Struggling when transforming VBA code to Python using win32com module

[AhmedAl]

Hello everyone,


Thanks to everyone contributing to this forum, it's really helping me !

I recently started generating visio files using Python and I have problems with many aspects of visio generation : filling the shapes with specific color, setting the page scale, setting particular font style ....
Can you help me please ?

Right now, I'm stuck with this code (for shapes filling):

objVapp = win32com.client.Dispatch("Visio.Application")
# objVapp = win32com.client.gencache.EnsureDispatch("Visio.Application")
# objVapp.Interactive = False

objVdProc = objVapp.Documents.Add("")

Rect = objVdProc.Pages("PdG").DrawRectangle(1, Coord_y,1 , 1)
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormPinX).FormulaU = Coord_x
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormWidth).FormulaU = Largeur
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormHeight).FormulaU = Hauteur

Rect.Cells("FillPattern").FormulaU = "1"
Rect.Cells("FillForegnd").FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(RGB(%s,%s,%s))" %(R_Fond, V_Fond, B_Fond)
Rect.Cells("FillBkgnd").FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(SHADE(FillForegnd,LUMDIFF(THEME(""FillColor""),THEME(""FillColor2""))))"

I have the following error caused by the line just before the last one:
com_error: (-2147352567, 'An exception has occured.', (0, 'Dessin2 - Visio Professionnel', '\n\n#NAME?', None, 0, -2032466907), None)

And even when I'm trying to set a particular font style for the text, I'm getting a similar error, here is my code (error in the 1st line):

Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionCharacter, 0, visCharacterStyle).FormulaU = Carac_Police
Rect.Cells("Char.size").FormulaU = "96 pt"#Taille_Police
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionCharacter, 0, visCharacterUnderline).FormulaU = True
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionCharacter, 0, visCharacterColor).FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(RGB(%s,%s,%s))" %(R_police, V_police, B_police)
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionCharacter, 0, visCharacterFont).FormulaU = "4" #equivalent to "Arial"

Thanks

[Yacine]

Hello Ahmed,

  Rect.Cells("FillForegnd").FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(RGB(%s,%s,%s))" %(R_Fond, V_Fond, B_Fond)

The a.m. line worked fine for me. I had of course to define the "xx_Fond" variables first.
You may check whether it's a visio or a python thing, but replacing the formula by one with constants. eg:
  Rect.Cells("FillForegnd").FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(RGB(100,100,100))"

Cordialement,
Y.

[AhmedAl]

Thanks Yacine, It worked, it looks like I was getting it wrong.

[AhmedAl]

Hello,

it's me again !

Right now, I'm stuck with this code (inserting jpg images into a shape):

Rect = objVdProc.Pages("PdG").DrawRectangle(1, Coord_y,1 , 1)
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormPinX).FormulaU = Coord_x

Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormWidth).FormulaU = Largeur
Rect.CellsSRC(visSectionObject, visRowXFormOut, visXFormHeight).FormulaU = Hauteur

Rect.Cells("LineColor").FormulaU = "THEMEGUARD(RGB(255,255,255))"
filePath = "C:/Users/aallali/Documents/EDF rédaction de consignes/Logo_edf(1).jpg"
Rect.Import(filePath)

It gave me this error:
  File "C:/Users/aallali/Documents/EDF rédaction de consignes/Notebooks/Génération_Visio_1.0.1.py", line 2652, in <module>
    Rect.Import(filePath)

com_error: (-2147352567, 'An exception has occured.', (0, 'Dessin2 - Visio Professionnel', '\n\nObjet Inappropriate target for this operation.', None, 0, -2032465762), None)

Thanks

[vojo]

Not an expert but I believe the problem is that Rect defines a rectangle...I dont think you can import a picture into a rectangle.   You may want different kind of object to manage the JPG

Could just turn on Macros and do a copy and paste of an image to see what kind of object is used.

[Yacine]

I agree with Vojo, that a shape can't be a target for an import operation, although the method is available and documented ... Strange!

2 Methodes to get pictures in Visio:
- choose a page as target. eg activepage.import ...
- create a fill pattern with the image, then apply it to the desired shape.

PS: in VBA in calls to subs the arguments are written without parenthesis. --> activepage.import filePath

[metuemre]

An example in VBA http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=7960.30

[AhmedAl]

Thanks everyone, and thanks metuemre for the last file

In fact, I tried only a small step (just importing a random image in empty visio file) and I got com_error as usual, I'm growing frusturated with this ...

