RhinoCommon Dash Docset

For those Mac-centric developers out there.

I’m a fan of the Dash API documentation utility for OS X. I’ve generated a RhinoCommon docset - using Doxygen - that comes into Dash nicely. This allows you to search the RhinoCommon API really fast.

If you already have Dash installed, you can have Dash subscribe to the docset feed by cutting and pasting this link

http://files.na.mcneel.com/feeds/rhinocommondocset/RhinoCommon.xml

into Dash (Preferences > Downloads Tab > Plus Sign > Docset Feed URL). You will get automatic updates to the docs when they change.

If you don’t have Dash installed, you can still download the docset from this link, but you will have install and keep updates in sync manually.

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this process is to create pluings for rhino on mac

These are merely documentation sets for RhinoCommon that are compatible with the Mac/Xcode documentation format. They are the same documents you can find here), just in a format that makes them easier to use on the Mac.

Hey, Dan, thanks so much for putting up that docset!

I just wanted to add a quick note that for Windows users there is an app called Zeal which is very similar to Dash, and will read its docset format.

Also, did you happen to have a docset for rhinoscript? If so, any chance you could post it?

@philipbe

Glad you find it useful! Let me know if you see any problems with it.

Also, thanks for the link to Zeal…I’m definitely going to try that out on Windows. It’s great to see that Zeal uses the same feed mechanism as Dash.

No, I don’t have a docset for RhinoScript…but I can look into generating one. Let me get back to you on this.

@philipbe

Concerning a RhinoScript docset: the answer is yes, it should be possible, but it will not be nearly as fancy as the RhinoCommon version. With the RhinoCommon docset, I used Doxygen to parse the actual source - creating tags for methods, classes, etc. - but this is not possible with RhinoScript. Basically, I can generate a docset from the same html files you find in the RhinoScript help/documentation. So, it will only be a large list of methods - I may be able to sort them into categories/sections - and it will be searchable in Dash.

Let me know if you’d like me to generate a RhinoScript version as it will take a little doing.

Thanks for the offer, I think having a searchable docset would still be very useful even if its not as nicely classified as with RhinoCommon. In particular, having a large list of methods (even if just classified by the parent module) should make scripting in Grasshopper much easier given the limitations of its texts editors.

Before I found this thread I was looking into how to scrape the online documentation and making it myself, but it sounds like you might be far more experienced at that. I could have a crack at it though if you don’t have the time.

No problem. I think I can get something useful working without too much effort…I just wanted to calibrate expectations ahead of time. I let you know when I have something to test.

Windows users:

@philipbe pointed out (see above) that there is a Dash-inspired doc browser called Zeal. To use the RhinoCommon docs with Zeal, download this zip archive, uncompress it, and move the RhinoCommon.docset to:

C:/Users/<you>/AppData/Local/zeal/docsets/ 

(you can define this path in Zeal > Edit > Options > General Tab).
You will need to restart Zeal - you may have to quit Zeal from the system tray first.

I’ve updated (again) the RhinoCommon Dash Docset based on the latest RhinoCommon source from GitHub. If you are using Dash, you should get this update automagically (it’s ver 1.4.0)…but if you are using Zeal, you will have to manually download and install using the instructions in my post above (“Windows users:”).

Ver 1.4.0 has some new .css styling with the aim of making it cleaner and more concise…

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Yet again, I’ve updated the RhinoCommon Dash Docset based on the latest RhinoCommon source from GitHub. If you are using Dash, you should get this update automagically (it’s ver 1.5.0)…but if you are using Zeal, you will have to manually download and install using the instructions in my post above (“Windows users”).

can i find this: http://4.rhino3d.com/5/ironpython/index.html somewhere in a ‘Dash’ doc-set ?

hey @vikingasia, use this link in dash for rhinoscript/python

http://files.na.mcneel.com/feeds/rhinoscriptdocset/RhinoScript.xml

Jeff,

thanks for the link, but it ‘seems’ to give me the RhinoScript document (which I already
have as a …pdf) and that is VBscript-based, not Python based…

But - Maybe I’m doing something wrong?

VA

i think they’re basically the same thing (python uses rhinoscriptsyntax)…

i don’t know… i write python stuff on mac rhino… have never used windows rhino or VBscript… and that’s the link i use for dash :wink:


edit - oh wait… maybe that is the wrong link :oops: …let me check out what kind of bad info im giving out… i’ll be right back :smile:


edit2-

sorry @vikingasia … this is the one :

http://files.na.mcneel.com/feeds/rhinopythondocset/RhinoPython.xml

my bad.

dan’s original post on it:

thank YOU! - air-line/plane awaits -

I will be HAPPY to have something to do - while attempting to ‘get-through’ the five hour flight!

appreciate your support

Bill

The link to the RhinoCommon docset no longer seems to work in Dash (it’s an XML file containing a link to a .tgz) and/or is pretty out of date. The RhinoPython link works in Dash but given the styling the API it documents may be quite out of date too. Any chance we could either an update to these or tips on building it from one of the repos on Github?

Hi, I just installed from the link in the first post by @dan. Worked fine here for RhinoCommon …

Just follow the instructions that are posted … [quote=“dan, post:1, topic:1366”]
into Dash (Preferences > Downloads Tab > Plus Sign > Docset Feed URL).
[/quote]

Just paste the url into the popup, then click the “Download” button to the right of the RhinoCommon. [quote=“jeff_hammond, post:14, topic:1366”]
use this link in dash for rhinoscript/python

http://files.na.mcneel.com/feeds/rhinoscriptdocset/RhinoScript.xml
[/quote]

Use @jeff_hammond 's link for RhinoScript / python ??.

IHTH «Randy

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The fact that I’m using Dash 2 may be why the RhinoCommon link can’t be added in the way described– it yields an alert about not being a valid feed. Instead one can follow the link contained in the XML file, uncompress the .tgz, and double-click the resulting docset to install it in Dash. That gets you RhinoCommon 1.5.0.

Since then we’ve gotten a commercial release of Rhino for Mac, RhinoCommon running on Mac, Eto UI forms, etc. and so it would be great if there was a way to get the same set as what’s online.

Yes, good points. I would like to spend more time learning ETO.

I do remember installing with Dash 2, but I do have Dash 3 now.

«Randy