figures 

But probably using parseFloat is the better way to go

Outputs[0].Value = parseFloat(inches.toFixed(3)); // Output the value in decimal inches to 3 figures

Unfortunately, I don't know whether and how it is possible to add units in the script.

I simply did it using an extra region (which could be hidden in a collapsed area)

My guess is that the new controls can't handle units at all - but I sure would like to be convinced of the opposite 😉

[LucMeekes]

Can you multiply the control with the unit? That would obviate the extra assignment to len.

Success!
Luc

[DBHM_Conc_Eng]

---

@LucMeekes wrote:

Can you multiply the control with the unit? That would obviate the extra assignment to len.

Success!
Luc

---

Doesn't seem like it wants to let you enter anything before or after. the box. Given MathCAD also abandon's units with integration with excel, that's not surprising. @Werner_E's suggestion to just redefine the variable off-page seems like the best work-around.

[LucMeekes]

"Given MathCAD also abandon's units with integration with excel"

There's a very good reason for this: Excel doesn't use units. Neither does JScript. So any units must be stripped off before going from Mathcad/Prime to Excel/JScript, and any units must be bolted on in Mathcad/Prime after receiving input from Excel/JScript.

However, as units can be multiplied directly to the output of interface functions like READEXCEL() etc. one might expect that units could be multiplied to the result of a scripted component. But then, let's not forget that Prime is PTC sofware...

Success!
Luc

[Werner_E]

However, as units can be multiplied directly to the output of interface functions like READEXCEL() etc. one might expect that units could be multiplied to the result of a scripted component. But then, let's not forget that Prime is PTC sofware...

Hmm, expectations and PTC software ...

One might expect that PTC would have implemented some kind of unit-awareness on top of the extended input controls, especially as the simple input control already was delivered with (rudimentary) unit-abilities.

One might also expect that, when a third party chart component is integrated in a software like Mathcad that it would be unit-aware, but ...

[DBHM_Conc_Eng]

I ended up using @Werner_E 's parseFloat method, along with the redefinition of the variable to add units.

I'll add the updated code below in case anyone finds this tread and wants to utilize the script. Also updated some of the code comments. Admittedly I used AI to point me in the right direction, because I know zero JScript (more of a VBA guy), and I had to do a little tweaking of the AI's output, because it made some really silly errors (it was multiplying the whole inches by 12 for some reason, also was trying to call the textbox's text value incorrectly).

Note to others leveraging AI to help with scripting these advanced controls, ChatGPT3.5 is currently better than Gemini. I had to repeatedly remind Gemini I was using JScript, and not JavaScript, and the more time I spent debugging the code with it, the worse the code got.

function TextBoxEvent_Start(Inputs, Outputs) {
    // TODO: Add your code here
};

// Text Box Control - Human Readable dimensional length to numerical inches with 3 significant figures
function TextBoxEvent_Exec(Inputs, Outputs) {
    var input = TextBox.Text(); // Get the input value from the first input
    var inches = parseDimension(input); // Convert the dimensional string to inches
    Outputs[0].Value = parseFloat(inches.toFixed(3)); // Output the value in decimal inches to 3 figures
};

function parseDimension(dim) {
    var parts = dim.split("-"); // Split the string by feet and inches parts
    var feet = parseFloat(parts[0]);
    var inches = 0;

    if (parts.length > 1) {
        var inchesParts = parts[1].split(" ");
        if (inchesParts.length > 1) {
            inches += parseFloat(inchesParts[0]); // Append whole inches to var inches
            var fraction = parseFraction(inchesParts[1]); // Convert fraction to inches
            inches += fraction; // Appen fractional inches to var inches
        } else {
            inches += parseFloat(inchesParts[0]); // Append whole inches to var inches
        }
    }

    return feet * 12 + inches; // Convert feet to inches and add resulting value of var inches
}

function parseFraction(fractionStr) {
    var parts = fractionStr.split("/");
    if (parts.length === 2) {
        return parseFloat(parts[0]) / parseFloat(parts[1]);
    } else {
        return 0;
    }
}

function TextBoxEvent_Stop(Inputs, Outputs) {
    // TODO: Add your code here
};

[TK421]

In regards to rounding a number in JScript to 2 decimal places:

As @Werner_E suggested, you could use parseFloat(inches.toFixed(2)) or inches.toFixed(2)*1 to convert it to a number, or you could also use...

  inches.toFixed(2)+0

  +inches.toFixed(2)

  Number(inches.toFixed(2))

  parseInt(inches.toFixed(2)*100)/100

  Math.round(inches*100)/100

  ** capitalization of "Number" and "Math" are intentional

In regards to Feet-Inch inputs:

If I want to input a dimension as feet-inches in MCP9, I just type a string and give it the units FIF. Strangely enough this appears to only work if the FIF unit is used on the left side of the = sign, not the right side of the = sign (??)

In regards to adding units to the JScript output:

Can you not just type units right after the text box? (I don't have access to MCP10 yet - waiting on IT - otherwise I would check myself)

[LucMeekes]

"Can you not just type "*in" right after the text box?"

No, you cannot. Prime will not accept it. See my remark above: https://community.ptc.com/t5/Mathcad/MathCAD-Prime-10-TextBox-Advanced-Controls-Output-Type/m-p/947538#M211603

Success!
Luc

[TK421]

Ah, I missed that, thanks @LucMeekes!  Unfortunate, it seems like that would be very intuitive considering you can tack the units onto Excel component outputs as well as user defined function results.

[LucMeekes]

That was my point as well. But then, again and again and again, it's PTC sofware.

Luc