Exporting Block Counts to Excel

Developer: RhinoScript
Summary: Demonstrates how to count blocks and then export the results to Microsoft Excel.

I have an question about blocks. Is it possible to count all blocks in a drawing and export these results to Microsoft Excel (or another program)?

With RhinoScript, the answer is yes.

The following example script demonstrates how to count up all of the block instance and then export the results to Microsoft Excel. If you wanted the results to somewhere else, perhaps a text file, this is possible too.

To use:

1. Download the script file.
2. Unzip the script file (.RVB) and save it to some folder.
3. Drag the script file and drop it on top of a running copy of Rhino.
4. From the Rhino command line, run “ExportBlockCount”.

Here is the script code:

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' ExportBlockCount.rvb -- May 2010
' If this code works, it was written by Dale Fugier.
' If not, I don't know who wrote it.
' Works with Rhino 4.0.

Option Explicit
 
Sub ExportBlockCount()
 
  Dim arrBlocks, strBlock, strName
  Dim objCounts, objKey
  Dim objExcel, objBook, objSheet, nCell
 
  ' Get all of the block instances in the document
  arrBlocks = Rhino.ObjectsByType(4096)
  If IsNull(arrBlocks) Then
    Call Rhino.Print("No blocks to export.")
    Exit Sub
  End If
 
  ' Create a dictionary object for counting blocks
  Set objCounts = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
 
  ' Count the blocks
  For Each strBlock In arrBlocks
    strName = Rhino.BlockInstanceName(strBlock)
    If objCounts.Exists(strName) Then
      objCounts(strName) = objCounts(strName) + 1
    Else
      Call objCounts.Add(strName, 1)
    End If
  Next
 
  ' Create a Excel object
  Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
  objExcel.Visible = True
 
  ' Initialize Excel
  Set objBook = objExcel.Workbooks.Add
  Set objSheet = objBook.Worksheets(1)
 
  ' Place titles on sheet
  nCell = 1
  objExcel.Cells(nCell, 1).Value = "Block Name"
  objExcel.Cells(nCell, 2).Value = "Count"
  nCell = nCell + 1
 
  ' Write the blocks and counts to the sheet
  Call Rhino.Print("Block counts:")
  For Each objKey In objCounts
    objExcel.Cells(nCell, 1).Value = CStr(objKey)
    objExcel.Cells(nCell, 2).Value = CStr(objCounts(objKey))
    ' Print to command line too
    Call Rhino.Print("  " & CStr(objKey) & " = " & CStr(objCounts(objKey)))
   nCell = nCell + 1
  Next
 
End Sub
 
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' Drag & drop and alias creation stuff
Rhino.AddStartUpScript Rhino.LastLoadedScriptFile
Rhino.AddAlias "ExportBlockCount", "_-RunScript (ExportBlockCount)"