"iLogic enables rules-driven design, providing a simple way to capture and reuse your work. Use iLogic to standardize and automate design processes and configure your virtual products." Autodesk knowledge

That being said there is 1 issue that i always found troubeling. Starting a iLogic rule is not as easy as i would like. To much mouse clicks for me. I want a button to start a rule.

I know it's possible to create buttons with VBA. On the internet there are many sources of great scripts for that. For me it would be more convenient to havea addon with a clean interface. Save all data in a xml-file. That makes it more easy to distibute the settings. There for I made this addon.

Clint Brown wrote a great acticle about my addon on his site (Link). He also made a youtube video (Link).

Setup

If you dwnloaded this app by the Autodesk app store: The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from Autodesk App Store will start installing the app/plug-in. OR, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the app/plugin.

You can unload the plugin without uninstalling it by unchecking the "Loaded/Unloaded" checkbox associated with the plugin in the Autodesk® Inventor® Add-In Manager. You may have to restart Inventor to completely unload the application.

To uninstall this plug-in, exit the Autodesk product if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button. OR, you can uninstall it from 'Control Panel/Programs and Features' (Windows 7/8.1/10), just as you would uninstall any other application from your system.

In other cases: copy the following files:

• Hjalte.iLogicButtons.addin
• Hjalte.iLogicButtons.dll
• RuleButtonSettings.Xml

To the directory: %APPDATA%\Autodesk\Inventor {Year/Version} \Addins
(e.g. C:\Users\.....\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Inventor {Year/Version}\Addins)

General Usage Instructions

This tool distinguish 2 items. The "Button definition" and the "Place definition". With the following properties

(* See advanced instructions for more information)

These properties can be set in the Settings form. That form can found on

• "(Ribbon)ZeroDoc" --> "(Tab)Tools" --> "(panel)iLogic"
• "(Ribbon)Part" --> "(Tab)Manage" --> "(panel)iLogic"
• "(Ribbon)Assembly" --> "(Tab)Manage" --> "(panel)iLogic"

Create a button:

• Start with slecting a external iLogic rule by clicking on "Add button".
• In the following dialog select the external iLogic rule that you want to make a button for.
• Select a icons
  • Small icons need to be 16x16 pixels
  • Big icons need to be 32x32 pixels
  • if you dont select an icon the default icon will be used
• Add a "Place definition" by clicking "Add place"

• Select the place where you want to have the button.
• click "Ok".
• Repeat the steps above for all buttons and places you want to configure.
• To delete (or add) button/place definition. Select it and right click it. In the menu select "Delete"

All changes will take effect after you restarted Inventor.

Advance usage Instructions

When usig the basic settings its only possible to select exsisting places. In the "Advanced" tab, of the "Place definition form", its also posible create your own "Ribbon Tabs" and "Ribbon pannels". To do so you need fill the TextBoxes. The internal names need to me unique in inventor.

All settings are saved in the file "RuleButtonSettings.Xml". (You can find the file in your addon directory. See chapeter: "Settings file for the addin.") It's possible to edit that file manualy. That has 2 advantages.

• It's possible to add Description/Tooltip to a button.
• It's possible to have a diferent button name then the rule name.
• It's possible to create internal names for buttons.
  • This is necessary if you have 2 buttons with the same (internal) name

(At the time of this writing it's not yet possible to set this using the forms.)

Here you see the "ExternalRuleButton" node with all possible sub nodes for a button:

<ExternalRuleButton>
  <name>...</name>
  <internalName>...</internalName>
  <ruleName>...</ruleName>
  <standardIconFilePath>...</standardIconFilePath>
  <largeIconFilePath>...</largeIconFilePath>
  <descriptionText>...</descriptionText>
  <places>
    <!-- Add ButtonPlace nodes here -->
  </places>
</ExternalRuleButton>

When editing the xml file keep the following in mind:

• The "settingsButton" node may have the same subnodes!
• xml nodes are case sensitive.
• you may need to escape special characters.

For cad managers: It's possible to copy this file to other computers for easy distribution of the button settings to other users.

Settings file for the addin.

In some situation you might want to edit the setting files. This is how you can find the files:

• Start inventor.
• Click on the tab tools and select addins.
• In the following window select this addon (Hjalte.ButtonConstructor)
• now in the bottom of the window the file location of the dll is given. That is also the file location of all setting files.

Using the addin on older unsupported versions of Inventor.

This addon has only be tested on Inventor 2020 and 2021. I dont own other versions so i cant test the following information. But with a little tweaking it might also work on earlyer versions. Do the following:

• Find the settings file: "Hjalte.ButtonConstructor.addin" (See chapeter: "Settings file for the addin.")
  • in my case the full path is: "C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\Button Constructor.bundle\Contents\Hjalte.ButtonConstructor.addin"
• edit the file with Notepad.
• find the text: "<SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan>23..</SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan>"
• Replace it with: "<SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan>15..</SupportedSoftwareVersionGreaterThan>"

Let me know if it worked.

Other places that you can search for the *.addin file:

• C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Inventor [version]\Addins
• C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins
• C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins
• C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Inventor [version]\Addins

Known issues

Settings button cant be found.

There have been reports that the settings button is hidden when none document is open. In those cases customise your ribbons to show the panel "iLogic" if none document is open. If that is not an option use the other places to configur the addon.

Buttons are remaoved in the addin settings but are still shown.

It has been reported that sometimes buttons are not removed afther restarting inventor. In those cases is the solution:

• block the addin in Inventor.
• restart inventor.
• find the location of the button.
• start customizing your ribbon. Just open the window and close it again)
• restart Inevntor
• unblock the addon.

Privacy Policy

This addon does not collect any data from the user.

All information processed by the application remains on the local device and is not accessible by any 3rd party.

Donate

This addon is a completely free. However if you find it useful and it saves you time I would appreciate a donation.