Populate a Combobox with all the Layers from a DWG, list them in alphabetical order

[Coolmo]

I want to populate a Combobox with every layer in the drawing but I'd like for them to be in alphabetical order. Is there a quick way to do this? Populating it is easy but it appears to pop them into the combobox in the order that they appear..... in the AutoCAD database? Is there ANY way to alphabetize a list? Any help is appreciated.

[rcrabb]

I want to populate a Combobox with every layer in the drawing but I'd like for them to be in alphabetical order. Is there a quick way to do this? Populating it is easy but it appears to pop them into the combobox in the order that they appear..... in the AutoCAD database? Is there ANY way to alphabetize a list? Any help is appreciated.

try this

or this

Public Sub Alphabetize(StringArray() As String)
Dim loopOuter As Integer
Dim loopInner As Integer
Dim i As Integer
For loopOuter = UBound(StringArray) To _
LBound(StringArray) Step -1
For loopInner = 0 To loopOuter - 1
If UCase(StringArray(loopInner)) > _
UCase(StringArray(loopInner + 1)) Then
Swap StringArray(loopInner), _
StringArray(loopInner + 1)
End If
Next loopInner
Next loopOuter
End Sub

Private Sub Swap(a As String, b As String)
Dim c As String: c = a: a = b: b = c
End Sub

or this?

Private Function QSort(strList() As String, lLbound As Long, lUbound As Long)
'Classic QSort function - Modified to *not* be case sensitive (added all "lcase"
functions)

Dim sTemp As String
Dim sBuffer As String
Dim lCurLow As Long
Dim lCurHigh As Long
Dim lCurMid As Long

lCurLow = lLbound 'Start current low and high at actual low/high
lCurHigh = lUbound

If lUbound <= lLbound Then Exit Function
lCurMid = (lLbound + lUbound) \ 2 'Find the approx midpoint of the array

sTemp = LCase(strList(lCurMid))
'Pick as a starting point (we are making an assumption that
'the data *might* be in semi-sorted order already!)

Do While (lCurLow <= lCurHigh)
Do While LCase(strList(lCurLow)) < sTemp
lCurLow = lCurLow + 1
If lCurLow = lUbound Then Exit Do
Loop
Do While sTemp < LCase(strList(lCurHigh))
lCurHigh = lCurHigh - 1
If lCurHigh = lLbound Then Exit Do
Loop

If (lCurLow <= lCurHigh) Then 'if low is <= high then swap
sBuffer = strList(lCurLow)
strList(lCurLow) = strList(lCurHigh)
strList(lCurHigh) = sBuffer
lCurLow = lCurLow + 1 'CurLow++
lCurHigh = lCurHigh - 1 'CurLow--
End If
Loop

If lLbound < lCurHigh Then 'Recurse if necessary
QSort strList(), lLbound, lCurHigh
End If

If lCurLow < lUbound Then 'Recurse if necessary
QSort strList(), lCurLow, lUbound
End If

End Function

one more ...

'------------------------------------
'Add all layer names to an array
'Return the sorted array
'------------------------------------
Public Function SortLayers() As String()
Dim i As Integer
Dim oLayers As AcadLayers, oLayer As AcadLayer

Set oLayers = ThisDrawing.Layers
ReDim strLayers(0 To oLayers.Count - 1) As String

i = 0
For Each oLayer In oLayers
strLayers(i) = oLayer.Name
i = i + 1
Next oLayer

SortLayers = MergeSort (strLayers)
End Function

'----------------------------------
'Add layers to a combo box named CboLayers
'----------------------------------
Private Sub UserForm_Activate()
Dim strLayers() As String
Dim i As Integer

strLayers = SortLayers()
For i = LBound(strLayers) To UBound(strLayers)
CboLayers.AddItem strLayers(i)
Next i

End Sub

hope one of those helps

[fixo]

See how it will be works for you

ComboBox1.Sorted = True

Hth

~'J'~

[rcrabb]

See how it will be works for you

ComboBox1.Sorted = True

Hth

~'J'~

are you sure that is available in VBA? im under the understanding thats only a VB option

[jwanstaett]

I use is this function to load data in to a combox

the function return the index where the item was add to the list

 
Public Function LoadComBox(item As String, Combox As Object)
Dim myflag As Boolean
Dim myComBox As ComboBox
Dim mycount, i
Dim myIdex
myflag = False
myIdex = -1
If TypeOf Combox Is ComboBox Then
Set myComBox = Combox
If myComBox.ListCount = 0 Then
myComBox.AddItem item
myIdex = 0
Else
For i = 0 To myComBox.ListCount - 1
	If UCase(item) < UCase(myComBox.List(i)) Then
	 myIdex = i
	 myComBox.AddItem item, i
	 myflag = True
	 Exit For
	End If
Next
If Not myflag Then
myComBox.AddItem item
myIdex = myComBox.ListCount - 1
End If
End If
 
Else
End If
LoadComBox = myIdex
End Function

to test the code add to a form
a CommandButton name CommandButton1
and a ComboBox name ComboBox1
pase this code in the form code window

click the command button to add text to the comboxBox

Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Dim x
x = jwaLoadComBox.LoadComBox(InputBox(xxx), ComboBox1)
MsgBox CStr(x)
End Sub

to put a list layers in combobox1

Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
Dim x
For Each x In ThisDrawing.Layers
 jwaLoadComBox.LoadComBox x.Name, ComboBox1
Next
End Sub

how You have a function to sort all your comboboxs

[fixo]

are you sure that is available in VBA? im under the understanding thats only a VB option

Oh, sorry
My bad...

~'J'~

[Coolmo]

I'm getting an error on:

SortLayers = MergeSort (strLayers)

What is MergeSort?
Is that the function for sorting the array? My VBA doesn't allow it. I literally copied your code an ran it but it keeps stopping on that one. Ideas?

[MikeJarosz]

What is MergeSort?

VBA does not include a sort method. VB does.

I didn't look too closely, but the options presented above look like bubble sort, quick sort and merge sort. There is also what is called a Shell sort.

Sorting is a potentially enormous topic of discussion. People get Phd's in this stuff. I won't go into the details here, you can google these sort techniques and find out more about them. For sorting a simple list of layers, a bubble sort (sometimes called a swap sort) is good enough. I use it in many of my routines. There are many VBA routines out there for bubble sorts, as it is the easiest to understand.

Ignore the snobs that say it is the slowest or least elegant technique. You're not sorting the entire General Motors payroll by social security number. That's what the other algorithms are designed for.

[kdayman]

You can always save the layers into an array then query the array using ORDER BY. I don't remember the exact details, but used this method a few years back to solve a similar problem.

[Coolmo]

bubble sort huh? I'll check it out. Thanks