Create QR Code Annotations (Example)

Table of Contents

Background

QR codes are often used to attach information that is fault-tolerant and machine-readable. NX (currently) only offers the option of generating one-dimensional barcodes as annotations using a special character set. This post aims to show how QR codes can be easily inserted using an NX Open Journal in Python.

Requirements

The python package qrcode¹ is required to encode the content. The system font Courier New must also be available.

Implementation

If a non-proportional font is selected for generating the annotation, the text can be composed of spaces and a square symbol (here Courier New, Geometric Shapes, Black Square) line by line. The point matrix for this can be determined from the content to be coded using the get_matrix method of the qrcode.QRCode class.

"""
Create QR Code Annotations in NX Example
Author: Jan Boettcher, www.ib-boettcher.de, 2020
"""
import qrcode
import NXOpen
import NXOpen.Annotations
import NXOpen.Drawings
import NXOpen.UF

def main():
    """
    Main task.
    """
    session: NXOpen.Session = NXOpen.Session.GetSession()
    work_part: NXOpen.Part = session.Parts.Work

    do_continue = True
    if work_part is None:
        NXOpen.UI.GetUI().NXMessageBox.Show(
            "nxqr", NXOpen.NXMessageBox.DialogType.Error, "No work part."
            )
        do_continue = False
    if do_continue:
        do_continue, text = get_text()   
    if do_continue:
        do_continue, position = pick_position()
    if do_continue:
        matrix = create_qr_matrix(text)
        text_array = create_nx_text(matrix)
        font_index = add_font(work_part)
        qr_prefs = {
            "GeneralTextFont": font_index,
            "GeneralTextLineSpacFactor": 0.00001,
            "GeneralTextSize": 1.0,
            "GeneralTextAspectRatio": 1.0,
        }
        old_prefs = switch_prefs(work_part, qr_prefs)
        create_annotation(work_part, position, text_array)
        switch_prefs(work_part, old_prefs)

def create_annotation(part, position, text_array):
    """
    Create the annotation.
    """
    drafting_note_builder = part.Annotations.CreateDraftingNoteBuilder(
        NXOpen.Annotations.SimpleDraftingAid.Null
        )
    drafting_note_builder.Origin.Origin.SetValue(
        NXOpen.TaggedObject.Null, NXOpen.View.Null, position
        ) 
    drafting_note_builder.Origin.SetInferRelativeToGeometry(False)
    drafting_note_builder.Text.TextBlock.SetText(text_array)
    drafting_note_builder.Commit()
    drafting_note_builder.Destroy()


def add_font(part: NXOpen.Part):
    """
    Add font for annotation.
    """
    courier_index = part.Fonts.AddFont(
        "Courier New", NXOpen.FontCollection.Type.Standard
        )
    return courier_index


def switch_prefs(part, prefs):
    """
    Store current annotation preferences and set some new.
    """
    pref_builder = part.SettingsManager.CreatePreferencesBuilder()

    annotation_style = pref_builder.AnnotationStyle
    lettering_style = annotation_style.LetteringStyle
    old_prefs = {
        "GeneralTextFont": lettering_style.GeneralTextFont,
        "GeneralTextLineSpacFactor": lettering_style.GeneralTextLineSpaceFactor,
        "GeneralTextSize": lettering_style.GeneralTextSize,
        "GeneralTextAspectRatio": lettering_style.GeneralTextAspectRatio,
    }
    lettering_style.GeneralTextFont  = prefs["GeneralTextFont"]
    lettering_style.GeneralTextLineSpaceFactor = prefs["GeneralTextLineSpacFactor"]
    lettering_style.GeneralTextSize = prefs["GeneralTextSize"]
    lettering_style.GeneralTextAspectRatio = prefs["GeneralTextAspectRatio"]
    pref_builder.Commit()
    pref_builder.Destroy()

    return old_prefs


def pick_position():
    """
    Ask user to pick a position.
    """
    response, view, point = NXOpen.UI.GetUI().SelectionManager.SelectScreenPosition(
        "Pick QR Position"
        )
    do_continue = response == NXOpen.Selection.DialogResponse.Pick
    return do_continue, point

def get_text():
    """
    Ask user for QR content.
    """
    message = "Enter Text"
    text = "Some Text"
    uf_session = NXOpen.UF.UFSession.GetUFSession()
    uf_session.Ui.LockUgAccess(NXOpen.UF.UFConstants.UF_UI_FROM_CUSTOM)
    text, length, response = uf_session.Ui.AskStringInput(message, text)
    uf_session.Ui.UnlockUgAccess(NXOpen.UF.UFConstants.UF_UI_FROM_CUSTOM)
    do_continue = response == 5 or response == 3
    return do_continue, text
   
def create_qr_matrix(text):
    """
    Create the QR Code matrix.
    """
    qr = qrcode.QRCode(
        version=None
    )
    qr.add_data(text)
    qr.make(fit=True)
    matrix = qr.get_matrix()
    return matrix

def create_nx_text(matrix):
    """
    Create annotation text from matrix.
    """
    text_array = []
    for row in matrix:
        text = ""
        for dot in row:
            if dot == True:
                text = text + "\u25A0"
            else :
                text = text + " "
        
        text_array.append(text)
    return text_array

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()