Trying to understand the relationship between block creation order and history

[Seamlydelter]

This comes from the desire to build a little “dashboard” to walk the seams of sleeves:

Premise:

The program stores the blocks in their order or creation:

@Grace

If you open the pattern file in a text file, you will see that it saves the version & name first, then the Curstom Variables, then the 1st board (with all the nodes, curves & lines), 2nd board, etc. & lastly the pattern Details.

And when a pattern is read from a file, it looks at the file in this exact order. Presently, it can’t look ahead to see what was created later.

If I understand this correctly, when I open a block to work on it, Seamly reads the pattern file only up to the block I’m working on (included).

Problem

If I create in order:

1. Front bodice
2. Back bodice
3. Sleeve

When I work in the Back bodice I cannot reference anything from the Sleeve, because as far as Seamly work the sleeve has not been created yet. But I can reference points and lines drawn in the Front bodice.

That means that the History It consider at any moment is partitioned by draft blocks: in my example everything drawn in the sleeve will always be in the future for object in the Front bodice.
Am I correct?

The “dashboard”

Let’s say I need to compare length of armscye holes and sleeve and I have two (fitted and easy fit) version drafted for every thing, using groups to make thing visible.

I can draw a little widget like the one @Douglas used here:

@Douglas

The 2 lines are the aggregate of all the formula lengths that make up the chest and waist.

and compare the seam length of armscye hole and armscye length on the sleeve. I would have two lines: one for fitted and another for easy fit version. something like a “dashboard” as this one:

I can only draw it in the sleeve because otherwise I cannot reference points in the future. Am I correct?

But what if I afterwards add another block and want to check some part of it, in the same place? I will need to rebuild all the “dashboard” in the newest block or accept to split the “dashboard”, Am I correct?

[Pneumarian]

As presented, yes, that is absolutely correct. However:

1. You could have a drafting board set aside for your “dashboard” which is beyond any likely blocks you’d want to use. Say, the “F” board.
2. Several pattern cutting systems draft all of those blocks on the same draft-board before separating them out to different pattern blocks, in which case “B” is fully open to being “dashboard”.

There are also other ideas for how to work it, which other Seamly users may present.

[Seamlydelter]

thank you for the suggestion, I like the idea of the F board.

But How could I ensure that is always the last created? What if I decide to create an additional block after creating the “F dashboard” block?

Or maybe I’m missing something about those prefix letters, do they govern the order in which Seamly reads the pattern?

[Douglas]

@Seamlydelter

If I understand this correctly, when I open a block to work on it, Seamly reads the pattern file only up to the block I’m working on (included).

Actually no. Technically it reads the whole pattern file into a temporary document in memory. Then it parses the whole document… building each tool & piece block by block. That’s why it doesn’t know about “future” tool variables. Any time you add a new tool or edit an existing one, the document is parsed again, each tool is built again in sequence, and the display updated.

But to your point… as the documnet is being parsed each tool’s formulas can only be evaluated with values from tools that have already been parsed up to that point.

@Seamlydelter

I can only draw it in the sleeve because otherwise I cannot reference points in the future. Am I correct?

Correct.

@Seamlydelter

But what if I afterwards add another block and want to check some part of it, in the same place? I will need to rebuild all the “dashboard” in the newest block or accept to split the “dashboard”, Am I correct?

Your dashboard can only use tool variables that have already been created… in order of Block A, Block B… Block X. So as long as your Dashboard block is the last block in alphabetical order (of creation)… it should have access to any variables from blocks before it.

[Pneumarian]

@Seamlydelter

But How could I ensure that is always the last created? What if I decide to create an additional block after creating the “F dashboard” block?

The first one defaults to “A” as the base point, the second defaults to “B”, … the sixth one defaults to “F”. So you might start drafting by making six Draft Blocks & then populating only the ones which you need, hopefully leaving one or two empties to buffer your “Dashboard”.

[Seamlydelter]

this is a nice workaround, thanks