This is my code:

Code Select Expand


import pandas as pd
import sys, win32com.client
import time
from win32com.client import constants

# Visio must be open and I used a "Basic Diagram" template
objVapp = win32com.client.Dispatch("Visio.Application")
# objVapp = win32com.client.gencache.EnsureDispatch("Visio.Application")
# objVapp.Interactive = False

objVdProc = objVapp.Documents.Add("")
objVdProc.Pages(1).Name = "PdG"

objVdProc.Pages(1).Background = False # pas arrière plan donc 1er plan
objVdProc.Pages(1).BackPage = ""

filePath = "C:/Users/myPC/Documents/EDF rédaction de consignes/Logo_edf(1).jpg"

objVapp.ActivePage.Import(filePath)

The error was:

Code Select Expand


com_error: (-2147352567, 'An exception has occured.', (0, 'Dessin2 - Visio Professionnel',"\n\nAn error has occured. Impossible to keep importing.", None, 0, -2032466039), None)

Please find the image in the attachements

[vojo]

again...in visio, turn macro recording on and do the paste.   Then look at the resulting macro to see the VBA involved.

As far as python goes, I think you only have to values of VBA objects
I.e. do whatever you want in native Python then use the win32, shape, cell, formula to plug in values to visio.

[Nikolay]

Visio was designed with VBA in mind, not Python. Not sure why you have chosen python to work with Visio; you get all sorts of problems, starting with configuration, lack of code samples, obscure error messages, lack of intellisense (auto-completion), and finally performance issues.

[Paul Herber]

The error was:

Code Select Expand


com_error: (-2147352567, 'An exception has occured.', (0, 'Dessin2 - Visio Professionnel',"\n\nAn error has occured. Impossible to keep importing.", None, 0, -2032466039), None)

Please find the image in the attachements

I can almost foresee the day when computers could be powerful enough to convert -2147352567 and -2032466039 into something more human readable.
(-0x7FFDFFF7 and -0x7924F877 respectively.)

[AhmedAl]

@Nikolay because I work on a machine learning project where the output of would be a visio file, and when you say machine learning you say Python & R (but not VBA).

[Nikolay]

You could use SVG as output maybe? That has much better support in python.
Note that you can open SVG with Visio.

[Yacine]

Hello Ahmed,
Please find below a code sample that imports an image and makes some basic manipulations with it.

Code Select Expand

import win32com.client
from win32com.client import constants

def mm2in(x):
    return x / 25.4
def in2mm(x):
    return x * 25.4

# Preparation
template = 'BASICD_M.VSTX' # That's my basic template. Replace by your own.
vApp = win32com.client.Dispatch("Visio.Application")
vApp.Visible = 1
vDoc = vApp.Documents.Add(template)
vPg = vDoc.Pages.Item(1)
vWin = vApp.ActiveWindow

vPg.Name = 'PdG'
vPg.PageSheet.CellsU('DrawingResizeType').FormulaU = '2'

# Importing the image
img_path = 'C:\\Users\\aallali\\Documents\\EDF rédaction de consignes\\Logo_edf(1).jpg'
vImg = vPg.Import(img_path)

# Resizing the image
# Locking the aspect ratio doesn't really lock it when manipulating directly the height and the width by code
img_h = 20
hw_ratio = vImg.CellsU('Height').ResultIU / vImg.CellsU('Width').ResultIU
vImg.CellsU('Height').FormulaU = str(mm2in(img_h))
vImg.CellsU('Width').FormulaU = str(vImg.CellsU('Height').ResultIU  / hw_ratio)

# Positioning the image on the top right corner
margin = 10 # mm

w = in2mm(vPg.PageSheet.CellsU('PageWidth').ResultIU)
h = in2mm(vPg.PageSheet.CellsU('PageHeight').ResultIU)
print(x,y)

vImg.CellsU('LocPinX').FormulaU = 'Width * 1'
vImg.CellsU('LocPinY').FormulaU = 'Height * 1'

x = w - 2 * margin
y = h - 2 * margin
print(x,y)


vImg.CellsU('PinX').FormulaU = str(x) + 'mm'
vImg.CellsU('PinY').FormulaU = str(y) + 'mm'

# duplicate the image
vImg2 = vImg.Duplicate()

# Position it in the left top corner
vImg2.CellsU('LocPinX').FormulaU = 'Width * 0'
x = margin
vImg2.CellsU('PinX').FormulaU = str(x) + 'mm'
vImg2.CellsU('PinY').FormulaU = str(y) + 'mm'
Keep in mind to use the macro recorder to get the syntax of the commands to use.
The supplied code is just a quick demo. Ideally you would re-write it as set of functions to make it re-usable. Have a look at the library I built for myself. It's an IPython notebook though.

Rgds,
Y.

[AhmedAl]

It worked, thank you Yacine.

I started using the macro recorder, so hoepfully I'll get less issues.