Tracking IDs

Overview

Tracking IDs allow you to assign IDs to the following topological entities in order to track them across modeling operations such as split, merge, copy, delete, etc.:

• bodies (IBody2::GetTrackingIDs, IBody2::IGetTrackingIDs, IBody2::GetTrackingIDsCount, IBody2::RemoveTrackingID, IBody2::SetTrackingID)

• edges (IEdge::GetTrackingIDs, IEdge::IGetTrackingIDs, IEdge::GetTrackingIDsCount, IEdge::RemoveTrackingID, IEdge::SetTrackingID)

• faces (IFace2::GetTrackingIDs, IFace2::IGetTrackingIDs, IFace2::GetTrackingIDsCount, IFace2::RemoveTrackingID, IFace2::SetTrackingID)

• loops ILoop2::GetTrackingIDs, ILoop2::IGetTrackingIDs, ILoop2::GetTrackingIDsCount, ILoop2::RemoveTrackingID, ILoop2::SetTrackingID)

• vertices (IVertex::GetTrackingIDs, IVertex::IGetTrackingIDs, IVertex::GetTrackingIDsCount, IVertex::RemoveTrackingID, and IVertex::SetTrackingID)

Your application can define tracking IDs that are specific to that application to avoid interference with other applications using ISldWorks::RegisterTrackingDefinition. Because tracking IDs are intended for use by application developers, there are no visual clues that entities have been assigned tracking IDs. You can find the entities assigned tracking IDs in a document using IModelDocExtension::FindTrackedObjects.

Usage

Tracking IDs are supported within a single model document only and are limited to part and assembly documents. Tracking IDs propagate across modeling operations (e.g., splitting a face in two — both faces inherit the tracking ID of the original face) while attributes, persistent IDs, and safe entities do not.

The lifetime of a tracking ID is from the time of its creation until a rebuild of the model. Attributes, persistent IDs, and safe entities have longer lifetimes. Persistent IDs exist across SolidWorks sessions, and safe entities continue to exist after a rebuild. Attributes behave like features.

By default, tracking IDs are not persistent across SolidWorks sessions. However, you can create a macro feature to assign tracking IDs, which would then allow you to retrieve tracking IDs across SolidWorks sessions.

You can assign a tracking ID to the result body of a macro feature. You assign the tracking ID as the last step, just before the result body is returned by the rebuild function of the macro feature to avoid modifying the body and losing the tracking ID. You assign the tracking ID to the entire body using IBody2::SetTrackingID or to individual entities using, for example, IFace2::SetTrackingID. The latter allows you to reuse the logic required for IMacroFeatureData::SetFaceUserId (for SolidWorks purposes) for assigning a tracking ID (for your purposes).

Guidelines

You assign a tracking ID before modifying an entity.

You can:

• obtain bodies to which to assign tracking IDs using IPartDoc::GetBodies2.

• obtain bodies, belonging to components in assembly documents, to which to assign tracking IDs using IComponent2::GetBodies.

• propagate tracking IDs from a part document to component instances of that part in an assembly context. Your application can obtain the corresponding face using IModelDocExtension::GetCorrespondingEntity. The same tracking ID used in the part document can be assigned to the corresponding face in the component context.

• assign:

• same tracking ID to multiple objects of different types.

• same tracking ID to edges, faces, loops, and vertices that belong to different bodies.

• same tracking ID to bodies, edges, faces,  loops, and vertices that belong to different components.

• multiple tracking IDs to the same object.

• tracking IDs to temporary bodies, model bodies, surface and solid bodies, and the output bodies of macro features.

You cannot assign tracking IDs:

• to a general, i.e., non-manifold, body

• to entities used in sketch or drawing context

• transient entities (e.g., silhouette edges returned by IFace2::IGetSilhoutteEdges or edges returned by ISketchText::GetEdges)

Implementation

S = Assign ID to the new object resulting from the split operation. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned is incremented by 1.

M = Remove ID from the object being merged into another object. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned is decremented by 1.

D = Remove ID from object being deleted. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned is decremented with 1.

R = Remove ID from object and assign it to the object that replaces it. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned remains the same.

C = Assign ID to the new objects resulting from the copy operation. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned is incremented by the number of new copies.

P = Assign ID to new objects corresponding to the source object being patterned. The number of objects to which the ID is assigned is incremented by the number of new pattern instances. Similar implementation for mirror operations.

N/A = Not applicable.